Beale St. Sheiks - It's a Good Thing - Early Rap

Memphis Blues and Minstrel Performer Frank Stokes talking very quickly about violence and misogyny... remind you of something?
Rough Lyrics Transcription:
When I was a young 'un, God, 'n in my prime
had Sixteen diff'rent women all the time
Had a woman, God, her name was Lou
Can't godamighty tell what the woman would do
Another woman, God, her name Henrietta
Talked to 16 men, says she (knew?) no better
Another woman, God, her name was Jenny
Talk to white folks, black folks, wouldn't 'cuse any
Another woman, God, her name was Matty
She's a slippin' and a dodgin' in some dark alley
Another woman, God, her name was May
(A fresh man on her), God, every day.
I knocked May down, stomped in her face
Had some trouble 'mong the police raid.
(Went to?) the workhouse, work out my time
Had the same doggone woman on my mind.
Time I got out, Lord, I stumbled in sin,
I tore right back to May's house again.
Time I come to her house she ready to have a little fun
(made me come back ??), I got more than one.
Let me tell ya little somethin', don't you raise no fuss
Most these young women won't do to trust
bowlegged from the ankle plumb to the knee
Full of down devilment as they can be
While you out, man, tryin' to study some plan
She's winkin' and blinkin' at another man
You get outta sight, she peepin' through the crack,
"I wonder how long 'fore the old man gets back?"
Her man gets back, he ready to have a little fun,
Before he get out of sight she got more than one.
Now I'm gettin' old Lord my hair gettin gray
I'm not bowlegged but I walk that a-way
Claim to be the oldest rat of the barn
I known about the women long before I got grown.
Some in the daytime, some at night,
How in the world can you treat a lab'rin' man right?
The time you get out you're ready to primp your head,
Turn around, slippin' there, jumpin' in your bed,
Jump in your bed, goin' to have a little fun,
Next thing they wanna know, got a little lunch done?
A little lunch done, from three or four
(Tonk?) it around before the old man goes.
You may be brownskin, color may be black,
What I say 'bout these women I won't take it back,
I get drunk, love to have my fun,
Most all the women got more than one.
...One woman won't never do

[@JonathanEvans1977]

Hell yeah he's rapping! And he's spitting some personal shit that many can relate to. You can call it mysoginy all u want but he's flowing about his life lol. I like the song too. I didn't know there were such songs in yesteryear

[@00tonytone]

Blue grass. Is rap? Jazz blue grass ,rock n roll, rap and pop I'm a go out on a limb and call it music.

[@stevenbingham4828]

Chu chu…….

[@RioRav]

Well yeah, beating up women and saying you can't trust a single one is misogyny, but it's still a good song.

[@alejosayas]

hace 100 años sonaba el primer rap, que lindo poder encontrar esto

[@alangeanechini474]

Al finnnn habla hispana jaja De dónde sos?

[@davidgallardo8340]

@@alangeanechini474 De un pais

[@alangeanechini474]

@@davidgallardo8340 fuck tu life😒

[@sebastiancerezo2719]

Yo pienso en mi cabeza 1927 el año del rap

[@Kossvril]

Rap+ blues una cosa así, por Dios

[@careyrowland]

Yeah! the original Rap! Thanks for putting it out here for us.

[@arturovilchis5857]

Eso es puro blues como Robert Johnson el a buelo del blues

[@arturovilchis5857]

Eso es blues hermano no rap

[@Jaketheaxman]

This guy: Eminem: *Sweating intensifies*

[@414MrMilwaukee]

Now, when I was young gun in my prime Six, eight different women all the time Had a woman, God, her name was Lou Take God almighty tell you what the woman would do *BARS!!!*

[@madhatter536]

6 dislikes are from salty foreign flags If you know, you know

[@StylistecS]

Let it be known. Talking about they brought this here. Nah fam.

[@apexone5502]

😂😂😂

[@richardsouthern4248]

There's nothing new under the sun. What an amazing record.

[@TheKinoEye]

Chuck D brought me here..

[@oursoullessguide6361]

For sure this is definitely the origins of rap music check out the original version of on the road again that's another one some very colorful lyrics for a time period we considered didn't really have bad language in music 🤣🤣🤣

[@BONZOBERRY]

La preistoria del rap. Grande .

[@bdup680]

This is dope. Some early rap, rooted in blues.

[@busessuck1]

@althazarr Glad you liked it, it's from 1928 or '29, he supposedy recorded again sometime in the '50s but I can't find anything on it

[@vladimirgorosito4348]

The first Rap

[@earledney1942]

@John Luke Brand this was created in 1927

[@Th3Melan8dGawd_]

Bars. Hip Hop is Foundational Black American culture.

[@lenks1018]

I'm of Jamaican heritage and I agree with you 💯👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿😎

[@oursoullessguide6361]

Yes talking blues gave way to the rap verse but I'd say overall that's more of a cultural thing amongst people of many different backgrounds that lived in America

[@americasmaker]

@@oursoullessguide6361 Nope, not at all. Rap comes directly from black Americans.

[@lenks1018]

@@oursoullessguide6361 Wrong

[@antoniuspuitiza6639]

Amazing !!!

[@scottemiller8095]

It all comes from the root, Country Blues, primordial American music. I'm sure all you hep blues cats already know this though

[@rg4bass759]

Quien viene de parte de Detodoy Rap?

[@nadiexd162]

Yo y pensar que el primer rap fue hace 94 años.

[@kingza97]

Tariq Nasheed brought me here

[@vulcan2050ful]

me too.

[@paradyne1T101]

He brought me here just now from Twitter were He's going back and forth with fools who are trying to say rap was invented by Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico.. S M H.

[@JeromeGodboo1]

Rap blues! cool

[@oursoullessguide6361]

You mean talking blues? Very common in folk country blues of the 20s and 30s

[@ashonlewis9353]

We've been rapping for a long time

[@bananaswag45]

DAMM CUZ SPITTIN DAT FIRE!!!

[@ashonlewis9353]

Early rap

[@althazarr]

Great song!!! Another new favorite! Is this from the late 20's?

[@IgotSomuchTroubleonmyMind]

Fire 🔥

[@3006khz]

If rap would have stayed more like this,,,, I'd like it.

[@Madness7125]

That's because this is bluesy rock music, not rap. So I think what you mean is "I like blues music"

[@oRuTRa45]

It would be easier for you to steal and claim as your own, you mean LOL.

[@oursoullessguide6361]

@@Madness7125 this is a little before Chess records probably more into folk blues than blues rock especially with the talking blues moments or even ragtime guitar blues for that matter most of the blues rockers really stay with him the muddy Waters howlin' wolf BB King variations not that that's a bad thing but I personally think the ragtime guitar players are incredibly underrated almost criminal

[@davidgallardo8340]

Que ricooo

[@Nyobe1]

Awesome!!!

[@M.A.H.W.]

vine por HBD

[@Wango53]

Chuck D brought me here as well :)

[@tylerstanley578]

Blues men were the original rappers

[@edgardbittencourt8426]

Rap a ritmo de Blues

[@brunosacco4086]

This song is from 1927, and is from the 20’s Gospel of Blacks Musicians.

[@thedaryl]

sounds a lot like Richard Rabbit Brown

[@Thomao]

Petey Pablo's roots

[@jeremiahpolk8908]

Like

[@jeremiahpolk8908]

Sounds Hell Nall to the Nall Nall

[@jesusmabushernandez5783]

No quieran confundi a la gente diciendo que esto es rap porque luego vendrán estupidos youtubes que van a contar que el Rap se inicio en los años 20's que Hitler lo bailaba mientras viajaba en el Titanic un día antes de que se hundiera y cosas así porque ahora los muchachos quieren saber de todo y tode para luego aparentar una inteligencia media pero viven confundidos si son niños o niñas pero te dicen que Dios creo Adam y a Miguel pero que luego vino Eva y echo a perder la cosa, calculo que para el año 2060 van a decir que el Chombo invento la musica, que moises rapeo unos mandamientos y eran once pero que excluyeron los de la comunidad de los Alegre, bla bla bla, son una mierda cuando quieren relacionar las cosas

[@GeraldSwaqz]

is this the firt rap?

[@bartbakerespanol2209]

+Gerald Swaqz Well this is the first rap,the rap songs before 1980 are named Proto-Rap

[@RobertoGinsburg]

Depend...if this Beale Street Sheiks or the 1927 "Whitewash Station" by Memphis Jugband is older.

[@malfattio2894]

Listen to this recording from 1897 at 0:50 kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6fciqtogbaIbbs

[@mentaltreats5783]

Gerald Swaqz no

[@americasmaker]

Nope

[@MrJimc2]

There's a big difference in this number and the quality of Rap music...if you want to call it MUSIC; the cats are actually PLAYING instruments as they deliver the selection! HUGE DIFFERENCE!

[@oursoullessguide6361]

With the expansion of technology people have gotten lazy in that applicable to all genres of music I know it breaks the hearts of these bitter room type but just the reality of the situation

[@Qu33n]

anyone know the yr this was recorded

[@Qu33n]

odeerg Thank you!!!

[@yungmandeux1729]

@odeerg chicago always got the best rappers

[@asdu4412]

@@yungmandeux1729 He was from Memphis though

[@AlMahdi2k]

This evolved out of the Donso music of Mali and West African griot culture.

[@kikiokiki6788]

is there a reason you didn't record the date ANYWHERE???

[@MisterRlGHT]

Posting this track was a deliberate, premeditated, and complicated act, which means there's definitely a reason. (Smart money is on either inattention or incompetence.)

[@laquetepario8396]

16sth

[@pelumaad331]

Whitewash Station by the Memphis Blues Band......contemporaries to Stokes and Sane....is even closer to rap.....

[@MisterRlGHT]

Memphis JUG Band, you mean, and that same praise applies to most of their catalog -- check out their track On the Road Again for rhyming too raw for most modern listeners.

[@rubenmoore6243]

Singing is not rap

[@acapellapatrick]

Sounds more like early Martha Stewart

[@arturovilchis5857]

Aqui en los comentarios dicen que eso es rap pero no eso es 100% blues musica chingona tipo el abuelo del blues robert jhonson

[@Ignaciovela223]

Esta rapiando