Reply #123: Thanks..

[LowerManhattanite]

...and it's absolutely true. He worked the crowd like a madman. It was 1979 I believe. It was an amazing time. They'd come from the Bronx to Queens and search out house parties (By listening for bass thumps in the suburban night air) and basically "spread the gospel" by performing live in your home.

"Not music", Please! The denseness of a vintage P.E. cut and it's intricacy and blending of rhythms ("Rebel Without a Pause" anyone? Damn!), found sounds and compelling, melody-driven lyrics is proof enough. And yes, I am a musician, know other musicians (some prominent Jazz musicians too) who embrace rap as music, plain and simple. If you can't dig it, cool. It's still music. There was a time when I hated opera, then I started dating an opera singer and absorbed the music by osmosis. Now I can appreciate the genre and revel in it's high points. Hated the Dead once too. based on the limited snippets I'd heard. Found myself stuck in Germany for a week and the only station I found in English played the Dead all weekend. Heard some songs I liked and learned to appreciate them too.

It's about open-minded-ness. That's all.

:)