“Yo yo yo, all you sucker Emcees ain’t got nothin’ on me…” All Kevin Gnapoor and Mean Girls references aside, muMs certainly isn’t a sucker emcee. In fact, he’s a rather spectacular one.

Now, I’m not going to lie to you. When the performance first started and I realized the premise of the play, I wasn’t too happy. It seemed like it was just going to be another story about a young black guy’s dream of being a rapper. I internally sighed and prepared myself to hear another tale about someone’s come-up, or their struggle to become recognized at least. But NO, this performance took both my original expectations and my lowered expectations, threw them out the window, and blew me away!

First and foremost, this performance had a very remininscent vibe. Between the staged flashbacks and me making my own personal connections, it felt very relatable. It reminded me of so much from my life, both past and present. I think the part I related to most was muMs’ mother having plastic on the couches. You really don’t quite understand that struggle unless you’ve experienced it for yourself (try sitting on a plastic covered couch in shorts on one of the hottest days of summer, then we can talk!). But on a more serious note, it really did make me remember a lot of things from my childhood. From the break dance scene in the Proud Family Movie set to Looking for the Perfect Beat by Afrika Bambaataa to Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight! In my house, these were staples in my young years, back when I had no choice in what I listened to, seeing as to how my dad pretty much ran the radio in our house, but I’m not complaining because it’s a fun soundtrack to have for my juvenile years. I can’t even deny the fact that I was dancing in my chair! I was really excited that I could understand the references made in the performance, considering my age. The music was old school Hip-Hop: Run-DMC, Diddy’s music from back when he went by Puff Daddy, basically, the classics. There was even one instrumental song played that irked me so much, because I couldn’t quite figure out what the name of it was; never have I been more satisfied than when I recognized it to be “Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied)” by BT Express (Yes, pun WAS intended). On an even more severe note, I can relate to muMs’ mother having Alzheimer’s disease. My grandmother suffers from the disease, and it is especially hard on her caretaker, her husband, my grandfather. Seeing muM’s sadness about that particular part of his life really hit home for me and made me feel for my grandfather even more.

I think my favorite part of the performance was that it reminded me why I don’t really listen to the rap music made nowadays. I mean, think about it: what are today’s Hip-Hop hits? “Black Widow” by Iggy Azalea featuring Rita Ora, Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda”, “Hot N***a” by Bobby Schmurda. What are these songs even about?!?!??? I’m not going to deny the fact that when Anaconda comes on my iPod I get excited and walk down the street like I’m Tyra Banks on a runway, but what is the subject matter of these songs? Or any songs of today’s generation? Sex, drugs, money, crime? Basically. The Hip-Hop/Rap music classics are about just having a good time and being happy. Listen to “La Di Da Di” by Slick Rick & Doug E Fresh. Try to tell me it doesn’t make you feel good! The whole premise of the song is partying and having fun.

Or how about the song that the performance was titled from? Run-DMC’S “Sucker MC’s”. A real rap classic. The whole song is pretty much just about a regular day that turns into a rap battle. Run-DMC is literally rapping about rapping! Not degrading women, not talking about sex. Times were different then, simpler. “Youse a sucker MC, and you’re my fan … You’re just a sucker MC you sad face clown (Run-DMC. “Sucker MC’s.” Simmons, Smith, 1983. Mp3)”. Let’s go back to those days of Hip-Hop. This performance would appeal to anyone who appreciates the old-school Hip-Hop jams, or anyone who wants to hear a reminiscent story told through music.

Once I got over my initial distaste about the storyline of the performance, everything about the play worked for me. The performance was intriguing and used music to set a time period in a way that was appealing and made me want to bust a move.

Can we ditch today’s rap music and just go back to this? In the words of Montell Jordan, “Let’s flip the track, bring the old school back. (Montell Jordan. This Is How We Do It. “This Is How We Do It”. Jordan, Pierce, 1994. Mp3)”

muMs the word, and he knows what the people want.