In a 2006 interview with AllHipHop.com's Martin A. Berrios, veteran comedian
Rudy Ray Moore (who had reached 79) pointed out that he was doing X-rated comedy when
Richard Pryor was still doing clean comedy. Indeed,
Moore took blue humor to another level, bombarding audiences with profanity and rhyming about pimps, players, hustlers, ballers, tricks, and hoes -- in other words, all of the things that
Too Short,
Ice-T, and
Snoop Dogg subsequently earned a very good living rapping about. Assembled in 2006,
The Best of Rudy Ray Moore & Friends looks back on
Moore's groundbreaking '70s work and is full of raunchy, sexually explicit material that helped pave the way for so many of the hardcore rappers who emerged in the '80s, '90s, and 2000s. The tracks on this 55-minute CD can be divided into two categories: (1) essential
Moore favorites like "Signifyin' Monkey," "Petey Wheatstraw," "Dolemite," and "Shine & the Great Titanic"; and (2) lesser-known but enjoyable recordings by
Moore-influenced comedians Billie McAllister (a female impersonator), Nancy Reed (aka Lady Reed), and Jerry Walker. Anyone with even a basic knowledge of
Moore's legacy will be familiar with "Dolemite" and "Signifyin' Monkey," but only the truly hardcore and most knowledgeable
Moore fans will be familiar with the rare McAllister, Reed, and Walker material -- which makes
The Best of Rudy Ray Moore & Friends especially important for collectors. As a best-of, this disc falls short of ideal; "Mr. Big Dick" and "Hurricane Annie" are among the essential classics that are missing. But
The Best of Rudy Ray Moore & Friends still has a lot going for it, and serious collectors will be delighted to see the McAllister, Reed, and Walker rarities now available on CD. ~ Alex Henderson