This track, off 1993's 19 Naughty III (get it?), exemplifies the classic sound of east coast rap, with Treach's and Vin Rock's rapid, staccato delivery, the jazzy drum, and the hypnotic, unchanging melody. But the song is more than that. The railroad spike beats on the two and the four and the inclusive chanting chorus places the songs strongly in the tradition of the old work songs that so much of twentieth century African American music uses as its inspiration. Lyrically, I think of Shakespeare. The meaning of the lyrics are largely incomprehensible to people outside the time and place of its creation. I tried to break down the meaning of the lyrics and concluded they basically boast of the MCs' prowess at the mic and in the bed. While I was not waaayyyy off base, according to genius.com, I certainly did not break into the more specific translations of lyrics like "Don't lamp with a freestyle phantom, ain't trying to be handsome, shrinking what you're thinking cause I'm vamping". I don't know what kind of insane Ouija board business I, a person NOT born a poor, black male in New Jersey, would have to get up to in order to break down what that couplet means. The lyrics remind my of Shakespeare in another way: it is important to hear, rather then read, the complex internal rhythmic structure in order to understand its attraction. Ultimately, it doesn't matter that "A raid afraid of what I made and played it, plus a funky fit" is a mystery because the song's sonic mastery makes intellectual understanding subservient to the whole experience.
"Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty by Nature
"Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty by Nature