Classical Rap

Composer and classical-music parodist Peter Schickele put out this parody of a boastful rap song as performed by an Upper West Side yuppie, written in the style of the late eighteenth century. You can listen to the whole piece here, and the section of the lyrics that mention Vassar appears below.

Well, I’m doing pretty well
For myself right now
I’m pulling down
About eighty thou’
My wife makes forty
(She’s a Vassar grad)
And, hey, for a woman
That’s not half bad
So we’re talkin’ six figures here
But there’s one thing I want to make
Crystal clear
I have to laugh
And I have to scoff
When I hear people
Calling us well off
Anyone who thinks
That we’re sittin’ pretty
Doesn’t know what it’s like
In the big, bad city.