Sunday, May 27, 2007

Hip (Hop) Cartoons

I do believe we live it what must be a great age in cartooning...true, it seems to be stepped in heavy influence from the pysch/early morning american cartoons of the mid sixties to late seventies, but you cant argue that most cartoons on cartoon network or adult swim, aren't works of art, or great pieces of television - both, way past the atypical view that cartoons are just dumb drawings for kids.

I guess it started with the Ren and Stimpy show, bringing back crazy plots and ideas, mixed with fantastic fiftie-esque art (whats the diffrence between 'Stimpy and the gallery artist Tim Biskup?)...we've gone through Samurai Jack, the satire of South Park,the onslaught of intellectual anime (ghost in the shell was hardly 'rude dog and the dweebs'), adult swim bringing the adult taste...it all tastes and looks good...but now theres big bucks backing creative people and the equation = good things...
One thing that has surprised me though, is by how much the rap fraternity has embraced this.
I first got interested when the WuTang were knocking about a cartoon in interviews (think about ol dirty on cell animations!), but things have gone way past the talking phase and into actual shows being aired...the latest one - class of 3000.
Class of 3000 stars everyones favourite Andre 3000, who has written a new song for each episode...that fact along shows this isnt some crappy phone in the script down the telephone gig, but that this show is obviously an important project to him..and i think it should be appluaded that hes doing it...heres a few tastes (excuse some of the poor quality youtubes)...

love the sixties papercut homage to the supremes etc on this


but class of 3000 isnt a stand alone excericise - hell no...

David Banner (dirty south MC) has got in on the action...

MF doom presenting on Adult Swim (cartoon channel)

Afro Samurai feat Samual L Jackson and scored from RZA\

hip hop and cartoons? who would of thought it?

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