Chapter 3 " Yes Yes Y'all" - Developement of B-boys

When B-boying, or breakdancing, first came out it was a huge hit. Accoring to dictionary.com
b-boying is "a style of acrobatic dancing that combines intricate footwork with spinning and tumbling, usually to funk or hip-hop music." People would compete and show off their moves to each other at school, during their lunch breaks, and anytime that they had an opportunity. JoJo on page112 said, " I ate b-boys for lunch! I'd come out and battle somebody and then go back to school... We bet $2 a man on the contest, and we burned them." Once b-boying became popular the Puerto Ricans began to pick up the style of dancing. Once this happend its popularity started to deminish. The original dancers wanted to "keep their gear clean." They wanted to keep the dancing fresh, but were hesitant to others picking up their dance moves.

Chapter 3, "Yes Yes Y'all" - The origins of the MC

The Bronx was developing a distinc MC style. Most MCs ( in the beginning) would only perform in clubs that had age requirements and dress codes. Although they performed originally for an older group of people, they could not help but try to capture the younger generation's hearts. Therefore MCs would try and perform and Apollo Theater. After a while of two seperate MC scenes, artists like Kurtis Blow and Love Bug Starski united the different scenes. Whipper Whip stated on page 78, " If you really wanna get right to where the MC-in' part came about in hip-hop, I would give that to DJ Hollywood. Going to see Hollywood, he didn't really rap like we did, but he had his chants... making the crow scream and stuff like that. There's different versions; there's scatting and all of that, but still I'd give it to Hollywood, Love Bug Starski, and that clan."

Chapter 6 "Yes Yes Yall" - The Club Scene in the Bronx

Clubs played a major role in the developement of Hip-Hop, and Hip-Hop was founded in the Bronx. Therefore the club scene was very important in the Bronx. If you were a rapper/MC/DJ you wanted to be well known so that you could get into clubs for free. Kool DJ AJ stated on page 238, " Your name had to be rockin' for you to get into the Fever (club) free. If you didn't, you was gonna pasy $10. That was embarrassing, to be a DJ and come to the Fever with your girl, and Sal'll make you pay $10. That mean you really wasn't nobody." Through clubs artists were getting record signings left and right. You wanted people to know who you were, you wanted to get booked for shows, and you did NOT want to pay to get into a club.

Chapter 7, "Yes Yes Yall"

When we look at graffiti today there are always two sides to whether graffiti is art or a form of vandalizm. In the 1970s graffiti was developed. On page 281 Fab 5 Freddy stated " Around '77-'78 I was reading some books and I saw this whole thing about pop art, and I saw a connection between the styles and what was going on in graffiti, which at the time had become really developed... I made a connection that this stuff going on was like art, too, and I could perhaps become a part of it and be an artisit like these pop artists." This quote proves that Graffiti artists really felt that by writing on the walls they were becoming 'popular' because they were showing off their art. I think that police officers need to realize that graffiti is not something that is done for negative reasons, and they are just trying to express themselves.

Chapter 6 "Yes Yes Yall"

It was a while later before women really made a break into the Hip-Hop world. Some of the famous women were Lisa Lee, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Wanda, and Master Don. Wanda D said on page 227, "It shouldn't be that difficult for a woman to do something like that, but they figure that it's a man's world and you just need to know your place. That was what I was up against- it was a double standard all the way. I knew what I wanted to accomplish, I knew I wanted to make it easier for the rest if the females comin' up to just go right in there and do what they love to do without havin' to be stressed about it..."
I wanted to ask, why is it that women have such a hard time developing themselves in todays world? Why is it that women are never held as high as men? Why do you think they had such a hard time with the Hip-Hop culture?

Nas lyrics

I wanted to take the time to point out that although many rappers rap about hardships, and their life in the Bronx, many rappers as well use their song lyrics to premote education, self worth, and not giving up. Nas has a song called "I Can" and everytime I think about a rap song that really had a positive affect on my generation, this is the song that comes to my mind. When this song first came out I remember actually walking into my sophomore year Chemestry class and my teacher taking a moment to talk to the class about this song. Obviously rap has an effect on a completely widespread range audience. I wanted to post the lyrics in case anyone was not familiar with this song, and say GO NAS!

I Can

[kids]I know I can (I know I can)
Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)I
f I work hard at it (if I work hard it)
I’ll be where I wanna be (I’ll be where I wanna be)

[nas]Be, b-boys and girls, listen up
You can be anything in the world, in God we trust
An architect, doctor, maybe an actress
But nothing comes easy it takes much practice
Like, I met a woman who’s becoming a star
She was very beautiful, leaving people in awe
Singing songs, lina horn, but the younger version
Hung with the wrong person
Gotta astrung when I heard when
Cocaine, sniffing up drugs, all in her nose
Coulda died, so young, no looks ugly and old
No fun cause when she reaches for hugs people hold they breath
Cause she smells of corrosion and death
Watch the company you keep and the crowd you bring
Cause they came to do drugs and you came to sing
So if you gonna be the best, i’ma tell you how

[chorus - 2x
(nas and kids)]I know I can (I know I can)
Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)
If I work hard at it (if I work hard it)
I’ll be where I wanna be (I’ll be where I wanna be)

[nas]Be, b-boys and girls, listen again
This is for grown looking girls who’s only ten
The ones who watch videos and do what they see
As cute as can be, up in the club with fake id
Careful, ’fore you meet a man with hiv
You can host the tv like oprah winfrey
Whatever you decide, be careful, some men be
Rapists, so act your age, don’t pretend to be
Older than you are, give yourself time to grow
You thinking he can give you wealth, but so
Young boys, you can use a lot of help, you know
You thinkin life’s all about smokin weed and ice
You don’t wanna be my age and can’t read and right
Begging different women for a place to sleep at night
Smart boys turn to men and do whatever they wish
If you believe you can achieve, then say it like this

[chorus]Save the music y’all, save the music y’all
Save the music y’all, save the music y’all
Save the music

[nas]Be, be, ’fore we came to this country
We were kings and queens, never porch monkeys
It was empires in africa called kush
Timbuktu, where every race came to get books
To learn from black teachers who taught greeks and romans
Asian arabs and gave them gold when
Gold was converted to money it all changed
Money then became empowerment for europeans
The persian military invaded
They learned about the gold, the teachings and everything sacred
Africa was almost robbed naked
Slavery was money, so they began making slave ships
Egypt was the place that alexander the great went
He was so shocked at the mountains with black face
sShot up they nose to impose what basically
Still goes on today, you see? If the truth is told, the youth can grow
They learn to survive until they gain control
Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes
Read more learn more, change the globe
Ghetto children, do your thing
Hold your head up, little man, you’re a king
Young prince thats when you get your wedding ring
Your man is saying she’s my queen"

Fab Five Freddy

Fred Brathewaite was born 1959, and is most widely known as Fab Five Freddy. He was a graffiti artist from the Bronx who is accredited for spreading rap beyond the Bronx boarders. In the year 1980 Freddy was cast in the movie Downtown 81, and shortly after helped produce the movie Wild Style. In April of 1981, Freddy was booked in the art show “Beyond Words” at the Mudd Club, which was the first time that the Hip-Hop graffiti scene was presented in a NYC art show. After "Beyond Words" Freddy was booked in more art shows with other fellow graffiti artists. Later in the same year Blondie came out with a song called “Rapture,” where Freddy had a brief cameo. This was the first rap video on MTV. One of Freddy’s graffiti art pieces titled “Mr. Potato Head” is displayed in the Brooklyn Museum of Art.