Happy 35th Anniversary to Young MC’s debut album Stone Cold Rhymin’, originally released September 5, 1989.
While composing many features for this amazing website, I haven’t been particularly kind to “pop” rappers. As I’ve written more than few times, I’m old. Which means that I came up as a hip-hop fan during a time when seeking mainstream appeal for the sake of record sales was frowned upon. And I’ve held onto that ethos for years.
I know it’s not particularly realistic. When a specific genre of music or style gains acceptance in popular culture, there’s a natural desire to make it accessible. Some of that is motivated by material gain, but sometimes there’s a more benign rationale at work: why wouldn’t you want to share something that you love with as many people as possible? So, while there is nothing inherently wrong with recording music that will be popular to a wide audience, just make sure that it’s good.
As decades have passed, there are sub-par rappers whose musical flaws have been papered over by revisionist history. But I’m not here to talk about those guys. I’d rather pay tribute to Marvin Young a.k.a. Young MC and Stone Cold Rhymin’, his debut album, released 35 years ago on Delicious Vinyl Records.
The album gave Young MC a good amount of fame during the late 1980s. It was certified Platinum and spawned the platinum single “Bust a Move,” one of the more enduring hit singles of that time period. He still tours off of its success today, performing at festivals and touring both with other artists from the era and other solo spot dates. And he’s still steadfast in his commitment to appealing to a broad audience without blatantly pandering.
On the spectrum of family-friendly emcees, the London-born/Queens-raised Young MC isn’t as technically skilled as Heavy D. Nor does he possess the movie star charisma of Will Smith. But he is certainly capable on the mic. Young MC knows how to convey a narrative, can vary his delivery without signs of strain, and is able to convey a good amount of earnest charisma through his raps. He put together an album designed for audiences of all ages, and an enjoyable one at that.
Young MC is assisted on the musical side by Michael Ross and Matthew Dike, the co-founders of Delicious Vinyl, who handle most of the album’s production. Ross and Dike constructed an upbeat sound palette for when Young decided to be more care-free, but also shifted to build soulful tracks when he opted to focus on flexing his skills. The songs here often feature three or four verses, and some feature lengthy bridges and breakdowns. Though it sounds like it’s a product of the late 1980s, it doesn’t sound dated.
Listen to the Album & Watch the Official Videos:
The combination of dope beats and witty raps has helped “Bust a Move” age better than many songs that will appear on your average I Love the ’80s!!!! compilation. In my 2018 interview with him, Young MC revealed that he wrote this infectious ode to taking a chance with the object of your affection in just 90 minutes, and it was originally titled “Make That Move.” He added that he essentially made up the stories as he went along, including the weird dynamics of brothers Harry and Larry at the latter’s wedding.
The beat for the track keeps things moving, as Ross and Dike put together a collage of samples, the most prominent being a section of the guitar solo from Ballin’ Jack’s “Found a Child.” Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers also provides the live bassline. The song famously won the first televised GRAMMY for Best Rap Performance in 1990, and it’s still a pop culture staple even now.
“Principal’s Office,” the album’s second biggest hit, is the clearest example of Young MC recording a song for the kids. It’s innocuous enough, with him spinning tales of common education-related follies: arriving late to school, cutting class, and getting busted for passing notes to a crush. Though I imagine he wrote it with high schoolers in mind, it applies to junior high and even older elementary school students. It sounds as goofy now as it did 35 years ago, but its complete lack of affect and cynicism makes it harmless fun.
The album’s other radio-friendly offerings also have a discernable charm. Both versions of “My Name Is Young,” Young MC’s actual first single, are entertaining. On the original 12”, Young MC raps to a more old school track, which would have fit in on an early album by Run-DMC or LL Cool J. The album opening “I Come Off” features Young MC rhyming to a peppy bassline, backed by talented vocalist N’Dea Davenport, prior to her days in the Brand New Heavies.
Occasionally, Young MC delivers strictly skill-related exhibitions. Of these, “Know How” is the best. The album’s second single earned him success in the United Kingdom and is more popular among DJs and international audiences than “Bust a Move.” He sounds as confident as they come on the mic, rapping, “This is stone cold rhymin', no frills, no fluffs / And it’s no accident that these rhymes sound tough.” The Dust Brothers handle the track’s production, blending Isaac Hayes’ “Theme From Shaft” with the “Apache” drum break. The beat could have easily appeared on the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique (1989), also produced by the Dust Brothers and released a few months earlier.
Other emceeing focused tracks are among the album’s best. “Nonstop” is the album’s darkest entry, musically ahead of its time, as Ross and Dike sample Wes Montgomery’s version of the Beatles’ “A Day In the Life,” adding in the harmonica intro from Black Sabbath’s “The Wizard.” “Got More Rhymes” is a mid-tempo head-nodder, with Young MC kicking smooth lyrics to a guitar sample from Ben E. King’s “Supernatural Thing.”
Much of the rest of Stone Cold Rhymin’ features lightweight but ultimately enjoyable fare. “Roll With the Punches” plays like the sequel/flipside to “Bust a Move,” encouraging others to adapt when “you busted a move, but the move backfired.” He applies this to situations like having a lousy day at work or almost winning the lottery. He warns others to underestimate him at their own peril on “I Let ’Em Know,” which utilizes a sample of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” much better than the subsequent and more famous rap adaptation of the song. “Pick Up the Pace” has a West Coast/electro vibe, with Young MC kicking raps at a reasonably rapid pace atop a sample of Bill Summer’s “We Call It the Box.”
The album’s only miss is “Just Say No,” the Quincy Jones-produced album closer. As the title suggests, it’s an anti-drug song aimed at the youth of the day, and an incredibly self-serious one at that. I’m fully aware of the benefits of teaching kids to stay away from narcotics, but the song is more overwrought than one of ABC’s After School Specials. EPMD’s “You Had Too Much To Drink,” released earlier in 1989, wasn’t very good either, but it at least was occasionally funny. The Jones-produced track doesn’t help, sounding like something lifted from a bad mid-1980s soundtrack to a rap adjacent movie.
I’m not going to lie—I never bought another Young MC album after Stone Cold Rhymin’. I spent my subsequent years listening to a lot of Public Enemy, Ice Cube, EPMD, etc., so all-ages material didn’t hold the same allure. But I know Young MC deserves his due and should not be written off as a fame-chasing rapper who sold himself short in his pursuit of the mighty dollar. He maximized his potential and made feel-good music that could be enjoyed by all. Hopefully he continues to rock crowds around the country for as long as he can.
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