Thursday, March 16, 2006

What's the 'P' for again?

Video: Natalie Portman - "A Day in the Life" (SNL/NBC)
Play it: The Rap Songs that inspired it

It's been almost two weeks since Natalie Portman threw down her gangsta gauntlet on SNL, but since V for Vendetta opens tomorrow, I figure it's time to wreck-o-nize both the brilliance of the skit, and the rap songs that inspired it. It's a tribute to SNL's Adam Samberg, who wrote this and a previous sensation, "Chronicles of Narnia" (aka "Lazy Sunday") that he pulled some interesting couplets from these classic hip-hop tracks.

The least subtle of the references is to Eazy-E's rap classic "No More ?'s" (which was written by Ice Cube.) The whole interview premise of the song and video is from this, and if it wasn't obvious by the end, Portman last line is the same as Eazy-E's - "No more questions."
Play it: "No More ?'s" Eazy-E

Second lyrical homage comes in the second verse, when Portman calls out the fellas:
[NP]And all the dudes, you know I’m talkin’ to you"
[Dudes] We love you Natalie
[NP] I wanna f*ck you too"

This line comes from Snoop Dogg's "DP Gangsta" which featured C-Murder delivering the line:
[C-Murder:]To all my bitches, I know your jocking my crew
[Girls:] We want to fu*k you C
[C-Murder] I want to f*ck you too

Play it: "DP Gangsta" Snoop Dogg

Third one I found is from the Seattle rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot, in his ode to the Capitol Hill neighborhood "My Posse's On Broadway." When Portman raps about her time at Harvard, the whole style is in this vein, but we get the exact "Posse's" lyric:
"I got a def posse, you got a bunch of dudes"
Hearing "My Posse's on Broadway" getting some love like that just pangs the heart of a Seattle hip-hopp appreciater.
Play it: "My Posse's On Broadway" Sir Mix-A-Lot

A higher quality version of the video is here (Devilducky)

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3 comments:

Shawn Anderson said...

Songs lifted for Portman's rap on SNL

* "No More ?'s" - Eazy-E
* "DP Gangsta" - Snoop Dogg
* "Posse On Broadway" - Sir Mix-A-Lot

J Shifty said...

Valuable and unique research as always, cap'n! Many thanks.

Shawn Anderson said...

Thanks! That means a lot...

I think the sketch/song is funnier/ more impressive when these homages are recognized. I almost spit out my drink when I heard the old school Sir Mix-A-Lot getting dropped.