Positioned at the southeastern part of New York State is an island that is home to many Hip Hop greats. Long Island is divided into four counties: Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. Kings County and Queens County represent the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, respectively. Brooklyn and Queens were officially annexed from Long Island and consolidated into the “City of New York,” in 1898. While Brooklyn and Queens are physically located on Long Island, Long Island itself only refers to Nassau County and Suffolk County. The boroughs of New York City, specifically the Bronx, are heralded for the creation of Hip Hop. New York City has also been regarded as the Hip Hop capital, known for gifted lyricists that told stories about street life and gritty upbringings. What’s often left out of the history of New York’s contributions to the genre is the many gifted, influential lyricists that came out of Nassau and Suffolk County.
The hamlet of Wyandanch is the birthplace and origin of arguably the most influential rapper of all time, Rakim. Rakim is oftentimes regarded as “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper,” and “the God MC,” with good reason as he’s cited as major influences on rap juggernauts like Nas, Jay-Z, Notorious BIG, as well as later generation greats such as J Cole and Kendrick Lamar. Rakim’s influence spans decades since his start during Hip Hop’s Golden Age, but what exactly made Rakim so great? Prior to Rakim’s emergence, rap sounded completely different. From the late 1970s to early 1980s, rappers used simplistic rhyme patterns and schemes, which lacked consonant clusters. Rappers of that era also employed highly energetic deliveries to ensure that their lyrics hit hard. In 1986, Rakim’s debut as part of the duo Eric B & Rakim, ushered in the evolution of rap techniques. On Eric B & Rakim’s critically-acclaimed debut album “Paid In Full,” Rakim introduced the usage of internal rhymes and multi-syllable rhyme patterns, which was a clear deviation from the rappers of previous years. Rakim’s lyrics highlighted an emphasis on intentional writing with the usage of metaphors and wit.
Rakim is basically the inventor of flow. We were not even using the word flow until Rakim came along. It was called rhyming, it was called cadence, but it wasn’t called flow. Rakim created flow.
Kool Moe Dee
Alongside the elevated level of lyricism that Rakim displayed, he introduced an entirely new way to deliver his slick lines which showcased yet another revolutionary rap technique. Rakim is credited with the invention of “flow,” the rhythms in how a rapper delivers their rhymes. His slow, relaxed and melodic delivery controlled the beat with unorthodox candences, unlike others that may have struggled to keep up with beat pockets. Rakim credits his jazz background as a saxophone player in high school and an affinity for John Coltrane as direct influences for his smooth delivery; a full circle moment as Black American musical genres such as funk, soul, and jazz were the foundations for Hip Hop. With the duo’s follow-up releases such as “Follow The Leader,” and other subsequent solo releases, Rakim continued to command listeners and force rappers to work on their craft. Rakim is heralded as one of the most transformative figures in rap, as his influence extends across generations as his disciples expanded on his contributions to influence even more torch-bearers.
Roosevelt, a hamlet in the town of Hempstead in Nassau County, gave rise to one of the most prolific and politically charged voices in Hip Hop. Chuck D is the iconic front-man and leader of the revolutionary Hip Hop group, Public Enemy. Chuck D has influenced many rap heavyweights such as Ice Cube, KRS-One, Lupe Fiasco, Dead Prez, Nas and Eminem. Public Enemy’s line-up underwent several changes over the years, but the most known and consistent members would be Chuck D, Flavor Flav and DJ Terminator X. Prior to Public Enemy’s emergence onto the rap scene, the content and subject matter in rap music centered around feel-good, party anthems. In 1987, Public Enemy’s debut shook the world with strong political themes delivered over powerful production with a captivating voice that spearheaded it. On the critically-acclaimed debut album “Yo! Bum Rush The Show,” Public Enemy solidified themselves as a group that advocated for Black militancy, while the pro-Black themes and messages made several white critics uncomfortable. On the following albums “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” and “Fear Of A Black Planet,” Chuck D’s lyrical content expanded on the oppression of Black people over hard-hitting samples produced by the Bomb Squad.
Chuck D’s ability to empower the Black American community, criticize white supremacy and institutional racism through his lyrics in a confrontational manner, helped to establish and pioneer the use of Hip Hop as a platform for social commentary during rap’s Golden Age. In its very infancy, Hip Hop was dismissed as simply a fad by mainstream white America, despite its creation as a development from poverty-stricken Black communities in New York City. Public Enemy reignited a wave of Black American consciousness through their music during a turbulent time in US politics and South African apartheid. Public Enemy’s success influenced a wave of Black militancy and Afrocentricity seen in acts such as X-Clan and Native Tongues.
The village of Amityville is well known in pop culture for the gruesome family murder committed by Ronald DeFeo, which was depicted in novels and a film series. Amityville is also the origin place of one of Hip Hop’s most innovative groups to emerge; De La Soul. Composed of Trugoy the Dove, Posdnuos, and Maseo, De La Soul carved out a lane during the Golden Age of Hip Hop that was in contrast to their peers. Gangsta rap began to dominate the mainstream sound of Hip Hop with the tough guy persona in full effect, paired with lyrical content about violence and materialism. In 1989, De La Soul’s critically-acclaimed debut album “3 Feet High And Rising” helped to usher in a fresh, funky alternative to the hardcore mainstream sound. The group utilized eclectic samples that deviated from the usual drum breaks and bass lines, while instead leaned on quirky, unexpected sounds, such as jazzy horns, movie dialogue, doo-wop, psychedelic rock, and cartoon snippets. The album’s lyrical content was full of witty humor and playful wordplay that was just as unlikely as their sample choices, but socially conscious and delivered in a positive light. With their debut album, De La Soul stamped themselves as a creative and revolutionary force within the genre.
De La Soul went on to continue to release albums with 1991’s “De La Soul Is Dead.” The album showed a more dark, cynical side of the group as the content addressed more serious themes such as sexual abuse, drug addiction, and the music industry. The group’s continuity of the use of eclectic samples remained with their second installment, but the group departed with their lighthearted image. The group’s next installments continued to display their multifacetedness and attempts to grapple with the overpowering force that was hardcore and gangsta rap. The juxtaposition of gangsta rap and alternative rap has remained a constant throughout Hip Hop. De La Soul’s influence has spanned generations of Hip Hop through artists Pharcyde, Outkast, Arrested Development, Common, Little Brother, Kanye West and Mos Def. In 2023, rap aficionados and listeners alike, were devastated by the news of Trugoy the Dove’s passing. With the untimely passing of Trugoy, label conflicts, and the lack of creativity of Hip Hop, De La Soul’s legacy is imprinted across generations.
Although born in London, England, this MC moved to Long Island at a young age. Daniel Dumile started his career under the moniker, Zev Love X. Zev Love X was a member of KMD, graffiti crew turned rap group, between the years of 1988 to 1994. The group disbanded when member and Dumile’s brother, DJ Subroc passed away. Dumile would go on to deal with the ills of homelessness and grief of his brother’s death. Dumile re-emerged at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where he performed unannounced and in disguise with stockings to hide his face. This appearance marked the beginning of MF Doom, where his disguise would be traded for metal mask as homage to Marvel villain, Dr. Doom.
In 1999, MF Doom released his critically-acclaimed debut album, “Operation: Doomsday.” Heralded as one of the most groundbreaking underground Hip Hop albums, MF Doom established himself as a gifted producer and an insanely talented lyricist. The album’s production saw lo-fi paired with 1980s soul, jazz, and cartoon samples. MF Doom impressed listeners with his usage of complex rhyme schemes that ranged from internal, external, imperfect, and multi syllabic.
MF Doom went on to releases solo albums “MM..Food,” “Born Like This,” and several collaborative albums such as “Madvillainy” with producer Madlib, “The Mouse and The Mask” with producer Dangermouse. His untimely death was announced by his wife, Jasmine Dumile on December 31, 2020. MF Doom has remained as one of the kings of underground Hip Hop and has received praise from the likes of Q-Tip, Ghostface Killah, Mos Def, ROC Mariano, Del The Funky Homosapien, and a slew of others.
This is very informative. Thank you for taking me through their music time vault.