That’s My Jam is a weekly feature where one person from the Selective Hearing staff goes to wax poetic about music that is pivotal to their musical tastes. Whether that would be an album, a song, or anything in-between. We all had to start somewhere.
Released December 16, 1996
Track Listing
- PaRappa’s Greeting
- The Jet Baby
- Lovely SunnyFunny
- Bad Guys Are Coming!
- Joe Chin Is Here
- Enter Daydreams
- Beat Them Away!
- Yeah! I Know!
- Chop Chop Master Onion’s RAP
- Knock You Out!
- Sign of Happiness
- Down With Attitude
- Far Behind
- Smooth Life of Mine
- Feeling Dizzy
- Drive in the Air
- Instructor Mooselini’s RAP
- Happy Ringing
- It Is Fine Today!
- Heavenly
- Paradise
- Rush to the Moon
- Prince Fleaswallow’s RAP
- Alive Again
- Donuts Head
- Sugar Song
- Round & Round
- Cake Bomb
- Anger of People
- Cooking Chicken’s Show
- Cheep Cheep The Cooking Chicken’s RAP
- Cloud 9
- Straight to Hell
- Love You RAP
- The Dawn of Hope
- Toilet Express
- Return of Masters
- All Masters’ RAP
- On Fire!
- Lose Heart
- PaRappa’s Live RAP (feat. MC King Kong Mushi)
- Thank You For Everything
- Katy & Sunny Funny Band Anthem
- Funny Love
Review
In 1997 (’96 in Japan), PaRappa The Rapper was released on the Playstation 1, then later re-released on the PSP in 2007. A rhythm game where you play as PaRappa, a paper-thin dog who wants to impress his love, Sunny Funny. To do that, he gets into wacky adventures such as learning kung-fu and getting his driver’s license, all with the power of rap!
The soundtrack features the music from the game, such as title card music and other soundbites. But, the real reason the soundtrack is getting featured is because of the raps that are core to the game. The hottest raps from PaRappa’s mentors such as Chop Chop Master Onion and Instructor Mooselini are here in all it’s glory.
They’re goofy, over-the-top, but they are also so much fun. Take the first stage where PaRappa learns to kick and punch.
The game only has six stages, but it does prove to be a challenge when in stage five, PaRappa’s car has an empty tank, but he needs to use the bathroom really bad, and to use the bathroom, he must battle every teacher to use it. I haven’t played the PSP version, but I do recall that’s the stage I got stuck on with the PS1 version due to the timing of the button presses being extremely tight.
PaRappa The Rapper remains one of my favorite games from the PS1. The plot was enjoyable and ridiculous in a way only Japan could produce. While there are only six songs to play, they are memorable. In the same way I remember Final Fantasy VIII’s Eyes On Me, I remember the music from PaRappa just as vividly. Unlike FF8, the music from PaRappa is the game. Compared to modern-day rhythm games, the gameplay is very rudimentary. But, that is what makes PaRappa, PaRappa. The game doesn’t get in the way of you enjoying it. Enjoyed it, I certainly did.
