wine be to rap :: what key be to lock
a tumblr examining wine in hip hop, mainly through pointing out lyrical references to the juice. SO SURRIOUS
“We$tside Wine Sippaz” - Polyester the Saint
We’ve hit the proverbial jackpot with this joint. My homegirl told me that this cat went a full year with just drinking wine (as his beverage of choice), and it inspired this track. I’m not mad at you Mr. The Saint.
Artist - Jadakiss
Track - “We Belong Together” (remix) - Mariah Carey, featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. (2005 - Emancipation of Mimi)
Lyric - The trees will blow / Big cups of Pinot Grigio / Take it easy, yo (starts at 2:43 of this video, and Styles P. actually drops that last lyric, in some pretty stellar banter with Jada)
Clearly Jadakiss is speaking to Mariah about the evergreen trees in Alto Adige and the scenic landscapes. On a summer afternoon - I can’t imagine a better scene in front of me while toasting large goblets of Pinot Grigio, unless they involve Mariah Carey (pre “Glitter” of course, maybe even pre “Butterfly”). But again, only in moderation, yo.
For context, Tom Wark wrote this recent piece
And the homie Hardy Wallace wrote this piece
By no means are these the first and last pieces written on natural wines vs. conventional wines, but allow me to throw in my meaningless two cents here, and in the spirit of this tumblr, through the lens of hip-hop (for all three readers out there).
Artist - ASAP Rocky
Track - “Purple Swag” (2011)
no wine references here, explicit - that is. i imagine ‘purple drank’ to be Chinon on cold days, a Morgon on warmer days. GLOU GLOU, bitches!
Tash, “No Hand Outs” Tha Alkaholiks
Both Whitney Adams and I agree that Moscato seems to be a pretty popular grape/wine for lyricists these days - an ‘o’ friendly phonetic, that’s easy on the ears (as with the palate - ZING!). What some of you readers (all three of you) out there may not realize is that this whole “wine rap” business is old hat - and has been explored by others before our time…….namely this guy:
image from: Tom Wark’s “Fermentation” blog
Steve, mother f*ckin Heimoff, y’all. Steve’s already written a piece on Moscato in rap lyrics, and even goes as far as saying that it has garnered some underground ‘cred’ with the hip hop community (even seeking out an MC with an album titled, “Moscato”). It’s a good piece and a short read.
I just wanted to give some credit to a writer who kicked this concept around a bit, before I decided to start this tumblr. Let me know if you’ve seen anything else floating out there regarding this topic (not just about Moscato, either).
Artist: Nice and Smooth
Track: “Funky For You” - 1989
Lyric: (Greg Nice)
Spring again, and I’m feelin fine/
Pass me an ice-cold glass of wine/
So I can get mellow/
Lay back, and let my girl play the cello
Greg Nice loved to incorporate wine into his lyrics and while this isn’t the only example I can cite (we’ll explore another track another time), it certainly is the most specific in terms of how he likes his wine served (temperature-wise). If I’m watching my girlfriend play the cello (wearing a bathing suit, from the looks of the video), I too want something that’s not too heavy, chilled and with a bracing acid streak that will keep me alert (she IS playing the cello after all - bathing suit or not).
Artist: Waka Flocka Flame
Track: “No Hands” (featuring Wale and Roscoe Dash) - 2010
Lyric: Imma sip Moscato and you gonna lose them pants / And Imma throw this money while you do it with no hands (repeats as part of the chorus)
Messrs Flocka Flame, Dash, and…..er, Wale appreciate Moscato so much, that they sing its praises several times throughout this track. What has to be one of the most random lyrics in recent memory - I laughed out loud the first time I heard this on the radio - I can’t help but wonder how the listener is to infer what exactly the setting is where all of this is taking place?
Personally, I think Mr. Flocka Flame is shopping alongside a friend (male/female - we’re not sure) and they’re obviously at Banana Republic, where they are served wines as part of the shopping experience. Mr. Flocka Flame is expressing his disapproval of his friend’s choice in pants, and while he continues to enjoy his sparkling wine, he sends his friend back into the dressing room to try on a different pair.
Yep.
Track: “Knockin’ Boots” (1990)
Artist: Candyman
Lyric: “Break out the bottle of Asti Spumante / Pop off the top and rock with my posse.” (3:03 into the track)
Hopefully this tumblr will help to dispel the notion that wine references in hip hop are a relatively recent phenomenon. Here we have an early 90’s track that was pretty popular for Southern Californian youth, a regular for your average skating party or middle school Valentine’s Day dance. Sure, no one knew what the hell Asti Spumante was, alluded to by Candyman himself - we just knew it was a social lubricant of some sort, forbidden to our minor palates.
Looking back, it was pretty clever of Candell Manson to incorporate the famous Piedmontese sparkling white wine into a lyric, especially to rhyme with “posse.” Hard to understand how a smooth dude can incorporate a wine, known for sweetness and more of a dessert wine, as part of the pre-game ritual - but I suppose that’s how one is a “G.” Looking beyond the lyric quoted, there seems to be hints of some sort of group hang and foreplay, which we’ll leave to our collective imaginations and won’t explore further here.
An aside - Love the Tone Loc cameo in the beginning of the video (supposedly Candyman’s mentor). Overalls and fanny packs were pretty utilitarian and I remember dressing hip those days would lend to being able to pack away a lot of shit - invaluable I’m sure if you were old enough to club or go to bars. Also, the gal on the hook - bi-racial right? Blasian, methinks.
