by vivrant thang on feeding the music jones

Actually the title is a little deceiving because this love affair started up again last year with the Hip Hop Honors Tour. 

I’ve never been a hip hop head per se. Always been more of an R&B junkie. Mary, Total, Faith, Jodeci, Mint Condition, SWV, Dru Hill, and Zhane were a fewof the artists playing on the soundtrack to my life in my formative years. However, in between my obession with the New Jack Swing Era, emcees like Biggie, Big Daddy Kane, Salt & Pepa, MC Lyte, Snoop, and LL still got play on my pink boom box. To this day, I can still recite most of the lyrics to all their songs. And I’m proud of that.

Will these kids growing up today be able to do the same thing in 10-15 years?

Hell no because half these fools with songs in the rotation today ain’t saying shit. Who can even understand what they’re saying? And who is even listening? Doesn’t matter because it’s all about the beat and whether it can make asses bounce in da club and on the television screen.

I’ve been gone for a minute and didn’t mean to come back ranting. Besides, surely I’m preaching to the choir. It’s just that seeing KRS-One perform over the holiday weekend just took me back to the time when I was listening to the lyrics…taking them to heart, committing them to memory because they meant something. When battling was done on wax and not in the streets with heat.

When I’m in a jam, with my homegirl Jill
My cousin Trey across the room with a posse to kill
So I step in the middle, shake it just a little
Wait for some female to step up and pop junk
Give my cousin a cue, treat the girl like a punk
Now I’m not tryin to say that I’m into static
But yo if you cause it, yup, we gotta have it
Cause I ain’t goin out like a sucker no way
So I sit around the way for you to make my day
We can go for the hands, better yet for the words
Cause you’ll be ignored, and at the same time, I’ll be heard
throughout the city, the town and the country
The beat is funky, my rhyme is spunky
There is no delayin in the rhyme I’m sayin
Neither are the flaws of what my DJ is playin
So SIT BACK Jack, and listen to this
It’s 10% Dis..
cause I’m just about ready to fly this fist
against your lips!

You were rapping along weren’t you?

So with the exception of a few emcees in the game today that I like – ones that “don’t be getting no airplay,” I choose to live in the past. Seeing KRS-One perform reminded me of why I’m dropping $80 to be three rows from the stage for this show.

Needs some girl power though. Was Lyte too busy promoting Almost September?

KRS-One, backed up by Chief Rocka Busy Bee, came through and delivered the message. I saw him last year at the Congressional Black Caucus Black party but the experience wasn’t quite the same with what I affectionately like to call the “Martha’s Vineyard crowd.” True hip hop heads of all races were packed into the venue to see a true emcee take the stage. You could literally see the excitement on everyone’s faces. When he finally came on, I didn’t think I was going to be able to hold on to my camera!

Throughout the show, folx were passing wax, kicks off their feet, t-shirts off their backs, hats off their heads- anything they could get their hands on for him and Busy Bee to sign. The energy was high and the temperature was on hell, just like a real house party.

There were some young boys in the audience, as you’ll see on one of the videos. Had to be no more than ten years old which got the major side-eye from me. We were at a bar, after midnight, where folks were dranking. What were they doing there?! However, after KRS pulled them on the stage and showed them what real hip-hop was, I was glad they were there (sort of). One of them might even be on that stage ten years from now spitting the real hip-hop – which I hope was the idea.

They also threw autographed tennis balls into audience. I got mine signed by Busy too. Gotta put that up for safekeeping along with my wax. School Lil Vivrant one day. Who knows what she’ll have to listen to by then? *shudders at the thought*

Enjoy some videos from the show and fall back in love (or deeper in love) with REAL hip-hop. More on my You Tube channel.

Are you still in love with hip-hop? Which emcees keep that love affair going?

Medley of songs including one of my favorites, Black Coppppp!

Love’s Gonna Get’cha (Now tell me what the f*ck am I supposed to do?)

KRS-One breaking down hip-hop so it can forever and consistently be broken (how many of these songs can you name?!)

“You Must Learn” and “Criminal Minded”