1.
The blessing (and curse, for any would-be politicians reading this) of the Internet is its role as a boundless history book, an open, unceasing record of culture both indelible and ultimately irrelevant. Because there’s so much information out there, it’s often difficult to parse and harder still to understand the connections between times and places that might not be linked by Wikipedia pages.
If you’ve listened to the music of ASAP Rocky and his mob, you’ve heard sing-song flows and sinister dust-caked beats aplenty. To a younger generation, ASAP may have come along and introduced brand new sounds unlike anything on the market, but the fingerprints of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and early Three 6 Mafia are all over this resurrected style. No surprise—Rocky and his team have actively acknowledged their stylistic heroes.
This post is dedicated to the growing legion of ASAP Mob and Raider Klan fans who may not know that Juicy J was still trippy in 1994 or that you could meet Bone Thugs N Harmony somewhere other than the crossroads.
Enjoy a few tracks that every listener who’s got “Keep It G” on their iPod should know.
Click “next” or hit shift+right to read on…
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Three 6 Mafia – “Where Da Bud At”
The dusty sound that pervades ASAP and SpaceGhostPurrp’s tapes isn’t just the lo fi wizardry of Clams Casino, it’s directly descended from the murky, gothic thump of Three 6 Mafia’s work. Even if it occasionally abandons Triple 6’s sinister edge, songs like “Keep It G” owe their grimy atmospherics largely to the sounds of Underground Vol. 1 and Vol.2. Lord Infamous’ smoked out bouncy flow also provides a stylistic touchstone.
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Notorious B.I.G. ft. Bone Thugs N Harmony – “Notorious Thugs”
“I really wanna’ work with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, though. My brother was killed when I was 13, but he influenced the sh*t out of me. I grew up on Bone Thugs; my mom listens to those guys and blasts the music. I wanna’ tell those guys that their music influenced me.” – ASAP Rocky, as told to djbooth.net.
Listen to Rocky rap on “Palace” and this song—or any number of others from the BTNH catalog, for that matter—will make sense as a point of reference. East meets Midwest.
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UGK – “Pocket Full of Stones (Remix)”
A gem from the true Underground Kingz. This remix in particular highlights the classic sound of country rap tunes—the sharp drums, thick bass, and funky guitar licks that made cuts like “Roll One Up” and “Trilla” possible.
