Digital Underground - Freaks of the Industry

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"Freaks of the Industry" by Digital Underground

Curated by: Natalie Silver

Spotify: http://bit.ly/FreaksoftheIndustryDU

Genre: #rap

When I decided I was going to write about “Freaks of the Industry” by Digital Underground, I decided to ask for my dad’s insight on the song because of his undeniable swag and rap knowledge, and also because of his random, but close friendship with Luke Campbell of 2 Live Crew. While we sipped kombucha poolside, I ended up hearing about the entire history of the genre of sex rap from my father. In other words, I was taking one for the team.

Sex rap was born in Miami (shocker) with 2 Live Crew’s formation in 1984. Their lyrics are explicit and graphic, rapping about sex in a very totalizing manner that is blatantly funny. They’re basically saying, “Sex is awesome, and now I will tell you about it in graphic detail.”

Then came my guy Too $hort in Oakland, who took the sex rap thing to a new level by lacing it with a self-aggrandizing swag and pimping himself out.

And now we’re at Digital Underground, another Oakland rap movement formed by Shock G, Chopmaster J and Kenny-K which has had well over 30 members and launched 2Pac’s career. Shock G and Money-B trade verses on “Freaks of the Industry” and are the only two members who have appeared on every album. Sex rap ultimately took a new life with Snoop Dogg’s “Ain’t No Fun” (and beyond), while LL Cool J and Trina each occupied its throne somewhere along the line as well. Now we’re at Cardi B and CupcaKke, but I know I don’t have to tell you what they’re about.

The initial vision for Digital Underground was to create political music inspired by the Black Panthers, but then Public Enemy came up and the West Coast collective swerved, taking a sexier and funnier approach to their music. Their brand of sex rap is exhibitionary; their music basically says, “We’re freaks, I am very good at sex, and all of my friends are totally fascinated by it. Listen and learn.”

“Freaks of the Industry,” specifically, features a Donna Summer sample and a piano outro and promotes condom use, adding a new and unique element of class to their sex rap brand. The humor lies in the fact that Shock G and Money-B praise wild and raunchy sex as an artful and poetic practice that requires delicate forethought and meticulous execution. They beg us to accept the brilliance of their craft, offering expertise that comes off as both poignant and totally ridiculous.

I let ‘em in. Have you?