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The surprising origin story behind the cliche rap intro 'My name is...and I'm here to say'

An iconic 1940's brand jingle may be to blame.

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The "worst rap cliche" actually makes a ton of sense when you learn about its history.

If I were to put you on the spot, right now, and force you to perform a freestyle rap, how would it go? If you're like 99% of the people on the planet who aren't naturally gifted in lyrical storytelling, you'd probably say something like, "My name is Mike and I'm here to say..." to get you off and running, and then your brain would scramble for something easy to rhyme with "say." Probably doing something in a "major way," right?

It's the first thought that comes into almost all of our heads, and it's a heavily used trope on sitcoms and in film. It's deeply embedded in pop culture lore, so much so that we've all absorbed the rhythm and cadence of the rhyme practically by osmosis—even kids who weren't even born during the early hip-hop of the 70s and 80s know it! But where the heck does it actually come from? Certainly, not a lot of real rappers use the line; not anymore. I heard it used on an episode of one of my favorite sitcoms the other night and got to wondering about its origin. I'm always fascinated by our sort of shared consciousness, how we "all" seem to intuitively know and understand things without ever understanding why—so I decided to do some digging.

When it comes to "My name is...and I'm here to say," one of the earliest known uses of the phrase came from, wait for it...a Chiquita Banana commercial created in the 1940s.

The specific line in question, sung by a sultry and unnecessarily-sexy cartoon banana in a low cut dress, goes like this:

"I'm Chiquita Banana and I've come to say / Bananas have to ripen in a certain way / When they're flecked with brown and have a golden hue / Bananas taste the best and are the best for you."

The commercial became iconic (the YouTube clip below, for example, has over three million views) and a staple moment in pop culture. If you can believe it, at that time bananas were relatively new to Americans. The fruit had been around for decades but different distributors and producers jockeying for position had kept it from really reaching the mainstream. The song was catchy as all get out and also helped Americans understand how to store, eat, and use this new exotic fruit; it was a reintroduction of sorts. Chiquita also desperately needed some positive press after the horrific Banana Massacre in 1928.

It's one of the most famous commercial jingles of all time.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

In 1988, Barney Rubble took a page out of Chiquita Banana's playbook and helped further cement the catchy rhyme into the zeitgeist.

If you don't remember the Fruity Pebbles commercials of the 80s and 90s, most of them feature Barney Rubble trying to trick or distract Fred Flintstone in order to steal his cereal. In this clip, Barney pretends to be a rapper, allowing him to (nearly) swipe the Fruity Pebbles while Fred is busy dancing to the beat.

"I'm the Master Rapper and I'm here to say / I love Fruity Pebbles in a major way ... But to get that fruity taste / I've gotta trick Fred"

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Those are two of the earliest iterations of the rhyming intro. But around the same time, the catchy catchphrase was beginning to show up in early hip hop.

Yes, honest to God rappers actually did use the phrase, contrary to popular belief.

In 1979, the legendary "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang featured the line: "You see, I am wonder Mike and I'd like to say Hello / To the black, to the white, the red and the brown, the purple and yellow."

In 1983, Melle Mel drops the exact line to perfect in "The Birthday Party" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5: "Melle Mel and I'm here to say / I was born on the 15th day of May"

But you might not have picked up on those if you weren't a big hip-hop listener at the time, so many people actually credit the commercials with "My name is..." catching on beyond the rap world.

At some point soon after, the rhyme became a trope used in sitcoms, more cheesy commercials, and films to portray someone who knows nothing about rap trying to rap.

Think of it like when parents start using their kids' slang, thus ruining it for everyone.

My personal favorite example has to be Will Ferrell's devil character from a Saturday Night Live sketch, struggling to write music, when he finally spits: "I'm the devil and I'm here to say / I'm the most evil rapper in the USA"

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Announcing your name at the start of a rap may seem like a cheesy trope now, but it actually had significance in the days of early rap.

Chaz Kangas writes for The Village Voice: "Whether literally tagging their name in graffiti in public spaces or mastering signature break dancing maneuvers, it was about getting your name in as many eyes and ears as possible. Of course, when it came to rocking the mic at a party to the break-a break-a dawn, there was no better way to have people know who you were than by identifying yourself."

Rappers still do it today, though the script has changed a bit. Most artists find a way, especially early in their career, to work their name into certain songs. It helps give them notoriety and it gives them some recognition for listeners who may have liked one of their guest verses on another artist's track. For crying out loud, one of the most famous and influential rap songs ever is literally called "My Name Is" by Eminem!

And as for the "I'm here to say" part? Well, it's a great segue into whatever comes next, and there are endless words and phrases you can rhyme with "say," so you're pretty much set if you decide to go with the cliched opener.

So, maybe it's not the worst rap trope ever. When you think about the storied history, the importance of name recognition, and the flexibility the rhyme gives you...maybe it's actually the best.

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Jay-Z's joy about his mom being openly LGBTQ is a good sign for hip-hop and masculinity.

In a ridiculously heartwarming interview clip, rapper Jay-Z discussed his excitement for his mom’s newfound lesbian love.  

In David Letterman’s new series "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction," Jay-Z sat down with the comedian to talk candidly about his mother, Gloria Carter, coming out to him as a lesbian.  

“This was the first time we had the conversation,” Jay-Z said in a clip of the interview set to air April 6. “And the first time I heard her say she loved her partner. Like, ‘I feel like I love somebody.’ She said ‘I feel like.’ She held that little bit back, still. She didn’t say ‘I’m in love’; she said ‘I feel like I love someone.’ And I just — I cried. I don’t even believe in crying because you’re happy. I don’t even know what that is. What is that?”

Photo by Ari Perilstein/Getty Images for Roc Nation.

Jay-Z's tearful response to his mother's coming out experience is a much-needed example of publicly dismantling toxic masculinity.    

Often told that emotions aren't masculine or that crying isn't for men, many men struggle to openly express their emotions, much less recognize them. Toxic masculinity is a pervasive, dangerous societal problem that forces men into a hole of fear, making them reluctant to share their emotions for fear of not being seen as "man enough." By acknowledging he cried tears of joy, Jay-Z is adding a welcome change to the narrative that men, especially men of color, can't be both emotional and masculine.        

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images.

Jay-Z’s openness to his mother’s later-in-life queerness in lyrics and on-screen is also refreshing from someone so prominent in the hip-hop industry.      

Having been a pretty early advocate for gay rights, Jay-Z’s views are still fairly unique to his industry. For decades, hip-hop artists have been using extremely homophobic lyrics and have often been extremely exclusionary to queer artists. But world-renowned artists like Jay-Z, Common, and Frank Ocean are using their own personal experiences to change the narrative of how queerness is viewed in the hip-hop industry. Through their own music, activism, and public interviews, many hip-hop artists are starting to show respect for queer love and rights. In the song “Smile” on Jay-Z's most recent album "4:44," the rapper talks about how long his mother hid her identity:

“Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian / Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian.”

By sharing his mom's story so lovingly, Jay-Z shows that homophobia is outdated, masculinity should be so much more than bottling up emotions, and people deserve the most love, respect, and openness we can give them.        

Though the clip definitely is a tease for more, it certainly paints a promising picture for hip-hop artists and their relationships with queer people in the future. We'll enjoy that for now.

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Utah lawmakers made a rap video. This is why we can't have nice things.

Picture this: Legislators for the great state of Utah gather in their chamber wondering, “How do we get young people to care about laws?”

And then, a mysterious voice from the shadows whispers, “Make a rap. It will be fun," before spraying a cloud of some kind of cartoonish "agreeability mist" into the air and scampering back to an evil lair.

And somehow, before the agreeability mist wore off, these seemingly reasonable lawmakers set to work on writing, filming, editing, and releasing the best/worst rap video of all time.

That is the only way to explain how this could have happened.

OK, maybe not. But it’s probably the story they should stick to. GIFs via Utah House of Reps/Twitter.

Legislators from the Utah House of Representatives debuted their first hip-hop single Feb. 28.

It’s a "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" send-up called "Fresh Prints of Bills Here" and it's about how a bill becomes a law. It is — and I say this with near 100% certainty — the best thing you will see all week. (Or maybe the worst?)

There are fake bills.

A surprising amount of Comic Sans.

(Or if you're familiar with local government, maybe it's not surprising.)

Damn it, Jerry! GIF from "Parks and Recreation."

There's a poorly choreographed thumbs-up.

But not as poor as the fit on this MAGA cap.

The wordplay is FIRE. They even rhyme "there" with "chamber"

(Yeah, they made it chame-bear. THERE ARE NO RULES!)

Plus, there's this Jason Sudeikis doppleganger, in a backward hat, making what he undoubtedly thinks is a cool rap hand gesture. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THIS CONTENT IS FREE.

And we can't forget Rep. Susan Duckworth, who appears to be the only person who can stay within 10 feet of the beat.

Go off, Susan!

Basically the video has everything but black people. (But can you blame Rep. Sandra Hollins for sitting this one out?)

But (and I'll admit this is a big but) if you can get past the dancing, cringeworthy rhymes, and hilarious hats, the video actually has a lot to offer.

Sure, a mostly negative reaction to the political parody was swift, with Stephen Colbert discussing it on his show and one of Utah's U.S. Senate candidates, Jenny Wilson, promising to never appear in a rap video if she's elected.

But if "Schoolhouse Rock!" was before your time, this video offers a succinct and useful breakdown of the legislative process.

It's also a great way for people to get to know their elected officials. In a 2015 survey, nearly 77% of respondents could not name one of their state senators. Yikes! These are the people responsible for a lot of the laws and policies that affect our daily lives. Knowing who represents you (and how they're doing) is key to making sure your voice is heard. This video offers a chance to match names to faces or at least names to stuck-out tongues — and that's a start.

To the good people of Utah, as ridiculous and cringeworthy as this video is, hats off to you.

Specifically, the backward one. Take it off. You'll thank me later.

Check out the video in full. Who am I kidding? You'll have to. It's impossible to turn away.

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An 11-year-old wrote a rap about being bullied. His favorite rapper brought it to life.

11-year-old Isaac wrote a rap about being bullied. Too embarrassed to perform it, he sent it to his favorite rapper for help.

Mac Lethal, a Kansas City rapper best known for his super-fast delivery and the best breakfast anthem of all time, put Isaac's rap over a beat and made a video of the powerful letter.

Image via Mac Lethal/YouTube.

Isaac's story of bullying is heartbreaking and familiar.

Isaac and another kid named Thomas used to be great friends — riding bikes, swimming, and playing video games together. Now, Thomas won't stop physically and verbally tormenting him.

All GIFs via Mac Lethal/YouTube.

Isaac keeps trying to reconnect with his old friend, and he even let Thomas copy his math work. But he took advantage of Isaac's kindness.

Isaac has no idea what went wrong or how it happened. And it really hurts.

But despite their falling out, Isaac still has hopes he can salvage the friendship, and he wants Thomas to know he cares.

Losing a trusted friend is hard enough. That same friend turning into a bully without an explanation? It's absolutely devastating and painful.

That pain comes through in Isaac's gut-wrenching lyrics in the full video below:

Dealing with bullies is something too many kids deal with every day, but there's a lot we can do.

Sadly, there are bullying situations like Isaac's in many classrooms and schools around the country. 28% of students in grades 6-12 have experienced bullying. More than 70% of kids say they've seen it in their schools.

Bullying prevention and intervention are complicated, but approaches that involve the entire school community show promise. When everyone — including students, families, teachers, and staff like bus drivers, cafeteria monitors, and school nurses — encourages a culture of respect and models kindness, it can go along way. Students also benefit when teachers, parents, and other trusted adults talk to them about bullying and ensure they know how to find help for themselves or other kids who need it.

Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images.

Bullying is not "just a part of growing up," and it's not OK. Kids need to know they're not alone.

Whether you're a well-known rapper, parent, educator, coach, or just a concerned adult, connect with local schools and community partners that work with kids and families to create a culture of kindness. When we stand together, we can improve our schools and communities.

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