I Used to Love H.E.R.: An Ode to Hip Hop!
Dear Hip Hop,
I was 17 years old, it was the beginning of my senior year in high school. At that time I was young, naive, afraid, a coward, very insecure, I had no sense of direction or understanding, I was in the darkest place of my life and I was going through a lot of shit, fighting every single day to get to a new place, trying to figure out who I was. The only thing that got me through those tough times was music. I grew up on music, I breathed, walked, talked, ate, and slept music, that’s all I know more than anything else. I was a heavy music fan and lover, especially hip hop and R&B. During the beginning of my senior year, a very close friend of mine introduced me to a place I never knew existed. This place was a place filled with MC’s, not rappers, MC’s/poets, DJ’s, breakdancers, producers and graffiti artists, this was a place that had the perfect hip hop scene. Noticed how I said MC’s and not “rappers” is because they actually tore the place down with their incredible talent and had so much control and respect on the mic. At this time, I started getting to know everyone and everyone was cool and amazingly talented. I had been exposed to hip hop growing up but this was it for me, this sealed the deal for me. That’s when I finally understood what hip hop culture was all about. It was about unity, having fun, being peaceful, conscious, expressing your experiences and stories through art in order to reach a certain audience that reflected our environment and it definitely started to leave a huge influence on me and it showed in my attitude and my appearance. I can’t forget to mention that this place I was introduced to was an underground, low key spot here in the South Bronx on East 149th Street right around the corner from White Castle before they got rid of it. Ever since then, hip hop took a huge effect and toll on me. I started to dress differently, my mindset is different, my outlook on life is different and slowly but surely my life is beginning to change and get better, I was seeing the light. I went from the R&B Ne-Yo and Bruno Mars look in argyle sweater vests and Prada shoes to the Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Run-D.M.C., Kid N’ Play, Wu-Tang Clan look with the high top fade, Doc Marten boots, overalls, gold rope chain, baggy jeans and hoodies and Timbaland boots. Everything about me was different, my look, my walk, talk, style, attitude and I was getting stopped in the middle of the street getting complimented and respected for it. Fast forward to now in 2016, I’m 22 years old, I know exactly who I am and where I’m going and I definitely can’t forget where I come from. Being from the South Bronx, I feel it is my responsibility to keep this culture alive but that sounds “old”, “not relevant”, “corny” and “stuck in the old days” to those who don’t care about this culture or understand it. Thank you DJ Kool Herc for creating the greatest soundtrack of my life. Thank you Run-D.M.C. for teaching me how to rock a fresh pair of Adidas, thank you Big Daddy Kane for teaching me how not to be a half stepper and to have a high top whose rule, thank you LL for teaching me how to appreciate our “around-the-way” girls and not to call them out their names for having long nails, extensions in their hair, and bamboo earrings with at least 2 pair, thank you A Tribe Called Quest for teaching me self righteousness and teaching me that I can definitely “kick it” too, thank you Kid N’ Play for teaching me what a real house party looks like, and thank you Mary J. Blige for giving us R&B singers a place in the hip hop community. We may not have a dope rhyme to spit but we are just as down too. Hip hop may not be the same and it’s always gonna evolve and Black music is Black music and it’s all good but everyday I try not to get too salty about her hanging out with the Trap niggas……. *Shrugs* Thank you hip hop for being the love of my life. Peace and One Love.
This years “Tools of War” events that took place in my neighborhood in Crotona Park were really on another level to me compared to last year’s that I went to. For those who don’t know what “Tools of War” is, it’s a hip hop park jam event where people from all over New York or the world come to enjoy good music, including classic hip hop, soul music, funk music and even house music, the kinda house music they played at hip hop parties back in the 1970’s and 80’s. A lot of people always come to these events because it gives people a sense of nostalgia and it’s a lot of fun. For me, being at “Tools of War” is like living a world like it’s the 70’s, 80’s again, sometimes the 90’s, depending on the DJ. So many people in the community come together with their chairs, water bottles and drinks and they sit or stand up to dance along to the music, people come through their freshest hip hop gear on like Kangol hats, Adidas, Pumas, Nikes, Reeboks, Clarks, gold rope chains, or anything that’s fashionable in hip hop. Breakdancers from all over New York or the world come through to show off their skills and hype up each other with their fresh gear too. There are camera men everywhere taking pics of the event of everything that’s going on including the people with their fresh gear on and dancing and having a good time and then handing out flyers to help promote themselves, just in case anyone wants to hire them for events. Grandmaster Caz, whose a hip hop legend, MC’s the event, he’s selling hip hop t-shirts, he’s calling out the raffle ticket winners at the end of the event and gives out prizes to the winners while his grandson Cazmere walks around the park handing out prizes and collecting the tickets. Then there’s the very nice and cool Christine Z-Pabon. Christine is the wife of legendary hip hop breakdancer, b-boy and master pop locker, Popmaster Fabel. She walks around the park making sure things are alright, handling business, and I believe she helps to make “Tools of War” happen. I actually spoke to her for the first time yesterday when I ran into my friend Damian and we both had a really cool but short conversation about the state of hip hop culture today, how the community can come together to collaborate to keep our streets and communities a much safer place for the youth and of course “Tools of War.” The best part about “Tools of War” are the hip hop legendary artists and DJ‘s who come by to show love and actually DJ for everyone. It’s the greatest thing in the world to me because I don’t have to pay a penny or travel far to see these kinda things happening; it’s right up the street from my building. Last week and yesterday, it was Kool DJ Red Alert, DJ Scratch, Lord Finesse and I happen to see of course, the father of hip hop himself, DJ Kool Herc and L.A. Sunshine from the legendary hip hop group Treacherous Three, who came by and show love too. Of course I forget about DJ Jazzy Jay and DJ Johnny Juice, they definitely did their thing too. I was very happy when I got my pictures taken with DJ Scratch last week and Lord Finesse yesterday. These men were very cool and I went home at the end feeling very inspired and happy to have meet more hip hop legends. Yesterday, I happen to notice someone else too, this guy was very popular amongst my generation because of the “Get Lite” movement 10 years ago. It was Mr. Voice of Harlem himself. I asked if it was really him and he said that it was, I got my pic with him and then he told me to tag him on Instagram and that’s how my night after “Tools of War” ended. So much can happen in 4 hours in my own neighborhood more than anywhere else to me. I’m just grateful to be able to witness hip hop greatness for the past 2 years like that, even though “Tools of War” been happening for 14 years. Of course they do it all over New York but I only attend the ones in my neighborhood in July every Thursday. I can’t wait for next year….