I Love Rap

Raheem - Shotgun
Produced by Karl Stephenson & J. Prince
From 1988’s The Vigilante

I threw this album on for the first time the other day. Dug a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Then “Shotgun” comes on and it’s got that late 80’s hardcore rap style that I always dig matched up with some nice electronic tweakin’ that makes me go nuts. So already, it’s on my shortlist of new old gems.

Then the melodic guitars came in on the chorus, and I just lost it. What are they doin’ on a song from 88? So good.

So I played the song like ten times in a row, and finally got around to checking out who was behind this little monster. Turns out it’s one of the few credits that Karl Stephenson ever racked up. His production career consists of a few early Rap-A-Lot records (like pre-“proper”-Geto Boys), half of Beck’s Mellow Gold album, half of MC Skat Kat’s solo album (yes the cartoon cat from the Paula Abdul video had a whole album), and Karl’s own Forest for Trees album that apparently made him have a nervous breakdown and stop producing.

But, man, does that chorus kill it …