Rappin' Duke
Encyclopedia
"Rappin' Duke" is a 1984
hip-hop novelty song
by Shawn Brown
performing as The Rappin' Duke. The concept of the song is that actor John Wayne
(a.k.a. "The Duke") is performing the rap. (Wayne had died in 1979.)
"Rappin' Duke"'s lyrics parody the hip-hop "bragging" style popular at the time, wherein the rapper boasts of his/her seniority and superior rhymes and flow in their performance: "So ya think you're bad with your rap? / Well I'll tell ya, pilgrim, I started the crap. / When you were in diapers and wetting the sheets, / I was at the Ponderosa, rappin' to the beat." The lyrics also reference The Beverly Hillbillies
TV theme song, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett
," with the words, "... Santa Barbara
, that is / Swimmin pools, and movie stars," while also alluding to Ronald Reagan
's presidency. (The acting careers of Wayne and Reagan overlapped for many years.) The song's constant refrain is "dah-ha, dah-ha," a parody of Wayne's distinctive laughter, sung to the music's slow beat.
The song uses the hip-hop vernacular to make numerous pop cultural reference: from contemporaneous rap musicians like Kurtis Blow
and Run-DMC, to parodying the opening of Chaka Khan
's 1984 hit "I Feel for You
".
"Rappin' Duke" was widely played in 1985, peaking at 73 on the 1985 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart; and also charting on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales for 1985. The song's success led to Brown opening in 1985 and 1986 for such artists as Bobby Brown
and Stevie Wonder
.
onscreen with a boombox
propped on his shoulder, obscuring his face. He is replaced by various images from old cowboy movies: gun battles, rope tricks, and the like, as well as other assorted images vaguely connected with the song lyrics. Halfway through the song, the cowboy — his features always hidden — reappears poolside, together with a trio of swimsuit-clad women. He shows them a few tricks, including moonwalking in his cowboy boots, and then ends up in the pool with the girls. The video fades out with the cowboy staggering into the sunset.
1984 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's...
hip-hop novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
by Shawn Brown
Shawn Brown
Shawn Brown is an American singer and songwriter from Washington D.C. Shawn sang for Dag Nasty from August 1985 until February 1986. After leaving Dag Nasty, Shawn went on to sing for Swiz. Shawn is currently living in Washington D.C. where he works as a tattoo artist. His last musical project...
performing as The Rappin' Duke. The concept of the song is that actor John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
(a.k.a. "The Duke") is performing the rap. (Wayne had died in 1979.)
"Rappin' Duke"'s lyrics parody the hip-hop "bragging" style popular at the time, wherein the rapper boasts of his/her seniority and superior rhymes and flow in their performance: "So ya think you're bad with your rap? / Well I'll tell ya, pilgrim, I started the crap. / When you were in diapers and wetting the sheets, / I was at the Ponderosa, rappin' to the beat." The lyrics also reference The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
TV theme song, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett
The Ballad of Jed Clampett
"The Ballad of Jed Clampett" was the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies TV show and movie, providing the back story for the series. The song was written and composed by Paul Henning, and sung by Jerry Scoggins, who was accompanied by bluegrass musicians Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs...
," with the words, "... Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, that is / Swimmin pools, and movie stars," while also alluding to Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's presidency. (The acting careers of Wayne and Reagan overlapped for many years.) The song's constant refrain is "dah-ha, dah-ha," a parody of Wayne's distinctive laughter, sung to the music's slow beat.
The song uses the hip-hop vernacular to make numerous pop cultural reference: from contemporaneous rap musicians like Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow
Kurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label...
and Run-DMC, to parodying the opening of Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
's 1984 hit "I Feel for You
I Feel for You
"I Feel for You" is a song written by Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. It became a hit single in 1984 for female R&B singer Chaka Khan, appearing on her album, which was also called I Feel for You...
".
"Rappin' Duke" was widely played in 1985, peaking at 73 on the 1985 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart; and also charting on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales for 1985. The song's success led to Brown opening in 1985 and 1986 for such artists as Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
.
Music video
The video opens with an African-American cowboy alternately walking and back-slidingMoonwalk (dance)
The moonwalk or backslide is a dance technique that presents the illusion of the dancer being pulled backwards while attempting to walk forward. A popping move, it became most popular around the world after Michael Jackson executed the dance move during a performance of "Billie Jean" on Motown 25:...
onscreen with a boombox
Boombox
Boombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
propped on his shoulder, obscuring his face. He is replaced by various images from old cowboy movies: gun battles, rope tricks, and the like, as well as other assorted images vaguely connected with the song lyrics. Halfway through the song, the cowboy — his features always hidden — reappears poolside, together with a trio of swimsuit-clad women. He shows them a few tricks, including moonwalking in his cowboy boots, and then ends up in the pool with the girls. The video fades out with the cowboy staggering into the sunset.
In popular culture
- The Notorious B.I.G.The Notorious B.I.G.Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
's 1994 song "JuicyJuicy (The Notorious B.I.G. song)"Juicy" is a song by hip hop artist The Notorious B.I.G. and his solo debut single from his 1994 debut album Ready to Die. It was produced by Poke of Trackmasters & Sean "Puffy" Combs. Its melody is sampled from Mtume's "Juicy Fruit", and has an alternative chorus sung by R&B girl group Total...
" alludes to the song, when he says "Remember Rappin' Duke, dah-ha, dah-ha..." - "Rappin' Duke" also appears on Royal Ruckus's 2001 release Pocket Lint & Spare Change, which was re-released in 2008.
- In Gucci ManeGucci ManeRadric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...
's song "Hottest Rapper" he refers to "Duke", in the chorus, as the best rapper. - "Rappin' Duke" shares the beat with Too Short's "Blowjob Betty". In addition, the song's distinctive drawling rap echoes the delivery of an earlier New York hip-hop song, NewcleusNewcleusNewcleus is an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They are primarily known for their 12-inch singles "Jam-On's Revenge", re-released as "Jam on Revenge " , and "Jam on It" ....
's "Jam On It" (the rare 4-trackMultitrack recordingMultitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
demoDemo (music)A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
version).
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
73 |