What Hip Hop Means To Me.

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As I write this, I am watching How Hip Hop Changed The World on Channel 4. I also have a migraine and I’m unsure if I’m going to pass out from pain or throw up. I’m also fighting off sleep like a stubborn toddler.

This programme is bringing back a lot of memories for me, and it’s got me thinking- what does Hip Hop mean to me?

I grew up on so many kinds of music. Everything from Billie Holiday to Bob Dylan to Blondie. I heard everything. It all inspired me in so many ways.

When I went to secondary school, I didn’t exactly have the time of my life there. To say it was hell is a massive understatement- but that’s not for here. Never for here. I remember walking down the corridor in my second year of secondary school playing Eric B & Rakim’s album Don’t Sweat The Technique  on my Walkman. Tape Walkman that is. I loved Eric B & Rakim so much. I thought Rakim was the best thing since hiding in the library to escape everything and everyone.

I adored bands such as De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, A Tribe Called Quest, Salt n Pepa. I loved them all so much. I felt like nothing could touch me as I walked through school. The reality was, I just couldn’t hear anything due to having my music blaring in my ears ridiculously loud.

I never liked the songs that degraded women or bragged about the amount of money so and so had. I loved the fun lyrics and the in depth lyrics.

I loved (and still do) Talib Kweli, Mos Def and Common. Those three were the ones I constantly played. Black on Both Sides by Mos Def still remains one of my favourite albums ever. I loved LL Cool J’s early stuff. I challenge you to listen to Mamma Said Knock You Out and not feel like you were the most important person ever. It just held you so high, you felt like you could do anything.

I was obsessed with Tupac. I’ve still got all his albums, all the books, his poetry book, videos- that’s right, I’ve got VHS’ of Tupac, all the films he was in, bootleg tapes and CDs. I just adored him. I still do. I loved his honesty, his brutal lyrics, his loving lyrics. I still can’t listen to Dear Mamma without crying. It still tugs at my heartstrings. I’m also still angry that they never caught his or Biggie’s killer. I know everyone was its either Tupac or Biggie- you couldn’t like both. I thought both were brilliant. Biggie’s Ready To Die is a phenomenal debut album. The way Tupac could break your heart then instantly make you laugh with his wordplay just blew me away. First and foremost, he was a poet. He made you see the world how he saw it with his words. He made you change how you saw the world with his words.

I could write so many words on why I love him and what he means to me. I probably will soon, I can feel some kind of essay about Tupac coming on if I don’t move onto a different part of Hip Hop.

There’s always been a lack of females in Hip Hop. Those that ever got anywhere were usually half naked on stage and being ever so vulgar with their words. For some reason, I loved Foxy Brown. I loved her deep voice, the way she didn’t care about what she said and how she said it- she wasn’t afraid. That for me just made me love her music. I was never a fan of Lil’Kim. I don’t know why, I just didn’t really care about her music as much as I cared for Foxy Brown’s.

Does anyone remember MC Trouble? No? Well, she was amazing. But she died before anyone really knew of her. MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah, Missy and my favourite- Monie Love. They were all strong female rappers. Ones worth looking up to.

Many argue about who and where Hip Hop started- I’ll always say it started with DJ Kool Herc. Always. But obviously there is no way you can deny that Grandmaster Flash played an equally vital role as Herc did. I guess I’d say, they both started it.

Kurtis Blow, Rakim and Big Daddy Kane are three of my favourites ever. EVER. There is no denying that those three flow so smoothly over beats. Their wordplay hypnotised you and made you want to rap. I was just in so much awe of them when I first heard them. I still am now. There’s never been anyone else like them, there never will be.

One rapper that I adored and was massively upset when he was killed was Big L. The Big Picture is up there with one of the best hip hop albums ever. I’d safely place it in my list of favourite albums of all time too. His song. Ebonics educated you on street slang. The Freestyle on the album blew you away. His duet with Tupac, Deadly Combination was just stunning. It’s just a perfect Hip Hop album.

So, what does Hip Hop mean to me? Well, I personally feel it has that Punk vibe to it. Don’t care what anyone thinks about you or says about you- just be yourself and express yourself. It’s an art-form. A way of life. Pop music isn’t a way of life or a state of mind. It’s just empty words over repetitive sounds. Hip Hop on the other hand educates. It’s a state of mind. Just listen to Public Enemy if you want to be educated in a way you never thought you could be taught.

For me, Punk rock and Hip Hop go hand in hand within the music industry. They went against everything you were told you listen to. It was rebellious at best and dangerous at worst.

What still pisses me off is the way people are always going on about how it degrades women and is mindless.

Those that say this are listening to the kind if Hip Hop that doesn’t deserve to be called Hip Hop. They are ignoring the songs that hold depth and lessons.

Go listen to Public Enemy, go listen to Jurassic 5, go listen to Dilated Peoples. There is more to Hip Hop than what the media rams down your neck.

Not every rapper carries a gun and a wad of money in their back pocket. Open your mind and go listen to the true essence of Hip Hop.

There will always be rivalry in Hip Hop. The media will always blow it out of proportion and make Hip Hop out to be the bad guy- when really, it isn’t. Hip Hop speaks to people; it’s a form of art and a way of life that has undoubtedly saved lives.

Remember, “It ain’t where you from, it’s where you at.”

Sleigh Bells.

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What happens when you take an ex-member of Poison The Well and an ex-member of a teen pop group? Well, you can get many things. Things that on paper, shouldn’t work. But fuck what it says on paper. Put the two together and you get one of the best duos around- Sleigh Bells.

I am not writing this because I think Alexis Krauss is stunning and has amazing tattoos. I’m writing this because I should’ve done it ages ago, but now is the perfect time, if ever there was one.

Rill Rill does take a bit of a sample from Funkadellic’s Can You Get To That, but that is not a bad thing. The sample works so well. So bloody well.

Honestly? I wouldn’t complain if Alexis threw me out of a car. Alright enough with the creepy shit.

What I love about Derek and Alexis is how big their sound is. It’s raw, it’s in your face 9I hate myself for using those words…), it’s powerful- even if you had it on the lowest volume setting it’d still be insanely loud. There’s this kind of Punk feel to their music. I guess being based in New York (Brooklyn) would play a big part in that.

How two people can make this level of noise is amazing. I just love them to pieces. Treats was one of the best albums and best debut albums of last year, however- I do feel it was overlooked by many. It’s okay, they’ll more than likely blow your mind with their second album which is due out (hopefully) the start of next year.

Townes Van Zandt.

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Following on from Lightnin’ Hopkins and how pain is portrayed and created by singers, Townes Van Zandt in my mind is one of the greats if not THE greatest.

Songs such as Kathleen and Waitin’ Round To Die are just so painfully beautiful. If I could write anything as hard-hitting and heart-breaking as that, I’d be happy.

“It’s plain to see, the sun won’t shine today. But I ain’t in the mood for sunshine anyway. Maybe I’ll go insane.” The sheer frustration yet lack of faith here is so utterly chilling, you cannot help but wonder what was going on in his mind when he wrote Kathleen.

Townes’ life wasn’t exactly the artists dream. He suffered with alcoholism, drug addiction and was diagnosed with Manic Depression. He was diagnosed with Manic Depression at quite a young age, and a lot of his long-term memory was erased from having insulin shock therapy. A lot of artists suffer for their art, there is no doubt that Townes was one of them.

“Now I’m out of prison, I got me a friend at last. He don’t drink or steal or cheat or lie. His names Codeine, he’s the nicest thing I’ve seen. Together we’re gonna wait around and die.” So painful, you cannot help but believe he truly felt every single word here.

There will never ever be anyone quite like Townes Van Zandt.

Lightnin’ Hopkins.

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Sam John Hopkins aka Lightnin’ Hopkins in my mind, was and always will be THE greatest blues singer ever, and quite possibly one of the greatest guitarists ever.

He sang and wrote about pain in a way that most wish they could. Don’t believe me? Watch this :

Mind-blowing right? Music doesn not have this amount of emotion anymore. There’s no despair like this, and it’s missing. It is needed. Of course we want to hear happy songs, but you need the balance. With extreme awful happy shit you find in Pop music, you need something at the opposite end. The Blues. The Blues is a genre of music that I grew up on, amongst a few others. Punk and the Blues are the two that I always remember hearing a lot of. My music taste is highly influenced by my mum, stepdad and uncle. I do believe I had the best upbringing based on always hearing Morrissey, Lou Reed, Miles Davis and Jefferson Airplane in the house.

Lightnin’ Hopkins sings the pains of having you heart torn out better than most.

S.C.U.M

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I’ve been meaning to write about S.C.U.M for a while now, so seeing as it’s 1.38 am and I can’t sleep- now would be the best time. As ever.

What I love about S.C.U.M is well, everything really. I love the guitar sounds, I love the vocals. I love everything about them. Thomas Cohen, I must say, is a very well dressed man. Beautiful.

They’re part of the NME tour that starts mid September I think? Or October? Go see them, the line-up is pretty damn good.

Have some songs! :

If you love The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Big Pink, The Horrors- you will love S.C.U.M

Mindless violence, pointless riots.

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I know that I use this strictly for Music purposes, but when something like this happens- I cannot help but write about it.

Why is this happening? Why are small minded fucks setting fire to peoples homes and businesses? What the hell are they trying to achieve? What are the exactly rioting for/against?

A young lad was shot and killed by the police. His family held a PEACEFUL protest. However, a fistful of yobs have taken it upon themselves to act like feral beasts up and down the country and ruin towns and cities. For what? Breaking into shops and stealing goods is NOT going to make the Police treat people any better. It is NOT going to make the Government listen and sort this mess out. If anything, they are just going to ignore. They will ignore the voices of those who want to be heard- for the right reasons.

Thing is, it is the Youth that are doing this. What hope can we place in this generation when this is how they react to anything and everything? Who should carry the blame for this? Families? Friends? Media? Schools? Lay the blame wherever you want, but nobody will take responsibility.

Burning down family businesses is just beyond words. Have the owners of this business personally harmed you? No. And even then, it wouldn’t be acceptable. To the wankstains of life who are doing this, how would you feel if someone did this to YOUR family? Don’t ever do what you wouldn’t want doing to yourself.

Life is harsh and cruel enough, why must we stoop to the disgusting level of violence to get ourselves heard? Why must they destroy communities for no reason at all? To understand any of what is happening, then I suppose you are as bad as them. I don’t personally have any faith in the Government or the police force- but doing things like this? Well, it’s just disgusting. There are NO legit reasons as to why this is happening. It should not be happening.

We live in a time where the current financial climate is, well, fucked. Doing things like this is going to make it worse. The Government will turn their backs on helping out the young as they will see them as immature fucks with a disgusting attitude, and to be honest- I don’t think I can blame them for it. Why help people who don’t want it. Or if they do, they are going about this the wrong way.

In 20, 30 years time these “riots” will not be remembered in a positive manner at all. Look at the Stonewall riots- at least that was for something that wasn’t worthless. What’s going on now is just disgusting.

My faith in humanity, I think, has finally faded. There is no hope, no love, no kindness. And it hurts and breaks my heart to see buildings being burnt down and communities falling apart.

Is there any coming back from this? I bloody hope so. I really bloody do.

Homes are being looted and set alight. To the dickheads doing this, how would you feel if your frail grandparents were living in a home that was being set fire to? How would you feel? Well, you probably wouldn’t would you.

The blame for all of this is going to be passed around constantly. No one will stand up and say “This is my doing.” What kind of punishment will those responsible get? A few years in prison? A slap on the wrist and a warning? Be harsh with these fucks who are doing this. Make them rebuild all they have destroyed.

Even if they rebuild what has been destroyed- the damage has been done.

Will they blame unemployement? I’ve not had a job since March. I don’t want to go around setting fire to things and smash things up. Will they blame the Government? I’m angry at the Government, but I don’t want to destroy people’s homes and ruin their possesions. Will they blame the police? I don’t have much respect for them, but I don’t want to riot for anything and everything.

This generation seem to be angry for the sake of being angry, and it is soul-destroying. The World owes you NOTHING. Stop acting like a fucking victim. Stay in school. Get an education and MAKE SOMETHING out of yourself. Acting like this just makes you a massive prick. This society is worth more than this. People are angry for the sake of being angry. It’s so wrong. So painfully wrong.

So how do we make it right?

Marina And The Diamonds- Fear And Loathing.

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I was going to go to bed because I have the migraine the size of a whale. However, I have just heard Marina’s new song and all I want to do is listen to it on repeat for the next hour or so. I will do exactly that, I can feel my migraine disappear with each listen.

One of the most annoying yet comforting things in life is when someone can actually sum up how you feel without you doing it. When it’s a friend it can really irk you. However, when it’s a singer- it doesn’t matter. You are thankful for it and you think “how the fuck did I last this long being so misunderstood?!” I just feel so honoured to have met Marina last year. There’s not many singers I feel this weird connection with, but when I first heard her music in 2008 I felt it straight away, and it didn’t bother me at all. When you find an artist when you are lost, it is such an intense feeling and you cannot believe it has happened.

To me, this song is like a kick up the arse for me. I don’t want to delve into a personal area- there’s a time and place. This is neither. But this song feels like she has managed to go inside my head and write exactly how I feel down. I felt this when I listened to The Family Jewels. How I feel about Guilty, I feel about Fear And Loathing.

What I love about Marina is her way of writing about the things that makes a person feel angry, vulnerable, fragile and lost. She evokes all these feelings in a way that many wish they could. Hell, I wish I could. She vocalises the beauty in frustrations. The beauty being, her making you feel that it is totally okay to feel like shit. It is okay to hurt, to feel delicate. To feel shit about yourself. It’s all okay. Many will run and hide from how they feel about themselves. Many will work so hard to not show how they feel. Why should they? You’re a human being- feel something. Whether it is good or bad, it is okay to feel.

I just love Fear And Loathing so much. I know that her Diamonds will feel exactly the same, like Marina has got inside her head and just created this piece of art that sums up how we all feel.

Whatever I write about this song will not do it justice. It will not show you just how close to perfection it is. She constantly blows my mind with her lyrics, her way with words. I have every faith that her second album will be just as inspiring as her debut.

Best Coast- NEW SONG!

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If Best Coast’s new album sounds like this, I will be so effin’ happy. The debut album came out last year, and I still play it every single day. It’s just gorgeous. Bethany’s voice is so angelic and stunning.

“I don’t wanna be how they want me to be.” So apt. “You don’t want me to be how they want me to be.” So true, so true right now. It’s just a beautiful song that you have to play on repeat and wrap it around your heart. Metaphorically, of course!

People vs Music.

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I have made it clear on many occasions that I find it so easy to fall in love with a piece of music, yet feeling anything (romantically) towards a person is damn near impossible. Obviously I have felt something to a couple of people, but my feelings for a piece of music are more constant and maybe more honest. I don’t know. Maybe I will get carried away writing this and you may think, “Olivia, you need help.” I don’t. I need someone to pay me to write. I also need that Velvet Underground boxset I saw in Manchester last year. Oh, and tickets to see The Kills and Zola Jesus. I’d appreciate it if someone took me to see them. Or just gave me a ticket and I’ll go on my own. Be a bit odd if I went with a stranger.

Anyway.

Music is my life. I’m not one for thinking, “Oh I’d love to settle down blah blah blah.” So far from it. I want to write and write until the day I die. I want to go to as many gigs as possible, fall in love with new bands, rekindle my love for old bands. I want to follow a band on tour and write about it. Just like in Almost Famous. I want to make someone feel the way I do about music with my words just like Lester Bangs and John Peel did to me. I want to leave a mark. A positive mark. I want to get people into music that makes them feel something from the depths of their soul, that reaches a place they thought couldn’t be reached. Make the impossible- possible. For me, for anyone. I don’t care who. I’m rambling.

The way I feel when I walk into a record shop is like a child in Toys R Us or someone looking at their partner. Full of love and awe. When I go to a record shop, I have to pick up the records I want. Touch them and study everything about them. I take every single piece of detail in. I do not understand people who download music at all.  Why would you prevent yourself of the greatest musical experience? Buying an LP or CD, going home. Laying on your bed, playing the music and flicking through the album’s artwork. Laying on your bed with the music playing and you just catapult yourself into another world. You escape because reality can be a bore and a pain in the arse can’t it.

Music makes you feel things that every day life can sometimes rob you of. I mean sure, you can listen to a love song and think, “I wish I could fall in love.” Then again, you can listen to a painful, heart-wrenching song and think, “I hope I never ever feel like that.” There is something about music that can make you feel less scared. There is something about people that can terrify you.

I’m 24 fast approaching 25 and I am not afraid to admit that most of the time, I feel like a loner. Yet, when I play certain songs- I don’t feel like that. If I go to a friend and told them a problem I had and they said, “Oh I can relate.” I’m not entirely sure if I would believe them or feel comforted. Yet, say if I felt like shit and played a certain song and could sense that the artist was conveying everything I feel- I would feel comforted, and I wouldn’t feel so alone with what I felt.

Musicians have so much power over the likes of you and I. Maybe they shouldn’t, but they do. The amount of times I keep everything to myself and just play a song to make myself feel better is insane. I feel more secure with hearing a song than using my own words. Maybe I just don’t have the words. I’m pretty good with expressing how I feel to certain people. I mean, there’s only two people I’d do that to- but I can do it. Yet sometimes, all it takes is for a song. A certain line to just hit the nail on the head and for you think,”Yes. That’s it. That is exactly how I feel!” And suddenly, you feel okay.

So, in short, music has the power. The power to do anything and everything to you. It will not let you down. It will not leave your side.

I will end this with a few quotes from my favourite film of all time, Almost Famous. That film changed my life.

“They don’t even know what it is to be a fan. Y’know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts.”

“If you ever get lonely, just got to the record store and visit your friends.”