Five reasons to see the Hip-Hop Classic Tour coming to Sugar Land

scarface

Why he matters: You can’t talk about Houston hip-hop without knowing Scarface. Solo as his artist and influential He with the Geto Boys South He cut his teeth in the Akers neighborhood Brad He Terrence Jordan-born artist later became known as Gangsta His Rap was a pioneer. He’s a master at painting his vivid street scenes (and crime scenes), using his deceptively laid-back delivery to draw listeners into Dirty His South. Scarface remains the most important figure in the development and history of Southern Hip Hop.

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Major works: Geto Boys’ jam ‘Mind Playing Tricks on Me’ is a haunting tale of urban post-traumatic stress disorder. Backing his track is inspired by a sample of Isaac Hayes’ “Hung Up on My Baby” to get you dancing. Scarface has plenty of choices for solo work, but ‘I Seen a Man Die’ is a brief and airtight tale about trying to survive in a harsh world.

Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh

Important reasons: You can take these two together or separately. Barbados-born Doug (a.k.a. Human Beatbox) and London native Rick teamed up in Get Fresh Crew and quickly became a hip-hop dynamic duo, crafting some of the most influential songs from early New York. Did. scene. Doug is still the genre’s most important beatboxer, and Rick is a pioneer in the art of rapping his narratives.

Major works: “The Show” is guaranteed to be a party starter, and the oft-sampled “La-Di-Da-Di” is one of hip-hop’s original dirty talks, a blast of pure improvisational exuberance. Blessed with something that sounds like As his solo artist, Rick has proven himself to be an unrivaled street his storyteller with “Children’s Story.”

Rakim

Why he matters: where do i start? Recording with DJ/producer Eric B., Rakim pushes rap into new creative stratospheres, bending stanzas to fit pioneering currents, expanding previously recorded vocabulary, and allowing metaphysical poets to He insisted on mastering the language, which he would have appreciated. He raised the bar for all his MCs that followed. He’s still Rappers his rapper and art he’s the innovator needed to take his form to the next level.

Major works: Play Eric B. & Rakim’s albums “Paid in Full,” “Follow the Leader,” and “Don’t Sweat the Technique.” Then listen again. Mix, stir, repeat, laugh.

big daddy kane

Why he matters: First as a member of Queensbridge’s legendary Juice Crew, then as a solo artist, Kane combines Rakim’s innovative wordplay with blistering beats and raw sex appeal, revelation of hip-hop’s golden age in itself. Did. He knew how to pull it off.

Major works: The singles “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’,” “Raw,” “I Get the Job Done,” and “Set it Off” perfectly encapsulate the Big Daddy formula.

DJ Jazzy Jeff

Why he matters: Jeff rose to fame alongside The Fresh Prince of Philadelphia, now known as Will Smith. He was the sonic backbone of the duo’s blockbuster debut his album He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper, a feast of youthful hip-hop frenzy. But he’s a master both as a club DJ and as a turntablist.

Major works: Without Jeff, there’s no such thing as “he’s the DJ.” But to fully appreciate Jeff, you’ll need to catch his mix of live sets, impeccable song selection, beat juggling, and turntable acrobatics.

Chris Vognar is a Houston-based writer.