11/08/2023
Happy Birthday Hip Hop!!!!… the genre of music created by black excellence as a way to have fun, express ourselves and the world around us right on Sedgewick Ave in the BX!!! To a genre of music that has changed the ENTIRE WORLD!
Outside of my mom, Hip Hop raised me, shaped the way I’ve moved in this world and continue to do so, to not be apologetic and to know the authenticity of who I am. I grew up down the street from Rob Base who use to stand on the on corner of 135th.
Pressing record at night on my tape deck to get DJ Red Alert’s mixes. To being introduced to Run DMX at the age of 5, my first hip hop taped that my kindergarten bestie’s older brother made for me. To Roxane Shanté, MC Lyte, Yo Yo, Lady of Rage, Sista Soulja, Ms. Melodie, Monie Love and Queen Latifah, specifically, who changed my life to black women being Queens, empowered, and proud. To searching for vinyl, my tape deck, walk man, disc man, and cd player where I wore them the hell out playing music every damn day. To Harlem Music World on 125th where me and my brother went everyday after school for the newest mixtapes in high school. To Grand Master Flash, Kool Herc, U.T.F.O, K.R.S One, LL Cool J, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, to Naughty by Nature, to Special Ed, to Wu-Tang, Redman, N.W.A, Public Enemy, Biz Markie, House of Pain, EPMD, Rakim, Cypress Hill, Apache, and this is all before Jay-Z, Nas, Pac or Biggie…. Listen I can go on for days - I haven’t even touched on the DJs.. Red Alert, Jam Master Jay, DJ Cucumber Slice (IYKYK), I’ll be here all day sheesh!
Hip Hop has an undeniable impact everyone and everything from fashion, how you talk (slang), s**t how you walk and who y’all wanna be around. I’m proud to have grown up with Hip Hop and here’s to 50 plus years now. “There it is!” (*B-girl stance)
