More counter cultural tourism from Maurice Starr - 'Hanging Tough' skims the vapours off the contemporary hip hop scene and offers them up to a white homeboy fanbase in a safe package that's to the genuine article as Sunny Delight is to freshly squeezed orange juice. And to make sure it hits as wide an audience as possible, a poodle metal guitar solo squawks out an attempt to do what Eddie Van Halen did for Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'. Except it's cack handed and horrible. This is 'Eau De Hip Hop', an approximation of the source that aims for a middle class, parent friendly hybrid of over and underground that offends no-one. The New Kids cop an attitude with some "Don't cross our paths cause you're gonna get stopped" posturing, but the mid eighties synth farts that power it have all the menace of Curly Sue and no-one is any doubt that these clean cut B Boys would turn into mummy's boys at the first hint of trouble. If it were otherwise, then it wouldn't be at number one. Not in 1990 anyway.
'Hanging Tough' would work far better as parody if it had any humour about it, but it doesn't. On the contrary, the consumerist hack work and bastardisation of the verve, originality and attitude of its influence is never less than depressing. Quite depressing.
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