Before
Ice-T,
N.W.A., and the late
Eazy-E made Los Angeles famous (or infamous) for
gangsta rap in the late '80s, the city's
rap community was best known for a high-tech, futuristic approach that owed a lot to
Afrika Bambaataa's 1982 classic,
"Planet Rock." In the early to mid-'80s, L.A.-based electro-hoppers like
the Egyptian Lover,
the World Class Wreckin' Cru (the group that
Dr. Dre belonged to before
N.W.A.),
the Arabian Prince, and
Uncle Jam's Army didn't get much respect from East Coast hip-hoppers, who insisted that their music wasn't gritty enough. But those artists did enjoy a cult following in Southern California. Besides,
the Egyptian Lover never claimed to be a hardcore rapper;
On the Nile, his debut album of 1984, doesn't pretend to be a
Run-D.M.C.,
L.L. Cool J, or
Fat Boys release any more than
Grover Washington, Jr. claimed to be a
jazz purist. The closest this LP comes to an
East Coast hip-hop vibe is the single
"What Is a DJ If He Can't Scratch"; all of the other tracks offer a synthesizer-driven blend of
rap,
dance music, and
electro-funk. Though
"Planet Rock" is a strong influence on this release, it is hardly
the Egyptian Lover's only influence -- his sound also owes a debt to Germany's seminal
Kraftwerk (whose innovations greatly influenced
"Planet Rock"),
Prince,
Man Parrish, and
Giorgio Moroder, as well as Middle Eastern and North African music.
The Egyptian Lover never had great rapping skills, but he was definitely an original and imaginative producer/writer -- and his risk-taking spirit serves him well on definitive, high-tech tunes like
"Egypt Egypt," "My House (On the Nile)," and
"Girls." On the Nile isn't the only
Egyptian Lover LP that is worth owning, but most fans insist that it is his most essential and consistent album -- and they're absolutely right. ~ Alex Henderson
![Hip Hop: The Collection [Rhino]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0825646337798_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Hip Hop: The Collection [Rhino]")
![Jam on Revenge [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0708527026724_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Jam on Revenge [Bonus Tracks]")
![No Limit Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 [Circuit City Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5099950344024_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "No Limit Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 [Circuit City Exclusive]")
