Since November is Hip Hop History month, a time in the folklore of Hip Hop when we celebrate the intricate history of the culture we all dwell in, let us reflect on the past.
Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Caz
Many Hiphoppas talk about old-school vs new school and tradition vs evolution, but it is not equal. The past should always be held above the present out of respect for what was laid down. The present doesn’t exist without the past. More than 99.999% of what we live in is the remnants and spoils of the past. We owe everything we have to the past, even if it was just 5 minutes ago that you hit the lottery. Most everything is a product of the past. To place higher esteem on what just got here over what got you here, is selfish and arrogant.
Therefore when we talk about history, we go from 5 minutes ago to the beginning. And we should welcome knowledge of the past, because as the lesson of street knowledge recites; street knowledge is “(The study and application of ancestral wisdom.) Commonly refers to the basic common sense and accumulated wisdom of urban families. It consists of techniques, phrases, codes and terms used to survive within the inner cities.” (The Gospel – Refinitions pg122 R-17 KRSONE)
Backup dancer, Scoob Lover cuts Big Daddy Kane’s hair
If we are to truly embrace who we are, and the culture we live, then we must realize that our history is really the foundation of all the elements. The elements we practice have a history whether based in myth and folklore or facts and science. That shared history is what makes up a people, or else we are all just random individuals with no consequence and no responsibility to each other. But the truth is easy to see. Hip Hop Kulture is a society of people, who’s collective interaction has shifted the World’s perception about reality. Hip Hop Kulture influences reality for many millions of people living on the Earth these days in some way, whether big or small. It may be in language, attitude, or fashion or spirituality.
The Teacha, KRSONE has a passage which talks about the importance of Hip Hop history in the Gospel of Hip Hop..
Your Hiphop spiritual path begins with you
learning how to create and guide thought; beginning with
your own. You are what you think of repeatedly. Therefore,
the Hiphop spiritual path begins with a faith in our own
existence as Hiphoppas.
First, we must learn to honor ourselves and our
Hip Hop history. We must truly honor Hip Hop and respect
ourselves as Hiphoppas. This peace, this love and this unity
are what create our Hiphop Kulture. This is our faith. We
believe in the divinity of Hip Hop. We believe in GOD’s
love for us as Hiphoppas. As Templists, we don’t use Hip
Hop, we care for and cultivate it.
(The Teacha, KRSONE, The Gospel of Hip Hop, 16th Overstanding, v217-218 pg 641- 642, Powerhouse Books 2009)
Kurt Nice
Kurt Nice aka Kurtiss Jackson is a behind the scenes pioneer in the Hip Hop Kulture, creating the first nationally distributed video mix tape series, Shades of Hip Hop, in the late 1990s. Since touring the country with the Stop the Violence Movement and the Temple of Hip Hop as KRS-ONE’s National Marketing Director, Kurt Nice has been a constant commentator on conscious Hip Hop and its relevance to the new rap music of today, through radio and cable appearances. contact Kurt at info@hiphoplives.net
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Kurt Nice aka Kurtiss Jackson is a behind the scenes pioneer in the Hip Hop Kulture, creating the first nationally distributed video mix tape series, Shades of Hip Hop, in the late 1990s. Since touring the country with the Stop the Violence Movement and the Temple of Hip Hop as KRS-ONE's National Marketing Director, Kurt Nice has been a constant commentator on conscious Hip Hop and its relevance to the new rap music of today, through radio and cable appearances. contact Kurt at info@hiphoplives.net
