Kris Kross - "Jump"

What ever happenned to the hip-hop synth lead? It was everywhere in the early nineties. My personal favorite example is Dre's classic riff on "Nuthin But a G Thang," but even Puff Daddy used it to great effect on "Big Poppa." My appreciation for this trend doubled when I discovered that the Yamaha S-30 keyboard I bought in 8th grade had three pre-loaded hip-hop syth leads. I quickly realized this was the coolest thing in the entire world, and I spared no time in learning "Gin and Juice" to impress my friends.

Anyways, today's track si from the boys of Kris Kross and their synth lead-laden rap song "Jump." Kris Kross is one of those early-nineties pop-rap acts (Arrested Development, Vanilla Ice) that has faded into complete obscurity. It's difficult to believe they sold 4 million (!!!) copies of their debut album, and achieved one of the biggest hits of 1992 with "Jump." Their datedness is not without reason. They were one of the first acts to perform in the perenially ridiculous art of child rap, which has since been attempted by Bow Wow (who shared Kris Kross producer Jermaine Dupris), Lil Romeo, and, of course, Aaron Caarter. The duo is credited with starting the somewhat shortlived fashion trend of wearing clothing backwards and referred to themselves as "Mac Daddy" and "Daddy Mac" respectively.

All of this being said, "Jump" is one of the catchiest, most danceable hip-hop singles of the early nineties. The kids bear a serviceable flow, mostly due to the fact that their lyrics were penned by their producer, the then young and mostly unknown Jermaine Dupris. The track is anchored by a simple three-chord piano progression and the aforementioned classic hip-hop synth lead, which I maintain is one of the coolest forgotten ideas in contemporary music.

My prediction is that at some point in the near future, some dude is going to realize how awesome those hip-hop synth leads were and employ it himself, making a huge hit in the process.

Other thought: As awesome as this is, my personal favorite Dupris track is Jagged Edge's "Where the Party At" which I think contends with "Ignition (Remix)" for hip-hop/R&B single of the decade.

Favorite quotes: "Now, the formalities of this and that is that Kris Kross ain't coming off whack" or, everyone's favorite "It's the miggity miggity miggity miggity mac daddy." In high school, while training myself to articulate for debate, I often tried to sing along to that. It's tougher than you think.