For the love of Hip Hop

How I fell in love with Hip Hop 


So I got this from the Dragon Ash website. It was one of their albums. Got me to start thinking...how did I fall in love with Hip Hop.

I grew up in a pretty white city so it was only when I came to visit my older male cousin in Jane and Finch, Toronto that I was introduced to the raw stuff: NWA, Ice Cube, Ice Tea. I was a trendsetter at Hampton Heights middle school. I'd come back with bandannas in my back pocket rockin' the latest t-shirt. Remember those 2Gether 4Ever T-shirts with black cartoon people on them? Yeah, those were the 'lick' as we used to say. But I remember that all the white guys who were the 'gangstas' started to rock the bandannas in their back pocket after me: Matt Doyle, Ryan Fisher, Steven Miller, Andrew Perron. Ha! I still remember their names. And they started calling themselves "The Crew". Tehehe. This is when I got into Pac. I loved 2Pac: 'Keep your Head Up' and 'Blacker the Berry'. But before 2Pac it was Das FX, Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief (I loved A+), Lost Boys, Bone Thugs N' Harmony, (I found out their inspiration...Bone Thugs were inspired by Freestyle Fellowship in the 80s, underground Cali sound) Aceyalone. I know I am missing people? Oh of course! MC Lyte, Queen Latifah (U.N.I.T.Y.: who you callin a bitch?)

But my love for hiphop had a precursor: R&B, Reggae. There was Salt n' Pepa, Jade "Don't walk away boy", SWV: "I get so weak in the knees I can hardly speak I lose all control and something takes over me..."
Xcape: remember that song that Asmeret (our male cousin's sister) taught us how to sing Senait? Me and my sister sucked at it...she had the best voice in the world.

"Play me some music, Pour me some wine. Cause I'm in the mood now, got love on my mind. And I want you know that I like it reaal slow so whenever you're ready, you can slide off my clothes and touch my body annnyway. I'm yours tonight make it right, baby I'll take you there."
Chorus: "Take your time and work it slowly (Slowly, Slowly) Cause I'm the kinda girl, you're the kinda guy that can last (Last, Last) Don't need no man around if you're comin down too fast. Gotta work it sloowly."

I love how we used to sing all these songs about love, sex, etc. and we knew nothing about either. We were like 10 or 11. Man...who do young black girls have to listen to these days? I can't even imagine. Just Destiny's Child. Who else? Running a blank here...help me out people...

And we used to play this game with her by saying one word and she'd connect it to some song. Like we'd say, "mirror". And she'd sing Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson. Or "control" and she'd be like "Tease me, Tease me, Tease me till I lose control" by Maxi Priest. Whew! Those were the dayz man. And she was so good she never skipped a beat.

Ok I'm off-track. So I got into Wu-Tang like hardcore in grade 9. I had a t-shirt and visor with the WU symbol on it. All the older guys in my high school really like it and I sold it to Kevin Marcellin for $15 which he paid in $5 installments over the period of 4 months. Of course I kept the visor which was my favourite part until he paid me the whole balance. :) We used to always meet in front of the cafeteria. Boy, I got so much attention for that get-up and I got it from Jane & Finch Mall which is so shifty cause there were always men with really full vans tryna sell you stuff, (at least one of them never left the driver's seat...)

But all throughout high school I loved Biggie on the low but pretended I didn't care too much for him in public cause I wanted to seem different. Never really like Puff Daddy/Mase. I actually like Puff better now than I used to cause I respect him as an entrepeneur. Then I liked Jay Z and also pretended with him too. But I still loved 2Pac & there was NO pretense there. Whew, I wanted to marry 2Pac and my mom used to threaten to throw out all my posters if I didn't clean my room/do dishes/take out garbage, whatever.

Some other albums: The Roots "Do you Want More?"/Illadelph Halflife/Things Fall Apart (WICKED!!! Damn I miss that album gotta listen to it...I went to the concert and saw Jill Scott for the first time. I got the T-Shirt: "Who is Jill Scott?" and this girl Lucrecia stole it from me...well I let her borrow and she never gave it back!!) Bahamadia, Common (Retrospect for Life & 1999 with Sadat X...love the first line "Yo I'm strugglin for freedom"!)

But my love for hip hop reached its pinnacle with the grandest, dopest MCs:
Talib Kweli & Mos Def: Blackstarr! I'm so excited just thinkin of it. Every song on that album was dope and I just played it out.
Lauryn Hill came out with the dopest in 1999: Miseducation of Lauryn Hill . Track 3 "Zion" and Track 7 "Forget title" But the song goes like this:

"I write this like a thesis, well-written topic broken down into peices. I introduce then produce words so profuse it's abuse..." She is just...ah, **speechless**

Okay gotta do laundry now, To be Continued...