The Future should respect the past

The first Hip Hop video I saw on TV was Eric B and Rakim’s Paid in Full. I was sitting next to the TV listening to an asiatic man talking against a beat and my young mind couldn’t comprehend what was going on right in front of my face. It was new, raw and unapologetic but my fickle young mind pushed it aside as just another new experience. Later on, though it hit me again, thanks to my older brother who loved playing rap music to unwind in his room.  

The familiar bass, hi hat, scratching and rhyming blazed in my ear, but this time it was the Wu Tang Clan. Hip Hop had finally reintroduced itself again and I was impressed. I went on my own journey searching for my favorite acts. I traveled down to the West and discovered Ice Cube, Snoop, Doc Dre, Tupac and then back to the East again, to Rakim, Biggie, Wu Tang, Big L and Nas.

High School was my Mecca. I found myself surrounded by Hip Hop fans, rappers, dancers and (graffiti) artists. Rap in Kenya was blowing up and I was just happy to be in the mix, contributing to the culture. I was the rapper’s rapper, that unknown guy who loved to rattle rappers to tighten their flows because I saw the potential Hip Hop had to push us to a better place mentally, socially and spiritually. 

So when I see some young rappers dismissing the greats, it makes me wonder if there were no Kool Hercs or Rakims to blaze the way would they even be here?  

Hip Hop is more than an art form, it remains one of the most creative and influential forms of music in the world.  I learned more from listening to (for example) GZA and Immortal technique about the world and black history than any classroom I ever attended. Hip Hop was where the young black man could peep game from their elders. It was the classroom, teacher, lecturer, professor and homework all rolled up into one neat package.

The greatest thing now is, the internet has provided an avenue for those who truly love the craft to discover new acts. Now talented young minds are fusing, breaking down, re-engineering and coming out with exciting new ways to present life’s lessons like lyrical physicists in their little labs (mic booths).
 

Following the history of rap I’ve watched some new cats come, pull out weak stuff and disappear, while the true gifted one’s lessons stayed on regardless of the passage of time. So if you’re sitting there thinking you can simply wish away our history for a few months of fame and money then like Gangstarr, prepare for a Full Clip!