A Few Of The Unpleasant'st Words That Ever Blotted Paper

Shel Silverstein: Father of a Boy Named Sue
from Songs & Stories (Parachute 1972)

Blowfly: Gemini- I Know a Place
from Zodiac (Hot Productions 1996)

Rudy Ray Moore: The Player
from The Player-The Hustler (Kent 1977) and Raw, Rude & Real (Capitol 2001)



If you only know Shel Silverstein because of his childrens books like The Giving Tree then hearing some of his satirical folk songs is a lesson in discovery. Having penned over 800 songs for such artists as Dr. Hook and Johnny Cash, his two albums Freakin At The Freakers Ball and Songs And Stories take him back to his days as a political satirist for Playboy, where he first made a name for himself. A Boy Named Sue is grossly comedic and so flauntingly in your face that listening to the tale of homosexual incest you can't help but laugh. Told as suredly and as comfortably as he would recite one of his childrens poems, this song is definitely for those who like dark humor.

The second track is from Blowfly's album Zodiac and is his raunchy version of the Staple Singers classic I'll Take You There. Although not a great blue comedian (he was, in my opinion, many steps behind Redd Foxx, Pigmeat Markham and Rudy Ray Moore just to name a few) he did carve out a niche for himself reinterpreting popular songs with an adult twist like the scatological Shittin' On The Dock Of The Bay or The First Time You Ever Sucked My Dick. The song would often be followed up by his theme song which, if you listen to his albums the whole way through, can bog you down with just how fatuous as a whole his albums are.

Last but definitely not least is the self proclaimed King of the Party Records Rudy Ray Moore. More famously known as Dolemite he started his career off as a singer and dancer and graduated to comedian through his wild interpretations of black folk tales like Stagolee or Peetie Wheatstraw. The Player is Rudy doing what he does best, rapping to a raucous audience about such philosophical musings as the correlation between penis size and race or mastubatory technique. His gruff voice lends itself well to his comedic routine and it's no surprise that you can, in this one routine, find a lot of sources for Hip-Hop vocal samples.