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Knudson: Taking the Raps Off

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
January 26, 2012

I will confess off the top that there is no rap music in my large collection. Unless you consider Rapture by Blondie a rap song, that is.
 
So I’m a little out of my element offering any sort of critique of Tim Shelton’s Aztec Motto video that’s sweeping the internet. Shelton, a fifth-year senior forward on San Diego State’s nationally ranked basketball team, worked hard over the winter break to record the song and produce a video that was shown before the Aztecs’ big home win over UNLV. Like I said, I don’t know a thing about rap music. But I do know that that guys in the control room at The Mtn. studios were raving about it the other day and wishing Shelton would give them more. So he’s already got the “leave them wanting more” part down.
 
I do have a daughter qualified to offer me a fair critique, so I asked for her opinion. She gave me her fair and unbiased assessment:

“Good rap songs have a melody and harmony like all other types of music and the best thing about their songs is the beat,” she told me. “If you listen to the radio or main stream rap songs now a days you can automatically see a trend. A catchy up lifting beat. Songs out right now like Teach Me How to Dougie and Black and Yellow. Both very catchy and are about athletics in some way. Dougie is a dance move, black and yellow refers to a football team, the Steelers.

“I think Aztec Motto is a lot like those songs,” she continued. “It’s fun and obviously the team has good spirit and loyal fans. The song has a beat and it rhymes and the rapper even has a decent voice. He’s no Lil’ Wayne but he definitely has talent. I think the song would be better if it was faster. Unless you’re Drake, rapping slow won’t get you much attention. The world of rap is all about who can rap the fastest with the most diversity in their lyrics. Aztec Motto had a couple good verses but was a little repetitive and seemed to drag on. As a huge rap fan I can honestly say it was a good catchy song and a really good way to bring a team together and give the fans something fun to rap. I really liked it.”

So, Shelton may not be destined for mega stardom just yet, but he could probably earn a nice living if he decided to pursue music. However, Shelton has basketball bloodlines from his father, Lonnie, a former NBA star. The NBA is probably not in his future, but coaching is. He’s scheduled to become a grad assistant for Steve Fisher next season. That is, unless the demand for more from TES – Shelton’s rap name – gets in the way. You never know, but it’s always nice to have options when you’re getting ready to graduate from college.

We usually only hear about the off the court/field activities of the college athletes who screw up. But the dedication and time commitment from Shelton and his cast of hundreds of extras on a project like this is refreshing to see. Lots of people pitched in their time and efforts – and didn’t earn a penny – working on Aztec Motto and proved that teamwork can produce great results on and off the court.
 
I’ve suddenly got the urge to hear Walk This Way by Run DMC and Aerosmith. Hey, at least I’m trying.
See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.