Think about the most lewd songs by Devin the Dude, 2 Live Crew, or Too Short, only they were made in the 70's and 80's. Marinate on that for a minute.
Can you hear foul lyrics? Music you wouldn't listen to around your mother or grandmother?
If you can, you're hearing Blowfly. Clarence Reid was born in 1939 and
penned hits for artists such as Betty Wright, Gwen McCrae, and KC & the Sunshine Band during the 1960s and 70s.
His
penchant for recreating hit songs with explicit lyrics led him to record under the stage name of Blowfly. Masquerading in colorful outfits Blowfly entertained and continues to entertain crowds with his inviting stage presence.
The song I'm posting "Blowfly's Rapp" (aka Rapp Dirty) was originally released in 1965 and is regarded by some as the first rap song. His first album came six years later, in 1971, however there were no labels that would co-sign the raunchy lyrics, explicit language, and odd style of Blowfly, so he released his albums independently on his Weird World label. "Blowfly's Rapp" saw a proper release in 1980, when the song was released on 12" vinyl.
The song is overall hilarity, just an old school freestyle about a little of everything.
Unfortunately, in 2003 he sold the rights to his catalog which in turn led him to miss out on royalties he could've garnered when his songs were sampled.
Despite that he's a man who should be lauded for being ahead of his time.
Take a listen to "Blowfly's Rapp."
