Hip Hop X Blues - 2 Live Blues / 2 Live Crew

2 Live Crew are a notoriously obscene, yet influential, hip hop crew from Miami. They were very popular in the 80's and 90's, known for controversial subject matter in their albums.

There's one track on their most famous 1989 album As Nasty As I Wanna Be called '2 Live Blues', which is them rapping over the ever classic blues call and response rhythm, which was sampled from blues/soul man Clarence Carter's 'Love Me With a Feeling'. So let's take a step back in time to classic hip hop.

*WARNING EXPLICIT LYRICS & CONTENT*

Happy Birthday Little Walter!

On May 1, 1930, blues harmonica legend Marion Walter Jacobs, AKA Little Walter, was born.

Walter would become one of the main pillars of blues harmonica in the Chicago scene, also famously known for being in Muddy Waters' blues band before going solo. His solo career would also be highly successful will hits like "Juke", "My Babe" and others.

He died at an early age in 1968 due to injuries in a nightclub fight. 

Here's a rare live performance from 1967:

Blues for May 1st

Today is May 1, the International Workers Day, or Labor Day in the US.

The Blues is no stranger to the toils of hard work and the troubles we all must endure, from harsh working conditions to a mean ol' boss man to put food on the table.

So here's a few songs I selected for you on this occasion:

OH CAPTAIN - MUDDY WATERS 

WORKING MAN BLUES - BLIND BOY FULLER

POOR AND AIN'T GOT A DIME - FLOYD COUNCIL




BIG BOSS MAN - JIMMY REED




HELP THE POOR - BB KING




COLD WINTER BLUES - KOKOMO ARNOLD