ZapTown

Young MC
Stone Cold Rhymin’
1989 – Delicious Vinyl/Island

Origin: Queens, New York
Style: Pop Rap, Party Rap

For Young MC, real name Marvin Young, it paid to go to school. A student at the University of Southern California, where he received a degree in Economics, music was a hobby until he met two guys that ended up changing his life, Michael Ross and Matt Dike, co-founders of Delicious Vinyl.

When exactly Marvin Young transformed into Young MC is unknown, — his earliest debut came in 1988 with “I Let ‘Em Know” — but thanks to a fascination with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, as early as 11-years-old, Young began writing and rapping nursery rhymes, in which he later expressed interest in recording a children’s album from these early writings. (Rolling Stone, Issue 572, February 22, 1990, p. 33.) If you want to know about Young in his own words, you don’t have to travel far. The song “My Name Is Young” builds rhymes like an autobiography, “They told me time will tell, and it has told ‘cause I’ve been rockin’ the microphone since I was 10 years old.”

As his life fell into place,Young quickly understood what smash hits were made of by collaborating with Tone Loc on writing “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina,” a boost to Tone Loc’s career that put him in the Top 20 artists of 1989. It was a year after that when Young created his own place in chart-topping history and saw him on shows from Arsenio Hall (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stU_2fBlSsI) and Dionne and Friends (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZoj5hv3WaA) to an unusual appearance with Faith No More and a live collaboration on “Epic” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Ys3HGFE40).

In a simultaneous dimension, 1989 also saw The Beastie Boys record their highest regarded release, Paul’s Boutique with The Dust Brothers. Young was able to nab The Brothers along with Mario Caldata, Jr. to assist in the production of Stone Cold Rhymin’. It cannot be denied the essential effect of these people on the album and how the sound was created to be accessible by a universal audience. This was not Ice T making The Iceberg and talking about the realities of South Central or NWA and their extremist Straight Outta Compton. Young was public with his anti-drug and alcohol stance but he also knew how to incorporate his straight-laced ethics into simple party anthems and stylized rapping. From his videos to his live appearance, Young always dressed well, conservative for rap standards, and was out-of-place in the lineup of late ‘80s rap stars.

Although disregarded in the discarded one-hit wonder category, Stone Cold Rhymin’ had all the ingredients for the rap album of the decade and succeeded in 1991, beating out Public Enemy with a Grammy, a first of its kind.

This is not an album to show off how tough he is like he tries to with “Roll With The Punches,” this is an album that shows how intelligent he is, escaping anything political or socially conflicting, except for the Nancy Reagan-esque “Just Say No,” which came a little too late from the heyday of the government-sponsored anti-drug campaign. Young MC sticks specifically with poetics and touts his ability with songs like “I Come Off” and “Fastest Rhymes,” proving his eloquence in enunciation at a rapid pace. Young’s goal is simple, to appeal to a broad audience and give them something to relate to (Bolofo T. and Anderson T., “American Collections. Rolling Stone, September 6, 1990, Issue 586.).

You cannot talk about this album without at least one mention of “Bust A Move,” the song that put Young MC on the road to legend and, at the time, kept him on the charts for 39 weeks. As Run DMC nabbed Aerosmith to record a Hip Hop/Rock version of “Walk This Way” and Anthrax befriended Public Enemy, Young took a more eclectic approach to the cross pollinating of styles by hiring bassist Flea to create the infamous bass line on the song, as well as Stevie Wonder’s recording backup singer Crystal Black to give the song an added element and strengthened melody to its foundation. His lyrics also play like an adult nursery rhyme that plays more like an article in Details Magazine on how to pick up women.

“Principal’s Office,” a second hit for Young, didn’t hurt either, showing a more method-paced storytelling that bears more resemblance to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. For a slower tempo’d song, it’s a fair selection for Young to breakthrough with. “Know How” seems like a better choice with its Shaft theme song sampling and the quick licks Young spits out.

Thanks to these songs and the Grammy, NBC tried to capitalize on the rap and rock crossover and aired a half hour special starring Young MC called “Rock The House,” which featured a mix of rap and rock and roll in a high-energy nightclub setting (New York Times, May 13, 1990, p. 31).

Overall, there is no dismissing Young’s talent as a lyricist. His expressive vocals and quick tongue make words slide and transition flawlessly.

Young will never experience success at this level again as he felt the need to change and become more social and political in his works. Pop rap also didn’t have a chance, fading into rap antiquity by the mid-’90s.

Stone Cold Rhymin’ is trapped in time as the effects of this album did nothing to influence the path of Hip Hop through the later part of the ‘90s. But it is still a valid release and one of the more important albums of the style that still can liven up a party or shake up the dance floor. And one thing that Young can feel proud of is that Stone Cold Rhymin’ never became a parody upon itself like his pop rap contemporaries Vanilla Ice or MC Hammer.

Cross-Reference: Tone Loc, Lucas, LL Cool J