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For those not familiar, minstrel shows were theatrical skits that portrayed African Americans as cartoonish stereotypes. You know; lazy, uneducated, inarticulate, watermelon, fried chicken, yada yada yada. The characters were either played by Caucasian or Black actors in black face. White audiences in the 1800’s to early 1900’s were greatly entertained by them. Mainstream America [...]
What I am about to speak on is the art of rap. My simple definition of rapping is when one recites a form of poetry in rhythm as in the sound of urban music. However this art like most things, has basic rules that one must go by at all times. Here are those basic [...]
In the mid 1980’s when I was in my Breakdance mode, there were names given for popular signature moves. Some of the moves I did were called the Footwork, the Up Rock, the Backspin, the Head Spin, the Windmill, the 1990, and the Turtle. However, today in the new millennium, I stand alone here with [...]
Who stole the DJ? The Fresh Prince asked this question on the cut of the same name from his 1991 album “Homebase”. Whether or not he was subliminally alluding to what I’m about to write about is open for debate. I have yet to understand how the top (c)rap artists of today can claim to be representing Hip Hop without such a vital element as the DJ.
Before I start I must first say this, I came from the land where the English language originated, the United Kingdom. It is the first language there, and it is taught with discipline. When I was 14, by the love of my Parents, we migrated to the United States where I soon discovered that the [...]
I love Hip Hop. I love everything about what makes it so profound in my life and how I am always a part of it. It is a culture born from above average people whom ingeniously created to make a better aesthetic life out of limited resources. It is revolutionary. It never asked for permission to be seen or heard while inspiring the uninspired, and it neither apologized for its liberty being felt.
What is Hip Hop? There are a lot of different answers, depending on who you ask. Before I give my definition, let me start with what isn’t Hip Hop: Gangstas, Pimps, Hustlers, Drug Dealers. Basically, all the negative stigmas of urban life glorified in today’s rap music. It’s downright insulting to call the rap (or crap) music of the last few years Hip Hop. The early foundations of Hip Hop culture were built on the desire to escape the dreary existence of street life.
