The first joints I memorized were Batterram and then Jam On It.
I could windmill, backspin, centipede, pretty much all the
regular b-boy moves.

But it didn't really hit me until I could buy my own tapes.
No big brother, no uncle, and mom's wasn't having it. Most
of the time she was rocking Studio One in the car.

But I got big enough to mow lawns, and before you know it....

But the truth of the matter, I was just into rap music and
breakdancing, not hip hop and b-boying. Even going back to NY
those early 80 summers I still had no idea what the rest of
the hip hop was all about.

It was only after meeting cats, reading up, studying the music,
listening to breaks that I began to understand what the whole
thing was about. You get a whole diff perspective when you see
how folks make the music, see how it gets promoted, and see
what people say they like and what they really like.

Q. How come they weren't playing instruments like everyone else?
A. They couldn't afford instruments and training, but they
could still make music.

Compared to other black music, hip hop had a whole set of new
rules and new ideas.

You ain't got no drums? Holla at this Billy Squire.
Can't sing but you got something you wanna say? get a mic.

But cats nowadays, they don't appreciate the very essence
of the what made it different and special in the 1st place.

They make it seem like basic bare bones hip hop is just a dumb
idea and is keeping people back.

mayn I dunno,
k. orr