Good thread....fun stuff.
I great up in small town Iowa in the 80s, and remember how cool it was when my mom bought me Run DMC "Raising Hell" when I was looking at it in the store. I told her it would **** off my dad, and I think that was something she related to, and purchased it for me (my first clear cassette tape, btw).
In high school I had a good friend big time in rap and hip hop....he spent a lot of dough on cds, and his stereo in his monte carlo. We rolled round bumping that stuff any chance we got.....also loaded up with the guys and went to see Boyz in the Hood when it came to the local theater (I was blown away that even happened)...
At ISU during my freshman year, many an hour was spent playing my roommates cd's (same guy as above in high school with the monte carlo) all the time....good times. At that point KUSR in Friley would have rap on all afternoon during the weekdays. Spent a good bit of time listening to that if I did not have class or was not working.....
Favorites from that time....Gangstarr, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, Dre, MC Breed, Geto Boys, etc....