Hip Hop Bee Bop

Song by Man Parrish

Manuel Joseph, aka "Man Parrish," is an American producer, composer, and vocalist from New York. Manuel had a progressive experience of music, film, and club at an early age and was already involved in doing live shows at the clubs in The Bronx.

"Hip Hop Bee Bop" was the opening title for Manuel's music career released primarily as a single in 1982 on "Importe/12," a label from New York founded by Mike Wilkinson.

Hip Hop Bee Bop is an instrumental track, which was a rare exception to the vocal tracks that were more popular at the time. It became an instant classic, and not without reason. It is also an essential piece for the evolution of Electro.

The Hip Hop scene was progressively emerging, and the popularity of the Roland 808 among the producers was growing. Artists influenced man Parrish like Afrika Bambaataa, Arthur Baker, Grand Master Flash, and Kraftwerk.

You can say that Hip Hop Bee Bop sounds like an early hip hop, but actually, it is more closer to the works of a german band. It is probably the best crossover of early Electro and Hip Hop. A blend that will inspire many artists in the future.

Hip Hop Bee Bop is a masterpiece that production-wise sounds fresh even nowadays.

The track was recorded with Roland 808 drum machine, Prophet 5 for polyphonic and special effects, and Prophet 1 monophonic synth for the bass sound and some sequencers.

Masterfully produced by Manuel Joseph, Raul Rodriguez, and John Robie engineered by Mark Berry, "Hip Hop Bee Bop" is a piece that influenced and encouraged other producers to experiment and produce instrumental music. It has been officially sampled in over 50 songs by artists of different genres, Electro, Techno, Hip Hop, Trance...

Collaboration with some of the most influential artists and engineers of that time helped him define the sound of his debut album titled "Man Parrish."

The album is probably the closest America got to Kraftwerk.

Sound-wise, the album still sounds fresh and inspiring. The post-production of the tracks on the LP has been approached in a way that rock music used to be produced. Mastered by Herb Powers Jr., an already experienced mastering and lacquer-cutting engineer who had previously done numerous Electro, Hip Hop, and Disco releases and brought definition to the unique sound of Man Parrish.

This album doesn't age. It just gets better every time you listen to it.

"Man Parrish" the album and three singles included in the LP, all released in 1982, were issued in more than 50 releases throughout the years. The most considerable commercial success was "Hip Hop Bee Bop" in the UK, and it peaked in the charts at 41st place.

Hip Hop Bee Bop was sold in over 2 million copies worldwide.

It is an essential record to have for any Electro or Hip Hop enthusiast, a classic dancefloor banger for a club or open-air event.