Back in my art school days, I may have been studying graphic design but clearly I was already a budding performer who just wanted to make people laugh. And so it was that Rap Master Adam was born. I’d performed a short humorous rap on the steps of CCAC (now CCA), and the response was so positive that I wrote an expanded one the next semester – and promoted it around the campus with posters. Was I ever delighted to find a very big crowd assembled at the appointed time, ready to be entertained!
What followed was – if I do say so myself – a pretty darned good performance. My stage presence might have shown a lack of polish, but I think I made up for that with confidence and enthusiasm – plus some still-funny rhymes.
I cover the Bay Area earthquake that had struck the previous fall, then segue into a comic tale of a final exam / design critique gone horribly wrong, including jabs at the then-new, and still somtimes frustrating computer technology. Along the way, I reference some now-outdated design terms and tools, so it’s a bit of a nostalgia trip for anyone who was doing design or typographic work back then.
True, the camerawork is pretty atrocious in spots (I told my friend to go for a “shaky, MTV-style” look and alas he took me WAY too literally!). But I’ve done my best to at least counter the sometimes-muddled sound by adding subtitles so you can enjoy every punch line.
This sat in my VHS archives for almost 25 years – I’m happy to finally be able to share it!
What followed was – if I do say so myself – a pretty darned good performance. My stage presence might have shown a lack of polish, but I think I made up for that with confidence and enthusiasm – plus some still-funny rhymes.
I cover the Bay Area earthquake that had struck the previous fall, then segue into a comic tale of a final exam / design critique gone horribly wrong, including jabs at the then-new, and still somtimes frustrating computer technology. Along the way, I reference some now-outdated design terms and tools, so it’s a bit of a nostalgia trip for anyone who was doing design or typographic work back then.
True, the camerawork is pretty atrocious in spots (I told my friend to go for a “shaky, MTV-style” look and alas he took me WAY too literally!). But I’ve done my best to at least counter the sometimes-muddled sound by adding subtitles so you can enjoy every punch line.
This sat in my VHS archives for almost 25 years – I’m happy to finally be able to share it!