3/22/18 Parodists
A genre typically overlooked by mainstream contemporary radio, parody music has had its share of popularity throughout the years. Artists range from the internationally renowned "Weird Al" Yankovic to the lesser known artists (but just as great) Cletus T. Judd and Corsi. Here, I'll review some of my favorite parodists. Some are very well known, others are fairly local with their notoriety. Here, I'll look at artists such as Bob Rivers, Rucka Rucka Ali, Weird Al, Shirley Q Liquor, Lil Dicky, and Hayseed Dixie.
Everybody has heard of Weird Al Yankovic. Even if you have never heard the name, chances are you've heard his music. Yankovic's career stretches as far back as the late 70s. Still active today, his most popular songs include "Eat It", a parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It"; "White And Nerdy"; and "Amish Paradise". Most all of his songs are family-friendly and clean, making him perfectly acceptable to sensitive and overly-protective parents who bend over backwards to keep their children from hearing the word 'damn'. Even though Yankovic may perhaps be the most family friendly parodist, that certainly doesn't make him any less cool.
Now on the opposite end of the spectrum, there is Detroit rapper and parodist Rucka Rucka Ali. Though many find his music to be offensive, he does have a strong following of non-pc fans who often call themselves Rucka's Nuckas. Much of his content throws jokes at stereotypes and ethnicity. He has been labeled one of the most successful artists to come out of social media, where he has received over 100 million hits on YouTube with parodies such as "Go Cops!", "Ima Korean", "Ching Chang Chong", "Ebola (La La)" and "TRUMP". He has released seven unindependent studio albums, four of which charted in the billboard top homemade albums.
Another such parodist, who many seem far more offended by than Rucka Ali, is Shirley Q. Liquor. I on the other hand, absolutely love Shirley Q. Shirley Q Liquor is merely a stage name for the American-Canadian comedian Chuck Knipp. Chuck Knipp, who is most well known as Shirley Q. Liquor performs in drag and blackface. I've been listening to Knipp/Liquor since I was a kid, most of that exposure coming from The Michael Berry Show, a radio talk show based right here in Houston. Surprisingly enough, Chuck Knipp himself is gay and even has been supported by renowned drag queen RuPaul. Knipp's parodies as Shirley Q Liquor are not limited just music, but impressions and radio skits. Parodies include "The 12 Days Of Kwanzaa", "Crazy Church Lady", "Who Is My Baby Daddy?", and "K-Mark". Knipp is also a frequent spokesman for Oops! Steam Cleaning and always advertises the company as his character Shirley Q. Liquor while on air.
Although more of a comedic rapper than a parodist, David Andrew Burd, better known by his stage name Lil Dicky, is an American rapper and comedian. He came to prominence with the release of the music video to his song "Ex-Boyfriend", which went viral with more than one million views on YouTube in 24 hours. He released his debut album Professional Rapper on July 31, 2015. Burd released his debut album featuring artists Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Rich Homie Quan, Fetty Wap, Brendon Urie (from Panic At The Disco), RetroJace, and Hannibal Buress. Burd seamlessly blends comedic rap with relatability in his work, something he remarks as lacking in the rap genre. Not everybody owns a 3 car garage beside a Hollywood mansion, but most everyone can relate to the daily struggles of living alone in a tiny apartment surviving on nothing but take-out Chinese and cable TV while working at a 9 to 5 dead-end office job.
Hayseed Dixie is an American band which began in 2001 with the release of their first album, A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC. The band performs a mixture of cover versions of hard rock songs and original compositions in a style that is a unique fusion of bluegrass and rock music and they are acknowledged as the creators of the musical genre Rockgrass. The band's name is a linguistic play on the name of the band AC/DC. The studio album, "Hair Down To My Grass," was released on January 12, 2015 worldwide and spent 3 weeks at the number 1 spot on the UK Country Chart. The band launched the new album in the UK with a performance of "Eye of the Tiger" on the Jools Holland Hootenanny New Year's Eve BBC TV show.
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