Wow, looking back, I've only averaged one Father MC post a year since the Trump presidency. Clearly, there's a direct correlation. But now it's 2021, time to get back to what I was unquestionably put on this Earth to do: teach the world about Father MC songs. And I've got a couple obscure ones for you today, I can promise you. Tell me, gang, are you familiar with Mexican Swedish singer/ DJ Dede?
Dede's real name is Denise Lopez (not to be confused with the American Denise Lopez who was on the Cool As Ice soundtrack), and she's put out a couple albums more recently under that name. But throughout the early 90s and 2000s, she was signed to Sony and put out four five albums under the name Dede. The second of which was called I Do and it features not one, but two feature appearances by our man Father MC.
Now, I've got the Japanese CD here. It's got a couple of bonus tracks not included on the original Swedish or other European pressings of her album. But none of those feature Father MC or any other rappers, so for our purposes, it doesn't matter which version you get. Because, I suppose I should point out, she has worked with others besides Father. In 2018, she did a big music video with MC Lyte. And if you clicked that link, you just learned that she's not just your standard pop singer who seems to be a big deal overseas but never made a splash here: she also raps. She raps in 2018 and she raps in 1997. She definitely sings, too; but rapping is a substantial part of her musical output. You know, when I first got this of course I skipped right to the Father MC songs and waited to get to the rap portion. So I was surprised to hear Dede actually rap first.
Apart from that, though, it's largely what you'd expect. Syrupy but pop R&B songs with sporadic rap verses. The production, mostly done by two guys named David Kreuger and Per Magnusson, actually isn't too bad, with some smooth samples and crisp drum elements. It's also the kind of stuff you'd expect to hear Father MC on, catching him right around the time of his dalliances with Luke Records and his various Echo R&B projects. This album being on Epic/ Sony Records was probably a big check for him.
The first song we find him on is "Make It Right." Production-wise, this is unfortunately one of the more boring songs on the album. It helps to have Father's voice come in and add some variety to the proceedings, but I would've much rather heard him on some of the other songs instead. Clearly, the vibe they were going for here was sexy and smooth. But it is a strictly Hip-Hop song, with only an anonymous male vocalist crooning very softly in the background near the end of the song. It's mostly a back and forth between Dede and Father, kicking very whispery raps.
Now, as a die-hard Hip-Hop fan, I do prefer Dede rapping to singing just because that's more up my alley, but I'm not at all reluctant to admit that she's not a particularly good or interesting MC at all. She's adept at sounding American, which is probably valuable to a certain market, but this is the worst kind of forgettably bland affectation over substance that 90s crossover rap had to offer. "How you like me now? I know what's on your mind: dirty thoughts, but I ain't the one to get done. Fit, I pop five-six, long hair, straight, Chanel jeans on my derriere ... When you was hittin' jack, I'll be spendin' your loochie, pop, 'cause I'm on my payback. you gets nuthin', frontin' like you hit somethin'." This was the kind of thing Video LP would air because it was too soft for Rap City but still too rappy for Video Soul. But it wouldn't even play long on Video LP, because the songs they played tended to be catchier.
It does come alive a little bit when Father MC gets on. We already heard his voice on the hook and the back-up adlibs, but his verse comes with a bit more energy to it. Still, he's too caught up in that laid back playa character of that period to impress. But you can still see there's more creativity put into the words than just strictly dropping cliches. "Now Dede, you dissin' papi, that's a no-no. I brought you up, I showed you love, bought you mink gloves. My fur makes you purr, I gave you it all." He also steers the subject matter further into the tastelessly explicit than I was expecting, "and I don't like the fact that you say I'm lyin' on mine, and if I did, I woulda pimped you with dick." Anyway, the concept is that they keep accusing each other of lying, but ultimately they will "make it right" by making sweet love or whatever. I think they're hoping if they keep it silky and quiet enough you won't notice how corny it gets.
Anyway, the other song is livelier and more engaging, with a lot of jazzy little horn snippets. It starts again with that male vocalist (if I could read Japanese characters, I could probably find his name in the booklet) and this time Dede is the the expected, conventional R&B crooning mode. Well, she does have a short rap hook: "oh baby please, pa, you can call me Dedes, get up from your knees, no need to please. I freeze as I look at your face, locked up for days; I'm stuck in your place." But it's essentially a very 90's R&B song with brief rap interjections. I think the concept is that Dede feels stuck in "the friend zone," but it's a little unclear. I'm mostly just distracted by how she pluralizes her name to rhyme with "please," "knees" and "please" again. It's so contrived it's wraps back around to charming.
Anyway, it all comes to a happy ending when Father tells Dede he's been secretly in love with her the whole time, too. "Dede, let's politic. Yo, I can't take it no more. I got a thing for ya ... When ya needed advice, it hurted me to give. Deep down inside I was your secret love fugitive. I was ashamed, caught up in the game. You was my best friend. All I saw was me and you in the game. But I got heart, got smart, took a chance to tell." How sweet can you get? They both love torturing grammar and rhyming the same words with themselves. It's actually not so bad until he ramps up the corniness for his big finish: "I could be your lover friend, your homey lover, your hubby who is butter. I say word to my mother." If you're not editing those closing lines into your wedding vows right now, what are you doing?
But cringey lines aside, "Best Friend" is a more than passable R&B tune of its time. It sounds better than plenty of records that became legit hits back then. And the whole album's okay if this is the kind of thing you go for. Songs like "You're Fine" with the jazzier elements hold up the best, while other tracks like "Get To You" are definitely striving for more of a breakout pop audience. "Come On Out" borrows from Naughty By Nature's "Hip Hop Hooray" in a cute but clumsy way. I mean, I certainly don't recommend it to anyone reading this blog - I just scored a copy when I found it cheap because I was curious about the Father MC verses because that's the crusade I'm on. But I can certainly see why Dede has her following. I wonder if any Swedish fans sought out Father's records after hearing him on I Do.
Posts
