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All three music genres are parts of bigger sub cultures created in the 1970s by disenfranchised and frustrated youth searching for a means of expression. As a music genre Rap music took off into the stratosphere and almost 5 decades after its birth in the modern day it shows no signs of slowing down, while Punk Rock barely penetrated popular culture outside of a few bands gaining some national exposure in the 1980’s and an Alvin & The Chipmunks Punk Rock parody album.
That isn’t a slight to Punk Rock, the music was far too angry and rebellious to be transformed into commercial music for the masses. While Go-Go has been sampled heavily by major rap artists, featured in movies and the subject of documentaries, it has still remained a regional music and movement for the more than 4 decades that its been in existence
One of Go-Go’s architects is the band Trouble Funk. Trouble Funk leader Big Tony credits the late Chuck Brown as the Father of Go-Go. “Chuck Brown's early records weren’t Go-Go. Chuck was doin’ Go-Go but he wasn’t recording it. Trouble Funk was the first to actually record Go-Go. 'Bustin’ Loose' (by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers) was a top 40 funk record with Go-Go ingredients. 'E Flat Boogie' (by Trouble Funk) and 'Bustin’ Loose' were the first recordings with Go-Go in them. The very first Go-Go recording ever released was Straight Up Funk Go-Go Style by Trouble Funk. People don’t acknowledge that.”
“The only real way to record Go-Go is live. That’s what Go-Go is about. It has to be recorded live. Even if you record in the studio you have to have a crowd! You have to have an audience. We had a controlled environment, but we kept it live," explained Big Tony .
Even though many D.J.’s outside of the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area may have been unaware of Go-Go as a music and movement, they knew what was funky. The percussive breakdowns of records like “Knock Him Out Sugar Ray” by E.U., “Bustin’ Loose” by Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers and “Pump Me Up” by Trouble Funk were already being mixed and manipulated by D.J.’s before the title Go-Go was applied to them.
Since the early 1980’s there have been Go-Go and Rap collaborations. Trouble Funk’s first big record was 1980’s “Pump Me Up” which they actually rapped on. “Pump Me Up” became a favorite amongst D.J.’s to create routines with and it became a breakbeat in Hip Hop. Grandmaster Mele Mel remade “Pump Me Up” in 1985 with his new faction of The Furious 5.
When the first recorded Rap artists began to tour nationally, they noticed that the local D.C. bands would always blow them away on stage when they played in the city, because they played Go-Go which the D.C. crowd absolutely demanded. Kurtis Blow’s first Go-Go collaboration was with E.U. (Experience Unlimited) and it was called “Party Time?” from the 1983 album of the same name. Kurtis would collaborate with Trouble Funk for “I’m Chillin’” in 1986 as well. Blow says that his E.U. collaboration was based on being out performed by Go-Go bands when he played the Capital Centre with them in the early 1980’s.
More at link
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That isn’t a slight to Punk Rock, the music was far too angry and rebellious to be transformed into commercial music for the masses. While Go-Go has been sampled heavily by major rap artists, featured in movies and the subject of documentaries, it has still remained a regional music and movement for the more than 4 decades that its been in existence
One of Go-Go’s architects is the band Trouble Funk. Trouble Funk leader Big Tony credits the late Chuck Brown as the Father of Go-Go. “Chuck Brown's early records weren’t Go-Go. Chuck was doin’ Go-Go but he wasn’t recording it. Trouble Funk was the first to actually record Go-Go. 'Bustin’ Loose' (by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers) was a top 40 funk record with Go-Go ingredients. 'E Flat Boogie' (by Trouble Funk) and 'Bustin’ Loose' were the first recordings with Go-Go in them. The very first Go-Go recording ever released was Straight Up Funk Go-Go Style by Trouble Funk. People don’t acknowledge that.”
“The only real way to record Go-Go is live. That’s what Go-Go is about. It has to be recorded live. Even if you record in the studio you have to have a crowd! You have to have an audience. We had a controlled environment, but we kept it live," explained Big Tony .
Even though many D.J.’s outside of the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area may have been unaware of Go-Go as a music and movement, they knew what was funky. The percussive breakdowns of records like “Knock Him Out Sugar Ray” by E.U., “Bustin’ Loose” by Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers and “Pump Me Up” by Trouble Funk were already being mixed and manipulated by D.J.’s before the title Go-Go was applied to them.
Since the early 1980’s there have been Go-Go and Rap collaborations. Trouble Funk’s first big record was 1980’s “Pump Me Up” which they actually rapped on. “Pump Me Up” became a favorite amongst D.J.’s to create routines with and it became a breakbeat in Hip Hop. Grandmaster Mele Mel remade “Pump Me Up” in 1985 with his new faction of The Furious 5.
When the first recorded Rap artists began to tour nationally, they noticed that the local D.C. bands would always blow them away on stage when they played in the city, because they played Go-Go which the D.C. crowd absolutely demanded. Kurtis Blow’s first Go-Go collaboration was with E.U. (Experience Unlimited) and it was called “Party Time?” from the 1983 album of the same name. Kurtis would collaborate with Trouble Funk for “I’m Chillin’” in 1986 as well. Blow says that his E.U. collaboration was based on being out performed by Go-Go bands when he played the Capital Centre with them in the early 1980’s.
More at link
How D.C. Go-Go Helped Shape Hip Hop's Golden Era
D.C.'s Go-Go sound has many similarities to Hip-Hop. Check out how Go-Go has always been connected to Hip-Hop.
rockthebells.com
