Hip Hop The Culture The Movement Is Still Alive

Some of you may know that I am one of the  host’s of grind hard radio which airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays 8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time 10 p.m. Central Time and Eastern time is at 11 p.m.

On August 10th 2017 the topic was on hip hop culture. And I’ve decided that that would be an excellent blog post to discuss. I know there’s a lot of hip-hop heads out there who keep this ever-changing movement alive. Who stick to the Hip Hop code  of raw and authentic  -real experience – unapologetic- essence of Hip Hop; TRUE HIP HOP IS ALIVE.

Let’s talk about hip hop culture… It’s  a movement through music, art, expression, and experiences. It’s a way of life putting it in simple words.

The Realms of this ever-evolving culture stem from :

graffiti paintings that tell the  story  of reality  of the lives of so many.

 

Our dance expression from…

pop locking, popping, breakdancing, on down to the B girls and B boys. The hip hop style can’t be duplicated but often failed to be replicated because it’s a way of life and it is our lifestyle.

Our  attitude bleeds Hip Hop.

When I think of Hip Hop I think of names like:

Cowboy Wiggins from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five  one of many pioneers:

And Afrika Bambaataa from the Zulu Nation.

Keith “Cowboy” Wiggins, a member of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, has been credited with coining the term  in 1978 while teasing a friend who had just joined the US Army by scat singing the made-up words “hip/hop/hip/hop” in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers. Cowboy later worked the “hip hop” cadence into his stage performance. The group frequently performed with disco artists who would refer to this new type of music by calling them “hip hoppers”. The name was originally meant as a sign of disrespect, but soon came to identify this new music and culture.

It’s funny how people don’t realize that the words through music – through anger – love – through hate or even happiness are all strong and play a part in the world OUR evolution.

A member of the Zulu Nation name Bee Stinger described Hip Hop as having six elements:

1. Conscious awareness

2. Civil rights awareness

3. Activism awareness

4. Justice

5. Political awareness

And last but definitely the most essential is…

6. Community awareness

It has been noted and written in the history of hip-hop time that hip hop originated from English speaking blacks from Barbados who where in the South Bronx New York such as ;

Grandmaster Flash and

DJ Kool Herc

That’s the scratch of the surface in naming some of the founding fathers. These icons introduced salsa, afro conga, bongo drums, jazz, funk, ragtime, and disco by mixing samples and creating loops and breaks which later people like Grandmaster Flash , Kool Moe Dee, LL Cool J, Mc Lyte, Roxanne Shante and others would rhyme over these beats.

Herc created the blueprint for hip hop music and culture by building upon the Jamaican tradition of impromptu toasting, a spoken type of boastful poetry and speech over music.

DJs like DJ Kool herc would plug up on  1520 Sedgwick Avenue in South Bronx and play music for block parties; now this just wasn’t to have a party “Hip Hop” was created to break down the racial barriers between African Americans, Puerto Ricans, and other ethnic groups. Hip Hop is a movement of cultural and of unification. A testimony if one might say of life experiences be it your story or someone else’s story through the eyes of people in the trenches living and about that life.

The dominant focal point is that Hip Hop has moved many souls abroad. In our culture Hip Hop focuses on the issues ethnic Americans face and still continue to face today. Hip Hop took off and expanded because these very same testimonies can be related to across the globe. So the next time you’re listening to a song and you’re listening to your favorite artist that is a Hip Hop artist listen to the words…. close your eyes and then envision the story  that man or woman is trying to get across or bring to AWARENESS.

Some of the best songs our favorite songs stay timeless and revelant in our hearts and in the hearts of others because of the words Hip Hop cultivate. Hip Hop culture:  it’s a lifestyle it’s a mission and  a movement and it’s still alive.

Thanks for reading my love for Hip Hop

-MzChief Beatshop

Stop by Grind hard radio and listen to pass episodes and current episodes at http://www.grindhardradio.com where we keep hip hop alive every Tuesday and Thursday 8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time 10 p.m. central Time and 11 p.m. eastern time or you can call in at :    (323) 693-3043 press 1 to speak to team grind hard.

 

“Salt” (Top Female Rapper )

 

Cheryl R. James (born March 28, 1966) better known by her stage name “Salt” is an American rapper and actress. She is a member of the rap trio Salt-n-Pepa, which also includes Pepa (Sandra Denton) and Spinderella (Deidra “Dee Dee” Roper). Salt starred in The Salt-n-Pepa Show, a reality TV series focusing on reforming the group.

Career

 

 

Cheryl James and Sandra Denton formed Salt-n-Pepa in 1984, they were joined by Latoya Hanson in 1985 who was replaced by Deidra Roper joined in 1986. They released five studio albums: Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986),A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988), Blacks’ Magic (1990), Very Necessary (1993), andBrand New (1997). Salt also co-starred in the 1993 motion picture Who’s the Man? In 1997, she recorded the song “Stomp” with gospel artists Kirk Franklin and God’s Property for their album God’s Property, one of the best-selling albums in gospel music history. They were the first female rap act to have gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums, and the first female rap act to win a Grammy. The group disbanded in 2002 but reformed in 2008.

 

Salt appeared on VH1’s inaugural Hip Hop Honors program in November 2004, along with Pepa, but they did not perform. Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella, however, did perform on the second Hip Hop Honors on September 22, 2005, performing their hit “Whatta Man”. This was the trio’s first performance as Salt-N-Pepa since 1999. On October 23, 2008, Salt-N-Pepa performed “Shoop”, “Push It”, and “Whatta Man” at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards. In 2009, Salt was featured in the Generation Gospel Exclusive on 106 & Gospel.

 

Personal

 

Salt married her husband Gavin Wray on Christmas Eve 2000,  She and Wray have two children, a daughter and a son. They currently reside in New York City.   She was referenced in Tupac’s song “Keep Ya Head Up.”

 

In an interview Salt stated she considers herself a feminist “in a way,” emphasizing the need for women to avoid complete emotional and financial dependence on men. Songs like “Tramp” and “Shake Your Thang” by Salt-N-Pepa express these feminist themes of female autonomy.



Pepa 🌶

#PEPAFACTS26 TOP FEMALE RAPPER
ACTIVE: 1985 TO PRESENT
Sandra Denton (born November 9, 1969) better known by her stage name “Pepa” is a Jamaican-born American hip hop artist and actress, best known for her work as a member of the female rap trio Salt-n-Pepa.
Early life and education
Born in Kingston, Jamaica on November 9, 1969, Denton’s family moved to Queens, New York when she was a child. 
In 1985, while studying nursing at Queensborough Community College, she met Cheryl “Salt” James.
Career
With production by Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor”, James and Denton released a single called “The Showstopper” which became a moderate R&B hit. They were joined with Latoya Hanson who was the original DJ of the group. 
Shortly after in 1986, Deidra “Spinderella” Roper joined as the group’s DJ as a full-length debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, was being released.
 The trio released a total of five studio albums: “Hot, Cool, and Vicious” (1986), A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988), Blacks’ Magic (1990), Very Necessary(1993), and Brand New (1997), plus several greatest hits albums.
Salt-n-Pepa disbanded in 2002 several months after their Brand New album was released on Red Ant Records. Pepa’s group member Salt had stated she was ready to leave the music industry. The trio reunited for a performance on VH1’s Hip Hop Honors program on September 22, 2005.
In 2005, Pepa was a cast member of VH1’s The Surreal Life (season 5). Pepa’s acting credits also include the motion picture Joe’s Apartment, an appearance in the HBO movie First Time Felon, and a stint as Officer Andrea Phelan on the HBO drama, Oz. She also starred on The Surreal Life: Fame Games.
Salt-n-Pepa reformed in 2008, and are still in the process of releasing an album since reforming as they work out past issues. Pepa teamed up with Salt for VH1’s The Salt-N-Pepa Show.
 Pepa also starred in her own reality show on the network entitled Let’s Talk About Pep, a name play-off the group’s hit song “Let’s Talk About Sex”. She can also be heard speaking a Jamaican chant in the song “Need U Bad” by Jazmine Sullivan.
In August 2008, Pepa released her autobiography, which was also entitled Let’s Talk About Pep. It was co-written by Karen Hunter, and it offered a look behind the fame, family, failures, and successes of her life in one of hip-hop’s most successful groups. 
It features an introduction by Queen Latifah, and an epilogue by Missy Elliott. To accommodate the book, Pepa launched her own social network for her fans. On October 23, 2008 Salt-N-Pepa performed at the BET Hip Hop Awards.
In January 2011, Pepa appeared in an episode of the TBS sitcom “Are We There Yet?” as a woman who falls for the Terry Crews character of Nick.
Personal life
In 1990, Pepa gave birth to her first child, son Tyran Moore. She made a guest appearance on Ricki Lakein 1993, teaching teenage girls the responsibilities of being a mother. 
In 1999, she married Treach of the rap group Naughty by Nature. She and Treach had one daughter, Egypt Jahnari Criss (born September 2, 1998). After allegations of physical abuse by Treach, they divorced in 2001.