Bobby Ray, Asher Roth and Wale Highlight Alternative Hip-Hop’s 20th Anniversary

1989 saw the emergence of alternative rap as a new voice in hip hop. The Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique, De La Soul’s 3 Feet High & Rising, and the Jungle Brothers’ Done By the Forces of Nature,
introduced listeners to rap music’s quirkier side. Twenty years later,
artists like Bobby Ray, Asher Roth, Wale and more are pushing
boundaries and cementing the connection between alt-rap then and
alt-rap now. –todd williams

Humble-but-Visionary
1989:
De La Soul

Trugoy:
“We were kids — we had no idea or knew anything about being in a
professional studio, so we were…just tinkering with equipment and
music.”
Posdnuous: “I think people as a whole felt what we were
doing. Just like Biggie and N.W.A. did something that was natural to
who they were. It leaves a lasting impression.”

2009:
Wale

“I
didn’t know people really knew my records until I really started
hitting the road. You could put on the greatest show or have the
greatest rap verse ever…[but when] you come back home everybody’s going
to be like, ‘Oh whatever, it ain’t that deep.’ ”

Rep the Burbs
1989:
Beastie Boys

Mike D: ”Hip-hop is an always evolving form of music. I think a lot
more so than a lot of other kind of music you hear. Hip-hop is based on
what the newest thing is … so there’s always going to be something
exciting coming out in hip-hop …”

2009:
Asher Roth

“[In
my music] I like to … kind of let my presence be felt and I think
people are kind of intrigued by that. Like, who the hell is that
crazy-ass white kid over there?” “[It’s about] being credible and being
yourself, I think people respect that, when you…don’t seem
uncomfortable.”

Eclectic Integrity
1989:
The Jungle Brothers

Afrika “Baby” Bam (to Davey D.): “We’ve spread a good
vibe amongst people, people think back and remember good things about
us. We came along [during] good times, we brought good times … we
maintained our integrity.”
2009:
Bobby Ray

”I
see how my music is spreading and people are being touched by it, so I
put more thought into it because I realize how [influential] music is.
Hip-hop has a worldwide influence. … I don’t want to be a character on
a stage — I just want to be me.”