Titulaciones oficiales

t its inception, the Treacherous Three were Spoonie Gee, LA Sunshine, and Kool Moe Dee. But when Spoonie went solo on the success of “Spoonin Rap,” Special K stepped in. For their first release,

“The New Rap Language” (1980), the Treacherous Three—along with erstwhile member Spoonie Gee—came forth with a song that contains more syllables per line than any rap of its time. The “super-rhymin, fascinatin, faster rhyme originatin” style that Kool Moe Dee names late in the rather long song was in one sense virtuosic, though in another sense it sometimes didn’t allow the rappers enough leisure to enunciate or elaborate on a theme at length. At any rate, the song is a kind of road-not-taken in early rap, for the speed-rapping style of the song was not taken up by other rappers and would emerge again only in the early 1990s with tongue-twisting groups such as the Fu-Schnickens. One road that was taken, however, was the path of the battle rap, laid down by Moe Dee in his infamous skirmish with the “Chief Rocker” Busy Bee in a way that was ahead of its time. The excerpt transcribed here finds the Treacherous Three phenom picking apart Busy’s use of the phrase “in the place to be,” as well as the “ba-diddy-ba” rap that Busy frequently used and that Kid Rock would later take to the top of the charts.

THE NEW RAP LANGUAGE [All]

We rock … and don’t stop

Well, it’s the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious With no strings attached, no bags of tricks, this is the way we get our kicks [Treacherous Three]

We’re qualifyin, rectifyin, rock until the day we’re dyin Every time you’re screamin, cryin, we’ll be here with no denyin [Spoonie Gee] We hold our honor and our pride [Special K] Just take the step that kept in stride [LA Sunshine] Set down rules you will abide

[Kool Moe Dee] We’re gonna take you for a ride [Spoonie Gee] Before we’re rockin as a full, let’s introduce us one by one

[Special K] I’m Special K, I’m on display, I rock across the USA [LA Sunshine] LA Sunshine, I rock your mind, I do it to you every time [Kool Moe Dee] Remember me, MC Moe Dee, the man that’s at the t-o-p [St-o-poonie Gee] I’m St-o-poonie Gee, as you can see, I rock the world

society And at the end, you will agree, nobody rock the mic like me [Treacherous Three] But Special K, Sunshine, Moe Dee, you add us up, we’ll equal three [Spoonie Gee] And on the mic we turn it out, young ladies bite without a doubt [All] And if you don’t believe it’s true, just check out how we rock for you [3x]

Do it!

[Spoonie Gee] Moe Dee, you got a lotta class, so rock a rhyme and make it fast [Kool Moe Dee]

The super scooper, party pooper, man with all the super-duper Disco breaks, have what it takes, a man who never makes mistakes Can rap it low, I’m not a bore, the baddest man you ever saw The money-makin, earth-quakin man who gets the party shakin [Special K]

Undefeated, never beated, never cheated, but succeeded If I need it, you believe it, rhymes on guarantee Wheelin, dealin, women-stealin,

Casanova booty-feelin Understandin, reprimandin, rockin on it, that’s demandin [LA Sunshine]

No complication, stimulation, man who’s gonna rock the nation Rhyme, rhyme, battle time, my opponent, he’s all mine I’m not the baddest, not the maddest, when I win I am the gladdest No beginner, not a sinner, on the mic I’m just a winner [Spoonie Gee]

Well, I’m always clean, I’m not too mean, the baddest man you ever seen The finger-poppin, nonstoppin man who gets the party rockin I’m so vicious and ambitious to the young, ’cause I’m delicious Good lovin I always make, I always do good, no mistake [Kool Moe Dee]

And I’m very, very, very, very and my favorite flavor’s cherry Oh my God, it’s fame and glory but I never tell a story The only time I funk a mic because it’s somethin that I like To be assured the rhymes are low, I always keep some sex in store [Special K]

The bad, bad, superbad, never sad, always glad Not a day you find him mad, ain’t nothing I never had Sleek, sleek, so unique, guaranteed to move your feet So every time I play the beat, ladies get up out their seat [LA Sunshine]

The wheelin, stealin, double-dealin man who rock with all the feelin Give you more of rhymes galore, I shoot my shot, I always score Girls on my jock and all on lock, the man who rock around the clock I never date, I never wait, the man who set the people straight [Spoonie Gee]

Well, I’m Spoonie Gee, as you could see I rock the world society I always

rock, as you can tell, I rock with all the clientele Finesse is do you know I will, I keep the people starin still Eyes swollen, rhymes tollin, comin out this microphone ………

[Special K]

For MCs who bite the fast-talkin rhymes They’re gonna feed ya, so get ready to eat

Moe Dee’s the originator, so you might as well starve ’Cause you can’t catch this fast beat (Hit it, Moe) [Kool Moe Dee]

Hey, diddle-diddle on the fiddle, ’cause the cat is in the middle Will he rhyme or will he riddle, does he want a tender vittle?

Have a lot, maybe a little, long as he can feel his middle And an ocean full of lotion ’cause it’s like his magic potion But my notion’s that the potion’s workin some kind of commotion With the cats and you don’t seem to understand Instead of high he’s in the aisle, tip his hat at any town Thought the cat was found missin somewhere on the line The only thing he hears is me, you’re desperate ’cause of Kool Moe Dee You’re walkin on a leash, whether talkin on the street Whether north or south or east or whether human or a beast I’m so full of disco

(power), it ain’t a MC that I can’t (devour) In a hour talkin fast and he goes sour, Moe Dee, the disco tower power So take a deep breath, get a drink of water

Special K, you can say it, but make yours shorter [Special K]

Well, I’m so sincere, just sincere, the baddest MC of the year Say it low, say it loud, say it special, say it proud Takin every year in hell, I weigh the highest on the scale When I rock I take a bow, Sunshine, come on and show ’em how [LA Sunshine]

The girl-teasin, woman-pleasin, take a girl, others freezin Got the heart to play the part, I’m not too sweet, I’m not too tart We’re rockin to the funky beat, the kids all chowed us like a treat So come on in and get a taste, believe me, girl, it’s not a waste [Kool Moe Dee]

The super-rhymin, fascinatin, faster rhyme originatin Number one, we’re rhyme creatin, number one with no debatin If you look up on the rating, you will see that you’ve been waitin And you’re only

commentatin and that gets to be frustratin [Special K]

Yes, for real, we are the deal and on the mic we use our skill The latest, greatest, no one hate us, take us home and gold-plate us Rappin raw

and never bore and always keep you on the floor And rock and roll and take control and rock until we’re gray and old [LA Sunshine]

The law-abiding, never fighting, girls around us never hiding

Pain-enduring, love-ensuring, cool, calm, and most alluring Constant on the jock, the man who make the party rock I gratify and satisfy, girl, just say, just say good-bye [Spoonie Gee]

Well, I’m lettin you know I am a pro, just give me a mic, I’m on the go [Treacherous Three]

The three MCs that never freeze, that rock you on down to your knees FROM KOOL MOE DEE’S BATTLE WITH BUSY BEE (1981)

One two, one two, party people in the place to be. My name is MC Kool Moe Dee from the Treacherous Three. My man LA Sunshine in the place to be.

We gon’ get a little something straight here in the place to be. Don’t worry about it, DJ Lee, in the place to be. We gonna get a little something straight in the place to be. My man Busy Bee Starski. How many people think Busy Bee Starski rocked the house? I hear that in the place to be. But if y’all noticed it or not, you know, I heard a lot of shit, you know, Busy Bee is popping shit, saying he’ll take out any MC and all that. I give it to the man, he know how to rock the crowd. But when it come to having rhymes, no way he can fuck around. And I’ma prove that right now. In the place to be, MC Kool Moe Dee, the coolest of the cool. Can’t nobody rock like me.

Remember this. Cold Crush Four in the house. My man LA Sunshine in the place to be. We gonna have a little fun, have a little fun. DJ Lee, you think you got it together yet? One two…

One for the treble, two for the bass

Come on, Easy Lee, and let’s rock the place One-two, one-two, doing the do, now

Hold on, Busy Bee, I don’t mean to be bold But put that ba-diddy-ba bullshit on hold We gonna get right down to the nitty-grit

Gonna tell you a little something why you ain’t shit It ain’t an MC’s jock that you don’t hug

You even bit your name from the Lovebug

And now to bite a nigga’s name is some low-down shit If you was money, man, you’d be counterfeit

I got to give it to you, though, you can rock But everybody know you on the Furious’ jock

And I remember Busy from the olden times

When my man Spoonie Gee used to sell you rhymes Remember that rhyme called diddy-ba-diddy?

Man, goddamn, that shit was a pity Too hot to trot, here to rock the spot

Spoonie Gee rocked it whether you like it or not He begged for the rhyme, asked for it twice

He said, “Spoonie Gee, I’ll buy at any price”

Well, Spoonie finally sold it, oh, what a relief Busy Bee stole it like a fuckin thief

Came out rockin the party hard

Got everybody thinkin that shit sound’s yours Every time I hear it, I throw a fit

Party after party, the same old shit Record after record, rhyme after rhyme Always want to know your Zodiac sign He changed the shit to the favorite jeans Come on, Busy Bee, tell me what that means Hold on, brother man, don’t you say nothing

I’m not finished yet, I gotta tell you something Too hot to trot, I’m here to rock the spot

I’m gonna rock your ass whether you like it or not He made up the title right on the spot

How can I take a title you ain’t got?

You’re not number one, you’re not even the best And you can’t win no real MC contest

Celebrity clubs and bullshit like those

Those the kind of shows that everybody knows Celebrity clubs, those the kind you can win

It’s all set up before we come in

But in a battle like this you know you’ll lose Between me and you, who do you think they’ll choose?

Well, if you think it’s you, I got bad news

Because they hear your name, you’re gonna hear some boos ’Cause you’re faking the funk, ’cause you’re faking the funk And at the end of this rhyme you can call me uncle Moe Dee—rock, shock the house—Call me uncle

Rock the house

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