It takes two to rock in 88.

It was 1988 and I was a 10 year old absolutely obsessed with hip-hop music and culture. I didn’t even refer to it as such because is was as normal to me to listen to rap music as it was to eat grandma’s Puerto Rican food. With out the internet to fuel ones need for discovery, I would walk from my neighborhood to Strawberry’s (the local record store – now closed) to cop cassettes and help a DJ friend at the time boost vinyl.

Its hard to explain how important 1988-1989 was for hip-hop music and how much of a contribution it made to my development as a person. Everything was so new: let me explain. When Slick Rick dropped his single “Children’s Story”, it was the first time I have ever heard a rapper recite a story in a rap that was so vivid, animated and complete. He invented that shit. When I heard KRS One’s voice for the first time on “My Philosophy” it was like I was at a self help seminar! Let’s not even start an Eric B and Rakim conversation— they were so serious, it made me serious! The things these artists were doing were literally the first time they were being done. Can you say that about any one artist today? Probably not. Absolutely not.

One song in particular that really made an impact on me was Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock’s “It takes 2″— for a few reasons.

1- It was amazing – first and foremost.

2- My DJ friend that I used to steal records with had the Lyn Collin record “Think (about it)” which is the original sample used for that song (and many other hip-hop classics). He used to cut up and sample the record before I actually heard “It Takes 2″. Shit, might have been his favorite record because we heard it a lot! To know the origins of the record made an impact on me.

3- It became incorporated into the theme song for YO! MTV Raps which was religion for me. Would not miss a show and when we finally could afford a VCR it was dubbed, re dubbed and re re dubbed.

Fast forward to present day and Snoop Dogg has resurrected the Rob Base song for a modern day hit (and tribute…) and I’m not mad at all. It was a reminder of what was but a confirmation that what happens today is with direct influence of yesterday.

From Lyn Collins to Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, to Snoop Dogg, to the numerous rappers that ended 2009 freestyling over the Snoop Dogg instrumental – the seed Lyn planted in 1972 has provided the fruit we eat today.

Below are the videos for the Rob Base smash, Snoop’s joint and the foundation Lyn layed.

Enjoy.

And yes I am getting old….