Rodney Dangerfield - "Rappin' Rodney"

(Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted December 3, 1983, Peaked #83, 7 Weeks on the Chart)

There was no surer sign that rap music had "arrived" than the fact that it was added to a novelty record as a music bed to play behind some of the gems in Rodney Dangerfield's stand-up act.

Born Jacob Cohen in 1921, his early attempts at show business failed, so he became an aluminum siding salesman and was in his mid 40s before a last-minute chance on The Ed Sullivan Show made him a star. Dangerfield was at his peak in the early 1980s, with his appearance in the film Caddyshack, on the Johnny Carson TV show and in HBO specials from his comedy club. His onstage persona was the lovable loser, whose "I don't get no respect" schtick formed the basis of "Rappin' Rodney."

The song was part of his 1983 LP No Respect, the song was an early MTV favorite. Today, it may come across as simply Dangerfield's routine set to music, but it's also a time capsule to itself.