Retarded - good

[Garson O'Toole]

A New York Times article mentioned a single with a side titled "Get
Retarded". An article in Vibe stated that the record was released in
1987. A version of the lyrics are available at the archive Ohhla.
YouTube has an audio track. (Links below.)

Cite: 1995 January 29, New York Times, Icon of Rap World at Home on
the South Shore by Anita M. Samuels, New York. (nytimes.com online New
York Times database; Accessed 2011 December 14)

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/29/nyregion/icon-of-rap-world-at-home-on-the-south-shore.html
Short link: http://goo.gl/vpckS

[Begin excerpt]
At 17, Mr. Mack had a single, "Get Retarded/Just Rhymin," as part of
the M.C. Ez & Troup, on Sleeping Bag Records. That gained a bit of
money and fame, but it was short lived.
[End excerpt]


Cite: 1995 February, Vibe, Mack Daddy, Start Page 50, Quote Page 51,
Publisher John Rollins, New York. (Google Books full view)

http://books.google.com/books?id=Fy0EAAAAMBAJ&q=retarded#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
At 17, Craig achieved local notoriety as MC Ez with the 1987 single
"Get Retarded/Just Rhymin." But his label, Sleeping Bag Records,
folded, and Craig found himself back at square one.
[End excerpt]


YouTube audio for "Get Retarded"
MC EZ & Troup - Get Retarded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk9RaIel9kc


Ohhla lyrics for "Get Retarded": The phrase appears several times in the song.
http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/rap_comp/ego_trip/retarded.ego.txt

[Begin excerpt]
Artist: MC EZ & Troup
Album:  Ego Trip * The Big Playback
Song:   Get Retarded
Typed by: OHHLA Webmaster DJ Flash

        ..* Ego Trip's "Book of Rap Lists"; p. 30 *..

{EDITOR'S NOTE: MC EZ is better known as "Craig Mack"}

Once again, on the B-side, is the most delightful sounds
of Diamond J EZ -- yo, so funky, so so funky
Yo so smart.. I get retarded
[End excerpt]

On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 10:53 PM, Ben Zimmer
<bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Retarded - good
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 6:59 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>>
>> 4. According to http://slangcity.com/songs/1_2_step.htm, Missy Elliot's [sic: Elliott's]
>> lyrics of "1, 2 Step" have the word "retarded" meaning "great" [...]
>
> "1, 2 Step" was by Ciara, featuring Missy Elliott, and the "retarded"
> line ("So retarded, top charted, ever since the day I started") is
> sung by Ciara. That song came out in 2004 -- a year before that, the
> song "Let's Get Retarded" was first released on the Black Eyed Peas
> album "Elephunk." When it was released as a single, it was changed to
> the far more marketable "Let's Get It Started."
>
> --bgz
>
> --
> Ben Zimmer
> http://benzimmer.com/
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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