“I met this girl when I was ten years old, and what I love most was she had so much soul”…~Common
These were the opening lines to arguably one of the greatest songs to ever attempt to describe the relationship of Hip Hop to its listeners.
1992 found me in a state of disbelief when I heard Snoop and Dre say that they were at the door. Ready to make an entrance. The melodic beat, raunchy lyrics, and the presence of two of the most prolific artist to ever step into a studio were amazing to me at the tender age of 11.
Back when CD Players were just beginning to come on the scene, Cassette Tapes were the prime media. Streams and downloads were in the distant future. All we had was the radio and hopes that we’d be stationed in the front of it to press the record button once the DJ played what we were waiting to hear.
Rabbit holes are an understatement for where that faithful day in 1992 lead me. I thought about my journey and decided to make a few notes about what I saw along the way.
From DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince with that melodic ode to the Summertime. To Kriss Kross making us jump and wear our clothes backward. To Kid and Play with their wild house parties and a smooth-talking, gold chain wearing Kid from Long Island New York named LL Cool J that introduced me to an Around the way girl from The Bronx named Mary. No breast lifts or butt injections. Just a natural girl that wanted to speak her truth from the bottom of her heart. She introduced me to a witty Businessman named Puff who introduced me to a fat black kid from Brooklyn that told me his dreams in such a poetic way that it felt like I shared them. The Sky was the limit. I’m still staying far from timid BIG.
9 members of a group called the Wu-Tang Clan merged old Karate flicks into Hip Hop sounds that rivaled the action of those very movies they sampled them from. Raekwon and Ghostface were like Mike and Scottie in the studio. Cash still rules and they still ain’t nuthin to F&*k with.
A skinny chipped tooth Kid named Nasir not only stamped the word “Illmatic” into Urban dictionaries, but into the hearts, minds, and souls of every Hip Hop fan that had the opportunity to turn on the Television set and vibe to the smoothed-out melodic track “It ain’t hard to tell”. With production from the likes of Q Tip, Pete Rock, and Large Professor, the album has become somewhat of a Holy Grail that I still keep stacked in a bookshelf like the Bhagavad Gita.
Tupac Shakur delivered albums and songs that rival Sun Tsu’s Art of War, while at the same time encouraging females everywhere to keep there heads up. (Thanks for the roller coaster rides, Pac.)
A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School, De La Soul, and The Roots-all walked into the arena around the same time Outkast was down South slamming Cadillac doors. 8 Ball, MJG, and Three Six Mafia had Memphis ringing with sounds of their own, while UGK repped hard for Houston with their own take on the culture.
For an Island Boy from the Bahamas with no loyalty to Coasts, the only thing that mattered was that it was Hip Hop. The beat was inviting, the lyrics were engaging, and the flows were distinguishable. It’s a feeling that for the last decade has been hard to duplicate.
The Music I fell in love with has undoubtedly changed dramatically in the last few years. But as with all things, change is inevitable. I’d be hard-pressed to find another album so well put together as the offering from another Brooklyn Kid that answers to the name Jay-Z.
Not sure if I’ll ever hear another group like Onyx. Get schooled about the game as Mobb Deep did- there still ain’t no such things as halfway crooks (We can use this mantra more than ever now). Witness the honesty and fearlessness of NWA and Public Enemy? Feel the warmth and soulfulness of producers like J-Dilla and DJ Premier? Maybe not so much but I still have faith in the new Kids. I still believe in a genre of music that wasn’t even supposed to make it as far as it did.
It’s hard to not be romantic about Hip Hop. About music as a whole.
As the Ancient Philosopher, Plato so eloquently put it; “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything”.
I could go on & on but I’d probably have to write a book. There’s no way I could put all the names and experiences that have shaped my life through this music in a blog post. The bottom line is that I fell in love with Hip Hop a long time ago. The love has been unchanging, especially with the perennial material left to us by some of the names mentioned above.
I’m sure you get the picture.
“Pull out a chair for her, turn on the air for her and just cool out. Cool out and listen to her”…~Common