Hip Hop for the Young Jewish Community....

here's a listing for event I just recently did, courtesy of the Pioneer Press website:

 "Hip-Hop Nite," showcasing break dancers and music, for high-school-age Jewish teens, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Temple of Aaron, 616 S. Mississippi River Blvd., St. Paul. 651-698-8874. 

I had agreed to do this “b boy event” a while back. I didn’t think much about it, just grab some breaks and classic hip hop then handle business, have fun, and collect a check in the process...not a bad way to earn a living. I was told that it was for High School students, which would generally be a “red flag” for me because I know 9 times out of 10 that usually means that want what is hot on the radio if it’s a school dance or something of the sort. However, this being a B-boy/girl exhibition I figured I was safe from that. Then about an hour before I’m about to leave for the event I got a call from the promoter making sure I’m good to go and know when to be there, to which I confirm. He then also suggest that there will be time after the exhibition for the students to dance and have some fun so maybe I could bring some music they could dance and have fun too. Uh, said “red flag” has been raised. He does continue to say not Top 40 necessarily, but just something that will be fun for them, “Know what I mean?”. I confirm that I do know what he means, but in all reality I don’t know if I do...ha.

Well, I Just grab and extra crate and throw in some “commercial favorites” that I have from the last couple years...I haven’t brought or received a new rap record that’s remotely commercially successful in at least a year probably... That leaves me with the hits from the ‘02-‘04 or so...you know; Jay Z, Kanye West, Missy, Outkast, Cee-Lo Green...which reminds the one “new” record I had/have is the Gnarles Barkley “Crazy” single and this marks me first time taking it out of the sleeve (I like the song mind you, just never played it since everyone else was). Then on top of that I grab some “dance classics”, by the likes of Chic, Prince, Cheryl Lynn and the such and leave, hoping for the best.

I also never paid much attention to the venue where this was to be. When I did a similar event for  some of the same B-boys/girls a couple years ago it was at a youth center so I just assumed the same or similar thing was at play here. However, when I pull up to the Temple Of Aaron I learn it’s a Jewish Synagogue (www.templeofaaron.org). I was caught off guard initially because as a DJ I always want creative freedom but as a human being I don’t want to be offense to the very people I’m there to entertain and so my mind starts to search the lyrics of things in my crates to think of potentially “offensive” material. However, more importantly I’m actually intrigued and glad that they have decide to host a Hip Hop event here. I’ve long been about teaching and exposing Hip Hop to as many different places and people that you can to slowly help change the perception of what it is. In similar cases, in my youth center sponsored B-Boy crew (wow, I never thought of that...does the fact that is was youth center sponsored make me lame....ha!) in 1984-85 we did a variety of events in what was considered to be “unlikely” venues. We did the Officers Wives Club, a minimum security federal prison, a local car wash (we wash your car and you can watch us break while you wait...what a sales pitch...ha), and the most interesting of all for me “Ogden Days”*, but more on that later.

Anyway, I go in and it’s a pretty huge area. The breakers are warming up. The sound system is in place so I start to load in my equipment and records. I meet the promoter andhe introduces me to the guy who is responsible for arranging the event there. I had been looking at him thinking that he looked familiar so as soon as he was formally introduced as, Steven Greenberg, it hit me. Those of Minneapolis origin might recognize the name quicker. For others, if not the name, then something associated with it is widely recognizable, he is ½ of the duo Lipps Inc. who dropped the disco smash “Funkytown” in 1979. He explains to me that this was his Synagogue since he was “in his mothers stomach”. That makes the day all the more interesting and also makes it make more sense. He has recently had some “involvement” in the Hip Hop world via his son, The Blizzard. Those familiar with MTV’s “Made” may already be aware, but the Blizzard was one of their features and he wanted to be a rapper and C Rayz Walz and, local Minneapolis MC, Toki Wright were sent on a mission to “make” him one. Of Course, the Blizzard was there and performed a song. The also had local Human Beat Box Snuggles (winner of Scribble Jam’s 2006 Beat Box Battle), Dancing Dave representing the poppers and lockers, and a variety of B-boys/girls. The goal was to give these young Jewish Teens a look at the many sides of Hip Hop...oh, that leads to the next surprise. While I’m setting up and listening to records thru the headphones a giant spotlight nearly blinds me. To which is explained, by Mr Greenberg, is a test for later because they are going to hit me with that spotlight and want me to do something for the kids on the turntables....like some scratching. In the shock of it all I respond, “Sure, no problem”. In the aftermath of that I remind myself that I’m not much of a scratch DJ at all...ha. I practice like four times a year for 5 minutes each...ha. Just so happens that by some stretch of luck I had been messing around lately since scratching is a good stress release for me so I was at the best possible level of sucking that I could be. When the spotlight hit me I was happy to have the instrumental version of Trouble Funk’s “Let’s Get Small” rocking while I broke down Kurtis Blow counting, “One, Two, Three, Four, HIT IT” courtesy of “AJ Scratch”. I think I created a good enough illusion of it being good and they clapped...maybe they were just being nice :)

Before and after the breakers, I played the above mentioned records with a variety of Hip Hop classics (such as Brand Nubian, Supreme Team, Funky Four, Stetsasonic, Tuff Crew, Hijack, etc...). It seemed to all work out just fine. As a mater of fact I only got two requests the whole time from the kids, Nas “Hip Hop Is Dead” which I didn’t have with me and Black Starr “Redefinition” which I never carry with me but I had mistakenly brought it along when I meant to bring “Definition” so I covered 50% of all requests, not bad.

All in all I had a great time and everyone there, old and young alike, seemed to also. All tehe people were very helpful and pleasant. Plus  I always like doing my thing in new settings rather than playing the same records for the same people over and over again...

*Ogden Days Sidebar:

Ah....Ogden, Kansas, population a little under 2,000. However, at 15,  living in Junction City/Fort Riley just up the road we swore it was like population 200 if that. We thought of Ogden as the little town with one street that was the distributer of 50% of the speeding tickets in a 500 mile radius....and that’s about all we thought of it. Yes, the ignorant minds of the young, which were certainly fed this from the ignorant minds of their elders, mind you. All this considered, you can imagine the surprise when our Breaking Crew (The Fort Riley Breaking Patrol was the Youth Center sponsered program, my crew as "Action Crew") was invited to perform at their annual city festival, Ogden Days in ‘85. I have to admit we did seem oddly out of place there, but then again we were the ones wearing leather spiked belts &bracelets, one glove, headbands, kneepads, parachute pants, and god knows what else, so maybe we were the  weird ones after all. Not in our minds though, we were “the truth”...ha. The one thing I can’t “excuse” Ogden for is the “stage” they gave us. Honestly it was more like a patio table with 6 inch legs.... I remember attempting a hand spin and my limbs reached beyond the circumference of the alleged stagewhich almost proved painful. Beyond that, the lesson is that I started to learn early on that Hip Hop was something that was intriguing to just about everyone and it was only a matter of time before there was no where that it would seem out of place...I may or may not be still learning that.

 Oh yeah, there was a variety of cameras, video and perhaps press there so if anyone knows where I can find pictures or articles on the event let me know. thanx!!