Word up!

I must give credit to my man JZ, for reminding me of a long time passion that I have recent payed no attention to: hip hop.

The conversation occurred on Canada Day while entertaining our young children and enjoying the traditional celebration that we have enjoyed for the last 16 years. JZ and I are old friends, and even grew up in the same neighborhood, while at least through our teen years. We have always shared an affinity for some of the same diversions and devices. Hence our kinship and mutual well being have always high priorities. SO, we he told me that I'll always be the resident expert in the hip hop of our generation, I took it as a call to action.

Consequently, I've been scouring the belly of the Internet and iTunes for some of the classical tracks that helped to shape my world vision and challenge me to man up to life. Anyways, in case you've never had the opportunity to explore the origins of what is now one of the biggest divisions of the music industry, I highly recommend these artists to you for your listening pleasure and your social enlightment of the struggle that started it all: [In no particular order]

A Tribe Called Quest (anything before "The Love Movement")
Ultramagnetic MC's (Critical Beatdown was my favorite)
Pete Rock (good flow and beats)
C.L. Smooth (his name lets you know what to expect)
KRS One (considered be one of the original people who actually had a message worth listening too.)
Craig Mack (the midwest was kind of quiet before he came on the scene)
Kool Moe Dee (on the verge of the dance / club scene type, "I go to work" is sick)
Notorious B.I.G. (dead - shot)
EPMD (these guys were tight)
Jay Z (has gone on to literally own half the industry)
NAS (before he got popular)
WuTang Clan (36 chambers, introduce the world to an NYC massive who would take over hip hop for several years to come)
Ice Cube (the original bad a$$, showed the world you could be educated and still have beef)

There are plenty more and this is by no means an exhaustive list...but if you want to learn about "the struggle" for hip hop to come out of the alley ways and be accepted by main stream culture and turn into a multi-billion dollar annual business, I sincerely suggest you sample some of the amazing artistry that paved the way for today's lyrical expeditions.

Important note: In our crew, there's definitely competition from at least one other for the title of hip hop afficionado, much love and mad respect to LD, who on a sunny Friday afternoon in June 1994, beat me in a game of HORSE with a rim rocking left handed wrap-around dunk after 3.5 hours of battling.