B-Boys Live On

Despite mainstream belief, b-boys do not necessarily break exclusively to hip hop. Original breaks from DJ Kool Herc, Bambaataa were taken from old soul and funk records therefore these dance moves were developed over this genre of music. If not this type, b-boys will prefer most break beats from ‘80s tracks. Modern main-stream hip hop is generally not designed for breaking with no specific break sessions to move around. Music is of the utmost importance to a b-boy. A true artist finds it imperative to have sound knowledge of breaking music in order to understand and carry the ability to dance to it. This concentrated knowledge of the music is displayed with moves as a b-boy highlights specific focal points in each song, narrating with their motions perhaps with a freeze, which is often humorous as well as impressive. (Although the term break-beats sounds like a name for what b-boys break to, it is mostly used to refer to certain genres in electronica.)

 

Old School Hip-Hop Review - Jungle Brothers "Straight Out The Jungle"

Loved by few and unliked by many. The Source to my knowledge did not give Straight Out The Jungle five mics but in my opinion it deserves them. Afrika Baby Bambaataa, Mike G and Sammy B are the forefathers of the Native Tongue movement. The first time I ever heard the JBs was on "I'll House You" in late '87. This album is packed with hits and any real hip-hop head will like. The fact that it has a more of a tribal feel some won't like it. Whatever the case if you don't have this album in your collection you might be missing a very important piece of history. My favorite song is the title cut
"Straight Out The Jungle". This has been one of my favorite jams and will go down for me in my top 100 of all time favorite hip-hop songs. Love live the JBs and we gotta give them them props because they helped bring new ideas and expansion to the game.

Top 15 Songs From 1985

TOP 15 SONG FROM 1985

1. The Show - Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew

2. La Di Da Di - Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew

3. I Can't Live Without My Radio - LL Cool J

4. I Need a Beat - LL Cool J

5. I Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam

6. The Roof is on Fire - Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three

7. The Show Stoppa (Is Stupid Fresh) - Super Nature (Salt N Pepa)

8. P.S.K.-What Does It Mean? (Park Side Killers) - Schoolly D

9. Batterram - Toddy Tee a.k.a. Todd Howard

10. Alice, I Want You Just for Me - Full Force

11. Big Mouth - Whodini

12. Fresh is the Word - Mantronix

13. Don't Stop the Rock - Freestyle

14. Terminator - Kid Frost

15. A Fly Girl - The Boogie Boys

Honorable Mention: Bass Rock Express - MC A.D.E.

Honorable Mention: If I Ruled the World - Kurtis Blow

Honorable Mention: Girl (Cocaine) - Too Short

Edited by: Jeff B.

((I hope these jams are a part of your collection. If not, better search the web and try to find them. You can't run away from history people.))

Old School Hip-Hop Review - Newcleus - "Jam On Revenge"

1984 - (Sunnyview) Who does'nt remember "Jam On It"?? I have to say around the time that this album came out Run-DMC already was popping. This album only had a couple of songs on it but the main one "Jam On It" will live forever. I can't say it anymore plain. This record will not get much play today as most oldschool hip-hop does'nt anyway, but it still lives on in the heart of the real B-Boy. This album was a stepping stone for hip-hop producers to get down with that electrosound. I was a mere 11 years old but I remember it like it was yesterday. Cosmo D & Chilly B were the voices of Newcleus and we used to love that Wikki, Wikki, Wikki. So dig in your crates or go through youe digital files and give this album a listen. If you don't have it, go out and try to find it on some kind of download as it will be worth it.

Old School Hip-Hop Review - Black Moon - "enta da stage"

1993 - (Nervous Records) Who got the props!! When this album came out Black Moon was already a force in the game. "Props" was already a huge single and Buckshot had taken his seat as one of the premiere emcees. Along with 5ft and DJ Evil D the three of them made was huge impact on the backpacker rapper. This album was full of jams that you could just listen to and feel like Hip-Hop was going somewhere. I Got Cha Opin (Remix) and How Many MC's were huge as well for the group. With it's smooth sounds and melodic flows from Buckshot there was no way you could deny Black Moon. All the way to the top, they had the momentum to take the rap game by storm. This record has to go into my top 50 of all time. I haven't comprised a list of that because there is too much good music from the old school to narrow it down, but if I was making a list this album would be in it. Make no mistake, Black Moon may be a forgotten group and haven't had much success since "Who Got The Props", but their legacy will live on through this first album and solidify themselves as powerhouse in the year of 1993-94.

Hip-Hop Books For The Mind

To all out there interested in learning about Hip-Hop and how it all got started. Well, there are two books that I would recommend for you all. That is the very famous book by Jeff Chang called "Can't Stop Won't Stop". This is a very good book and it's a deep read. It's one of the best ever written and it goes into extreme detail about our culture and how it got started and why. I would encourage all Hip-Hop enthusiasts to take some time out of your busy days and get involved in your culture by picking up this piece of dynamic work.

The second book I would like to talk bout is "Yes Yes Y'all". This book covers just the first decade of Hip-Hop. It talks to a lot of the pioneers about there experiences with the music and culture from it's beginnings. This book will keep you entertained because it is full of rare photos and rare interviews. Pick this book up as it will be good for your soul. You will also get a first hand look into the lives of these pioneers as they help bring the culture out of the darkness and into the light of the world today.

Old School Hip-Hop Review - Whodini - "Escape"

1984 - (Jive Records) - When Whodini first came out in 1983 their record was released before Run-DMC's was. The first album didn't do much at the time and people were still taking rapping as a joke. It was self entitled and if you ask most people they really can't remember any jams from that album. Now the second album Escape has three guaranteed party rockers that will make the 30+ Hip-Hop head go into a frenzy. I'm talking about Five Minutes Of Funk, Friends and Freaks Come Out At Night. These songs definitely bring back memories of the outdoor block parties and those feel good times in the club. I have to admit the rapper Jalil, Ecstasy and Grandmaster Dee knew what the streets wanted to hear and they did it in a big way. This album may not have had the acclaim that Run, D, and Jay had with there first but it's definitely up there with some of the greats. It's hard to find and if you do find it you had better keep it secure and in a safe place. Most times I play these jams to help me reminisce about when I was a kid growing up in Frisco. These songs are timeless and if there was a Hip-Hop hall of fame, Whodini would be first ballot inductees.

The Real B-Boys

Now I'm usually not down with anything commercial when it's comes to Hip-Hop because I believe that it comes from the streets and should stay in the streets. I will make one exception here in this case. I'm sitting home flipping threw the channels and I see Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew on MTV. I've watched it a few times before this season, but last night feeling a little irie I decided to watch the full hour. Most of the crews on there are pretty good and come up with some powerful routines, but there are three crews that stand out the most and represent B-Boying to the heart. There is the Boogie Bots (Washington D.C.), Supreme Soul (San Francisco, CA) and Super Cr3w (Las Vegas,NV). I was most impressed with Boogie Bots because I think they had the most original routine of the night. So then I go to YOUTUBE to find out if I could see a few clips of these groups. Out of all the clips that I seen I was most impressed with this one B-Boy named Do-Knock from Super Cr3w. This guy is the real deal!! He's got moves that James Brown would even be impressed with. So if you haven't seen B-Boys get down lately, here is a collection of Do-Knock getting ill with his superior skills as a representative of Hip-Hop and what B-Boys actually do.

"Do-Knock Greatest Hits"

Old School Hip-Hop Classic Videos - Chi Ali - "RoadRunner"

Can't forget the classics. Chi Ali had something going for him and he won't be forgotten in my eyes. Here is one video that helped Chi Ali move up the the Rap game at this time.

1992 - (Relativity Records)

RoadRunner

Old School Hip-Hop Review - YZ - The Best Of

1995 - (Tuff City Records) - To those who don't know who this brother is you are out of the loop. YZ is a man that has put smooth and intelligent rhymes down to a science. This album is a collection of YZ's work from his first album "In Control Of Things" and a few songs that came out on a EP he released sometime after that. If you remember the song "Tower With The Power", it puts you in a feel good mood to carry you throughout the day. I had been a fan of YZ since he came into the game in the early 90s. This best of record is packed with jams to make you think about how it used to be back in the days. I give YZ a 10 with this album because he stepped out of the realm of guns and gold and into the area and conscience rap. For that he deserves a high mark. So go out and try to find this rare piece of work and add it to your collection of history that is destined to be timeless.

Top 15 Songs From 1984

TOP 15 SONGS FROM 1984

1. Rock Box - Run DMC
2. Roxanne's Revenge - Roxanne Shante
3. Roxanne, Roxanne - U.T.F.O.
4. Freaks Come Out At Night - Whodini
5. Jam On It - Newcleus
6. Unity - Afrika Bambaataa and James Brown
7. One for the Treble - Davy DMX
8. The Real Roxanne - The Real Roxanne
9. When I Hear Music (It Makes Me Dance) - Debbie Deb
10. Egypt, Egypt - Egyptian Lover
11. Just Having Fun (Do the Beat Box) - Doug E. Fresh
12. Request Line - Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three
13. Jail House Rap - The Fat Boys
14. 8 Million Stories - Kurtis Blow
15. It's Gotta Be Fresh (Revelation/2 Live) - 2 Live Crew

Honorable Mention: What People Do for Money - Divine Sounds
Honorable Mention: Reckless - Chris "The Glove" Taylor with Ice T and David Storrs

Edited by: Jeff B.

((I hope these jams are a part of your collection. If not, better search the web and try to find them. You can't run away from history people.))

Wish You Could Of Been There??? Where Were You At??

Damn!! This is from back in the days. I wasn't there but I guess this was a tight concert that went down in the O on that night. I hope there was extra security because when the Niggas Wit Attitudes as in the house all hell was liable to break loose.

Old School Hip-Hop Review - De La Soul - "Buhloone Mindstate"

1993 - (Tommy Boy) - This is the third installation from De La Soul, Buhloone Mindstate. This album was well excepted and had been long over due as far as Hip-Hop heads were concerned. We all thought De La was dead and the would leave the game on a high note. The previous album they dropped in 1991, some would say it was the best they ever been. Buhloone Minstate was sort of different in it's own aspect. The record as a whole is a great listen and has alot of thump to it. "Breakadawn" and "Ego Trippin' [Part II] are sure shot winners and help this album reach it's fullest capacity. This is one De La record that is somewhat overlooked but will always be remembered for it's style and charisma. Pos, Dove and Mase are pioneers and have always tryed to keep that Native Tongue music going for the new millennium.