Rap and Slap Bass

[chromium]

I like some of the old stuff, Sugarhill Gang and what were those guys called again that rapped "don't-push-me-cause-I'm-close-to-the-eeeedge"?

Grandmaster Flash 

Interesting off-topic and unverified rap factoid - this is T-bone Wolk playing, and I've read before that this track is what landed him the H&O gig:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KMrPDiw8PQ&feature=related

[Stjofön Big]

I second that emotion! Usually, slappers bores the s--t out of me. But wait; some bassist's got the talent to include slapping into pop tunes. Like Ron Francoise in underrated new wave band the Sinceros (England, around 79-80). He usually just drove, but at times would use slap. Like here:



The drummer is Bob Irwin, who later got quite famous. Don Snow on keyboards went to Squeeze. Singer/guitarist Mark Kjeldsen left music and drove a cab, until he died of Aids. Great band, The Sinceros. One of my favourites.

[Chaser001]

Grandmaster Flash  

Interesting off-topic and unverified rap factoid - this is T-bone Wolk playing, and I've read before that this track is what landed him the H&O gig:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KMrPDiw8PQ&feature=related

T-Bone Wolk could cross genres at will. 

[exiledarchangel]

Most basslines on rap sounds r'n'b-ish to me, well especially for old school rap, newer stuff is like a (modern) porn movie soundtrack.
Slap is like salt in cooking, a little bit is ok if it fits, other than that it kills a song fast.
I can't slap, cause I have two left arms.

[the mojo hobo]

There is some Rap that I like but most modern stuff ( that we country boys hear anyway) is so laden with profanity that it turns me away. Profanity is most effictive in small doses. If I drop the F-bomb you will know I'm quite pissed. The same goes for slap bass, too much and it seems less musical.

Here is an example of great slap. and why we should all attempt to learn to do it:

[rahock]

  Which brings me to the second thing that has already been noted.  And that has to do with the fact that slap bass really does tend to impress the hell out of people who have no concept of bass.  I find this somewhat frustrating and annoying.  In fact, I think I might be able to appreciate slap bass more if it were looked at as what it really is instead of something which, at least in my opinion, is probably an overrated technique.  

I hear ya, but there is no accounting for taste, and this is something that will never go away. I remember going to a Jon Juc Ponty concert years ago and I was absolutely mesmerized by the way this guy played the violin. He was so incredibly fast and agile and he was playing stuff that was so beautiful and innovative, I was completely in awe. There may have been a dozen others in the audience of ten thousand who shared my opinion until he did this goofy ,simple solo with some stupid little repeater effect. He would play  four or five notes and just stand back with his hands at his side and let the repeater effect play those same few notes over and over with a bunch of echo added. Ten thousand people went wild, standing and cheering , like this was the greatest thing they had ever seen. This is something that just about any jackass could do , but this is the part that brought down the house. All the really amazing things he played meant nothing but the little repeater box impressed the hell out of everyone   I guess that's how it works.
Hell, I got a standing ovation once for an equipment malfunction . I started a song with a foot pedal police siren and when I went to turn it off the switch broke and I kept kicking the pedal to try and stop it.Not only did the siren continue but the hurricane and surf sound efects also engaged and the more I kicked the pedal the louder it got. I was so freakin' embarrassed I wanted to run off stage Everyone just turned up and played through it all. When it was over there were a thousand people standing up with lighters in hand and cheering.........WTF
Rick

[uwe]

Grandmaster Flash 

Danke!!!




And this track mesmerizes me to this day. I could never write something like it. Love those Blood, Sweat & Tears horns in it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4hf7sfEwr0&feature=related


Guilty pleasures: I like this (not the original, but good enough):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX-aezMrYa8&feature=related


And this, cracker of a riff too:

[Dave W]

There's always the OFF or MUTE buttons, which I hit as soon as I hear rap. Can't watch Jimmy Fallon b/c of that gawdawful hip-hop house band he has. And no, Uwe, I won't watch any of those videos.

No hip-hop in my music collection. And nothing with any modern electric slap bass, though there's some old rockabilly where the bass was probably slapped. But that's a different animal.

Call me close-minded, I don't care. I know what I like and what I don't.

[uwe]

Well, at least it's not stadium rock!

And in a way this was rap too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajzpd-ONOdo&feature=related

And even this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY8zfzPwUOI&feature=related

All music comes from somewhere. Liking blues, soul and funk but negating the rhythmic speech aspects in it and declaring all hip-hop and rap as worthless isn't really coherent. But then you can eat rib-eye from a cow and still not like the liver.

[Stjofön Big]

Maybe it's a bit out from the center of the discussion, but that KLF video Uwe turned in, it's just great!!! Them English guys dreaming up stories of the lost continent Mu, including viking ships, africans, Flying V:s, Hendrix, mythologi, horns, and to top it all: Tammy Wynette in this here piece that's so extraordinary good - that is, in my opinion - that she's both justified, ancient, and willing to give away a good laugh. Not a bad comination!

[Dave W]

All music comes from somewhere. Liking blues, soul and funk but negating the rhythmic speech aspects in it and declaring all hip-hop and rap as worthless isn't really coherent. But then you can eat rib-eye from a cow and still not like the liver.

Just because X influenced Y, it doesn't follow that Y is any good or that you ought to like it as well as X.

[Chaser001]

The only rap song I like is "Rapture" by Blondie.  I'm not sure that it's really a rap song and I'm not sure I really like it.  In regard to slap bass, I do detect a superior attitude about it in some quarters.  For instance, I was recently reading some comments from a slap bassist who, of course, said that people who didn't like it weren't good enough to play it.  He also added that slap bassists are better at getting chicks.  The only slap bassist I know really well actually is a chick.  I have a feeling she would be able to destroy him on bass, though. 

[Hornisse]

Prince does some tasty slapping.

[uwe]

That is actually true. Women are attracted to slap bass. Much to my chagrin, even edith is. "It sounds so virtuoso!" Good grief.

My pet theory is that women automatically allude that if you are good with your thumb on those strings then you won't be doing too bad elesewhere. Yes, my brethren, that is the disenchanting truth.

[mc2NY]

Here is an example of great slap. and why we should all attempt to learn to do it:

I wish there was a video of the face of the A&R rep when he first heard this Etheridge track before she was signed...must've shit his pants! Great track.

Another of my FAVE slap/pop bass parts in a pop song is this Kajagoogoo song.