Unleashing Pokémon's Nostalgic Pokérap: A Timeless Blast from the Past!

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The Pokérap, a simple yet iconic song that listed all 150 Pokémon that existed at the time, has become a well-known symbol for those of a certain age. It quickly became a catchy tune that fans, both past and present, could effortlessly recite.

In the first season of the Pokémon anime, the Pokérap would play at the end of each episode. However, the song was so lengthy that it had to be divided into five parts, with each part being played on a different day of the week. This ensured that the entire song would be heard throughout the course of the week. James "D-Train" Williams, an R&B artist, was responsible for most of the vocal portions, while the rap sections were performed by Babi Floyd, who sadly passed away in 2013. The song was co-written by John Siegler, the musical director at 4Kids Entertainment at that time, and another writer named John Loeffler.

The Dark Side of the Pokérap

In a 2015 interview with The Week, D-Train and Siegler discussed the creation of the song and how they became involved in it. The anime's localization was being handled by 4Kids, who contacted D-Train and Babi Floyd using a talent listing for producers. D-Train explained that the song was written by adding five Pokémon at a time, ensuring the rhyme and meter were correct, and then repeating the process for the next few. This made the creation of the song a lengthy process. They even had to remove a Pokémon from the song if its name changed or if it hadn't been revealed yet, such as in the case of Mew. D-Train mentioned that the Pokérap opened doors for him in Japan as "everyone there knows it," allowing him to perform internationally.

Despite the song's success, D-Train and Floyd did not receive any royalties due to the agreement they had with 4Kids at the time of recording. They never pursued legal action over this, but it did strain their relationship with 4Kids. In the interview, D-Train expressed pride in his work with Pokémon and was happy that his children could appreciate that he did the Pokérap. Siegler, on the other hand, viewed the song with less nostalgia, feeling that it didn't hold as much musical value compared to some of the other original works he had created for the anime.

The story behind Pokémon's Pokérap is pretty typical, unfortunately, but it's nice to know that D-Train, at least, looks back on the song fondly.

Source: The Week