Young MC scores his first new hit in 20 years

One of hip-hop's first hitmakers is back Bulletin board on the charts, returning with his first new song to chart in more than two decades. Young MC's “Fun Part,” released on the rapper's Disco Theory label, debuts at No. 38 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart and visits its creator for the first time on a Bulletin board chart with a new song from “Heatseeker” in 2002. Among other placements, “Heatseeker” reached No. 6 on the Hot Singles Sales chart and No. 92 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

“It feels thrilling and exciting at the same time,” says the Young MC Bulletin board upon the entry of his new track into the charts. “On the one hand, it's a validation for all the hard work I've put in over the decades to develop as an artist and as a producer. But at the same time, I feel the pressure to keep the momentum going. I look forward to the challenge.”

Born Marvin Young, the artist who later became Young MC first came to prominence as a songwriter on two 1989 hits for Tone-Loc that broke barriers as some of hip-hop's first crossover success stories on the charts. “Wild Thing” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 — at the time, the genre's biggest hit on the flagship — while “Funky Cold Medina” nearly repeated the feat, peaking at No. 3.

In the same year, the rapper also touched a third classic, but this time, as the main attraction. “Bust a Move,” which features Flea of ​​the Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums, reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. The single has lived on with countless uses in pop culture, including in films such as Dude, where's my car? and The Blind Sidea 1997 commercial for Priceline in which William Shatner recited some of the song's lyrics and moments on television Joy and The Big Bang Theory.

Thirty-five years after his first hit, landing a young man in a new generation of hip-hop is not lost on the pioneers. “It's crazy to think that a lot of the people who were listening to 'Fun Part' weren't even born when I released 'Bust a Move,'” he says. “I find the delicate balance of attracting them while not alienating those people who were fans of 'Bust a Move' when it came out and still come to shows to see it today.”

A key reason for Young MC's comeback? Last year's celebrations marked the 50th anniversary of hip-hop's creation, dating back to its acknowledged origins in 1973 in New York, and nearly every major music publication and organization hailed the genre's expansion from a potential fad to a sound that conquers the world. “I can only speak for myself, but I was influenced by seeing all the Hip-Hop 50 stuff flying around. I thought about what I had personally given to hip-hop in 50 years and if I could give more.”

And he's not the only one from his generation to return to the game. LL Cool J ended a decade-long hiatus from music with a September release The Force His album, his first since 2013. His current single, the Eminem-assisted “Murdergram Deux,” debuts at No. 39 on Rhythmic Airplay, just below “Fun Part.” The twin flares, in Young MC, feel connected. “I can relate to all the legacy artists putting out new music today – for most of us, it's more of a 'want' than a 'have to,'” he explains.

But at least the response to his latest song puts to rest those concerns about whether he had more to offer: “'Fun Part'” proves to me that the answer to that question is a resounding “yes!”