In the 1980s, Philadelphia's hip-hop scene was diverse. At one extreme was the controversial Schoolly D, who was among the founders of gangsta rap even though he wasn't as big as West Coast agitators like N.W.A. and Ice-T. And at the other extreme was DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, whose fun, lighthearted, often goofy tales were great for comic relief. Rock the House, the duo's debut album of 1987, demonstrated that Will Smith, aka the Fresh Prince, was as entertaining and amusing a storyteller as Dana Dane or Slick Rick. But unlike those New York MCs, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince weren't off-color or controversial -- in fact, their unthreatening, clean-cut image led some journalists to dub them "the Cosby kids of rap." And the Philadelphians had no problem with that; in a 1989 interview, Smith asserted that he was proud to be compared to the Cosby kids. You won't find a lot of hard-hitting social commentary on Rock the House; Smith and his partner keep things lighthearted on tunes like "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" (the hit single that sampled the I Dream of Jeannie theme and put them on the map) and "Just One of Those Days." Equally strong is "Guys Ain't Nothing But Trouble," a sequel to "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" that features female rapper Ice Cream Tee (who had a lot of potential but didn't get very far as a solo artist). Is Rock the House pop-rap? Absolutely. But for DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, lighthearted doesn't mean lightweight. In terms of rapping technique, Smith could hold his own against any of the more hardcore rappers who came out of Philly in the 1980s. This excellent LP is a classic of its kind. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
The song is one of the more hip hop-oriented songs on the album, along with
Clint Eastwood. It features a horn sectionloop sampled from a track by British jazz musician John
Dankworth and a sample of "How many of you ready to rock the house?" on the chorus. It can also be noted Del is the only
one doing vocals in this song.
Music video
Del in the Rock The House video, note that all of his teeth seem to be present.
It starts with a shot of the gate of Kong Studios. We then follow what appears to be Noodle
riding on a tricycle through the hallways of the building, a reference to the horror film classic The
Shining. It leads us past a door to a room where the Gorillaz are performing. A white mist
appears among them and Russel passes out. Then we see the floor has turned into the ghost of
Del, who rises up and throws the Gorillaz to the ground. Del is outfitted with
protective gear including a helmet. In Rise Of The Ogre it explains he is dressed as
Mr. Freedom. Del takes a few steps when from behind him a series of spring loaded guns shoot
billiard balls at him, but he diverts them with his glove. A series of inflatable female
gorillas appear and start to do cheerleading.
2-D is dodging the balls being shot at him by doing dance moves, but then he is hit by a
few balls and knocked out. Murdoc then begins to divert the balls with specially padded (but only at the front) pair of
briefs he's wearing, hitting them away with his pelvic
thrusts. He is successful a dozen times until a ball ricochets off the padded wall and hits his unprotected
buttocks. The ball ricochets and hits Russel in the head,
waking him up and making Del disappear. Russel looks around, noticing 2-D is unconscious, Murdoc is standing bandy legged, and
Noodle is the only one in the original state. The final scene is a backwards shot of
the first one.
Trivia
In the beginning, the undead gorillas from the Clint Eastwood music video can
be seen at the right of the cemetery that Kong Studios is located in. However, they are clearly not chasing Murdoc, as he is seen
inside of the building.
2D's shirt changes: at some points it's a skull, at others it says "Spidey" with a picture of Spiderman's head.
In the storyboard for this, 2-D is wearing a Spider-Man mask.
