American Songwriter revisits "Rappin' Rodney", the 1983 novelty rap track by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, arguing it may be the quintessential product of its decade. The song appeared on Dangerfield's fourth comedy album of the same name, building on material from one of his television specials, and applied his trademark "no respect" shtick to a rap format layered with synths and breakbeats. Coming three years after Dangerfield won a Grammy for his album "No Respect", the track is presented as an amusing footnote in pop culture history rather than a landmark recording, but one that captures the campy, over-the-top spirit of 1980s entertainment.

The accompanying music video is highlighted as even more emblematic of the era, featuring Dangerfield in a courtroom, a jail cell and an execution scene complete with a leather-clad Pat Benatar as his executioner, before ending with a comic sequence in heaven. The piece notes Dangerfield's memorable one-liners from the song, such as jokes about being put on hold by a suicide prevention line, and concludes that while "Rappin' Rodney" was not culturally significant, its exaggerated humour and dated musical style helped define the decade's entertainment.