Skip navigation.

exploreopera

| Help

Sign up | Help

if you're 30+ years hip hop, RESPOND TO THIS DAMN POST.

, ,

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Back in the day, a god came to us. His name was Rakim. Rakim Allah. The god of hip hop. Hip Hop was about style and lyrics, but it did have its downfalls. One thing that is....or, at least was certain about hip hop music was the "biter."

You see, the "biter" was somebody who was not talented enough to create his/her own style of spit, so they just "borrowed" or bit another emcee's rap style to make themselves look like they were doing something special. Nowadays, if you were to bite a million-selling artist's rap style, you'd actually be praised and given money and fame (see, "Shyne"). But, back then, a biter was just a fucking scrub. And, even GOD had biters.

enter, MC Rell and the Houserockers. Dope name, huh? I mean, "Houserockers?" That's ill as fuck, right? It reminds me of a joint by Howling Wolf called "House Rocking Boogie."

You see....MC Rell had a song called "Life of an Entertainer" which caught my ear, because of his voice. Dude sounds like Rakim's twin brother. The song is dope, and one could argue that it's even relevant today!

But, was Rell really a biter? As a rap fan, I knew instantly that he was biter. He sounded exactly Rakim with less lyrical ability. In the "Into the Future" video posted below, he had a similar haircut as Ra (flattop with a part), and this jacket that looked strangely identical to the jacket Rakim and Eric B rocked on the Follow the Leader album cover with the Nation of Gods and Earths logo on the back. Well? same voice? haricut?? gear??

WAS RELL A BITER? I say yes. But, his album was dope as fuck. The remix of "Something about it" was SICK.

Introductions..NEGROES WITH GUNS WILL RETURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNN!!!!

Comments

avatar
Tommy B writes:

Ha!!!!! I remember this video! I never really thought of MC Rell as much of a biter...I mean there is a certain similarity between Rell & Rakim vocal-wise, but I don't think enough to consider him a biter. As far as the flattop and the gear...that was a bit of a bite, but then again imitation is the highest form of flattery.


http://kickme.to/miscreants

By anonymous user, # 20. June 2006, 05:30:18

avatar
Anonymous writes:

He's a biter thanks for the laugh! Up the album

By anonymous user, # 15. July 2006, 16:56:12

avatar
Shakim writes:

I really liked the beat of this song I and as far as his voice you cant help what you sound like and the everybody was rocking those hair cuts back in the day

By anonymous user, # 13. November 2006, 05:52:17

avatar
Remind me of Ghostface skit on Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx on Shark Niggas.
Niggaz is fuckin crazy... knowhatI'msayin?
Hell yeah man
Word... you know how niggaz be bitin and shit
Niggaz be bitin mad styles n shit from niggaz man
Yeah, no doubt
That's what I be hatin man, I can't stand a fuckin bitin ass nigga
Wanna use your lines all ahead of time
Word
Before you even get a chance, to shine on your own shit
True, nah niggaz be killing me though Son because
Yaknow, they be take be comin with your words and shit
They hear you say one word then here they come with the word
Tryin to flip it and bounce it on some bullshit
Yeah, yeah
Not sounding like first of all and shit
Yeah
YaknowhatI'msayin? Boom, but then you got niggaz Son on the real
YaknowhatI'msayin? Niggaz niggaz niggaz niggaz is bitin off your
album cover and shit
Yeah!
Whoa bad enough they biting lines like niggaz killed me
Yeah
When they came with some Nas, niggaz bit offa Nas shit!
KnowhatI'msayin?

By Jzarecta, # 3. April 2007, 16:10:15

avatar
MC Rell writes:

Yo,

Rell wasn't exactly a biter. On the real, I was coming from the heart. The look was what was hot at the time. The voice, natural--can't change it. But no offense to Rakim, he was and still is a legend. My flow was on some different *ish.

My flow was about just having fun but at the same time being aware and avoiding the hype.

I ain't mad though, people have to classify you in a category. And if they put me in Rakim's-- then that's not bad company...

By anonymous user, # 16. May 2007, 20:29:17

avatar
Anonymous writes:

A lot of people got accused of biting ra at the time EPMD, Antonette. But yo when RA came in he just changed hip hop. Everybody started rocking that style.

Kind of like when Tribe made Scenario. Everybody started shouting chourses. Onyx came with the bald heads. Luke came with the video girls. NWA came with the curses and just saying whatever.

Sometimes it's the label too

dub-culture.com

By anonymous user, # 18. January 2008, 15:52:52

avatar
^ very true indeed...

By blockster, # 20. January 2008, 00:25:09

avatar
I just found this shit again today after 20 years. This is a tight ass album from a rapper that signed with the wrong label even though Polygram wasn't a minor label like a lot of rappers who end up only making one album sign with today and get gaffled. As far as the style he possessed, in my opinion Ra had a more lyrical flow and with Rell dude had a certain type of delivery that separated them from sounding too much alike. Which is basically his own flow and his own personality. Can't bite that. But shit we been having rappers sounding EXACTLY alike for the past couple of years and we just now starting to see nigs start to do their own thing. Made me damn near ready to give up on my sweet lady hip hop. But he didn't bite Rakim cause if he would have came out before Rakim they would have said the same shit about him. Biting is Turbo D from Snap rapping Chill Rob G's lyricals using Chill Rob G's SONG. Biting is Sean Carter breaking down the name JAZ and leaving dude hungry lol....That's some shit.

By ThaProfit, # 29. March 2008, 05:29:15

Write a comment

Comment
(BBcode and HTML is turned off for anonymous user comments.)

Please type this security code : 5b84e1

Smilies