How Has “La Di Da Di” Influenced Rap Music? [Podcast]

Today we introduce you to a song from the pioneer days of rap music: “La Di Da Di” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. While not the most catchy song in itself, it has provided immense lyrical inspiration to rap artists for 30 years.

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It’s not news to anyone that rap songs frequently borrow bits and pieces from each other. But have you ever heard the same lyrics used in multiple songs, even with small variations? In a recent episode of this show, Kyle mentioned how Snoop Dogg’s “Lodi Dodi” possibly stole a line from Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize,” but some further research off-air led us to realize that both of these songs, as well as several others, borrowed the line from a much earlier rap song, “La Di Da Di” (1985). As you’ll hear in this episode, this is merely one line from the song that’s been copied numerous times—there are plenty of other similar instances from this song as well. The full list of samples and references to this song is insanely extensive, so we tip our hats to Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick for creating such an iconic lyrical resource.