"The only thing Saturday Night Live does worse than telling jokes now is picking musical guests." So goes two common complaints about the long-running sketch show, an argument, if you want to call it that, that's just, well, wrong. SNL has never been and will never be perfect (that's part of the charm), and although they've booked the dreary likes of Justin Bieber and Hootie and the Blowfish throughout their 38-season run, the show has also given national exposure to Fear, the Replacements, Arcade Fire, and other "lesser known" bands and artists.
This Saturday, Studio 8H will play host to Kendrick Lamar, one of 2012's greatest underground-turned-mainstream success stories. He's also an SNL rarity, in that he's a rapper. The show predominantly chooses rock and pop acts, and whatever you want to define Lana Del Rey as, but while looking at their musical history, I grew curious about something: how has SNL's history with rap and hip-hop been? In this post, I highlighted every rapper/hip-hop group that played on the series from season one (1975) through the last episode of season 25 to air in 1999. I stopped there, because beginning in 2000, more rappers were being booked, and I was more interested in SNL's embrace of the genre before rap began to dominate FM radio. Let's see how well they did.
Funky Four Plus One (February 14, 1981)
Funky 4+1 - Thats The Joint (On Saturday Night Liv… - MyVideo
Credit where credit's due, SNL acknowledged one of the most important forefathers to rap long before most other institutions did. The Queens-born Funky Four Plus One — not only the first hip-hop act booked on a national TV series, but also the first to be fronted by a female MC — were the musical guests in an episode hosted by Debbie Harry, a big fan. But when people talk about SNL episodes from 1981, they discuss the one the week after Funk's appearance, when Charles Rocket dropped his infamous "I'd like to know who the f*ck did it" ad-lib.
Run–D.M.C. (October 18, 1986)
SNL's first "real" rap act. Run–D.M.C. performed three songs, including "Walk This Way," in an eclectic episode with special guests Sam Kinison, Buster Poindexter, and Spike Lee (as Mars from She's Gotta Have It). The group had just achieved breakthrough status with their third album, Raising Hell, one of the first rap records to be played on top-40 radio, and it's a good thing SNL got 'em when they did: Run's next album, Tougher Than Leather, is a bit of stinker. Plus, for a show that, to many, IS New York, it would have been an in-retrospect embarrassment if SNL hadn't booked one of the city's all-time most influential groups,
LL Cool J (October 24, 1987)
One of SNL's more unfortunate decisions: for their October 24, 1987 episode, they split the musical guest duties between LL Cool J, who performed one song, "Go Cut Creator Go," off of Bigger and Deffer, and Michael Penn's band, the Pull. The hell? The episode was hosted by Sean Penn. Screw that guy.
Tevin Campbell, Kool Moe Dee, and Big Daddy Kane (February 10, 1990)
A trio that only Quincy Jones could pull off. Side note: for millions of people, Tevin Campbell and Kool Moe Dee are Powerline from A Goofy Movie and Guy Who Appears in Will Smith's "Wild Wild West," and only Powerline from A Goofy Movie and Guy Who Appears in Will Smith's "Wild Wild West." That's unfortunate.
Vanilla Ice (January 12, 1991)
Look, Vanilla Ice was impossible to escape at the time. To the Extreme, which would go on to sell 15 million copies, was released in August 1990, and by the end of 1991, the "Ice Ice Baby" rapper had been nominated for a Grammy and starred in two movies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and the immortal Cool as Ice. It would have been weird if SNL hadn't booked him, even if they should have picked A Tribe Called Quest (The Low End Theory) or De La Soul (De La Soul Is Dead) or Ice Cube (Death Certificate), instead.
Public Enemy (September 28, 1991)
What a season premiere. Michael Jordan, right after he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, AND Public Enemy, right before they put out Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black? Sure beats Seth MacFarlane and Frank Ocean from last year, especially when you consider Chuck D rapping "King and chief, probably had a big beef/Because of that now I grit my teeth" on live TV.
Hammer (December 7, 1991)
The first musician on this list to both host and be the musical guest, the MC-less Hammer was riding the high of the billion selling one-two punch of Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em and Too Legit to Quit during the winter of 1991. I already listed some of the groups with far superior albums from that year in Vanilla Ice's entry, so instead of belaboring the point, I'll mention that Hammer's monologue involved Chris Rock as Michael Jackson.
Arrested Development (October 24, 1992)
In his entry about Arrested Development for the AV Club's "Hip-Hop and You Do Stop" series, Nathan Rabin wrote:
Arrested Development were not savvy or lucky enough to have a [De La Soul producer] Prince Paul to save them excessive earnestness and clumsy sincerity. Instead, it had Baba Oje, an old man Speech met at University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who served as the group’s “elder,” a role that, according to the group’s bio on its website, entails bringing “wisdom to the youthful energy of the rap.” (Via)
Basically, they were too impassioned, too earnest, for their own good, which is why history hasn't been kind to the OTHER Arrested Development (they must be so pissed about that; they were the first, after all). But in 1992, "Tennessee" and "People Everyday" were huge hits, as were "Hey Jealously" by Spin Doctors and "These Are Days" by 10,000 Maniacs, the two groups that bookend AD's episode. Says it all.
Cypress Hill (October 2, 1993)
One week after Nirvana's epic SNL appearance came Cypress Hill's. Black Sunday had just become the then-highest selling first week rap album of all-time, and Cypress played the only two Cypress Hill songs people know, "Insane in the Brain" and "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That." You know what other groups released albums in 1993? Tribe (Midnight Marauders), Wu-Tang (Enter the Wu-Tang), Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle), and Tupac (Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.). Only two of the four would eventually guest on SNL.
Salt-n-Pepa (February 5, 1994)
Please watch Patrick Stewart's introduction of "SALT AND PEPPER." It's SNL's best moment. Ever.
Snoop Doggy Dogg (March 19, 1994 and January 18, 1997)
Snoop has actually logged four appearances over the years: in 1994, fresh off the success of Doggystyle, he played "Gin and Juice" and "Lodi Dodi" in an episode hosted by Helen Hunt, which is very amusing, and again in 1997, between releasing 1996's Tha Doggfather and 1998's Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told. I'll get to his 1999 spot later, but I'll never mention his 2004 episode (with Avril Lavigne!), when he already had become a parody of himself.
Beastie Boys (December 10, 1994 and November 21, 1998)
Beastie Boys SNL: Sure Shot and Heart Attack Man from BeastieBoysMedia on Vimeo.
Over a four-year span, Beastie Boys were on SNL twice (and once again in 1999, when they performed "Radio, Radio" with Elvis Costello for the show's 25th anniversary special), playing "Sure Shot" and "Ricky's Theme"/"Heart Attack Man" the first time and "Three MC's and One DJ" and "Sabotage" the second. Both great, as was the Spartan Cheerleaders sketch with Adam Horovitz playing Jennifer Love Hewitt's boyfriend
TLC (May 6, 1995)
Take back what I said earlier, re: Michael Jordan and Public Enemy: Bob Saget and TLC is the defining host-music guest pairing. The immensely popular CrazySexyCool had just come out, and with it, "Creep" and "Red Light Special," both of which "Chilli," "T-Boz," and "Left Eye" sang live, presumably while Saget called up his Full House co-star, Dave Coulier, to discuss "how goddamn sexy these ladies are."
Coolio (February 10, 1996)
Would Coolio have appeared on SNL if not for Dangerous Minds? No, he would not. What I'm saying is, I blame Michelle Pfeiffer for Jay-Z (Reasonable Doubt), OutKast (ATLiens), and Ghostface Killah (Ironman) being ignored by SNL in favor of the guy who would later rap the Kenan & Kel theme song. Yup, all her fault...
Tupac Shakur (February 17, 1996)
...but on the plus side, Tupac was booked the same year All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory came out. Is it, however, Michelle's fault that Killuminati was posthumously released? I'm not saying yes, but: yup.
Dr. Dre (October 26, 1996)
Before he was forgotten, Dr. Dre was on SNL in the fall of 1996, not long after he left Death Row Records to start his own label, Aftermath Entertainment, and put out the compilation album Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath. It'd be three years before his next release, 2001, though he did produce the Firm's The Album, which, oh God, why did I mention that album? I'm sorry.
Missy Misdemeanor Elliott (February 14, 1998)
SNL jumped on the Missy bandwagon relatively early, booking her after Supa Dupa Fly but before Da Real World. (This may have had something to do with the show pairing her with Touched By an Angel star Roma Downey; they knew they were gonna have to save face in the future.) Here's hoping they hop back on it when she (maybe? please?) puts out a new album sometime this year.
Lauryn Hill (December 5, 1998)
In 1998, Lauryn Hill was that thing, that thing, etc. etc. etc. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won approximately 282 Grammys, and four months after its release, she was singing "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and "Ex-Factor" on SNL, while host Vince Vaughn smugly looked on. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for their backstage chats.
Busta Rhymes and the Roots (February 13, 1999)
A match made in musical Heaven. Both Busta (E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front) and the Roots (Things Fall Apart) put out their career-best albums in 1999, and as far as I can tell, their pairing had something to do with a Crib Underground 12-inch released the year prior, with "Do the Bus a Bus" on one side and "Without a Doubt" on the other. Two-band pairings is something SNL doesn't do much anymore, but it wouldn't be a bad thing every so often. Certainly better than more Karmin.
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem (October 23, 1999)
SNL's final musical collaboration of the millennium brought together arguably the three most recognizable rappers of the 1990s, with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg performing "Still D.R.E." and Dre and Eminem, "Forgot About Dre." It's a shame DMX wasn't on the show until 2000, because *makes barking noises for four hours*
So, how'd they do? About as well as the show itself. There were a ton of misfires, from no Biggie and no Nas to yes Coolio and yes MC Hammer, but they got Beastie Boys, Lauryn Hill, and Missy Elliott in their primes. They probably (OK, definitely) could have done a better job, but they didn't make a fool of themselves, either. That's about all you can ask for from SNL.
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wow, this list surprised the hell out of me…great story
Kanye West gave pretty much the best SNL musical performance ever a couple years ago.
That was damn fun.
For all the wrong reasons
Great writeup. “Hey Jealousy” was Gin Blossoms, BTW.
“Hey Jealousy” was the Gin Blossoms. I might have to revoke your 90′s music license.
Don’t worry, I’m filling his Uproxx locker with cow poop right now.
Actually, that small mistake was a bit off the mark, however it does not imperil the credility of this website. Yada yada yada … punchline with pun based on Spin Doctors song “Little Miss Dangerous.”
I was an 11-year-old kid in a Southern Baptist school in February 1994 and even I knew that Patrick Stewart Salt ‘n Pepa intro was the whitest thing ever. But then that episode had “Phil McCracken, Scottish Therapist” that 11-year-old me thought was the best thing ever on television.
Dude, that SNL was just great. The erotic cake shop that was just women peeing? HILARIOUS.
I totally remember that
Kendrick Lamar is a great booking, but their musical guests have been abysmal this year.
What do you mean?? You don’t love One Direction???
No, rap is as bad as everyone assumes…SNL doesn’t have anything to do with it.
i dismiss anyone who says rap sucks.
I like people that dismiss entire genres of things.
Why you gotta hate on Hootie bro? That was my soundtrack to like all of 1994 and most of 1995.
This and The Dolphins make me cry.
And by this I mean the hate for Hootie.
QotSA doing “little Suter” with Will Ferrell on cow bell might be favorite SNL performance of all time.
BTW, “Hey Jealousy” was the Gin Blossoms
/BRING BACK MATT!
“Little Sister”
/too much cold medicine today
Co-sign. Will Ferrell showing up in full get up made me lose my shit.
The fact that FEAR was on SNL blows my mind. “I Love Living iIn The City” is a classic. I’m guessing they didn’t perform it.
[www.youtube.com]
FEAR is the most underrated act of the punk era. Sure, everything they did was 2 minutes or less, but that’s the way it should be. Brutal, funny, and fast.
If I remember right, Belushi was behind them being there.
“Let’s Have A War” FTW
You remember correctly, Dennis. I am reading Live From New York and came across this anecdote today. The story is great as it involves Belushi convincing a very uptight Dick Ebersol that they were the “next big thing” and that he had to book them right away.
Ebersol ended up having the control room cut to a pre-filmed clip about two minutes in to the performance because the whole stage and on-the-floor audience area turned in to one, huge slam-dance with Belushi (allegedly) leading the charge off camera.
It’s a great read.
I actually liked some of that Firm album. It’s not the worst group hip hop album, that’s for sure.
Phone Tap alone is almost worth the rest of that album.
It’s not that it was a bad album, but given the talent of Nas & AZ it should have been much better. Add in the fact that they tried to replace Cormega with Nature, Dr. Dre mailing it in, and the horrendous Firm Biz song….yeah it was a huge disappointment.
I like to hear Forgot About Dre every year or so to remind me just how damn good the two of them were at that point in time.
The Funky 4+1? I did not know that. Way to go SNL.
I’m actually curious as to what songs Kendrick’s gonna perform. I’m partial to Money Trees (Ya Bish).
something something Robert Goulet Jay-Z sketch
Ugh, how could you not have Tribe on? Can you imagine Scenario on that stage?
Compared to any other weekly series with one or two musical guests at a time that runs less than half of the year, SNL’s history on music has been pretty impressive. The fact that any relative unknowns get the shot at that stage is evidence enough of their cultural relevance.
This. You spoiled american devils love to bitch about SNL but please point me to another country that has anything that comes close.
How about another channel that does sketch comedy better? Key & Peele anyone?
@ xlarti… Jools Holland perhaps?
“Hey Jealously” by the Spin Doctors???
Wow. Jim Carrey and In Livin’ Colour weren’t too far off with their parody.
I’m old enough to remember January 12, 1991. Never forget.
pretty sure this is one of the best articles i’ve seen on UPROXX. Thanks for that.
Yeah this list looks more like a college bar playlist than an actual representation of rap music over the past few decades.
Then again, it’s a show that’s run by an old Jewish man and aims to appeal to as broad an audience as possible and I’m almost 100% sure that only major record label acts get booked for SNL anyways.
I had absolutely no idea Busta Rhymes & The Roots were on SNL together.
It is insane SNL never had Biggie on.
Good stuff, Josh.
Jon Stewart show had Biggie though.. Another great article if you haven’t read it, but I don’t feel like tracking down the link.
Hey Jealousy was by the Gin Blossoms, not the Spin Doctors
i hate cris brown butt that was fuuny what he dine last night