To this day, I can't convince anyone that I actually have listened to Hip-Hop for 32 years. I think it's because they can't imagine me listening to songs by gangsters about "ho's" and "gat's".
That's not the Hip-Hop I listen to.
I heard my first Hip-Hop song when I was 12: Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang. One of the greatest stories every told. I was a music freak by age 5. When I became old enough to earn allowance, I used it to buy singles.
Think about it. It's only natural that a 7-year-old girl who watched Soul Train every weekend in the 70's, hula hooped and roller skated would fall in love with funk and soul and eventually Hip-Hop.
I learned all the words to Rappers Delight and sung along to the EP hundreds, maybe even thousands of times. I immersed myself in the story line and I could visualize chicken that tasted like wood, soggy macaroni, a bottle of Kaopectate, a super hero in panty hose.
To me it was like a bedtime story on steroids. The only thing missing was visuals.
In the 80's my brothers and I listened to Run D.M.C., The Beastie Boys, Ice Cube and Grand Master Flash.
I also learned all the lyrics to The Message and at age 16 I felt it was imperative that I see the Grand Master in person. So, when he came to The Country Club in Hollywood, I saw him...twice.
I enjoyed the first show so much, I stayed for the second. I was a tiny bit dismayed when I realized both shows were exactly the same.
My fandom for Hip-Hop flowed into the 1990's when I listened to a lot of A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys and De La Soul. I listened to an all Hip-Hop AM station (the old K-DAY) as often as possible.
In the late 90's/early 2000's I listened to KPWR 106 but it seemed like the peace-promoting, think for yourself, have fun brand of Hip-Hop disappeared from the radio waves. That, and I was so immersed in graduate school I stopped listening to music so I could study.
The other day my husband got me a compilation CD that includes a lot of the songs I listened to in the 80's and 90's and it revived my memories of listening to Hip-Hop day and night throughout my 20's and how much fun that was.
If you were a closet Hip-Hop lover in the 80's and 90's like me and want to hear some "old school", type "M.O.S. Anthems Hip-Hop" into your Google search field and you'll find several places to download it for free.
The compilation includes artists like Run D.M.C., A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg, House of Pain, Special Ed, DJ Quick, Cypress Hill, Common, Dead Prez, Public Enemy and much, much more.
Yes, some of these songs have gang references and explicit language but many are just your standard poetic, fun and sometimes thought-provoking tunes that make you want to dance. That’s the Hip-Hop I listen to.
Listening to hip hop as a young girl gave me an education in the power of words and imagery. In this speech from the Toastmasters Storytelling manual, I take the liberty to consider the popular hip hop song, "Left My Wallet in El Segundo" as a folk tale and I retell it in my own words.
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When you think about it, every musical act you know of is using the Master Mind principle whether they realize it or not. They are joining together as a team with a combined vision. You can use the same principle and make some truly rockin' things happen in your life.
Do you have a creative project you want to complete? Do you want to find a purpose for your life?
If so, I invite you to come over to my brand new page called Start a Master Mind Group.com. I'm offering 4 freebies to get you started so you can get a sense of what the Master Mind is all about.
There's nothing cool about holding back.
Every musical act has influences. The Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest influenced each other. Punk bands from the U.K. influenced garage bands in Southern California and vice versa. Reggae and dub influenced each other.
What are your influences? That's what we talked about in Helping and Listening Skills this week. We came up with a great list and I liked it so much I took a picture of it.
I asked the students to tell me about the things that influence them. What do they value? Why do they do what they do; love what they love? This is the list they came up with:
Parents
Environment
-Friends
-Neighborhood
-Peers
-Religion
Culture
Schools
Food/Nutrition
Media
Mental Illness
Life Experience
-Observation
Socio-Economic Status ($$$)
Books
Music
Relationships
Friendships
Family
-Uncles
-Aunts
-Brothers
-Sisters
-etc.
Role Model
-Coach
-Minister
-Teacher
Law
Government
Health
Medication/Drugs
Language
Sleep
Fashion
Freedom
Travel
Pets
Sex
Arts
-Pictures
-Painting
-Dance
Entertainment
Perception
The point I want to make in this class is that you cannot know any of these things about yourself or anyone else unless you first learn how to listen.
A great Master Mind group is one that's committed to honoring and respecting each other and that includes listening unconditionally and without judgment. It is honoring a person to trust that they know what's best for their own life.
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When you think about it, every musical act you know of is using the Master Mind principle whether they realize it or not. They are joining together as a team with a combined vision. You can use the same principle and make some truly rockin' things happen in your life.
Do you have a creative project you want to complete? Do you want to find a purpose for your life?
If so, I invite you to come over to my brand new page called Start a Master Mind Group.com. I'm offering 4 freebies to get you started so you can get a sense of what the Master Mind is all about.
There's nothing cool about holding back.
Stressed Out by A Tribe Called Quest on YouTube.
Stress takes all the joy out of life. If you've got a lot of stress and it's bogging you down, hypnosis can help. Hypnosis is about relaxing, chillin' and creating an inner reality that helps you feel positive. When you change your inner world, the outer world changes too....or at least your perception of it does.
I'll be doing a free hypnosis workshop in Long Beach on March 3 where you can learn more. For details and a downloadable flier, click here.
In the meantime, enjoy this video by A Tribe Called Quest or buy Stressed Out on iTunes.
The longer the recession lasts, the more creative I become. I didn't realize what a consumer zombie I was until the credit was yanked right out from under me. Since I'm not spending money, I'm forced to entertain myself with the items I have on hand. I have a lot more than I realized. Isn't that the American way?
Just today I got to enjoy this "old" stuff.
**Listened to Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang on 12" vinyl
**Went window shopping on Retro Row. Treated my fingers to the feel of cashmere and got two eyes full of the glitteriest costume jewelry in Long Beach
**Wore the sequin-covered vintage sweater I got for Christmas from Warehouse 1333 while shopping, felt "retro". It added something to the whole experience
**Talked to the man at Via Roller Skates about outdoor skating in Long Beach the 2nd Friday of each month*
**Watched A Tribe Called Quest A Video Anthology (which I completely forgot, has the Left My Wallet in Segundo video on it)
**Talked to my friend Rev. Ahman twice about movies, music, family, food and community
**Listened to Blood of Abraham and The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, my two new purchases from my iTunes gift card
P.S. If you like roller skating, come skate outdoors in Long Beach the second Friday of each month with other Long Beach residents. Meet at Via Roller Skates 2218 4th St. (inside Lil Devils) Long Beach, CA (267) 374-9674. I'm putting a note in my PalmPilot to remind me to go on January 9, 2009. Maybe I'll see you there.
I got 2 $50 iTunes gift certificates for Christmas. It didn't take me long to make my first purchase. I bought the eyedollartree album by Blood of Abraham. I was inspired to listen to them because I like their song 99 Cent Lighter (featuring WILL.i.am of the black eyed peas) which I own on 12" vinyl.
I went to iTunes and checked out some of their other songs and I was impressed. I bought the entire album. It's old-school underground hip hop with stories from the streets. A slight "hey wake up", unity, political slant to the whole thing. Great production. The first video is kinda fun and silly on the exterior but the lyrics are deep. The second video is a little bit more intense and omnious. Check it out.
Back in the day I was known as Sheri Olson, AKA "Sheri O." I was a bit of a hellraiser. I went to punk gigs 3 times a week, I danced in gay bars and I used heavy, illicit drugs. I smoked a pack of Marlboro red box a day.
When I was seven, I wanted to be a roller derby queen and the highlight of my life was the newest Elton John and KiKi Dee "45", Don't Go Breakin' My Heart. I remember putting it on the turntable in the back yard and either roller skating or hula hooping the entire time it played. I would play it 5, 10, 20 times in a row. If I wasn't roller skating or hula hooping I was lip synching or dancing.
All links go to iTunes.
Other life-changing tunes from my childhood include: Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder, Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry, Precious by the Pretenders, Jocko Homo by Devo, Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt , Rappers Delight by Sugar Hill Gang, and I Left My Wallet in El Segundo and Can I Kick It by A Tribe Called Quest.
There were the punk and alternative bands of the 80's like G.B.H., Joy Division, Social Distortion, CH3, T.S.O.L., Shattered Faith, Naked Raygun and more which also had an impact. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the uncategorizible raps and rhymes of the Beastie Boys.
(Here I am at the LAist holiday party singing Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols using the Guitar Hero game. Earlier in the evening I sang One Way or Another by Blondie and Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix. I got 79-90% accuracy on all of them.)
The older I got, the more I was scolded for such immature behavior and socially unacceptable music choices. I was trained to be a "proper Christian". To cross my legs, to wear pigtails and to be skinny. I was trained to be dumb on purpose because "it intimidates the men if you're too smart."
I tried to maintain my "self" the best I could. I rebelled against all conformity. But eventually it got to me. The mean looks, the conversations behind my back, the cold shoulders. I was fired more than once just because I spoke my mind and people told me "you're crazy" for as long as I can remember.
Why bring all that unecessary hardship on myself? I figured it would be easier to just follow the rules and get along.
So I tried to blend in. To be the "me" everyone else says to be. Tried to lose weight even though I love my curves, tried to eat more vegetables, tried not to eat dessert, I made sure to smile just right, to have good breath, to not be too sassy, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
In my 20's and 30's I pretty much acted perfect all day then came home and swallowed the refrigerator.
In University I learned how to "say it right, put it in APA format, double-space it and use 12-point font." I learned big words and a series of scientifically unfounded psychological theories as well as a long list of labels, diagnoses and pharmacuetical cures for all that ails the human mind. I learned to "be professional!" at all costs.
If I was going to maintain this game, I knew it was imperative that I discontinue all connection with night life. Not even time to listen to records. No more time for punk rock gigs. My textbooks were my late-night and early morning reading. My entire life revolved around devouring volumes of research journals and psychology textbooks, getting good grades and regurgitating information the way my instructors wanted me to.
I played the game all the way to the end. I got a master's degree and I'll be damned if I ever get a PhD.
What finally happened is that I imploded. I became entirely incapable of performing the act. In some ways, "I" fell apart. The "I" I thought I was that is. I couldn't do it anymore. Sheri O. was crying out for attention and she was ready to do some crazy shit like roller derby and punk rock to get it. Sheri O. won.
What I want to know is this: are our spunky girls with a creative edge being adequately nurtured these days or are they being stifled by the oh-so-rigorous training for the position of "Queen"?
Are they enjoying and embracing their youth, their skills and their talents or are they busy hating everything about themselves from their eyebrows to their toe nails? Will they have to wait until they're 40 to realize that being themselves is the easiest and most beautiful thing there is? How many more generations can we afford to let this happen?
The truth is, none of us needs to be a perfect King or Queen, that's a job reserved for the King and Queen. In England, everyone is very clear that there is only one Queen and Elizabeth is it. Nobody tries to be Queen because they know they can't be and won't be. We need to stop trying to be something that we're not. I don't say that to defeat progress but instead to encouarge you to be your best self, not some lame imitation of who you think you can and should be. Faking it is a total waste of time, trust me.
If you need help with finding the true you again or if you want to be sure to maintain the real you without crumbling beneath criticism, get my book From Sabotage to Success.
I love the song "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" by A Tribe Called Quest. There is a music video of it available on YouTube. Most of the time, there is a code on every YouTube video that allows you to embed the video on your own blog or website. When embedding is disabled, it means that viewers must go to YouTube to see the video and that's the only place they can see it.
About 1/2 way through Q-tip's story about the journey to retrieve his wallet, I am profoundly aware that Petco is offering a $5 in-store coupon. All I have to do is just click on the bright white picture of the Christmas Tree and the dog with the santa hat and it's mine for the printing. I begin to get distracted. Do I need something from Petco? Do I have cat litter? How about cat food? Check and check. Meanwhile, I miss the part where Q-tip is telling the police about what was in his wallet, "Yo, it was a brown wallet, It had props numbers, it had my jimmy hats, I gotta get it man" he says.
Advertising is a way of life, it will always be everywhere. During this time of transformation in where and how we consume media, we need to be aware of what we're absorbing and to create our own media channels and our own "news" when possible. In the meantime, I will endure the subliminal advertising from Petco to go over to YouTube and watch this video because it is THAT cool. Q-Tip really has a powerful, rich communication style and watching this song on video gives it another level of depth.