This week I have been listening to the radio over in the UK as the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) decided to celebrate 30 years of hip-hop.  Thirty years, that is, since Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rapper’s Delight’ dropped.  Of course it can be argued that hip-hop began way before 1979 – but it seemed like a good enough excuse for some solid hip-hop programming to me!

With a weekend full of special shows and interviews, the whole thing culminated in a countdown of the ‘30 most hip-hop.’  With names like Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, Russell Simmons, Dr. Dre, Chuck D, Kanye West, KRS One, Biggie, 2Pac and Lil Wayne all making the cut there was plenty of room for argument as to who got which spot.  I won’t ruin the countdown by saying who got the coveted top spot as you can check it out yourself online, but suffice to say feathers will be ruffled.

However, it was interesting to note that the choices were drawn from a panel of insiders, artists and legends – so those who made the cut were voted by their peers.  There were those who didn’t make the final draw but were rated as the ‘most hip-hop’ – such as when Snoop Dogg name-checked Doug E Fresh, or Kool Herc calling for reggae legend U Roy.  But overall it raised an interesting question – what exactly makes someone ‘hip-hop?’

Hip-Hop as a state of mind is something that is hard to pin down – it is not just about rapping on the microphone – it is about a style, a stance, a swagger.  It is in your walk, your dress, your speech, and your mindset.  So to speak on being hip-hop is a far more difficult matter than doing hip-hop.  Of course there is also the consideration of a person’s input to the culture itself as this cannot be overlooked, particularly when looking at hip-hop’s pioneering DJ trinity of Herc, Bambaataa and Flash. 

It seems that it is easier to recognize what or who is hip-hop than to describe it.  Of course, if anyone has any views do feel free to drop them here. We’d love to hear them…

Slim (Managing Editor – Grind Mode Media LLC) - WWW.GRINDMODECONNECT.COM   AND WWW.GRINDMODEPRESS.COM