In light of the Grammy Awards show that will air on CBS Feb. 23, 2003, it must be noted that there has been a remarkable change in this ceremony since its conception. The most notable of these changes would be the ever so growing respect that hip-hop has gained. It was not too long ago that hip-hop artists who were recipients of this esteemed award would not be televised accepting the trophy.
This genre of music has now elevated in stature in the 21st century. It has reached a point of no return, a point of near total domination. At the same time it has also reached a point of misrepresentation. In order to fully understand hip-hop, you, the reader, must have complete knowledge of the five elements. These five cornerstones unite like a team to form one unit.
What are the five elements? What are the cornerstones? “Bling bling” and expensive cars is not what hip hop is all about despite what mainstream media has managed to conjure up.
This form of word play that has captivated the masses begins with element number one, which is Breakin’. This is the acrobatic form of hip-hop that is almost a sort of poetry in motion. It combines a mixture of gymnastics (capoeria), flexibility and athletics.
Breakin’ can be traced as far back as 1969, when a Los Angeles dancer by the name of Don Campbell invented a dance called “Campbellock.” It wasn’t until 1974 that the first B-Boying crew emerged thanks in part to Afrika Bambaataa, the originator of the “Zulu Nation.” This nation was comprised of various DJs, breakers and graffiti artists, who all sought to bring a sort of social consciousness to hip hop.
The B-Boying crews of the early days that came to life were the Shaka Zulu Kings and the Shaka Zulu Queens. Another crew that surfaced in the late 70s was the Rock Steady Crew, which was established by Bronx B-Boys Jimmy D and JoJo. With Breakin’ evolving at a fast pace, a new transformation took place and ushered in the era of Popping and Locking.
The second element, Emcee’n, is what many fans are familiar with, since it just happens to be a significant part of today’s youth as well as previous generations. Emcee’n is more like the vocal side of hip-hop. This individual is not to be confused with an average rapper.
A fellow Breaker and FAU student by the name of Maurice Flowmatik explained, “Emcee’n is everything from freestlying (spitting lyrics off the top of your head), writing rhymes and poetry. In this element, subject matter, word play, flow and vocabulary are all paramount.”
Deejayin is the area in which the actual music starts to play a significant part amongst the other elements. The DJ has the distinct job of lacing or sampling a track to bring a song from twenty years ago back to life with any sound made with a vinyl record and a turntable. Don’t be fooled by the high tech gadgets that are available today that are to complete this task. A true DJ learns how to innovate and not imitate with his hands. Legends such as Kool Herc, Grandmaster Caz, Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash all contributed their refined skills to bring hip-hop to where it is today. It was not a machine but rather men with vision that gave meaning to hip hop.
Interestingly enough the Grammy’s, which have been going on for quite some time now, have never paid any respect to DJ’s. Which brings up the question of who makes up the categories that are awarded year after year.
“Graffing is an ill art that most people are not fortunate enough to be exposed to, because of the illegality of it. It is something that you earn respect from, by completing pieces in the boldest of places and leaving your tag (name),” were the comments of Flowmatik on the fourth element, Graffiti.
Graffiti goes as far back as the early 1970’s. It was TAKI 183, a Greek teenager from Washington Heights named Demetrius, who made this form of artistic representation famous. Graffiti groups such as Ex-Vandals and Wanted were among the few who were spawned during this era.
Coming full circle, it is only right that the last element be Mental. This is the knowledge of hip hop itself. An individual who claims to know about hip hop is truly not complete if he/she doesn’t have the mental aspect of the culture. Like Maurice Flowmatik said, “Hip-hop, by definition, is being an individual and this is something that is overlooked nowadays. It isn’t about a jersey, a fitted ice, or anything like that. It really is a state of mind.”
It is reasonable to state that the Grammy’s have indeed lent a helping hand in making hip-hop a giant in today’s society. Winners of this award go on to achieve a lifetime of success as well as praise from their peers, but just because you win an award for artist of the year doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t know anything about the art form of hip-hop. After all, we live in a society where recording companies pack and ship “make believe” rappers and things of that nature. This, in its own way, is deception to those who know nothing about hip-hop and is a clear slap across the face to those who have worked so hard to make hip hop a growing force over the past few decades.
As far as predictions for this year’s Grammy award winners, I can’t say that I have picked out potential winners. To me the winner is the one that stays true to the five elements of hip-hop. If anything, the winners will probably be those who I like to call the heavy rotation artists. These are the artists who are in constant rotation because their record company shelled out a lot of money for their album.
