Friday, February 8, 2013

Black History Month- Cultrual Icons

When you talk of Cultural Icons these next three (3) guys are huge! They do not get the credit they truely deserve. But they truely are old school in thought and heart, because they did, what they did out of love and not money! This is why I honor them as Black History Cultural Icons!

                                             The Creators of Hip Hop/ Rapping Music

                                     Dj Kool Herc, Coke La Rock and Afrikan Bambaata

These three (3) guys saved a whole generation of inner city Black males from gang violence!

Example:

As inner city condition continue to get worse after World War II and the slowing down of light manufacturing in America due to oversea cost and cheap labor. Many Blacks whom had moved from down south {rural} America and the Caribbean countries looking for work and a promise of a better life for their family, had become trapped by mid and late 1960s!

Many of the inner city children started to join street gangs all over America, especially on the east coast.

*Tip
Gangs in Los Angles were started or heavily influence by gang members from Chicago, whom had been sent their by family members to get away from gang life in Chicago, but subsequently started their own gangs when they came to Los Angles.

By the 1960s New York City had a out of control gang problem. One of the hardest hit areas by gang violence was the South Bronx borough of New York City.

Dj Kool Herc {Clive Campbell} and his sister Cindy and friends start giving and host parties for young people to have safe fun and get off the streets.

Dj Kool Herc is Jamaican born. He remember the style of the Jamaican Dj in the dance halls of Jamaica. The breaks {playing the instrumental part of the song repeatedly} and what is known as toasting {giving a shout out}. He started to do this with records his dad bought him like James Brown!

Dj Kool Herc friend Coke La Rock would do the Mcing {Master of Ceremonies}, with toasting and repeating the hooks {catchphrase of song} thus rapping was born. These parties became so big that the parents had to help supply the parties with snacks and refreshments!

Coke La Rock aka Coco La Rock is credit with being the first Rappper! His stage name was Coco La Rock, but as time went on it changed to Coke La Rock, coming from the street slang word dope in Hip Hop meaning good or the best!

La Rock states "that they were kids playing around looking for something to do to get off the streets and have fun, and it sort took off from there". La Rock left the Hip Hop scene in the late 1970s to raise his son!

**Tip
Coke La Rock is not related Scott La Rock of Criminal Minded rapp group! {KRS One}
Only influnced, but this is disputed also?

Afrikan Bambaata also join up with the duo of DJ Kool Herc and La Rock and would host parties all over town! Afrikan Bambaata "Bam" for short would heavenly influence Africa Culture into Hip Hop influence by a recent trip to Africa, from a essay he had won at school!

Afrikan Bambaata {Kevin Donovan} also from the Bronx, was pushing for a non- violent way for young people to get off the streets! The three (3) came together and started what we will call Hip Hop!

I want to personally thank these (3) guys because of Hip Hop before gangster rapp was a huge influence on my life! Hip Hop was such a movement by the late 70s and early 80s that it started to open my eyes up to the world, and gave me a voice on the world stage of what it felt like to young and Black in the inner city!

Thank you!


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