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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Fu-Schnickens + Classic Hiphop Radio

Posted by on April 18 at 16:35 PM

One of the perils of having a huge music collection is that you can neglect excellent albums for years without realizing it. So it is with gratitude and great pleasure that I recently rediscovered two old, overlooked albums by the rap group Fu-Schnickens—1992’s F.U. “Don’t Take It Personal” and 1994’s Nervous Breakdown.

Cursed with one of the worst names in hiphop, Fu-Schnickens will always be classified in my mental Rolodex with Das EFX, as both groups favored goofy, motormouthed raps abounding with arcane pop-culture references and off-kilter, funky production touches.

Although Fu-Schnickens left us with two nearly perfect albums, they did give Shaquille O’Neal his break on the mic, and for that they can never be forgiven.

Thinking about Fu-Schnickens spurred this thought: the airwaves are saturated with classic-rock stations. Where are the hiphop equivalents of this phenomenon? Where are the frequencies broadcasting nothing but rap jams from 1979 to 1995? Surely there’s a demand for this format, judging by the outbreak of club nights devoted to golden-era hiphop. Oh, here’s an online station bumpin’ the classics. Anyone know of terrestrial or satellite stations doing the same?