MY LIFE IN THE UNDERGROUND RAP RAILROAD

My ESCAPE Into HIPHOP

Hip hop was smuggled into my house like Negroe spirituals during slavery.

Our household was banned from listening to secular music — cuz mi Parentals decided to be hyper-religious rassclot Baptist Christian mudda scunts.

But Me and mi five older sibling dem could NOT resist OR be denied the appeal of da growing genre of Hip Hop — now celebrating its 50th year.

We grew up together from time like faithful friends from da hood.

My oldest brudda showed us how to record songs on da radio to cassette tape with our Fadda hand me down boom boxes.

Those mixtapes got confiscated REAL QUICK by Muma who could sniff out contraband like a seasoned Narc.

She wan fi take da boom boxes too but Fadda knew da ramifications to a Nigga SOUL when you remove music in captivity.

So him give dem back to us after a week or so.

It nevuh stop us no way.

Most of da artists and songs in Hip Hop that I grew up loving mi heard first in mi kitchen washin dishes with mi brudda closer in age to me.

He would rap bars from LL Cool J , Busta Rhymes, Wu Tang Clan, Rakim, KRS-One and more.