This album is primarily known by its lone massive hit "Bust a Move," and in fact he named his 1997 album Return of the 1 Hit Wonder, but this album was more inventive than five rap albums combined. "Fastest Rhyme" was true to its title, being one of the fastest raps heard on an album at the time, and "Stone Cold Buggin'" told an entire two-mintue story using the same rhyme throughout: "This rhyme right here has been dedicated/to all rap fans that said that they hated/the other MCs whose rhymes deviated/'Cause this is real gold, it's not gold plated..." "Principal's Office" is another example of using good humour in rap, and "Got More Rhymes," the B-side of the "Bust a Move" single, is just as good as the A-side. Of course, the album's corny, Reagan-era finale "Just Say No" is dated by today's standards (like everything else on this list), but when was the last time you heard a rapper telling you not to take drugs? Young MC, who might need to change his name to Old MC soon, will never escape the curseand blessingof "Bust a Move," but his debut was a firm testament to his talent and what should have been the start to a long and fruitful career.
Michael Perone has written for The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City Paper, The Island Ear (now titled Long Island Press), and The Long Island Voice, a short-lived spinoff of The Village Voice. He currently works as an Editor in Manhattan. And he still thinks Michael Keaton was the best Batman.
