Old School Scholar

We have quite a few prestigious competitions, battles and tournaments worldwide for Hip Hop. For B-Boys we have the grandest tournament, Battle of the Year. For DJ turntablism there is the hard earned DMC World DJ Championships, and for MCs there were many that have come and gone like the historic New Music Seminar. Today, we now have the million dollar prize up for grabs at the brand new World Series of Hip Hop in Atlanta, Georgia, September 27, 2008.

As Hip Hop continues to thrive and influence today’s mainstream pop culture after three decades of growth, the world-famous Rock Steady Crew is on the verge of their 31st Anniversary. The historic four-day celebration kicks off in New York City beginning Thursday, July 24 with the legendary Celebrity Benefit Basketball Challenge, and will wrap on Sunday, July 27 with the Outdoor Concert in Newark, New Jersey as an official event at the Third Annual Lincoln Park Music Festival.

During the mid 1980s when B-Boying was being commercially pimped, the world was exposed to the legendary New York City Breakers and The Rock Steady Crew. Unknowingly, these two B-Boy crews were internationally evangelized Hip Hop’s dance form and culture, and thanks to the international community B-Boying never died. If you were really paying attention to Hip Hop culture on the outside looking in, the international community is who is saving it now.

Fresh on YouTube, care of ThudRumble.com, we have turntablists QBert and Rafik having fun with Scratch Drumming. The two infamous DJs wreck shop by “doing an old school trick where they alternate between each other at the ends of each measure.” Simply said, these pros are doing what they always do in their zone when rocking the beats. This video was shot while chillin’ between takes of the new upcoming DVD Scratchlopedia Breaktannica.

I was just scouring YouTube, and found these B-Boys rocking at Club 444 in Omiya, Japan. The crew featured is from an area of Japan called Saitama just outside of Tokyo. This squad is real fluid with freestyling and power moves, but the most enjoyable moment is the flavor the little man brings to the dance! The crew is dope! Little man defies gravity with no sweat! That is all I got to say.

There are many books and interviews on Hip Hop but none shine in comparison to works that document history and biography. Especially when it comes from the mouths of Brothers and Sisters like Grandmaster Flash. If you are a DJ or Hip Hop enthusiast you have no excuse not to own a copy of The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash.

When Hip Hop was first introduced to the mainstream does anyone remember how much fun we were having? Even before then? Why does it seem like everybody nowadays is posing all mean and serious? Have you ever notice on every Hip Hop magazine cover, whomever it features, rappers always have that police line-up look on their face? You can even hear it in their music. These so called rappers are always looking or sounding uncomfortable as if they ran out of hemorrhoid cream!

I found this excellent article from the United Kingdom’s, The Independent, regarding the international appreciation of B-Boying as a fine arts presentation. The article is excellent due to the fact Hip Hop’s aesthetics are progressively being extracted and translated into other mediums as previously documented in Jeff Chang’s book, Total Chaos. This weekend, from May 3-5, it is the Breaking Convention 08: An International Festival of Hip Hop Dance Theatre at Sadler’s Wells in London.

I have three questions about today’s rap music videos. After answering them with my views, there is a fourth question left up to you.

When Hip Hop thrived in the late 80’s, everything at that time seemed to be good. The art form was loved, appreciated and most importantly getting respected. I’m not so sure about you, but in my opinion, something always seems to be left out or left behind or even left alone. The DJs were bringing it, the Emcees were flowing it, the B-Boys were rocking it and the Graffiti Artists were…