THE
      History
      OF
      Hip-Hop
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Over
      thirty
      years
      ago,
      the
     
     
      culture
      that
      is
      known
      as
      hip-hop
     
     
      began
      in
      the
      Bronx
      borough
      in
      New
     
     
      York
      City.
      Despite
      oppression,
     
     
      poverty
      and
      lack
      of
      opportunity,
      the
     
     
      industrious
      youths
      of
      the
      area
      creat-
     
     
      ed
      a
      music
      and
      an
      art
      form,
      just
      as
     
     
      their
      African-American
      forebearers
     
     
      had
      created
      jazz,
      blues,
      R&B
      and
     
     
      rock
      and
      roll.
     
    

    
     
      The
      man
      who
      is
      credited
     
     
      with
      having
      begun
      hip-hop
      is
      Kool
     
     
      Herc
      who,
      when
      deejaying
      at
      par-
     
     
      ties,
      began
      using
      two
      turntables
     
     
      instead
      of
      one
      and
      extended
      the
     
     
      break
      beats
      of
      songs
      by
      “hip
      hop-
     
     
      ping”
      back
      and
      forth
      between
      the
     
     
      two
      tables.
     
    

    
     
      Soon
      after
      this
      innovation,
     
     
      break
      dancers
      or
      b-boys
      began
      dis-
     
     
      playing
      their
      moves
      during
      the
     
     
      music
      breaks.
      Also,
      the
      DJs’
      call
     
     
      and
      response
      developed
      into
      a
      dis-
     
     
      cipline
      of
      its
      own.
      People
      who
      per-
     
     
      formed
      in
      this
      aspect
      became
     
     
      known
      as
      MCs,
      or
      rappers.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      absence
      of
      musical
     
     
      instruments,
      the
      hip-hop
      pioneers
     
     
      took
      turntables
      and
      used
      them
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      their
      instruments.
      When
      they
      could
     
     
      not
      find
      venues
      in
      which
      to
      play,
     
     
      they
      played
      in
      parks,
      using
      street
     
     
      lamps
      for
      power
      sources
      at
      the
     
     
      city’s
      expense.
     
    

    
     
      Hip-hop
      was
      created
      and
     
     
      has
      evolved
      in
      the
      face
      of
      opposi-
     
     
      tion
      and
      now
      has
      spread
      to
      every
     
     
      part
      of
      the
      world.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hip-Hop
      Hits
      CHARLOTTETOWN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Charlottetown
      is
      now
      wit-
     
     
      nessing
      its
      hip-hop
      beginnings.
      All
     
     
      four
      elements
      of
      hip-hop
      are
      pres-
     
     
      ent
      and
      accounted
      for,
      in
      some
     
     
      form,
      in
      the
      city.
      Much
      of
      the
      ele-
     
     
      ments
      are
      still
      in
      their
      embryonic
     
     
      stages,
      but
      they
      are
      still
      growing.
     
     
      There
      are
      now
      MCs,
      DJs,
      break
     
     
      dancers
      and
      graffiti
      artists
      who
      are
     
     
      attempting
      to
      develop
      their
      art
      and
     
     
      hopefully
      display
      it.
     
    

    
     
      Hip-hop
      in
      this
      city,
      howev-
     
     
      er,
      faces
      some
      serious
      problems.
     
     
      One
      of
      the
      most
      evident
      problems
     
     
      is
      the
      lack
      of
      a
      venue
      where
      artists
     
     
      can
      display
      their
      talents
      and
      com-
     
     
      pete
      against
      others.
      Another
      prob-
     
     
      lem
      is
      that
      many
      participants
      are
     
     
      younger
      than
      the
      legal
      drinking
      age
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (19
      years
      old)
      and
      are
      not
      permitted
     
     
      to
      hip-hop
      shows
      that
      take
      place
      in
     
     
      bars.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      major
      problem
     
     
      afflicting
      the
      local
      scene
      is
      musical
     
     
      influence.
      In
      Charlottetown,
      the
     
     
      three
      main
      influences
      come
      from
     
     
      underground
      and
      mainstream
     
     
      artists
      from
      Halifax,
      Toronto
      and
     
     
      the
      United
      States.
     
    

    
     
      The
      American
      artists
      have
     
     
      the
      strongest
      presence
      because
      of
     
     
      their
      high
      profiles
      in
      music
      videos
     
     
      and
      in
      record
      stores.
      The
      Toronto
     
     
      commercial
      acts
      (along
      with
      those
     
     
      from
      other
      major
      Canadian
      hip-hop
     
     
      centres)
      also
      get
      air
      time
      and
      shelf
     
     
      space
      in
      videos
      and
      stores,
      and
     
     
      even
      make
      rare
      performances
      in
     
     
      Charlottetown
      bars.
     
    

    
     
      Halifax,
      because
      it
      is
      the
     
     
      closest
      hip-hop
      centre
      in
      geograph-
     
     
      ic
      terms,
      frequently
      has
      its
      artists
     
     
      perform
      in
      Charlottetown
      bars
      and
     
     
      other
      venues
      and
      allows
      for
      hip-
     
     
      hoppers
      to
      travel
      to
      that
      city
      to
      per-
     
     
      form.
      It
      is
      often
      more
      difficult,
     
     
      however,
      to
      obtain
      and
      be
      exposed
     
     
      to
      Halifax
      hip-hop
      through
      CDs
     
     
      and
      videos.
     
    

    
     
      But
      that
      is
      not
      to
      say
      that
     
     
      things
      are
      all
      bad
      in
      Charlottetown.
     
     
      People
      are
      working
      to
      make
      a
      dif-
     
     
      ference
      and
      establish
      the
      founda-
     
     
      tions.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BREAK
      DANCING
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Greg
      Fleming
      is
      doing
      his
     
     
      part
      for
      the
      community
      through
      his
     
     
      break
      dancing
      club.
      In
      true
      hip-hop
     
     
      fashion,
      Greg
      picked
      up
      his
      skills
      in
     
     
      another
      city
      and
      brought
      them
      here.
     
    

    
     
      Fleming
      explained,
      “I
     
     
      learned
      what
      I
      know
      in
      Halifax
      at
     
     
      the
      University
      of
      Kings
      College.
     
     
      They
      started
      a
      club
      there
      last
      year,
     
     
      and
      anyone
      was
      welcome
      to
      come.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      So
      I
      met
      a
      lot
      of
      cool
      people
      who
     
     
      taught
      me
      a
      bunch
      of
      moves
      and
      I
     
     
      picked
      it
      up
      pretty
      quick.”
     
    

    
     
      Last
      year,
      after
      Fleming’s
     
     
      plans
      to
      attend
      Dalhousie
      fell
     
     
      through,
      he
      ventured
      back
      to
      the
     
     
      Island
      and
      began
      a
      b-boy
      club.
     
    

    
     
      In
      explaining
      his
      reasons
     
     
      for
      starting
      the
      club,
      Fleming
      stat-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ed,
      “I
      still
      wanted
      to
      b-boy,
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      course,
      but
      I
      had
      no
      one
      to
      do
      it
     
     
      with.
      I
      thought
      it
      would
      be
      a
      good
     
     
      idea
      to
      teach
      some
      people
      some
     
     
      moves,
      and
      then
      I’d
      have
      some
     
     
      friends
      to
      play
      with...
      I
      wanted
      to
     
     
      have
      it
      so
      that
      everyone
      would
      have
     
     
      the
      basics,
      and
      then
      we
      could
      teach
     
     
      each
      other
      harder
      moves
      as
      we
     
     
      went
      along....
      Like
      more
      of
      a
      b-boy
     
     
      community
      than
      a
      class.
      That’s
     
     
      starting
      to
      happen
      now,
      but
      not
      with
     
     
      the
      numbers
      I
      would
      haye
      liked.”
     
    

    
     
      At
      present,
      Fleming
      holds
     
     
      his
      b-boy
      and
      b-girl
      lessons
      for
      free
     
     
      at
      the
      UPEI
      Fieldhouse
      on
      Sunday
     
     
      evenings.
     
    

    
     
      Fleming
      has
      even
      bigger
     
     
      plans
      for
      the
      summer,
      though.
     
     
      “This
      summer,
      I’m
      gonna
      make
      all
     
     
      the
      people
      that
      have
      been
      coming
     
     
      to
      break
      come
      to
      the
      Confed
      Mall
     
     
      with
      me
      and
      b-boy
      in
      public
      as
     
     
      some
      sort
      of
      club
      initiation...
     
     
      When
      the
      snow’s
      gone
      and
      the
     
     
      pavement
      dries
      up,
      I
      wanna
      get
     
     
      some
      linoleum
      and
      cardboard
      and
     
     
      get
      people
      together....
      That
      would
     
     
      be
      really
      fun.
      People
      would
      stop
     
     
      and
      watch,
      and
      all
      the
      b-boys
      that
      I
     
     
      don’t
      know
      about
      would
      come
      out
     
     
      of
      the
      woodwork
      and
      we
      could
      bat-
     
     
      tle
      and
      stuff.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      GRAFFITI
     
     
      The
      one
      element
      that
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      had
      the
      most
      difficult
      time
      develop-
     
     
      ing
      in
      Charlottetown
      has
      been
      graf-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2
      oa
     
     
      8
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