"The Rapper" is a song by The Jaggerz, written by band member

Donnie Iris Donnie Iris (born Dominic Ierace, February 28, 1943) is an American rock musician known for his work with the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry (band), Wild Cherry during the 1970s and for his solo career beginning in the 1980s with his band, the Cruis ...

. Released as a single, it reached No. 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Pop Singles chart, behind

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...

's smash "

Bridge Over Troubled Water ''Bridge Over Troubled Water'' is the fifth and final studio album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released on January 26, 1970, by Columbia Records. Following the duo's soundtrack for ''The Graduate'', Art Garfunkel took an acting ...

" on 20 March 1970, it reached No. 1 on the

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

Singles chart. It was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in 1970 (see

1970 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1970. Specific locations * 1970 in British music * 1970 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1970 in country music * 1970 in heavy metal music * 1970 in jazz Events *January 3 � ...

) for selling over a million copies.

Background

The song is addressed to a girl, or girls in general; it describes the method of a man who seduces women with untruths ("rapping"). The singer says, "You know what he's after"; he concludes by saying there comes a point at which the man has his target where he wants her, and the girl has to "face reality". The record ends with a small burst of applause heard in the studio. The "rapper" of the title and "rappin'" in the lyrics have only some coincidental resemblance to the vocal style of

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Covers

"The Rapper" has been covered by two Jaggerz members. Since beginning his solo career, Donnie Iris has covered the song numerous times in concert. Additionally, live recordings of the song have appeared on his compilation albums. Also, "The Rapper" was covered by Jimmie Ross during the time period when The Jaggerz weren't together. Additionally, the single was covered by

Wolfman Jack Robert Weston Smith (January 21, 1938July 1, 1995), known as Wolfman Jack, was an American disc jockey active for over three decades. He was famous for his gravelly voice, and credited it with his success, saying, "It's kept meat and potatoes on ...

. Canadian hard rock trio Santers recorded the song for their 1981 debut album ''Shot Down In Flames''.

Album appearances

* ''

We Went to Different Schools Together In Modern English, ''we'' is a plural, first-person pronoun. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''we'' has six distinct shapes for five word forms: * ''we'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''us'' and ': the accusative (objectiv ...

'', 1970 (The Jaggerz) * '' Live! At Nick's Fat City'', 1998 (Donnie Iris) * ''20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Donnie Iris'', 2001 (Donnie Iris) * '' Re-Rapped by Request'', 2001 (The Jaggerz) * '' Ah! Live!'', 2009 (Donnie Iris) * '' Full Circle'', 2010 (Jimmie Ross)

References

External Links

* 1970 singles 1970 songs Donnie Iris songs Kama Sutra Records singles {{1970s-single-stub