DEE DEE KING ＂Funky Man＂ - DEE DEE KING ＂Funky Man＂

What this video is

Released in 1987 at the height of old-school hip-hop's commercial ascendance — the same year Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys were dominating charts — 'Funky Man' documents one of popular music's most notorious genre-collision experiments. Dee Dee Ramone, still an active member of the Ramones and one of punk rock's foundational architects, adopted the rap alias 'Dee Dee King' following a stint in drug rehabilitation…

Why it matters

A foundational document of the punk-rap crossover moment, 'Funky Man' predates the Dee Dee King full-length 'Standing in the Spotlight' (1989) and stands as one of the earliest attempts by a canonical punk figure to inhabit hip-hop as a primary genre. It holds significant value as an…