Source: http://www.nappyafro.com/2008/10/15/26-things-every-hip-hop-head-should-do-before-they-die-by-b-easy/
--Blast "Fuck Tha Police" at least once in your lifetime
The song
may be 10 years old, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t any less relevant.
With Sean Bell, Jena 6, and a lot of other incidents, this song still
get me hype. So yeah, bump this one in you ride, out you
window…whatever; bucking the system is Hip-Hop.
--Own at least 5 legitimate classic Hip-Hop records (see our Classic Material for some suggestions)
You
can’t say, “I still haven’t heard the whole Illmatic yet”, and be a
Hip-Hop head. Or “Damn, I didn’t know there was there was a skit where
Biggie got dome on Ready To Die”. Whatever bitch! In this day and age
of illegal downloading, you still gotta own some Hip-Hop classics
(Illmatic, The Chronic, Paid In Full, The Blueprint, The Low End
Theory, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, etc.). MP3’s don’t count
and you get extra points for vinyl.
--Attempt to make beat
Look,
we’re not asking for a masterpiece here or for you to become the new
Pete Rock and make a sequel for “T.R.O.Y.”. Just like we think every
Hip-Hop Head should kick at least one freestyle, we think the producer
side is just as fair game. So whether it beat Pro Tools, a MPC, or
Fruity Loops; get to it.
--Kick a freestyle over Lil’ Wayne's "A Millie"
When
Lil’ Mama and Jigga did it, it was good. When Asher Roth, Ne-Yo,
Jadakiss, and Fabolous did it, it still was good. When Bow Wow, Amil,
Dolla, or all the others (Who shouldn’t have) did it, it really opened
the doors to the average Joe Schmos.Yeah, this beat may been done to
death, but its okay if you freestyle over it now. Hell, when foreigners
take the immigration test, you HAVE to freestyle over “A Milli” to get
citizenship in the United States. No lie.
--Celebrate mother's day with a classic mother's day song ("Hey Mama", "Dear Mama", etc.)
When
Mother’s Day roles around, what are you bumping? “A Song for Mama” by
Boyz II Men? Hell no! “So Alone” by Men At Large? Wrong! If you a
Hip-Hop Head, you better be bumping 2Pac’s ode to Afeni Shakur, Jay-Z’s
“I Made It” or a million other Hip-Hop songs dedicated to Mothers.
--Listen to beef songs between rappers and decide who won (2Pac vs. subliminal Biggie jabs, Jay-Z vs. Nas, etc.)
I
personally know people who got into a fight purely based on the Biggie
vs. 2Pac feud. I even know people who stop speaking based on the DJ
Quik and MC Eiht battle (Yeah, MC ****g Eiht!). But these kinda
debates are what make Hip-Hop so great right? So be it Nas vs. Jay, LL
vs. Canibus, or even Pastor Troy vs. Master P; listen to the records
and pick a side…NOW!
--Use an Auto-tune device at least once.
T-Pain
brought it back, Weezy fell in love with it, and Kanye will do a whole
album with it. Why not you? Snoop Dogg used it, Tony Yayo used it,
Gucci Maine used it, Royce Da 5’9” used it (I think that covers all the
bases doesn’t it?). Almost everybody has used it, so go head, put a
little T-Pain on that shit, and go crazy with it! “I
puuuutttttttttttttt oooonnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!”
--Own a Boombox, or at least an iPod with Boombox style speakers
Even
though Radio Raheem may not have been a real character, our love for
his devotion is no less. This is probably the only time where an “iPod
version” won’t get point deducted. For extra credit: Get some five
finger rings and a dookie rope chain, and take you boombox to your
local street corner.
--Do some sort of graffiti in a public place (try not to get locked up)
Out
of all the elements of Hip-Hop, Graffiti is by far the most overlooked.
You don’t have to be Chris "Daze" Ellis to give back to this almost
forgotten art by bombing in a public place. Just remember these tips:
Your house doesn’t count, it’s probably better to wait until its dark,
and nappyafro.com will not be responsible for legal fees.
--Visit the birthplace of Hip-Hop (Bronx, NY)
You
probably heard about the recent purchase of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in
Bronx, New York for $7 million (The place where Kool Herc hosted his
first parties with his sister Cindy, eventually leading to the birth of
Hip-Hop music in the early 1970’s). Well, even if you don’t have that
kinda bread, you still can visit (It kinda like a pilgrimage to the
homeland right?).
--Kick a freestyle in a cipher/or battle
Okay,
let’s be clear: We mean a straight freestyling! No, “Oh you mad cause
I’m stylin’ on you”. No, “Look at his face now!” bullshit either. I
think a lot of people have forgotten that it’s all about the lyrics and
it should always stay that way. So yeah, at least one time you should
kick a freestyle in a cipher or in a battle just to see how it feels.
It’s sad to say, Eli Porter may not be “The best maine!”, but even he
knows this.
--Learn at least a verse from "Rapper's Delight" & a verse off Paid In Full
Okay,
we can explain this in two parts: The reason you need to at least learn
a verse from “Rapper’s Delight”? Being that is mark a huge landmark for
the culture and is probably considered to be the song that first
popularized Hip-Hop in the United States and around the world. The
reason you need to learn a verse from Paid In Full the album? Well,
since that is arguably Rakim & Eric B’s best, you might need to
show love seeing as if it wasn’t for Rakim, we all might still be
rapping like Kurtis Blow (No disrespect).
--Own a pair of Adidas or Adidas suit
We
all love Air Force 1’s & Dunk’s, but you can’t forget to show some
love for the original Hip-Hop shoe of choice. Run DMC popularized them
but you can extend the legacy (Extra credit if you rock the tracksuit
too).
--Attempt to breakdance & pop lock
Yeah, we’re
really don’t have a problem with “Whoop Rico” or even old standards
like the “Harlem Shake” or “Bankhead Bounce”, but if you really wanna
do it big like a Hip-Hop head should, you gotta try to land a “6-Step”
or “Helicopter” (Yeah, the handstand thing!). And hell, even my Mom can
do “The Robot”.
--Scratch a record
Don’t get it twisted,
novices will fuck up a record doing this one (Ain’t no way around it).
But this gives props to the DJ. My first record? Oh, I think it was
Jade’s “Don’t Walk Away” with me scratching some LL Cool J’s “Bad” over
it. What?
--Get into an argument about Hip-Hop
For the
regular Hip-Hop head, you probably already do this anyway. Me
personally, I get into arguments about Hip-Hop with people I barely
know. “Is Jay-Z a biter?”, “Why Tupac is not that great?”, “Is God’s
Son better than Stillmatic?”…Don’t get me started on that one.
--Drum out a beat at a lunch table
Before
hopeful rappers and beatmakers had MySpace pages and were putting their
beats on YouTube, the first place they would test out the skills was
during lunch period (People still do this). What’s more Hip-Hop than
beating on a table while someone freestyles?
--See these movies: Style Wars, Beat Street, Krush Groove & at least know who O-Zone & Turbo are.
This
one is about research. You remember when Ginuwine did the broom routine
at the end of “None Of Ur Friends Business” music video? Yea, he didn’t
make that up. Watching these movies is kinda like watching an adult’s
baby videos. “Wait a minute; The Cool Kids didn’t invent that style?”
--Attend a big music festival/concert (Rock The Bells, Hard Knock Life Tour, Up In Smoke, etc.)
While
you may have to sit through a few musical acts you don’t care about,
the big music festival/concert is still very enjoyable. Besides getting
some live music; you also feel that you share something with most of
the people around; the love of Hip-Hop. Now, let’s hope nobody starts
shooting…
--Educate a youngster about Hip-Hop
When my nephew
tells me that Weezy is the best and come at me kicking some Lil’ Wayne
rhymes, I think it’s my duty to explain that while Wayne is good, all
those line you just spoke of contain rhymes that where originally line
from Jay-Z, Outkast, UGK, and Nas. We all should give back like this
every once in a while.
--Attend your favorite artist's concert/show
Years
ago, I had a chance to drive 3 ½ hours to see The Notorious B.I.G.
Yeah, I had to go to school early the next morning. Yeah, my friend’s
car was a piece of shit that constantly broke down. And yeah, I
probably didn’t have enough money. But, every time I think about it, I
feel like somebody punched me in the nuts for missing my only chance to
see Biggie. So if your favorite rapper comes to your area, make it a
mission to go see them.
