Critic’s pick: Human Beatbox and storytelling Rick

Another really tough night from which to choose. Melissa Etheridge will be great, as will Hank & Cupcakes, but I’m going to have to go with old-school rap – Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.

We don’t get a lot of rap or hip-hop at Riverbend for a variety of reasons, salty lyrics being one of them, but this shouldn’t be one of those.

Listening to the Fat Boys channel on iTunes the other day, I was stunned to learn my 21-year-old had no idea who the Fat Boys were or what a beatbox is. An education fail on my part.

Although a member of the Get Fresh Crew, not the Fat Boys, Doug E. Fresh is known as the Human Beat Box and pioneered making drum and rhythm beats with his mouth and lips. He and Slick Rick, then going by the name MC Ricky D, hit the big time when they released “La Di Da Di” in 1985, with Fresh on beatboxing and Rick doing the vocals. It is now considered a hip-hop classic and has been musically sampled or its lyrics referenced by everyone from Snoop Dog, who credits Slick Rick as a main influence for his work, to Ice Cube, Ice T, the Roots, N.W.A., even Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea.

In 1993, Fresh also released “I-ight (Alright),” and its catchphrase – “Heyyyyyy, Yo! I-iiiiight?” – became a famous chant in dance clubs.

Slick Rick, meanwhile (real name: Rickey Walters), debuted his new name and solo career in 1988 with “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick,” which hit No. 1 on Billboard ‘s R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It also featured “Children’s Story,” a Top Five hit on Billboard’s Hot R&B and Rap Singles charts. In “Children’s Story” and subsequent releases, he earned a reputation as an excellent storyteller.

So for rap fans, Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick have it all: clever lyrics that tell a story and the aforementioned beat box and funky rhythms. Plus, they were doing it better and well before just about everyone else.

Old-school rap and beat boxing might not be for everyone, but I like.