it all started when. . .

[lina]

I was wondering what got you guys into rap. Was it the beats, the medium of expression, the culture? I'm curious.
Although i definately don't look like the type, i have definate interest in spoken word. What got me into rap was through mixed cd's my friends gave me of mixed techno with rap. Also seeing local artists, such as people around school perform really interested me. The stories that can be motioned and felt through the tone of voice, the choice of words, the energy of it all. . . oddly makes me feel empowered that words alone, can give me such a rush and get me pumped.

[SK]

Well, it all started...
When I was young I guess. I was raised on music, so it always coursed through my vains. I had a passion and love for it from day one. Especially rap, since mostly the culture I was surrounded by listened to rap, and this was at an era where rap was becoming bigger than ever. Though the MC that first pulled me deep into rap was Criss Cross. I remember wearing my pants backwards, just because they said it in their lyrics. They were dope, and they made you wanna "Jump, Jump!" From there it went to such artist as DMX, then Styles P, Eminem, Rakim, 50 Cent, Flipsyde, etc. Those weren't in any order, just names off the top of my head. Though yeah, they all had something to do with the way I viewed rap. Especially artist that can make me connect with the song. I hear it, get chills up my back because I can relate or feel what they're saying in their songs. Like you said, it's truly incredible how human speech can touch us in such astonishing ways... doesn't matter the culture, doesn't matter the langauge, it's solely about the music.

[Hypnotic]

well thats not really a hard question for me i guess. my father's side of my family are very musical, my aunt sings for a living and my other aunt went to school to be an oprah singer, and my dad's a pretty good singer too. So like SK i was raised on music. But because i also have an older brother, i listened to rap. so as a youngster i was exposed to rap and r&b and oldies and all those. But i've always stuck with rap because its geared more towards my generation. but i love the other stuff too.

but what really got me started writing? well i've always enjoyed writing poetry, whether i was good at it, or not. its always been something i liked doing. and watching HBO's Russel Simmons Presents Def Poetry really got me into the mode of writing poetry or slam poetry. its a fun way to get my ideas out and express my feelings.

for me its the feeling i get when i read a good poem or hear a good song that really keeps me into this whole thing.

[excelmdt]

For me? I just listented to alot of oldies back in the day as a young kid. Oldies and alot of Motown and R&B. I like the old-school rhythm and melodies. I later got into Hip Hop like Eminem,DMX,Ice Cube and some hard rock like KoRn and some Limp Bizkit. After a while though I kinda drifted away and now mainly listen to only some hip hop and r&b and dominatly rock music like Red Hot Chili Peppers. But that doesn't mean I can't write a couple lines or some spoken word.

[Hypnotic]

i had this topic bumped back up to the top of the list, because i think its a really good question. and anyone who reads this should answer the question of how they go into hip hop or rap or poetry or whatever it is you come to this site for. because like lina, im really interested in finding out more about everyone.

thanks
Hypnotic

[thedman]

Well I haven't really wrote any rhymes on this site and I'm more into poetry anyway but hip-hop as music came to me also through family. I had older siblings and cousins always listening to rap so I got into the whole scene pretty quickly, but I never tried any of it myself. I started writing with my younger cousin when we would go to my grandma's house. One day we got bored so I put in one of my cousins old copys of The Score by the fugees and from that moment on we were hooked to lyrics, writing, watever you call it.