Bring More Hip Hop Quotes - Part II Quiz

Answer: "Sound Of Da Police" - KRS-One

"Sound Of Da Police" was the second single off "Return of the Boom Bap" (1993), the first solo album of former Boogie Down Productions leader KRS-One. His pseudonym stands for 'Knowledge Reigns Supreme-Over Nearly Everyone'. This tied in with his 'edutainment' philosophy.

As 'The Edutainer' he was part teacher, part community leader, and part ringmaster. He rallied people on to develop and educate themselves. But in the end he was deemed too preachy and hiphop fans turned to gangsta rappers for their aspirations. Bit of a shame really.

Answer: "Jazz Thing" - Gang Starr

"Jazz Thing" originally appeared on "No More Mr. Nice Guy", the 1989 debut album by Gang Starr, as "Jazz Music". A year later it was reworked for the soundtrack of Spike Lee's "Mo Better Blues" joint, and became "Jazz Thing". Gang Starr consisted of DJ Premier and rapper Guru. Later Premier became a producer for ao. the Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z and KRS-One. Guru started his Jazzmatazz project in 1993, releasing albums that featured quite a few jazz-heavyweights.

This put Gang Starr on the backburner and they've only released three albums under their initial monicker since.

Answer: "La Schmoove" - Fu-Schnickens

Fu-Schnickens was a combination of "For Unity" and a made-up word that supposedly meant "coalition". They consisted of far-out rappers Chip Fu, Moc Fu and Poc Fu; though those weren't their real names. Their biggest hit was a duet with NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, called "What's Up Doc? (Can We Rock?)", released in 1993.

Answer: "The Devil Made Me Do It" - Paris

Paris, aka. Oscar Jackson Jr, has always been partial to a bit of controversy. The video for this song was banned by MTV, as they often do with anything that has anything to say. But by the time of his second album, his record label Tommy Boy also got cold feet.

The record, "Sleeping With The Enemy", and especially the song "Bush Killa" (about the assassination of George Bush Sr.), were deemed too inflammatory and they bought out his contract. So he released the record himself. Luckily he did so, cos it's an aggressive bomb of an album, with plenty food for thought.

Answer: "Scenario" - A Tribe Called Quest

This 1992 single featured a cameo rap from future superstar Busta Rhymes. At the time he was a member of the Long Island crew Leaders Of The New School. "Scenario" was a cut from the 1991 A Tribe Called Quest album "The Low End Theory", possibly their greatest album.

The 'Bo knows this' and 'Bo knows that' lyrics are a dig at the Nike commercials featuring Bo Jackson, who played both football and baseball. This was supposed to signify that the Nike trainers could be used for any sport whatsoever. Around the time the 'Scenario' single was released, guitar legend Bo Diddley featured in a Nike commercial, that was on heavy rotation on MTV, with people claiming stuff like 'Bo knows cycling' and 'Bo knows jogging', concluding with 'Bo, you don't know Diddley'.

Answer: "Typical American" - the Goats

The Goats' first album, 1992's "Tricks of the Shade", was a wild trip through Uncle Scam's Federally Funded Welfare & Freakshow. Two main characters, Chicken Little and Hangerhead, try to find their mother who was jailed for attempting an illegal abortion. On the way they meet Manny Noriega selling drugs, Leonard Peltier locked down as the last Native American, and shooting galleries where whoever doesn't look like you is the target. Among other fun things of course.

It was quite critical of the political climate at the time, as you can guess. One of the tracks is called "Burn the Flag" and one of the rhymes goes: "Columbus killed more Indians than Hitler killed Jews, but yet on his birthday we get sales on shoes." Not for the faint-hearted.

Answer: "So What'cha Want" - Beastie Boys

At the end of 1986 the Beastie Boys released their "Licensed to Ill" album and became a worldwide phenomenon. Def Jam record label manager Rick Rubin had provided most of the sounds for the album, even roping in his pal Kerry King, guitar player with Slayer. Anyway, some time later the Beasties left Def Jam, with a lot of slammed doors.

The story goes that co-label manager Russell Simmons gave Public Enemy mainman Chuck D some tapes with rhymes and unfinished songs of the boys and asked him to finish the album. Whether he ever started work with the material, is speculation, but he has said that when he heard the Beasties' follow up album, 1989's "Paul's Boutique", he was so impressed that he left the tapes alone. On the other hand, there are rumours of bootlegs of the so-called "The White House" tapes doing the rounds. Never heard one, if you have, let me know. Anyway, the sounds on "Paul's Boutique" were completely crafted by producer duo the Dust Brothers.

It was only on their third full album that the Beastie Boys returned to their roots as (hardcore punk) musicians and played a lot of their own instruments.

The album's called "Check Your Head" (1992), and featured the single "So What'cha Want".

Answer: "Fight The Power" - Public Enemy

Rap had already crossed over into the mainstream when this single was released in 1989, but still its effects were 'louder than a bomb'. It was definitely Public Enemy's defining moment, especially when it was used in Spike Lee's controversial "Do The Right Thing" joint. All of a sudden Public Enemy had, like their song, become Public Enemy Number One. Fight the powers that be!

Answer: "Body Count" - Ice T

OK, it's not a hip hop song, but it's a major statement by a major hip hop artist, so I thought I'd slip it in. On his 1991 album - "O.G. Original Gangsta" - Ice T assembled a black hardcore punk/metal band for one track: "Body Count". The track was such a hit with audiences that Ice T decided to keep the band and release albums with them as well as doing rap albums.

Their debut album - 1992's "Body Count" - initially featured a song called "Cop Killer". This song caused such a scandal that the album was taken out of the shops and rereleased later, with the track replaced by a Jello Biafra rant about free speech. Just watch what you say ...

Answer: "Insane in the Brain" - Cypress Hill

Cypress Hill's lyrics have often been accused of inciting violence. Here's what rapper Sen Dog had to say about that in a 2000 issue of Livewire magazine: "Well, there's knuckleheads out there that's going to listen to it and hear what they are going to hear. And then there's those intelligent people out there that will listen to it and hear what they're going to hear.

But if you listen clearly to a lot of the messages that we put in, it's not to abuse anything or to encourage anything. It's to more or less think about your overall situation. Your circumference where you stand at on this planet. Because your feet can be taken off of you at anytime. Real easy! So it's more I think about recognizing your situation and make your decisions from there. I know a lot of knuckleheads, Cypress fans that take "How I Could Just Kill a Man" for what they think it is to go blast on somebody.

But it's all about self-defense." Very eloquently put, indeed.