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why i love hiphop · by ian fay, aka thoreauly77
post originally appeared at Ian’s blog plastic squirtguns. re-posted with permission because it gave us this warm fuzzy feeling like underwear just out of the dryer.
i can not tell you all how many times i have had an argument with friends on the topic of eminem; many of my friends absolutely hate him. who can really blame them? homophobic, misogynistic, ridiculously violent.. however, my argument was always (and still is) from the perspective of someone who has a sincere appreciation for the art of the spoken word and the way in which the spoken word is constructed over music. for what it is worth, eminem has the ability to become the beat, written or freestyle, but that isn’t exactly why i am posting this clip. i am posting this clip for the aforementioned reason as well as the fact that it reminds me of why i fell in love with hiphop in the first place: b-boying in the quad at lunch; unfolding cardboard in elementary school and doing the worm during recess, my brother breaking while i popped and locked; trying to convince my parents that hiphop had something to say that was relevant and important; rocking with my friends and being moved by words and beats; listening to “push it” on the way home from the warehouse, having only a semi-awareness of the overt sexual content; memorizing and popping to “me, myself and i”, reading the liner notes to whodini tapes and trying to decipher the coded language; freaking out in the back of the bus when i first heard N.W.A. and “license to ill”; walking home from the bus stop listening to luke and company and being fascinated by the vulgarity; sitting for an hour and inspecting EVERY SINGLE WORD of an album with a friend, wide open eyes when an ill simile popped up and shocked..
but the recurring feeling i get when i see and listen to this clip is how fucking dope it is to have fun with friends who love the same art; i listen to and write about, and read about hiphop because i love it and i love all the true heads out there.
this clip is an excerpt of the (eMp)tv special that ran of em during the slim shady lp era, but (to my knowledge) never made it to the screen due to the content of the freestyle. em sits in the car, proof stands outside of the window and em puts on a nice little beat in his car stereo. what proceeds is not only a dope freestyle, but perhaps the most important thing i learned through hiphop — how to be creative and have shitloads of fun with close friends. i hope you enjoy.
eminem and proof.
Comments for "why i love hiphop"
Man, they look so happy and like they’re having so much fun. I miss this Em, it makes me sad that he’s how he is now AS A RESULT of this skill :(
— aidan Jun 9, 06:06 PM
thoreauly77 hitting the big time
— Liam Jun 9, 08:46 PM
Amen is all I can say. I’m leaving for the Roots/Badu show in a half hour and I just got through the Nas mixtape. That excitement that love, definitely feel you right now. I don’t know if anyone’s heard the Nas shit yet but its fucking crazy. I never listen to tracks off an album I want to hear in advance, but I made an exception for this and it was a great decision. If Nas’ album is half as good as this tape I’ll be happy. I’m feeling the new Wayne shit, but for the record THIS is a punchline: “Birds of a feather flock together/but chickens don’t fly, they eat they own shit and die.” East flatbush project references and shout outs to Akinyele? A Mike Tyson tribute? Joell Ortiz? Polow the Don doing an American Idol take on some Goonies theme type shit? Green Lantern has gotta be the best mixtape DJ working. Remember the Champ is Here shit? The nine minute Statik Selektah highlight reel is not even skippable. When I saw Richard Pryor outro I knew it was gonna be the Africa anecdote and it was still powerful. If you listen to it in one sitting he uses the word so much by the end it’s like a weapon that literally hurts your ears. Fucking Nuts. I just want to remind everyone when the Nas album drops, I’m like you I could never afford my music habit but when Nas drops an album, even though I’ve had it for like two weeks I GO TO THE STORE AND BUY THAT SHIT BECAUSE I LOVE HIP HOP TOO.
— Abe Beame Jun 9, 10:00 PM
Props on the drizzop, Thor. I caught this at plastic squirtguns, but it’s awesome to see you getting some shine.
—Rey
— ReyTheHussein Jun 9, 11:54 PM
b-boying in the quad at lunch; unfolding cardboard in elementary school and doing the worm during recess,
rocking with my friends and being moved by words and beats; listening to “push it” on the way home from the warehouse, having only a semi-awareness of the overt sexual content; walking home from the bus stop listening to luke and company and being fascinated by the vulgarity;Damn, I can identify with you on these 3 points to the T
— Jay B Jun 10, 01:06 AM
seriously. i am as guilty as the next for bitching and moaning about all the bullshit, but damn, talking about this shit in threads is the new unfolding of cardboard.
— thoreauly77 Jun 10, 01:32 AM
Bumping Straight out of Compton in study hall on full blast and years later realizing everyone in the room was able to hear it through my storebrand headphones.
— sankofa Jun 10, 09:03 AM
Spending hours in used record stores trying to find one recognizable sample, copping it and hoping for more. This was the days before sample clearance so nobody had to tell you jack squat in the liner notes except “Thanks to God and Mom”. Hip hop is the one and only reason I expanded my musical horizons and trying to find those breaks is how it happened. I still dig too.
— Franklin Mint Jun 10, 01:37 PM
Freestylin in the car was the best. RIP proof.
— team-ream Jun 11, 04:39 AM
I was going through my blog roll and hitting up all the bloggers I listed on my page to take the time to say thanks for the quality posts. I would have never seen that Eminem vid if it wasn’t for this blog. Anyways… I got some free remixes up. Feel free to download them and share while they are still available.
OMINOUSRED.com
— Ominous Red Jun 12, 12:12 AM
Listening to Spice 1’s self titled joint for the first time on your third copy because everyone always stole that shit (first the tape and then the CD twice, gave up after that and still don’t own it)...
Playing “The Adventures of Super Rhymes” over and over and over and trying to get the dracula voice down…
Putting up the Shwamy piece all over town when I was only like 13 years old…
And FOR SURE freestyling in the car with your friends.
“For the love of hip-hop and not the grim reaper!” – The Ill Pirsona
— the SHWAMY Jun 12, 03:46 PM
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Has Obama Underestimated McCain? voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/11/misunderestimating_mccain.html
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Sarah Palin: Who Do We Think She Is? washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091103630.html
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