LOS ANGELES — Remember the first rap song you heard? Some of your favorite rappers and DJs do. While hip-hop celebrates 50 years of life, The Associated Press asked some of the genre’s most popular artists — including Killer Mike, JT of City Girls, King Combs and Fat Joe — to recall their first memory of hearing a rap song and how it resonated with them. In the second installment of a two part series, the AP highlights the stars who connected with rap music through a song other than “Rapper’s Delight,” the 1979 hit that was the entry point for Chuck D, DJ Jazzy Jeff and many other artists. For some, the rap song that hooked them was the work of Run D.M.C., Tupac Shakur, the performance of a close family member and even (pre-Oscars) Will Smith. Here are the stories of 14 hip-hop legends and young stars talking about how they initially got hooked on rap.
FAT JOE
Fat Joe remembers the first time Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s song “The Message” went viral. He’ll never forget the moment when the rap song was being played throughout the housing projects in the Bronx borough of New York City.
“I remember coming down the projects one day in every apartment. Everywhere was playing it. I was like ‘Yo, this is crazy,’” the rapper recalled before he recited some of the song’s lyrics. “It’s like a jungle sometimes. It makes me wonder how we’ll keep from going under.”
Fat Joe, who is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, said hip-hop became a way of life for many in his neighborhood.
“I used to look out my window, 7 years old, looking at the parties in the block and the jams, staring out my window, seeing the older guys playing hip-hop on a boombox in front of the building,” he said.
Fat Joe said his first introduction to hip-hop came through his brother, who used to be a crate boy for Grandmaster Flash.
“When you talk about Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, these are the three founding fathers of the whole culture. I’m there. You know, it’s right here.”KILLER MIKE
Growing up, Killer Mike witnessed the drug epidemic run rampant in his neighborhood in Atlanta. But it was Ice T’s lyrics on “6 ‘N the Mornin’” that helped him conceptualize his plight. “The crack epidemic had broke them down. They became victims of their addiction. ‘6 ’N the Mornin’ acknowledged it in a beautifully poetic adult and street way. It confirmed all of my youthful suspicions that the world had changed and was never going to be the same again.”2 CHAINZ
2 Chainz found rap music for the first time — thanks to his older cousins — through the lenses of Luther Campbell aka Uncle Luke and his group 2 Live Crew.2 Live Crews’ song “Me So Horny” was particularly controversial. But for 2 Chainz, his introduction to their music served as an enlightening moment for him.FRENCH MONTANA
Before French Montana moved to the United States, hip-hop touched his soul while living in Morocco. At age 9, his ear was caught by two songs including Tupac Shakur’s “Ambitionz Az a Ridah” and “Gangsta’s Paradise” by the late Coolio. He said he was compelled by the way of life described in those two songs.SOULJA BOY
When Soulja Boy’s mother played music around the house, she would often listen to a variety of Tupac records. But it was Shakur’s song “Dear Mama” that stuck with him the most. “It was one of them ones that made me fall in love with hip-hop for sure.”FLO MILLI
Flo Milli’s playlist is nearly endless. But the one song that jumpstarted her hip-hop infatuation was Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up.” “It was just like his energy,” she said.JT
Rapper JT remembered listening to Will Smith’s 1998 song “Miami,” a record from his debut solo album “Big Willie Style,” which represented her home city the most.DOECHII
Doechii said that hip-hop touched her heart after she heard “Pull Over” by Miami artist Trina.KING COMBS
Throughout King Combs’ life, he’s heard a countless amount of songs from his father, Sean “Diddy” Combs. But it was Diddy’s “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” with rapper Mase that made a tremendous impact on his son. He drew inspiration from “Crush on You” by Lil Kim and Lil Cease. “But then when I saw A$AP Rocky and his whole crew and all his friends having fun doing it, that also inspired me, too,” he said.