It was while mouthing Turbo B’s braggadocio lyrics that words like “sucker”, “posse”, and “jam” crossed my lips to take on a whole new meaning. “The Power” became my new favorite dance anthem, crowding out “Pump up the Jam” by Technotronic and blowing “U Can’t Touch This” out of the water. The satisfaction of rapping along with Durron “Turbo B” Butler was different than singing along with the Beatles or R.E.M. Even now, I often catch myself running through these lines from “Blase Blase”: “If you wonder wonder wonder who I be / I’m the superdopeincredible Turbo B / Licking the lyrics skillfully, like a champ / Grab the microphone, and all the suckers are breaking camp”. The raps on World Power were the first I ever willfully memorized, and my efforts bear fruit to this day. Not because “Blase Blase”, “Oops Upside Your Head”, “I’m Gonna Get You (To Whom It May Concern)”, and all the rest were such earth-shattering tracks, but because this album, unlikely as it may sound, proved to be the gateway through which I discovered the rich world of hip-hop. I spent $9 for an eight-song cassette, and I can say without a doubt that it was worth it. But even as I was defiantly popping my Dead Milkmen/Ramones mix tape into my Walkman on the school bus, I wasn’t immune to some of the hits I heard on the radio.īefore “The Power”, my attention had briefly been caught by Bell Biv Devoe, MC Hammer, and even Vanilla Ice, but there was something about Snap! that sent me running to the record store with my allowance money. For the most part, I didn’t mind being labeled as different. Thanks mostly to my older sister, whose musical taste ran more toward Hüsker Dü than Wilson Phillips, I had already diverged musically from many of my classmates. My memories of the time are of trying to sneak chewing gum into class, going to Friday night dances at the local Elks Club (where DJs from nearby Western Oregon State College would play risque songs like “Do Me” by Bell Biv Devoe), and trying to avoid the wrath of the popular girls, whose favorite sport seemed to be making fun of anyone who wasn’t them. "And I'm going back in the studio in a little bit to start on the next one.In 1990, when Snap! released its debut album, World Power, I was a seventh-grader at Talmadge Middle School in Independence, Oregon, a semi-rural area where farms give way to bland streets of ranch houses. "Back-to-back albums are like used to do back in the day, it keeps you motivated and keeps you in the studio coming up with new ideas," he said. "People ask me, why does this affect the African-American community the worst? Some of us don't like to go to the doctor, some of us don't want to know what's wrong with us, we don't want to know, and knowledge is key."Īfter that health scare, it seems like Wilson is working harder than ever to make the most of the time he has, releasing albums two years in a row in 20. "The foundation gave me the opportunity and the platform to speak especially to African-Americans, because we're two times as likely to be diagnosed with this disease than any other groups," he said. He became a spokesman for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. But the cancer was detected and treated early, and Wilson was soon back in good health. "My voice was the first one that went down on all of those records," he said.Ĭharlie Wilson's comeback was almost cut short by a 2008 prostate cancer diagnosis. Often, Wilson's voice ended up being one of many providing backing vocals, but he recalls that many of the recording sessions began with his laying the groundwork.
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