ThisNext Blog

In 1989, hip-hop trio De La Soul released what The Rapaholic considers the “most inventive, assured, and playful debut in hip-hop history.” 3 Feet High and Rising not only broke the mold by “expand[ing] the palette of sampling material with a kaleidoscope of sounds and references culled from pop, soul, disco, and even country music,” but pioneered the practice of placing bits of sketch comedy between tracks. As Martini & Jopparelli ’s Music Selections observes, “nowadays skits are integral part of almost any rap album,” thanks in part to De La producer Prince Paul’s goofy genius. (For those unfamiliar with the record, 3 Feet High and Rising is “loosely organized around a game-show theme,” as The Rapaholic notes. The opening track marks the introduction to the show, with host Al Watts tossing out “an amount of four questions” - including, FYI, “How many feathers are on a Purdue chicken?” and “How many times did the Batmobile catch a flat?”)

Over the years, skits have been become essential for everyone from Eminem to M.I.A.. One of Urbane Hymns blogger Sean B.’s favorite hip-hop records, Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee Allstars replaces De La’s game show studio with a courtroom, in which Wyclef himself is on trial for being “not only a player but a goddamn revolutionary.” The verdict, according to Sean: “In a world of overly frenetic and über-masculine hip-hop, The Carnival sounds loose, laid back, and even charmingly pastoral, even when talking about catching bullets in one’s goose.” And, he adds, “as the ultimate evidence for my love for this album: I even like the skits. Down Lo Ho? Bishop? Classic.”

But many hip-hop lovers have to come to regard skits as something of a nuisance. Although Sam at Slam tends to “appreciate a classic interlude when I hear it,” he notes that “most people skip past them or call them filler and a waste of time.” For a little weirdo humor built right into the rhymes, give a listen to Kool Keith’s Black Elvis/Lost in Space (or any album by Kool Keith and/or his aliases Dr. Octagon and Dr. Dooom). On the commerical-hip-hop-hating “Intro (Release Date),” for instance, Keith first asks, “Why do you pull up in valet parking with your Benz that is rented, fronting on a cellular phone that doesn’t work?” and then later dismisses his nemeses by deeming them “the monsters of the original Mr. Softie ice cream trucks.”

But hip-hop comedy doesn’t get much more high-concept than Handome Boy Modeling School’s 1999 debut So, How’s Your Girl? The record, as Cuts and Rhymes points out, ” is based on an episode of the Chris Elliott sitcom Get a Life entitled ‘The Prettiest Week of My Life.’” Brought to us by Price Paul and Gorillaz producer Dan the Automator, So, How’s Your Girl? features a crazy guest-star lineup, including Mike D of The Beastie Boys, Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto, De La Soul, Sean Lennon, Brand Nubian, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, and DJ Shadow. “With three songs based around clips from the Chris Elliott sitcom ‘Get A Life,’ a phone call where Biz Markie sings part of the Bee Gees’ ‘Night Fever’ and a rambling testimonial from Father Guido Sarducci, many will be tempted to write off Handsome Boy Modeling School as a joke,” says Instant Karma. “And it is a joke, but not in the way you might think.”