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That's all great.... but I was not planning to go out in to the hall to take part in that conversation lol. I just turned off the music and told my husband he better speed it up before we had company.
Ironically when I told him what had happened all he said was good at least it got you to turn that garbage off !
Oh that wasn't meant towards you, of course its not a good idea to argue with angry strangers. Lol
Hip-Hop is primarily African American. It owes a significant debt to the Jamaican immigrant community in the Bronx at the time that "jump started" it. It also owes a significant debt to the Puerto Rican community of the Bronx that helped shape the overall culture of early Hip Hop. In your attempt to show the different sides of Hip-Hop please don't make the mistake of saying Hip-Hop is not African American music.
In addition, you also make the common mistake of not recognizing that a lot of the "American" cowboys were actually Black.
I am passionate about music and have conducted extensive research on many musical movements since high school. My final research paper for Honors English in 12th grade was on Ska music. I've always been a nerd about studying things in detail to learn more about them.
This mentality that hip-hop was developed as a purely African-American art form, and that anyone else listening to it is 'copying' it or taking it from AA culture is just ignorant. If it wasn't for Jamaicans and the rich multi-cultural environment that it developed in, it probably wouldn't have come to be. For example, boom box culture, outdoor DJ and music culture has quintessential Jamaican roots.
As for your cowboy comment, you must have missed the whole point of my post. Lol
"Gangs of New York"? That was a great book and movie, and the notorious Five Points section of NYC located down town near the old Collect - which I have been told by ancestors, who were told by ancestors "stunk to high heaven", was indeed a scary place. But it's gone now. In fact, much of old New York is gone now. The good the bad and the ugly.
My family has lived in NYC - one part or another - for almost 300 years.
I was born in Manhattan, lived in the Bronx for a few years, before my family settled on Long Island. Many people in my family, from my generation, moved back after college (I am one of them) and a few stayed to raise their families there. I did not. I headed back to Long Island because I wanted a home of my own, privacy, and a "good place to raise children". Actually, NYC isn't a terrible place to raise a family, but to do it right, these days - and 20-30 years ago- you need LOTS of money.
Is NYC scary? Well, I lived there during the CBGBs - Max's Kansas City era. When the Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, Blondie, and Talking Heads were all getting their starts. This was a time that NYC was thought of as VERY DANGEROUS. Late 70s - mid 80s. Saturday Night Live opened with "LIVE FROM NEW YORK - the MOST DANGEROUS CITY in the WORLD!"
Was it?? Well, parts were comfortably gritty, and perhaps a bit seedy. Other parts were pristine and snobbish. NYC was going through a difficult time financially. I think it was bankrupt.
I lived on the very arty and gritty, St. Mark's PL, in NYC's East Village. I was 20, and I mostly lived alone except when staying with my BF. Or he with me. Where he lived was even worse. He lived closer to the Bowery, on E. 2nd. I wrote for a paper. I waited tables at Max's, I worked at a Punk Boutique called Manic Panic. Many times I worked there alone. Sometimes I opened the store at 10 AM and closed it at night when it was time to hit the clubs and watch the bands.
I lived through the Black Out of 1977. NOTHING scary happened. And, it could have. An old candy store named "Gem Spa" on the corner of St. Marks and Second Ave. was giving out free ice cream cones. It was HOT. There was a heat wave that Summer. And no A/C was working. We stayed up all night and partied in the streets. Everyone was friendly and cool. We had a blast, and helped each other out any way we could.
This was the same Summer that The Son of Sam (David Berkowitz) roamed the outer Burroughs (Bronx and Queens) searching for prey, shooting people in cars, on "lover's lanes", and while exiting discos. I was not afraid. "Son of Sam" never stalked Manhattan, and I never stalked Discos.
I think he favored women with long dark hair. I hated disco, and I was blonde.
One reason that I was never afraid in NYC is that you can always duck into some place if you think someone is following you. Bars, diners, restaurants, grocery stores - someplace is always open. Unlike other places, where everything closes down at 9PM - NY is literally "The City that Never Sleeps". There is always a safe place if you feel threatened.
Compared to other parts of America, Serial Killers are actually a rare occurrence. Think of the Pacific North West - Ted Bundy, The Green River Killer, and many others, NY has very few "thrill kill cult killers". Muggings? Yes. Both my husband and sister were mugged. They took what they wanted with no violence. In my sister's case, they mailed back the wallet! How odd.
Rudy Guiliani is often called "America's Mayor" since he was mayor during the tragedy of 9/11.
However, he is disliked by many New Yorkers because he is ruthless, and mean spirited. He wanted to "clean up NYC" and rid it of garbage. Including those he thought were human garbage. The his responsible for the deaths of many a homeless person, as he marshaled "his" police force to engage in a war against the homeless.
He purged the city of anything that he deemed "unwholesome". From Strip Clubs and Peep Shows to poor and homeless people. He also encouraged NYC's police force to boost their policing practices to the point of aggression and violence.
The NYPD was once friendly and approachable. Now they collectively are arrogant and many are bullies.
I love NYC pre the Disney-fication of NY. It's a city, not a theme park.
I still love NY. I also think it was "safe" before Rudy.
VISIT. It's still one of the best, most vibrant cities in the world!
Intersting. I have a love/ hate relationship with New York. It is really expensive and feels more cold, gritty and harsh then the city I live. Also I can't stand the look of all those buildings. It reminds me of chicken coups. I love that there is a lot to do... but I dont think I could live in Manhattan. It is just way to congested it. Toronto is a very different type of major city. I like having lots to do, but can deal with that level of congestions and the volume of tall block like buildings. The nicer looks areas that I could tolerate I could not afford to live in.
I personally feel more safe in any city vs being out in isolated less populated places.
OMG! I remember all that and back a decade earlier as well. I dunno, it was so hard to tell exciting from dangerous, and when you know a place it lives different than it looks. And it is real hard to appreciate that latter point when you are just a visitor.
I imagine parts of London that might be perfectly safe would strike me as dicey as a stranger.
London reminds me of New York in terms of how compact and congested things are... but similar to Toronto, London has a better mix of building sizes.
I am passionate about music and have conducted extensive research on many musical movements since high school. My final research paper for Honors English in 12th grade was on Ska music. I've always been a nerd about studying things in detail to learn more about them.
This mentality that hip-hop was developed as a purely African-American art form, and that anyone else listening to it is 'copying' it or taking it from AA culture is just ignorant. If it wasn't for Jamaicans and the rich multi-cultural environment that it developed in, it probably wouldn't have come to be. For example, boom box culture, outdoor DJ and music culture has quintessential Jamaican roots.
As for your cowboy comment, you must have missed the whole point of my post. Lol
LOL indeed...cowboy comment was a FYI for you or anyone else reading...I am Jamaican...I am aware of hip hops Jamaican roots...what hip-hop metamorphosed into is an African American musical art form...all music has other influences...African Americans are within their rights to claim hip-hop as theirs...they are not within their rights to deny other influences...if the encounter occurred the way K'Rocks described, then they were wrong in that case...but you seemed to my eyes to be taking it one step further to say African Americans have no claim to the music as theirs...that is incorrect
I dunno, it was so hard to tell exciting from dangerous, and when you know a place it lives different than it looks.
Yeah, that was the point I was previously trying to make. You can't tell if an area is safe or dangerous by appearance. An area can look "scary" and be safe or "homey" and be dangerous.
Yeah, that was the point I was previously trying to make. You can't tell if an area is safe or dangerous by appearance. An area can look "scary" and be safe or "homey" and be dangerous.
I personally have no problem telling "scary" from safe. Especially in NYC.
I don't find New York that attractive, it looks gritty for the most part. Los Angeles or Boston are way neater.
Looks can be deceiving. There are really nice parts of South Central LA ( at least they look nice) but have high crime rates.
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