HEE HEE HEE

There were a hundred songs like the D4's "Tearin' It Up" in the 1980s. Half a day of studio time, a cousin at a label, BAM. Just a drum machine and a bunch of men taunting each other and themselves. This single was bullshit. Nothing. Never even heard it on the radio. And yet it's THE AWESOME. The freestyling ease, the cheap 'verb on the Linn drum, the total lack of concept. Listen to the rappers and you'll hear a blood link to the synchronized routines common to both The Rimshots and The Harlem Globetrotters, and even a bit of step show call and response. (Check the final 30 seconds.)

Maybe genius is not about the successful burning of extra joules, but about saying 'fuck it' with a beautiful 82% instead of a clenched 93%. The charm is inside and the D4 just open the window. That's it. They were back in class two weeks later and never touched a business card.

Posted by Sasha at November 1, 2004 09:43 PM