Fantastical and Mythological Ages, Part 1: The Knights

This article seeks to outline some of the broader fantastical themes found in electro-rap records and relate them to the realities of hip hop practice and the broader social context of where they were created. Whilst there is a tendency to focus on the space age, computer age, digital age and the futuristic ages within science-fiction when first confronting this arena, other fictional narratives can be positioned within this frame.

For example, ‘Knights of the Turntables’ (1985) by The Dynamic Duo featuring Shaquan arrogates the legend of King Arthur of Camelot, reinterprets (and reclaims) the tales to explore the notion of battle within hip hop culture. Other fantasy-oriented recordings analysed in forthcoming parts include ‘Zodiac’ (1984) by The Boogie Boys, ‘Square Dance Rap’ (1986) by Sir-Mix-A-Lot, and MC Chill’s 1986 song ‘The Prophecy, Part 1 (In the Beginning)’, where notions of spirituality, otherness and parallel lives are described.

There are more, of course, but the records mentioned above remain clear examples of a multiplicity which embraces reality and fantasy. These have not been selected arbitrarily – they all featured on an edition of Street Sounds Electro or Street Sounds Hip Hop Electro – and that is never a bad place to start (particularly writing about US rap through a UK lens).

By testing these recordings against western theories (such as Foucault’s heterotopia) and drawing upon Afrofuturism and notions of visionary fiction, other spaces, and power, the study reveals critical narratives in electro rap that not only influence(d) the direction of hip hop culture generally, but also make evident metaphorical and tangible reclamations of territories, actions of resistance, and reimagined and reinstated identities for non-white and minority diasporas (much of this analysis will present in subsequent parts).

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The Dynamic Duo’s ‘Knights of the Turntables’ reframes famous western folklore tales about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Originally, these stories centred on events in Camelot were created in 12^th century France and embedded within French romantic storytelling, and in particular the context of the Matter of Britain. One of the most beguiling aspects of Camelot is that – although considered entirely fictional by scholars – there remains held a belief by many devotees of the stories that Camelot could have once existed. Locations across Great Britain (including Monmouthshire, Wales, as the most often cited) have appeared in texts throughout the past 200 years. So, how does Shaquan shape the narrative?

In the most immediate sense, ‘Knights of the Turntables’ plays directly on the synopsis of King Arthur recounting events through a third-person narrative. The conventions of western storytelling are apparent from the initial medieval style invite to listen: “Heye, heye, heye, all gather ‘round, and let the games begin …”, to Shaquan’s opening line, “A long time ago, far, far away …” and the organisation of the story, which firstly introduces the scene, the main protagonists and antagonists, culminating in a graphic battle.

Shaquan affirms, “King Arthur leader of the crossfader, had the baddest mixers in Camelot”, his righthand man being Sir Scratch-A-Lot – a clear play on (Sir) Lancelot here. As was common with the evolution of names, the act and practice defines the surname; therefore, lancing and scratching become interwoven in the narrative; the myth beholds the reality.

Shaquan’s storytelling is acutely descriptive and dynamic in terms of actions, responses and outcomes, with ‘live’ detail such as a sports commentator might deliver, evidenced by the moment where the Camelot story becomes firmly embedded in hip hop practice during an intense period of battle between The Black Knight and King Arthur: “Black Knight threw a scratch, Arthur threw a scratch / The Black Knight knew he’d met his match …”

What furthers this intensity is the slicing up of stabs cut from ‘Daisy Lady’ by 7th Wonder and T La Rock & Jazzy Jay’s ‘It’s Yours’ which add sonic representations of weapon on weapon; here, the turntable is the sword. These sound effects accentuate the sense of metal on metal in armed combat and provides evidence for one of the earliest examples of turntablism as battle praxes (I should add, the Black Knight satellite conspiracy theory remains untouched here – for the moment at least, as does an exploration into the Black Knight and Afrofuturism).  

At this point, west coast crew The Knights of The Turntables enter the conversation. ‘Techno Scratch’, which could be conventionally regarded as instrumental in that it contains no rap, builds its story via the turntable. Through a typology of call and response triangulated with various soundbites and the song’s bassline, ‘Techno Scratch’ emulates the idea of practise, of rehearsal, of preparation for battle as well as a coded warning to challengers through its sonic acrobatics. Well-versed tropes such as “Fresh” from ‘Change the Beat (Female Version)’ by Beside alongside puffs of ‘Tour de France’ and George Tibbles and Ramey Idriess’ ‘The Woody Woodpecker Show’ span the established sounds of hip hop culture with European synth-electro (which acted clearly as points of departure for Miami bass) to the world of the cartoon. Here, The Knights of The Turntables foster a cacophony of sonic bricolage which transcends time-culture.

Conversely, there is also a strikingly similar observation to be made around the UK’s ‘Burial Proceedings In The Coarse of Three Knights’ (1990) by The 3 Knights. The Knights – Shaka Shazam, Huntkillbury Finn and The Icepick – deliver, through a carousel trio of verses, a stream of rap where each rapper freestyles their way through the track with a gusto of metaphors and phraseology akin to the Camelot context: “Behold”, “the lyrical arrow”, “stab, jab”, “merciless”, and “the burial lyric” – brazenly these three knights stand firm.

All hail the knights.