Bust A Move - Young MC (1989)

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[1985-1989 Best Songs]

Billboard Top 100, 1989, #42

Don't tell me about Curtis Blow, about Rob Base, or about Grandmaster Flash. Don't tell me about The Breaks or Rapper's Delight. Definitely, don't tell me about NWA, Ice-T, Ice Cube, or even Public Enemy. Please, GOD, don't tell me about Blondie.

While they all laid years worth of groundwork, NONE of these songs and artists brought Rap and Hip-Hop music to the fore to become Pop music. No single artist or song had that impact like Bust A Move. After almost 15 years of being fringe, urban, almost exclusively black music, Young MC blew the doors wide open.

What ultimately bridged that gap with mainstream (and yes, I mean white, don't I?) audiences was that right combination of a dance-able musical style and hilarious lyrics anybody could relate to, not just one demographic. Young MC clearly wasn't first on the scene to use this approach. You can't forget about DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (hey, what ever happened to that guy?), but Bust A Move stormed up the charts, and finally had everybody listening to - and buying - Hip-Hop.

A one-hit wonder, to be sure, but it was the one hit that made all the difference.