Hip-Hop to da Head

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HOP to Da

TAKING IT TO THE ROOTS: Hip Hop Rises from the Cracks 8

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Volume 1 No. 13 • 2006

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C K O I L W EAK, BR

Did Hip Hop Really Originate in the Bronx?

The Story Behind the Moves and Grooves 10

Also: Tips on How to Be a B-boy/B-Girl, FREE

HIP HOP VOCABULARY, AND RESOURCES FOR INQUIRING MINDS

Welcome to Cuesheet, a performance guide published by the Education Department of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. This Cuesheet is designed to help you enjoy the performance of Hip Hop to Da Head.

Hip Hop to Da Head Cuesheet Editor and Art Director: Cathy Lips Writer: Theresa Sotto Design: The Kirwan Company, Inc.

Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy Center Education Department and a member of the MarcoPolo Consortium.

For more information about the performing arts and arts education, visit our Web sites: kennedy-center.org/education artsedge.kennedy-center.org Questions, comments? Write us at: cuesheets@artsedge.kennedy-center.org. Š 2006, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The U.S. Department of Education supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy Center Education Department. The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

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THE HYPE FULL CIRCLE PRODUCTIONS: 360 DEGREES OF HIP-HOP FLAVA Performances by Full Circle Productions are guaranteed to move you—mentally and physically. While their high-energy Afro-Latin dance will lure you into shaking a limb, or four, their rhymes and theatrical performances will make you exercise your brain muscles, too.

Founded by husband-and-wife team Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio and Anita “Rokafella” Garcia, Full Circle is dedicated to passing along the culture of hip hop through performance and education.

Begun as a duo in 1996, Full Circle is now a 10-year-old collective of talented DJs, poets, b-boys, and b-girls who bring hip hop to U.S. and international streets and stages.

For their Hip Hop to Da Head performance in the Terrace Theater, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the multi-talented members of Full Circle share their passion for hip-hop culture with beatboxing (see page 11), storytelling, singing, and poetry. In a theatrical piece titled “School of HardRocks,” the crew tells the tale of a group of teens that underestimates the coolness of their teacher. In a performance called “Just Begun,” hip-hop rhythms and gospel music come together in an a cappella song (sung without instruments) while the crew tears up the dance floor.

It’s not just about the arts, however. You might want to jot down a few notes as the crew relates information about the rich history of hip hop. This performance is not like most theater events, where you simply observe the performers. Wear comfortable shoes, because you might just be called upon to join in the action.

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THE HIP HOP LOWDOWN T he term “hip hop” is now commonly associated with music, but hip hop does not comprise music alone. It is a movement and a culture. “Hip hop is something you live, not something you do,” says Kwikstep.

Originally, hip hop included the following performance elements: ◗ graffiti writing—illegally marking territory in public places using spray paint PHOTO © MARTHA COOPER

◗ deejaying (DJing)—playing records on a turntable for an audience ◗ emceeing (MCing)—introducing the performers and commenting on the DJ’s skills ◗ b-boying (or breaking)—a fast-paced improvisational dance that includes intricate footwork and interesting drops

Give It Up For... ...the Hip Hop to Da Head crew: Rokafella, Kwikstep, Buttafly, Stretch, Ill Will, Rocism, Spexx, Arsin, The Wonder Twins, Jaquita, Tomomi, Ken Fury, Baba, Mach 3, and Brisk.

to the ground through twists, holds, and pivots Over time, the definitions of each element shifted and expanded. MCs composed longer, more complicated rhymes (called “raps”) and took center stage. DJs raised their skill to an art form by mixing songs together in interesting ways and by “scratching” (creating different sound effects by rhythmically manipulating the movement of the record). Graffiti writers took their work to

PHOTO © MARTHA COOPER

fine art galleries. B-boys made room for bgirls on the dance floor and added headspins and backspins to their mix of moves. Their style of dance became known as “breakdancing.”

Artists continue to innovate using one final and necessary element of hip hop: knowledge. As a result, the hip-hop movement continues to evolve.

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SHOUT-OUTS

Rokafella Rocks Many Stages D

ancing. Acting. Singing. Writing poetry. Anita “Rokafella” Garcia has so many talents that there aren’t enough hours in the day to devote to each one. If a deadline or performance is looming, she must squeeze in practice time in unlikely places, “even if it is on the train or waiting for a bus,” Rokafella says.

Growing up, Rokafella was lucky to have teachers who fed her fire to work diligently. Dancers who acted and sang in movies like Fame and The Sound of Music also inspired her. “I believed it could be possible to be all these things if you give each art form its due focus,” Rokafella explains.

The name “Rokafella” is a testament to the dancer’s dedication—and to her spunk. True enough.

Rokafella worked hard to refine her dance skills. Over time, she won the respect of veteran b-boys who proclaimed she was “rocking the guys.” The name “Rokafella” couldn’t be more appropriate.

Praise from b-boys is no easy task for a female in a traditionally male-dominated art form. Faced with skepticism from some of her male counterparts who believed women didn’t have the strength to take it to the extreme, Rokafella had to push herself even harder. “I had to...prove to myself and to them that that’s not true, that we are warriors and we are capable of many physical things.”

As a teenager in the late 1980s, Rokafella practiced for hours and performed regularly at parties and community events. By the early 1990s, she had transitioned from street gigs to theater performances. “I was able to carve out a new sense of identity— a sense of pride, dignity—through these moves,” she says.

At the root of Rokafella’s perseverance is a passion for hip hop. The culture is infused in everything she creates, from dance to poetry. “The rhyme, cadence, and the informal vocabulary, the perspective of an underdog, the street wisdom—it is just there,” she explains. “Hip hop is the way I express myself.”

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SHOUT-OUTS Husband and Wife Team Up to Help You Get Down Although it is important to practice your breaking technique and work with a teacher to refine your moves, Rokafella and Kwikstep believe that research goes a long way in understanding breakdancing—and hip hop in general. Here are their recommendations: ◗ Study the history of African-American tradition in books and online (see p. 12). ◗ Research hip-hop veterans’ views on the culture and art form by reading their oral accounts (see p. 12). ◗ Analyze how hip hop culture is represented by the media.

Are stereotypes perpetuated in movies? Are images in music videos positive or negative? ◗ Come to your own conclusions about the definition of hip hop.

the moves

With a new dance came a new vocabulary: ◗ power moves—shuffling foot patterns and spinning moves like headspins and backspins ◗ freeze—stopping a dance and holding a position, often balancing on your shoulder, head, or hands ◗ popping—fluid movements accentuated with contractions of isolated muscles in your arms and legs (such as moving your arms like an ocean wave) ◗ locking—extending your arms and legs outward from the torso, briefly snapping them into held positions (locking your arms at sharp angles, for example) to accent the rhythm of the music ◗ breaking—dancing with floor movements, such as spins, freezes, and poses ◗ up-rocking—dance movements that include kicks and mock attacks, as if battling without touching the other person ◗ down-rocking—dancing with close-to-the-floor movements ◗ top-rocking—fancy footwork performed standing upright View videos of these moves online at artsedge.kennedy-enter.org/hiphop, then try out a freeze of your own.

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SHOUT-OUTS

THEY DON HIM L L ’ T A THEY DON’T CALL HIM C KWIKSTEP FOR NOTHING abriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio can spin on his head while he takes off his jacket. Yes, it’s true. If that is not impressive enough, he knows the ins and outs of breaking, he knows salsa (a Latin American dance with Afro-Cuban rhythms), and he knows African dances.

Kwikstep’s versatility—and his lightningspeed moves—have brought him international recognition.

When Kwikstep was 8 years old, he watched dancers on the TV show Soul Train and tried to copy their moves.

When he walked down the street in his New York neighborhood, he was often lured by the music and energy of a block party, where b-boys were dancing to a DJ’s tunes. Kwikstep’s early interest in hip-hop dance was encouraged by older b-boys who took him under their wings and taught him technique. “I was fortunate to be around guys [who] knew I had talent,” Kwistep says.

In an environment riddled with thugs and drugs, Kwikstep found solace in dance.

“When I had tears in my eyes, I could go on the floor and just rip,” he says. When Kwikstep’s mother was battling a substance-abuse problem, Kwikstep was given away so he could have better opportunities.

“Hip hop became my parents,” Kwikstep reveals. “Bruce Lee—he was my father.”

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Yet it was not until Kwikstep felt the rush of admiration from an audience in China that he realized his passion could become a career. When Kwikstep was in his late teens, he was offered the opportunity to perform in China—and he jumped on it. The experience was life changing. “I remember doing a headspin, and everything became a blur,” he recalls. When he finished spinning, Kwikstep was greeted by a rush of adoring fans.

Now a renowned b-boy and teacher, Kwikstep is appreciated by both audiences and students. Because older bboys gave him the time of day when he was growing up, Kwikstep is now always on the lookout for talent. When he finds it, he is generous with his time and guidance. Rokafella, for instance, has something special, which he noticed when he first met her. “You can see when a person has it. You can feel it. Your hair stands on end,” he explains.

For all his success, Kwikstep still keeps it real. “If you let the commercial industry drain you, it will,” he warns. What Kwikstep finds most gratifying at this stage of his career is his confidence in his artistry. “It becomes a breath of fresh air, so you know you’re bringing something to the scene that needs to be seen.”

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S t r a i g h t -U p

S t o r i e s

LIFTED FROM THE CRACKS: THE CULTURE OF HIP HOP

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uman struggle is often the breeding ground for creativity and art. In the 1970s, the Bronx in New York was plagued by unemployment.

Businesses and neighborhoods were rundown and abandoned. Young people from poor, sometimes abusive, homes turned to gangs for friendship and protection. Yet from this devastated town emerged the new cultural movement of hip hop. Its high-energy and fast-beat music and dance helped to bring together communities torn apart by gang violence and poverty.

THE ROOTS

DJ Kool Herc was one of the first pioneers of hip hop in the Bronx. His popular parties stood for peace at a time when youth were being lured into gangs. No fighting—or the music would stop.

The unique DJ techniques of the Jamaican-born Kool Herc (a.k.a. Clive Campbell) formed the backbone of hip hop. Herc noticed that the dance floor really came alive during the percussion “breaks” (or breakbeats) in songs. The DJ cued up two recordings of the same music, then “cut” back and forth to prolong the breaks—and the dancing. When people heard that Herc was spinning records at an event, they came in droves.

The best dancers were dubbed “break boys” or “b-boys.” Herc formed his own group of b-boys, added MCs to the mix, and called

his new crew the Herculords. Armed with breakbeats and a sound system that was crisper and louder than his competitors’, Kool Herc and the Herculords soon had to move their parties to a large public park to make room for all of their fans.

Many Bronx gang members turned away from the streets and headed to the hip-hop dance floor—and the stage. Afrika Bambaataa, from a fearsome gang called the Black Spades, took off his gang colors and put on a variety of records. The music spanned funk, salsa, soca (a modern form of calypso music from the Caribbean), and rock. Fans could expect to groove to the Rolling Stones, a tune from The Pink Panther, and the electronic sounds of German group Kraftwerk—all in one set. In 1975, Bambaataa founded the Zulu Nation, an organization that promoted hip-hop awareness and peace.

Meanwhile, Joseph Saddler was drawing crowds to abandoned buildings in rough neighborhoods. Saddler introduced a technological innovation to hip-hop music. By constructing a cue monitor for his mixer, Saddler was able to listen to one record through headphones while another was playing. This discovery, and his ability to mix music swiftly, earned him the nickname Flash, and later, Grandmaster Flash.

Grandmaster Flash and his five MCs, the Furious Fives, did not just stick to music and breakdancing to entertain audiences. The group added choreographed moves, rhymes performed back and forth between two MCs, a manual drum machine called a beat box, and DJ tricks like scratching using an elbow. In the culture of hip hop, Grandmaster Flash was a pioneer of style.

mcs rock the mic

Early MCs stepped up to the microphone to introduce themselves, greet friends,

PHOTO © MARTHA COOPER

praise the DJ’s skills, and pump up the audience. Try your hand at writing a short rap. Give a “shout-out” to a buddy by showing your respect for one of his or her unique traits.

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RTHA PHOTO © MA

➲

COOPER

WILDSTYLE

As DJs, MCs, and breakers tried to draw the largest crowds during performances, graffiti writers operated in secret, away from the eyes of the police. Out of rebellion and a desire for recognition in their communities, graffiti writers disregarded the law and jumped over fences at 2 in the morning, packing spray paints affixed with hair spray, deodorant, and insecticide nozzles, each used for different effects.

The first graffiti “tags” were simple, often a scrawl of a writer’s nickname, such as “Taki 183.” The tags became more visually sophisticated and abstract as writers clamored for attention— and space—on the outside of New York subway trains. In the early 1970s, writers’ colorful “pieces” (from masterpieces) covered the trains in “top-to-bottoms.” The new tags included arrows, clouds, and other graphics, and seemed to bounce off the trains with their artistic movement and depth.

Writers PHASE 2, KASE 2, and others designed pieces with complicated interlocking letters and numbers in multiple colors.

The result? “Wildstyle,” made up of letters that looked more like abstract shapes than consonants or vowels.

Public expression was cut short when the city of New York cleaned up the trains and posted tighter security. A number of graffiti writers looked for new—and legal—homes for their pieces and found success and recognition in fine art galleries. They followed the footsteps of graffiti-inspired artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

go with the flow

Many writers chose their tags based on how the shapes of letters and

numbers flowed into each other. Come up with a few nicknames for yourself, each with at least four letters (any less is the work of a “toy” or inexperienced writer). Write each nickname in block letters and pick the one with the best flow. Then try manipulating each letter’s shape until the word becomes abstract, like wildstyle.

BREAKING IT DOWN

Whether MCing, DJing, graffiti writing, or breakdancing, hip-hop artists continually pushed themselves to work harder and harder.

The major motivator? Competition. B-boys and b-girls competed in “break battles,” and early b-boys would compare their “battle scars” from dancing on concrete littered with broken glass. B-boy competitions had roots in gang warfare, with break battles used as lead-ups to rumbles. But for some in the late 1970s, hours of breaking with other b-boys and b-girls in their crew took the place of gang violence.

Soul singer James Brown inspired the fast-paced moves in breakdancing. His 1972 song, “Get on the Good Foot,” showcased his energetic footwork. B-boys and b-girls took their cues from Brown and danced upright while top-rocking and up-rocking.

By the late 1970s, breakers were dropping to the floor in freezes inspired by kung fu movies. The fiercer the competition, the more the dancers invented moves to out-do each other. A group of dancers who formed the Rock Steady Crew is credited with bringing headspins, handspins, and flips to the dance.

In a two-minute cameo in the 1983 movie Flashdance, members of the Rock Steady Crew brought breakdancing to a national audience. Soon other b-boys and b-girls were featured in films and even appeared on The David Letterman Show and 20/20. National stardom also came true for several MCs and DJs from the Bronx (like Grandmaster Flash) who released hip-hop records that climbed the pop charts. The first rap record to gain national attention was “Rapper’s Delight,” by The Sugarhill Gang. “Rapper’s Delight” introduced the hip-hop sound to listeners across the country, paving the way for the hip-hop movement to spread around the globe.

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S T R A I G H T - U P S T O R I E S

Workin’ The Connections: The Influence and Origins of Hip Hop Hip hop was born on the streets of New York, yet its moves and music can be traced backward to art forms from around the world and forward in newer hip-hop-inspired art forms.

OLD-SCHOOL TRADITIONS Rewind 300 years to Africa, when warriors danced as a way of showing solidarity. Traces of breaking can be seen in the up-down motion of a dancer’s head and torso, and in the isolated movements of the shoulders, hips, and rib cage. These fast-moving “body isolations” correspond to the complex rhythms of Africanbased music. Through the use of “polyrhythms,” in which several different rhythms are played at the same time, African-based music is multi-textured and cross-rhythmic.

When polyrhythms are played in hip-hop music, the dancing steps up a couple of notches in complexity. According to Kwikstep, the top-rock changes depending on the kind of drums being played. “The top-rock will be straightforward if the drum is simple, but the minute you start overlaying polyrhythms, then the whole Caribbean-African diaspora that’s in your blood starts to come out,” Kwikstep explains.

Diaspora refers to the spread of a culture and people from a single original geographic area. Hip hop is a result of the melding of art forms that originated in Africa and Latin America. The hipshaking and quick footwork of salsa, which began in Cuba and Puerto Rico, significantly influenced today’s breakdancing.

Similarly, the tendency of rappers to praise their own skills (DJs

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in the late 1960s talked, rhymed, and often boasted over the records they played) has roots in Jamaican toasts.

CONNECTING TO CAPOEIRA Many b-boys and b-girls maintain that breaking was born in a particular time and place. Yet there are undeniable similarities between the 500-year-old Brazilian martial arts dance called capoeira and its 20th-century American cousin.

Capoeira and breakdancing share several characteristics: Athleticism combined with acrobatics and grace. Competition between opponents. Steps that can be playful, graceful, or aggressive. Moves that require balancing on one arm or the head.

Intricate groundwork, “feints” (mock attacks), and “sweeps” (movements that are smooth, gliding, and often forceful).

Although the moves are similar, the histories are quite different.

Capoeira originated in the 16th century, when African slaves in Brazil needed a way to learn how to fight under the watchful eyes of their masters. By shielding fighting moves within dance steps while singing, clapping, and playing instruments, the slaves were able to teach each other self-defense. A capoeirista’s moves were characterized by trickery: Players often coaxed opponents into a trap by fluidly changing a defensive move into an attack.

Today many martial-arts and dance lovers around the world are drawn to both the slow, graceful elements of the traditional Angola style of capoeira and the newer, faster Regional (HEH-jeehoh-NAHL) style, characterized by explosive acrobatics like backflips and aerial twists.

Listen to beatboxers on artsedge.kennedy-

Listen

center.org/hiphop and see if you can mimic their

diverse sounds. Then play your favorite hip hop

and contribute to the music—with your own voice.

SHAKING A LEG Breaking also includes steps that evolved from American dances like the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. The Charleston originated on a small island near Charleston, South Carolina, and by the early 1920s, it was a dance craze that swept across the country. The Charleston’s basic movement—kicking out each heel forward and back while swinging the corresponding hand in the opposite direction—was revamped with twisting ankles in a hip-hop dance move called the kid-n-play.

By the late 1920s, the Charleston evolved into the Lindy Hop (often dubbed “swing” today). This improvisational dance fused the Charleston with jazz, tap, and other dance styles. Partners danced the Lindy Hop, but when they separated in “breakaways,” each dance tailored the basic steps to suit individual personalities and preferences. The Charleston and the swift improvisation of the Lindy Hop found their way into the intricate footwork of bboys and b-girls.

It’s not only the steps that these old and new dances share.

The Lindy Hop, like hip hop, formed bridges between different art forms. Dancers practiced the Lindy Hop alongside bands booked at the famous Savoy Ballroom. Jazz greats like Louis Armstrong wrote songs for Shorty George Snowden and other dancers. Painter William H. Johnson’s work “Street Life” was inspired by the stylish people he saw at the Savoy. The Lindy Hop, like hip hop, brought people together to create great art— and have a slammin’ time.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON...

In a world where technology continually advances society, art is no exception. Kool Herc’s parties were always packed, partly because his sound system surpassed those of his peers.

Another veteran from the early 1970s, Theodore Livingston (a.k.a. Grand Wizard Theodore) accidentally discovered the technique now known as “scratching.” One day, when his mother interrupted his practice session, Livingston heard the needle making a scratching noise as it moved back and forth along the record. He realized the noise could be used rhythmically, and scratching was born.

Artists called turntablists have brought the technique of scratching to an art form and a science. Armed with turntables designed specifically for DJs, turntablists don’t just play music, they make music through scratching and “beat juggling” (creating a new sound by replaying and manipulating one audio sample on two turntables).

Nowadays more and more DJs are beefing up their music libraries with audio files. Today they’re widely available and convenient, and many believe that cutting-edge technology provides more possibilities than vinyl and CDs. Despite countless technological advances, many hip-hop artists prefer to use the oldest instrument available to humans to create complex, unique rhythms: the voice. “Beatboxers” use their mouths and vocal cords to make sounds like the beats, melodies, and scratches from a DJ’s turntables. Beatboxers remind hip-hop fans that you can still move forward while staying true to your roots.

The Lindy Hop swept dance halls and clubs during

the Harlem Renaissance, a time of great creative

energy in the arts. Explore this vibrant and unique

The Lindy Hop period at www.artsedge.kennedy-

center.org/exploring/harlem/center.org/harlem.

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Playlist Props to the Poets

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o English class is complete without the study of William Shakespeare. How about the poetry of hip hop, too?

Shakespeare wrote sonnets using vocabulary common during his day. Similarly, hip-hop artists incorporate street slang in their lyrics. Shakespeare wrote in “iambic pentameter” (a fivebeat line of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables-da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA). Rap artists often write in sixteenbar stanzas followed by four- to eight-bar “hooks” (the chorus).

Inspired by the rhythm of hip hop and a love of the English language, spoken word poets write to express their thoughts, to comment on current events and politics, and to entertain. Listen to examples of spoken word performances on artsedge.kennedycenter.org/hiphop. Then write your own poem, paying attention to the way the words sound through rhyme, “alliteration” (strings of several words beginning with the same consonant or syllable), and repetition.

WE RECOMMEND… D O C U M E N TA R I E S : Devlin, Paul. SlamNation. 1999.

Spoken word artists competing at the 1996 National Poetry Slam LaChapelle, David. Rize. 2005.

A chronicle of a dance movement that rose out of South Central Los Angeles Rainwater, Rotimi. Spit. 2005.

The stories of four writers driven to perform spoken word poetry Silver, Tony, and Henry Chalfant. Stylewars: New York’s Kings of Graffiti. 1983. A film about veteran graffiti writers B O O KS : Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation.

New York: Picador, 2005.

A well-researched historical overview of the culture, the politics, and the people Eleveld, Mark, editor. The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip Hop & the Poetry of a New Generation. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2003.

Essays, poetry, and commentary accompanied by a CD of performances Fricke, Jim, and Charlie Ahearn. Yes, Yes Y’all: Oral History of Hip-Hop’s First Decade. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2002.

Hip-hop veterans speak for themselves.

Light, Alan. The Vibe History of Hip Hop. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999. A comprehensive history with detailed information about some of hip-hop’s major players W E B

S I T E S :

artsedge.kennedy-center.org/hiphop Educational materials on the art and culture of hip hop fullcirclesoul.com Additional information about the company, including videos of performances stylewars.com Site for the documentary Style Wars containing videos and a graffiti gallery cantstopwontstop.com Excerpts from the book of the same name, with additional transcripts and interviews bboyworld.com Information about what’s happening in the underground b-boy scene

Stephen A. Schwarzman Chairman Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education The Family Theater Opening Sea so n i s p rese n te d by The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Series for Artistic Excellence.

Theater at the Kennedy Center is presented with the generous support of Stephen and Christine Schwarzman.

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Cuesheets are funded in part through the support of the Estate of Joseph R. Applegate; Butz Foundation; the Carter and Melissa Cafritz Charitable Trust; Chevy Chase Bank; Citigroup Foundation; the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Ms. Nancy J. Davis; Fannie Mae Foundation; the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation; the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund; The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation; the Mackintosh Foundation; Newman’s Own; Publix Supermarkets, Inc.; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts; Prince Charitable Trusts; the Hattie M. Strong Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.