The Fruits of Rap

THE FRUITS OF RAP – Jalal Nuriddin

The end signaled the beginning
And the Earth kept on spinning
At one revolution per day
24/7, 365 hipsters were talking that jive
And rapping about life every day

Now the pulse on the street
Was in tune with the beat
And the music was fantastic
With the word as its mate
At a rocketing growth rate

The industry was enthusiastic
Rhythm was already in the blues
And the musicians were paying them dues

From Ragtime to Rock & Roll
The music had crossed over
Wrapped up in clover
And all of it was rooted in soul!

The foundation had been laid
And it was time to get paid
But the industry wanted to avoid it

From the bees came the honey
Which was worth a lot of money
And it had to be exploited!

From Gospel singing to big bands swinging
They banned swingin’ and jazz as it is
From soft harmony to Doo-Wop
To the hard-honed tones of Be-Bop
Which had taken an exception to Show Biz

Calypso was good to go
And Latin was the satin in Mambo
And there was no such thing as Pop
Reggae was on the way
And Rap hadn’t seen the light of day
So Hip couldn’t hardly school Hop

Bossa Nova was coming over
And Soca was still a game
Rhythm and Blues had already paid the dues
That gave Rock & Roll its name

African Hi-Life then re-crossed the pond
Evoking memories from beyond
And lock had found the keys
The circle was complete
From the bush to the street
360 degrees

Funk was already in Soul
And Rock had separated from Roll
While Salsa would become Latin’s new name
Avant Garde came in from the yard
And the Music World wasn’t the same!

The conclusion was the fusion
Of all the techniques they were using
To combine the Rhythm and the Rhyme
The resulting montage was a unique collage
And all of it was “right on time!”

Soon, it became a barometer
And soul-gauge thermometer
Of the shape of sounds to come
And the musical rendition
Of the oral tradition
Was where it was coming from

Even out of all this
It was still hit and miss
Unless you had a record on the charts
The industry had organized
And selectively categorized
The music into different parts

But Jazz was the lone horse
And had charted its own course
And was in a class by itself
Improvisation was its imagination
And it took the world by stealth

Jazz had class – played slow or fast
And was ultra-hip from the ‘git!
The music was live and wasn’t no jive
‘Cause you could dance, listen or sit!

It had technical precision
Depth and vision
Magnitude, solitude and scope
Brevity, longevity and classical integrity
But, most of all, hope!

Now there were a few verbal technicians
Who sang with the musicians
And some received world-wide acclaim
They toured with the big bands
And visited foreign lands
And earned a reputation with their fame

But many were on their own
And remained unknown
And just traveled the Chitlin’ Circuit
Some specialized in scat
And a lot of bands dug that
And this helped them “work it!”

Chitterlings were the guts of swine
That had been raised up
Behind the slave quarters, huts and shacks
From the ears, nose and toes
Knuckles and feet
They made something to eat
And used the skin off their backs for snacks

And, although the custom has persisted
The post-slavery generations resisted
And it’s not in vogue today
And so the circuit came to be named
And gained its fame
From those who had the guts to stay

The talent was keen
And the crowds could get mean
If they weren’t up to par
But if they were great
Then the people couldn’t wait
To see them become a star

Nobody could shirk it like the Chitlin’ Circuit
Or they wouldn’t pass the test
All of those who were good had understood
What it took to be one of the best!

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© 1997 Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin – Warner-Chappell Publishing
From the Jalal CD “Word To The Wise.”