culture

By: Moe Oliver
This hip hop shit is deeper than you think! And, I was reminded of that last weekend when I bummed a ride with Hot 97’s Shani Kulture to Staten Island for their art, fashion and hip hop event called The Gallery 2016. But, before I get to the event I gotta talk about the excitement in my head on the way in.  If ya’ll have not figured this out yet, I’mma Brooklyn head, born and raised, so everything you gonna read from me is filtered through that lens.  Also it is important to mention that all original New Yorkers got their own stereotypes about the other boroughs.  With that said, when we got into Shaolin my stereotypes started kicking in. We pull up on Water Street and Canal in Staten Island looking for parking.   As we came out of the car, we saw about 7 or 8 dudes rough housing in and around the Gazebo on the corner.  So, as any original New Yorker from Queens and Brooklyn would do,  we put on the customary screw face and added an extra dip to our already swagged out bop.  You know, that’s the traditional security blanket that every New Yorker was born with, cause you never know when shit might pop off!  In hindsight, I gotta say that these guys were harmless.  They were just playing around as young teens do to exert that extra energy, however, we could not be caught slipping out there in Shaolin!  Plus, in pre-gentrified New York you couldn’t roll out to somebody else’s hood without advance notice.

We get to the event, which was inside the Central Family Life Center building, and immediately I was reminded of the Stop the Violence Movement that was formed by KRS-One. Now if you don’t know who KRS-One is then stop reading this and click HERE NOW.  I’ll save a discussion about him for another blog but I will say this, to know who KRS ONE is and other emcees like him, is to know part of what Hip Hop really is.  One part of it is the music.  The other parts have to do with the arts and social justice for the communities… but i digress.  

 

At the event, in front of two table tops decorated in white cloths and handcrafted drawings of Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama, I was first introduced to Malcolm Penn, who appeared to be the mastermind behind the whole evening.  He wore a black T-shirt with white letters and a red hand in the middle that read “STOP GUN VIOLENCE”; words so true to the essence of our culture. Ya’ll probably don’t remember that song “Self Destruction” which was produced by Boogie Down Productions; a song that was aimed at ending violence in hip hop and in our neighborhoods. But that is what true hip hop does and this event exemplified that, making it so connected to the original calling of the hip hop culture.  The walls on both sides of the event space were laden with artwork signifying the various aspect of the culture.  On one side they had a mural of vintage  Air Nikes– from Bo Jacksons to Air Max and Jordan 3s;  all are classic must-haves for any collection  of hip hop footwear.  There were several paintings that showcased the infamous police crime scene tape that we’ve seen way too many times on the blocks where we from. However, hip hop takes the everyday struggle and transforms it into art, which at the same time, highlights the social injustices in our communities.  Hip Hop is not dead. It Lives!

The fashion was cool, though not the dopest part of the evening.  For me to get hype over some fashion shit, I gotta see more than T-shirts and hoodies, but I will say I got alotta respect for the brands. They on some deep next level ‘I’m-about-to change-the-world-with-my-clothing-line shit!’  Leading the way on the runway was a brand by the name of  Angry Elephant.  At first I was like what the fuck is an Angry Elephant” with that twisted face look. Then I did a little research and found out that this brand is out to save all the damn elephants.  They wanna place a ban on all ivory. And for all my low level thinkers, Ivory comes from the elephant tusk or horn. That’s pretty noble of them.  The second brand on the strip was Love Child and the name alone said it all, a clothing line all about spreading some love and judging from the Staten logo I’m guessing they rep Shaolin, but I could be wrong.

Following the Love Child brand was my favorite brand of the night which goes by the name FreeMe. Imma explain why they were my favorite in a minute, but the prison bars, [slash], bar code logo design kinda subliminally says a lot about the world we live. Last brand, and of course not least was the one called EBT.  The name come from a rap group called Everybody’s Trappin. And, I don’t think the focus is on selling drugs, cause we all out here trappin this money one way or another.  Now after seeing this brand and also being in Staten Island, home of the infamous Wu Tang Clan, I wonder how much influence Ol’ Dirty Bastard, had on the idea  for this brand or the group? I believe I did hear they were a rap group.  I know EBT cards weren’t around during ODB’s era, but EBT is the newer version of the food stamp card which ODB rocked so beautifully.  I mean, Im just trying to make a connection. By the way, I was really diggin the EBT inverse BET logo. It’s like an artist play on words.   

Now here’s why Free Me brand is my favorite– the artistic expression I saw at this event is truly the missing element that could make mainstream rap more real. It could provide real context and purpose behind the lyrics.  For example,the Free Me Brand had a table towards the back of the scene where they displayed a 3d design of a TRAP HOUSE.  Ironically, it was made out of Victor mouse traps, the old fashion types and it was surrounded by less than green looking grass guarded behind a white picket fence.  Genius I say!!!!! The symbolism is too real!!! I mean, one meaning of the trap house is the place where  hunters keep their tools and leathers for hunting season.  Another and more urban definition is a house in the hood where drugs are sold, but this trap house speaks to a systemic problem that ensnares everyone from the poor to the middle class.  When I saw that white picket fence around the mouse traps in the shape of a house, my mind went straight to that age-old concept of the American Dream that encourages people to become homeowners in America.  It’s a trap and I mean by definition!  The word mortgage actually means DEATH PLEDGE, so we are taught to pursue a dream that’s designed to keep us in a trap till the day of our death… TRAP HOUSE!!!!       

The truth is that this event was dope on so many levels and honestly I didn’t really touch everything that happened, like the soul to soul connection I had with Bobby Digi, or even the topless chick walking around with body art, and the deep conversations I overheard from the new and inspired hip hop artists making a name for themselves like Holy Moe and Depharie. Now, here’s the revelation I got, organic hip hop is truly a savior to its people.  This event showed me that with the absence of corporate vultures and marketing magicians, hip hop would save its own people.  Now to bring closure to what I believe, as an authentic voice of Brooklyn, Shaolin’s probably one of the most under represented boroughs in the hiphop game since the days of the Wu Tang Clan but still yall holding true to the mufucking art! Respect!

Please pardon some of my images and videos camera was on her period!!