I remember back in highschool swapping breakdance videotapes with a friend and one time, tha dood got it twisted and flipped me a DJ battle vid instead of the standard bboy battle vid that i requested. I remember rushing home from the bus, popping the tape in and fastforwarding the thing to the end hoping to see some windmills and flares but nothing. I was pretty disappointed. But then I watched the video tape again and was watching this guy named DJ QBert playing LL's Rock the Bells on the turntable cept he wasn't just playing it, he was taking LL's "Rock the Bells" expression and cutting it up like no one's business. And I remember just staring at the screen trying to figure out what he was doing, that altho i couldn't make any sense of the sounds that were assaulting me ears, i thought the whole shebangabang was dope.
Fastforward 10 years to today, i had the opportunity to teach my first turntablist workshop to the kids at my school. Before actually getting started we went around the room just to see why the kids who were enrolled in my class, were enrolled. Responses varied from, "I thought it would be cool" to "There was nothing better bra". After an hour and a half of teach the kids and lettting them cut ri-ri-rirock-rirrrrrrock-riririrock da beat da da da da beaat and f-r-fr-fr-shhhhh-fereererererefreshh over some akon instrumentals, some dem were asking me what they needed to do to become DJs. Proverbial tear down my eye (cause my tearducts are busted).
While much has changed in 10 years, my love and appreciation for this artform is still true. I've heard enough about the decrepit state of hiphop today but few understand that hiphop is what you make of it. So's the same with life. If you know what you love to do and have the means to pursue it, what's stopping you?
dj darren g, how many kids in the class? and r u going to teach them some hip hop history in their lessons?
"hiphop is what u make of it" <- such a true statement. without some history behind hip hop kids won't understand why its how it is today and why "hip hop is what u make of it".
ok anywho... next you gotta teach them how to b a bboy like darren wong.. and then teach them how to lift weights like darren wong... and then teach them how to mack like darren wong.. etcetc.
hows it going? still good? got any girls in the class? *winkwink if you kno wat i mean* hahaha......im jk of course.
anywhoo. miss you back here.. i feel so oldddd....man.
mix it up wit those undergrads! even if you dont want them tell them ur friend baack at home does!
dj darren g, how many kids in the class? and r u going to teach them some hip hop history in their lessons?
"hiphop is what u make of it" <- such a true statement. without some history behind hip hop kids won't understand why its how it is today and why "hip hop is what u make of it".
dj social change, go do the right thang!