On Thursday night, VH1 premiered “Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap,” one week before to its DVD release on September 18. As the director, executive producer, narrator and interviewer on the project Ice-T was able to capture the best of the old school and the most recognized of the new school emcees. He trades rhymes and stories with the greats. But rather than name all of the legends, here the Top 5 quotes from the film:
Big Daddy Kane advises new rappers: The first thing I would try to teach them [aspiring rap artists] would be originality. Whenever you are following a trend, trends come and go, so when that trend is gone you’re gone. You’re basing your career on a bangin’ beat and a catchy hook. So you know what you just did? You just made your producer a star.”
Nas speaks on why rap still isn’t respected: We are not supposed to be thinking like this. What are we doing talking like this? What are we doing proud of how we are talking with this broken English? How the fuck are we making poetry out of this broken English? Why are you guys bringing street conversation to the mainstream world? Stay in your place! Stay out of there! I don’t like looking at you. Fix your pants! Fix your hat! Ya’ll are supposed to stay in the gutter. Get out of here! What are you doing invading my home? Why are my kids liking your music? What’s going on? I don’t like you. I don’t like you! That’s all they are saying. And we know it. So that’s why I’m proud to wear my shit a little saggy. I’m a grown man now. I don’t have no business wearing saggy jeans. No business at all. But I might let it sag a little bit just to annoy a few stiff motherfuckers just because that’s what got me here. And I’m always going to stay true to that.
Eminem speaks on how Treach from Naughty by Nature influenced him: That song “Yoke the Joker,” when that shit came out, I swear to God, I was in my peak at rap. What I mean is when I realized that this is what I want to do with my life. Proof came over. He brought the fuckin tape and my world ended. I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ What the fuck is this? Literally, I didn’t write a rap for the whole summer. Yo, that dude was and he is still incredible.
Run from Run-DMC on being the No. 1 group in rap: It’s good for a second. It’s when if you’re not focused to keep making music and you’re on cruise. It’s when you are sitting in the tub, for me, eating french toast, got weed coming, got a ho coming, got Kwazy bringing me a Rolls Royce, all this was coming and Rolling Stone magazine is coming. So this is all in the presidential suite. I just seen Ice-T as I was driving up. I just hit LA. I can’t wait to get to LA. They got the best indo. They got the best girls. They got the best presidential suite. They got the Rolls Royce. Rolling Stone magazine, I’m Run, I’m number one. And then the realization comes. I’m sitting the in the tub. The syrup’s falling in the tub. There’s ashes falling in the tub. The ho is knocking at the door. Rolling Stone is behind the ho and the man that cuts your hair. And you’re like, ‘I’m fucking out of control!’
Dr. Dre talks about Tupac’s work ethic: It was incredible. I remember being in the studio with Pac and he actually went in the mic booth to write and I’m like, okay, that’s different. So I’m in the control room and he writes the lyrics: “Alright, I’m ready.” He spits “California Love,” one or two takes. Then [he said] alright, “Put the next thing up!” And he would just sit in the booth like, “Put the next thing up. Put the next thing up.” I think that’s the reason why he had so many songs and so much material. It was incredible. [He was a] serious machine, serious talent.