Before RUN-DMC and Walk This Way with Areosmith...

Musical fusion was in the hands of these greats...but who's impact was the greatest worldwide....?

malcolm mclaren - buffalo gals
http://www.youtube.com/wa...re=related

or

Blondie - Rapture
http://www.youtube.com/wa...HPikUPlRD8

I'd likely make an argument for "Buffalo Gals," only because it influenced hip-hop to a greater degree, which influenced modern pop music immensely. "Rapture" is a pop classic. I've made the argument on a previous thread (which was HOTLY contested) that it was a landmark for its "fusion" of hip-hop and pop, as you say.

Both are good choices, but I'd have to go with "Genius of Love" by the Tom Tom Club as the track which changed pop culture. Though it technically was a funk/dance song, it heavily influenced club and hip-hop music and made both more mainstream.

That ship has sailed long ago

http://prince.org/msg/8/274712

728huey said:

Ditto but in terms of these, I'll go with "Buffalo Gals" too.

Afrika Bambaataa and Kool Herc were a few of the early dj's who went experimenting with the first steps of sampling on 2 turntables. A very early influence
which resulted in a fusion of sounds created by Bambaataa & the US-electro movement, were Kraftwerk from Germany. This goes way back to the mid-70's.

These pop-charted examples by Blondie, RUN DMC/Aerosmith and McLaren did okay, but i never experienced them as revolutionary or groundbreaking.
[Edited 2/14/09 13:28pm]

Shango said:

Good points.

Timmy84 said:

I'll check if i can find that great docu about Kraftwerk on the tube.
That was some interesting and entertaining stuff which they filmed.
Kraftwerk and some US-electrofunkers were interviewed and it resulted
in a good piece for the archives.

Timmy84 said:

Agreed, but the question was of the two, which of them changed modern pop music.

Great question. I have to think that while Rapture "introduced" rapping to a larger, whiter audience I think from both a musical and pop culture impact "Buffalo Gals" wins because of it's influence on fashion, graffiti and it's influence back on the hip hop community.

The whole Duck Rock album was an album that influenced back and expanded hip hop into a whole new world of musical reference.

Swa

Shango said:

Swa said:

also to add the world's famous supreme team who were also members of the Zulu Nation. Malcolm couldn't do it alone so he recruited my boys from the south Boogie

Shango said:

To the mainstream those two records were groundbreaking ...blondie had a white woman rapping/namechecking/a dj/funk/r&b/graffiti/rock... 1981 ??

Bufflo Gals breaks more rules... real DJ attempt at hip-hop by a white guy who's a brit and ex Sex Pistol co-lab, breakdancing / real street styles / hip-hop/ real rap / ...1982 ??

I think the Kraftwerk influence is a bit overplayed sorry..in the story of hip-hop/rap...People like Kool Herc experimenting was alot to do with early rocksteady/reggae/dub from his homeland like Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby who's sound you still here in a Kanye West CD's as much if not more than the European sound ..

King Tubby & Soul Syndicate - Salty Dub
http://www.youtube.com/wa...re=related

LondonStyle said:

I hope then that listeners of those 2 tracks will make the effort to check the pioneers who paved the way for mainstream releases as those which received all the recognition.

LondonStyle said:

That's a personal thing which can happen. The tv-special about them and their influence on the US-electro scene was interesting though.

LondonStyle said:

Maybe the Kool Herc-mention on my part was a little distracting, because although he and Bambaata experimented with early steps of sampling, it was Bambaataa who went on experimenting with the electro-sound, including influences from Kraftwerk.