Part I

Well, this is it. The extensive and, dare I say it, definitive exploration of large groups of men who could easily kill me making giant asses of themselves for our amusement, brought to you by that most cultured of media, student radio. And don't think this is some simple little survey of teams rappin' - we go through the history
of the genre, trace the epic East and West Coast divide that almost destroyed the art form, explore its relationship with grunge, and just generally ram this topic into the ground like no one has before.

But first, a very brief FAQ...

1. What were they thinking?

All will be revealed within! (Except for the rest of the FAQ, which will be revealed here.)

2. OK, but what were you thinking?

I love ridiculousness in all its forms. What more noble purpose could I have?

3. Why is it called an "orgy"? You clearly have never participated in anything even remotely resembling that.

From Wikipedia: "Orgies (the term is a registered trademark of the station) are consecutive presentations of the entire musical output of composers, record labels, or genres, sometimes running 24 hours a day for a solid week or more. Station legend has it that these began when an exuberant undergraduate in 1943 decided to celebrate his passing a difficult exam by broadcasting all nine Beethoven symphonies in order."

As to why they're actually called orgies? I'm guessing sexual frustration on just a truly massive scale. Not that I'd know anything about that.

4. Did you do any research?

Kind of. I'd like to think I've uncovered and brought together in one place more videos than anyone else has previously managed to (likely being the first person to ever try to do this probably helps). At the same time, I'm still not really sure about specific years; indeed, I went by Wikipedia's claim that the 49ers song was from 1984 until the presence of Jerry Rice and Bill Romanowski somewhat disproved that. Of course, I didn't realize this until after I had played the song in the orgy. So a bit of a guarded yes there, I'd say.

5. Do you know anything about hip-hop?

No, but I'm willing to learn. Also, my partner in crime on this orgy is legitimately the most knowledgeable person I've ever met on the subject of hip-hop. I, on the other hand, don't know how to pronounce "Aaliyah" (or "machismo", for that matter).

6. Did you really ask Colts president Bill Polian about whether we could expect him to lead the Colts in an all-new team rap?

Yes. I am not expecting to intern at the Colts anytime soon.

OK, that's more than enough. Let's get to this...

Part I: The Standard Bearer*

*Pun only slightly intended.

1. The Super Bowl Shuffle: 1985 Chicago Bears

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Parts V-VI | Parts VII-IX