Check This Art Form Out!

By Kerwin De Matas

A personal favourite of mine, Hip Hop. I heard a couple of kids talking on the metro about this topic, and I just had to smile. They are just kids, now coming into this music, so they don't know better. They were going on about the best artists in this art form. They were calling names like DMX, Xibit, No Limit Soldiers etc. Now these labels are good, I won't deny that, there are times I like to sit down and get down a little with their music.



But there is no doubt that the best labels in this art form started out in the 70's and early 80's with great names like Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Run DMC, Jazzy Jay, Fat Boys and the list goes on. These were just some of the pioneers of this art form laying the base for some of the dances of that period like B-Boying or B-Girling, break dance etc and for the great labels of today, I'm talking about Snoop Dog, Dr Dre, Beastie boys, Puff daddy, Master P etc.

Break Dancing

Now of course, gangsta rap also had a part to play in this art form because of the heavy rivalry between some of the most prominant Dj's of that era like Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, etc. Now during that period, a lot of young people from the poor neighborhoods from the urban areas in the United States and else where, were attracted to gangsta rap on a high level. It was a comfort in a way, since it described the realities that they were living and that breaks were needed to live a life that was more or less respectable. Now this music has come a long way, it has developed in a way that is totally impressive.

An Advert For A Party In '81

But I have to say though, that most of the Hip Hop labels in the United States today have lost the realness of this art form, since it is all about bling bling today. I remember when I was a kid, I loved to go to the cinema to see the break dance movies, or seeing the kids in the street trying to out do each other in dance, beat boxing, or lyrics that were just spun off in the moment....now for me that was the real essence of the Hip Hop culture.

Now It's All Bling Bling...

But all is not lost, because there are a lot of African and French groups ( Sian Supa is a good one!! ) that are bringing back the old school feeling in Hip Hop today, so all is not lost. But what I would give to go to a real Jam out again one day, to see and feel the rhythms of the past and present all mixed together, making a show that wouldn't be forgotten ever! Until then, for the fans of Hip Hop today, if you really want the essence of this art form, try going back into the past...Just try it, and have a good time, ya´ll!!