I attended Hall High School in Little Rock Arkansas. “Hall” was a majority Black school something straight out of “Lean on Me” or “The Wood”. One where security guards patrolled the halls frequently, heavy drug usage, teen pregnancy, and every other cliche you could imagine..Socially I was awkward, I spent much time to myself. During lunch periods, I would walk around campus until the bell sounded to resume classes, which was usually a relief. The name of the game was to survive, an unknowingly survival tactic was my love for rap music and the culture of Hip Hop. Although, I didn’t really engage with many of my classmates I was accepted and respected; I think my choice of clothes communicated I was cool enough to get by, or at least I think so… I bought RocaWear, ECKO, Phat Farm t-shirts, from TJ Maxx, Burlington, and sometimes the BX on the Air Force base. Every once and a while I would throw on a Malcolm X or Che Guervera t-shirt, so I was also making a political statement with style, this would accompany my newest pair of sneakers.
If I wasn’t at work, I spent much of my time on LimeWire to download the newest unreleased music, from T.I. to Little Brother for my own listening pleasure and if requested I’ll download something for one of my classmates for a small fee. .. So I was able to make a couple bucks here and there. However, there was a point where the high end monograms had a resurgence in Hip Hop, most rappers started wearing Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Gucci on their sneakers. When Ebay was fairly new, I was able to find and convince my mother to purchase Gucci fabric for me. My mother and I found a seamstress that was able to cut and sew the fabric on my black on black AF1. I was the first person in my school with Gucci fabric on my sneakers, and it became a topic of conversation among peers. I still had plenty of fabric remaining, so the extra I started to sell around school. Students started popping up with Gucci Fabric on their Timberland boots or sewn on their denim jeans. Even with this type of social currency, I still did not really fit in or have a group to call my own.
I was a beatsmith on the cafeteria table and classroom desk… I could play a mean Three Six Mafia inspired hi-hat with a sharpen number 2 pencil that would occasionally get someone to freestyle. During this time screwed and chopped music was growing in popularity. I was not a fan at first. It was really hard for me to listen, I associated broken verses with scratched up cd’s which would normally bother me. Then somehow I become fascinated with the genre. Playing artists like Big Tuck, Lil Keke, OG Ron C, DJ Micheal Watts, to name a few would further expand my pallet in rap, and gave me foundation to engage in a dialogue with my classmates if needed.
The Crunk era was another moment in rap, and a milestone in my life. One where my 1990 Honda Accord would capture my aggressive head nods to the 808 bass or those solitary moments of me “getting buck” at DJ Pauls command. I had a very short lived moment of beating down the block, because after a week of putting my 1000 watt amp to accentuate the Pioneer subwoofers, my system was stolen. It was at that moment I realized working in the Wal-Mart pets department didn’t pay me enough to want to keep replacing my stereo. So the smooth tunes of Crime Mob, Da Headbussaz, Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz, Pastor Troy weren’t cranked to the highest decibel that it really deserved. Nonetheless, that was a moment in time where I was exploring rap and unknowingly exploring myself and releasing whatever anger I had. Crunk music was a form of therapy for me, the yelling and the chants provided a release that I couldn’t get anywhere else, and my car was the music chamber that didn’t allow my emotions to spill into the rest of the world.
As I have gotten older, my aspirations to be a producer or an A&R subsided but I still wanted to contribute to Hip-Hop. Today, I sit on the board as a chairperson of a Hip Hop based nonprofit in D.C. called Words Beats and Life (WBL) where the mission is as follows: “We are unapologetic advocates for the transformative power of Hip-Hop culture in all its forms, empowering artists to relentlessly create and refine systems that demonstrate positive change through our individual and collective brilliance. We embrace the sacred nature of our work and our roles as keepers and innovators of our culture”.
I understand the power of Hip Hop in youth culture as it relates to consumerism, style, and communication. So I wanted to play my part in the genre that has given so much to me. I have been on the board of directors for a little less than a year now. However, this is not my first foray with the organization. I first found out about Words Beats and Life when I volunteered at a Block Party event called “Phife is Living” to promote the importance of health and appreciate the genius of Phife Dog of Tribe Called Quest.
Secondly, I was working toward my Ph.D. at Howard University and wanted to focus my study around Hip Hop and youth culture. I approached Words Beats and Life about collaborating with them in my research and they gave me the green light. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to complete the doctorate program the way I wanted due to lack of finances, so the initial interaction was short lived. However, a few months later, another opportunity presented itself; a friend and coworker of mine told me that WBL were looking for board members and suggested I should apply, and I did. The interview and screening process lasted a several weeks.
Around the time I applied for the position, WBL were planning their next big social event called The Fresh Ball. The Fresh Ball was a black tie event where people came out in their best attire with a Hip-Hop inspired flair to listen to dope beats and rhymes to support a cause.I really wanted to attend however the ticket prices were 100 dollars and I simply could not afford at that time. As luck would have it, another friend of my called me from Philadelphia where she resided and told me she wanted to go and asked me to escort her, which I am grateful because she paid for the ticket. That event allowed me a chance to show my face and network with other board members. The board member that interviewed me, oddly enough was a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer that served in Malawi too!
A few short weeks after the Fresh Ball, I received an email to attend a WBL retreat so the board could get to know me as part of the interview process,. Before this meeting I thought I had a general understanding of the organization and how it was ran, I was wrong. Its very different being on the other side of the table to know and understand how things are ran behind the scenes. Still, I knew I could bring a certain value to the team. After that retreat, I knew I would be accepted,….and I was.
Words Beats and Life had their second annual Fresh Ball, and I was fortunate enough to be apart of the planning process. To see so many shades of faces from different walks in life dressed in their finest threads to pay respect to Hip Hop and its constant evolution. Much like Hip Hop, I’d like to think I’ve come a long way from being a social misfit that Hip Hop had a hand in raising and undoubtedly owes much credence in my maturation. The art form still continues to inspire me and gives me purpose, the art form still introduces me to new vocabulary and authors, the art form still gives me a meaning to chant and release. Words and Beats has been the guiding force in my Life, so its only makes sense that I be a board member of an organization such as Words, Beats and Life, to hopefully inspire the next kid with a passion.
