BRIAN WILSON WROTE A RAP SONG ABOUT MALE FEMINISM IN 1990 AND IT DESERVES SOME DAMN RESPECT

I'll have none of your sass, Internet. 
By Tom Rizzuto

Here are the facts. In 1990 Beach Boys founder and universally acknowledged musical genius, Brian Wilson was not in a great place. He was still reeling from the effects of decades of mental illness and substance abuse, he was being treated by controversial psychiatrist Eugene Landy (who most believe to have been unethical and manipulative), and his recording career was at a standstill.

"Tell Kanye West I think he's adorable. Spunky little guy."

It was during this tumultuous period in his life that Wilson wrote and recorded a rap song called Smart Girls. The song was coproduced by and recorded at the insistence of Landy, and was intended for Wilson’s 1990 album Sweet Insanity. The album was rejected by Wilson’s record label and never released. It resurfaced years later and this song in particular is generally swept under the rug by most Beach Boys and Brian Wilson aficionados.

And I say that is wrong!!! Give it a listen:

 
Now, to be clear, nobody is implying that this is Wilson’s best work. Wilson himself writes it off as a joke. I, however, encourage you to think about its historical context.

Brian Wilson, classic rock icon, wrote a rap song in 1990, when most people his age were dismissing rap music as a soon to be forgotten fad. On top of that, not only do his lyrics address long held misogynistic beliefs…but Wilson himself takes responsibility for reinforcing the patriarchal slant of most 1960s surf rock.

"Say hoe in a song one more time and Brian Wilson is going to come into that booth and slap somebody."

Now listen to those samples. Do you hear the way he seamlessly weaves his own music in and out of the track? That’s pretty advanced stuff for 1990.

So before you look down on Smart Girls, how about showing some damn respect for God’s sake.

Show me one other rapper from the early 1990s who also wrote Pet Sounds.

Anybody? 

I didn’t think so.

Tom Rizzuto is a freelance musician and writer working in New York. He has also taught guitar and music history at several local universities. He will fight you on this message board. 
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