Sheldon Taylor's Souls of Black Notes

                            "No ideas original/there's nothing new under the sun                                     it's not what you do/but how its done"                                                        ---Nas (2002)                                                                         A video surfaced on Facebook featuring hoop god LeBron James at a party rapping word to word to Atlanta rapper Doe Boy's Walk Down . The ominous synth sounds, Eazy E/Dr. Dre name checks and lyrical cadence are ...

"Part of rap's adhesive is the seamless transition, the sense of continuum, eternity, living with the beat forever"     Barry Michael Cooper: Spin Magazine( 1986) Harlem scribe Barry Michael Cooper's synopsis of rap music circa' 86 could also describe the eternal staying power of two of the greatest hip hop records ever recorded. In 1985, rap music was evolving at the speed of light. Just six years removed from the Sugar Hill/Enjoy simulated breakbeat jams a la Rapper's Delight, hip hop music was emerging with newer sounds and styles that were beating older ones into submission.  Every year since 1979, a series of game-changing records nudged rap towards a nascent cottage industry that was a throwback to rock-and roll/R&B's early days (dubious contracts included). Indie labels run by Blacks, Jews and ethnic whites put out a slew of 12inch rap singles in rapid succession. These imprints had colorful names like Tommy Boy, De...