Yep. Most of early rap was fun and lighthearted.
Going all the way back to Debbie Harry in Blondie, singing
“Rapture” 1980. I can hear the intro with the strong baseline riff, accented by those brass bells right now.
Another favorite of that time: “Genius of Love” by the Tom Tom Club, 1981. Both mega-hits.
I remember.
I was born in ‘68 and grew up during the metal and glam rock years when satan’s music was going to destroy the world.
Compared to today’s rap, Motley Crue and Poison wrote church lyrics.
De La Soul seemed to be one of the holdouts that did not go down the Gansta Rap road.