Hip Hop Ends

Hip hop class has come to a close so I thought I would take some time to write about the entire experience as a whole. When class began I was not sure what to expect. The first day was interesting and I feel that it was a good way to begin the course. I knew nothing about hip hop before class and for the first day to have people from the industry to tell about hip hop was helpful and interesting. I feel that this day also set the tone for the entire class early on. DJ Brasco saying that hip hop was real, and a lifestyle, and it’s how you act and dress. This definition automatically put that image into the mind of the non hip hop heads. It would be this image that set the tone for most of the class. I also think it is this definition that makes much of the class believes that they themselves cannot be hip hop. This first day with the people from the radio station also set an open dialogue for the rest of class. We answered many questions on the first day and this is what I think made the class so open and honest with one another. I have a theory that intersession and summer school courses always end up becoming comfortable with one another like a family. I feel that this comfortable setting made the learning experience easier for me as someone who was not fluent in the language of hip hop. I felt as though I could ask questions with out being ridiculed by my classmates. Instead my classmates did their best to help me further my understanding of hip hop. There were times that the discussion got a little uncomfortable because of different points of view but I think over all the discussion helped us to understand where one another was coming from. The few hip hop heads in class got to express their passion for the music and it was refreshing to see their love for this music. Hip hop in the media was a positive experience for me and I will walk away with a respect and knowledge for a culture that I was unaware of before the class began.
New Sites that I like
http://xxlmag.com/
http://www.thesource.com/
http://www.vibe.com/

Who is hip hop?

Today in class much discussion surrounded the topic of who is hip hop? Many people chose to answer the question given “Are you hip hop?” Many of the female students in the class answered that they felt as though they are not hip hop. I was one of the students who felt and feels as though they are not hip hop. Though I have a new found respect and understanding of hip hop I do not think that a three week course on the subject automatically makes me hip hop. I agree that hip hop does not have to have an exact definition. All of our class controversy has surrounded the definition of hip hop. Is hip hop being real? Is hip hop a culture? Is hip hop a life style? I agree with all those things and that is why I feel that I can not call myself hip hop. I think if I were to label myself as hip hop I would not be real. I am not a part of the culture. I am a part of the generation but not the culture. I feel that though I know more about hip hop now than I ever have that does not give me the right to call myself hip hop. When I think of someone who is hip hop I imagine someone who is knowledgeable on the artists and songs of hip hop. I picture the stereotypical image of a person in baggy clothes and the rest of the stereotypes. I understand the common idea of the stereotype is not always the case but I cannot help but think of that when I imagine someone who is hip hop. I know that sounds terribly ignorant and I know hip hop reaches a wide range of people but I think it is that strong stereotype that keeps me from calling myself hip hop. Also I just don’t feel that I am hip hop. Yeah I listen and can relate to some of the music but that does not make a person hip hop. It makes a person literate in the subject of hip hop. I feel that I can sympathize with hip hop but I do not know if I can empathize because the struggles I have faced are not the same that hip hop heads have. I think just because I see a Broadway musical and enjoy it does not make me Bernadette Peters. I have respect for hip hop and say that I am not hip hop, but who knows maybe I will be in the future.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music
http://www.bernadettepeters.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6oBjrMi5Ww

The Power of Break Dancing

When hip hop began it was not as popular as it is in present day. DJ Kool Herc looped parts of the song with the best beats so the people would continue to dance. This became known as break dancing. Afrika Bambaataa organized one of the first break dancing groups The Zulu Kings. Break dancing was a harmless release that propelled the popularity of hip hop. These beats created a new way of dancing that had never been used before. Break dancing faded but then came back in the style that may are familiar with today. I find break dancing fascinating. These dancers not only have rhythm, something I envy, they have to be incredible athletes.
I used work for Universal Cheerleaders Association and had the opportunity to meet interesting people all over the US. One of the most amazing people I have ever met was a break dancer turned cheerleader. While on staff I met another staffer who also cheered at an East Coast university. We were hanging out talking one night just getting to know one another when he shared with me one of the most encouraging stories I have ever heard. He told me how his mother was a drug addict and because of her addiction his family had lost everything they had. At young age he and his brothers were homeless. He told me how he and his brothers used their break dancing as a way to make money. They would perform on the streets for people making money to eat on all the while living on the street or in shelters. They were so talented that eventually he got offered a scholarship to be a college cheerleader. His break dancing skills make it easy for him to learn to tumble (he could already do a ton of flips) and cheer. This is also how he got his job with UCA as a cheer instructor. It was his break dancing that opened doors for him making it possible for him to get his brothers off the streets. When his brothers were old enough they became college cheerleaders at the same school. Each time I think of this story I am almost moved to tears. Mainly because BeeZ was so happy that you would never know the hard ships that he faced. This is one amazing example of the power of hip hop and the human spirit.

http://www.jam2dis.com/j2dbreakdancehist1.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=321f_e8Ap0M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7gcEJjcRUE&mode=related&search=