When Did You Fall In Love With Hip-Hop?

When exactly did you fall in love with hip-hop?



The question asked in one of this nation's greatest love stories – "Brown sugar."
Well, the most recent viewing of the movie had me thinking about when it was that I actually fell in love with "him."
It had to have been during a summer afternoon, while cooling down after an intense game of kickball on the street behind our house. There we were sitting up under light post in the grass in front of my best friend's house waiting on a recharge of energy so that we can get back to running after that big red ball as it went flying through the air and on a large black "boom box" was playing Slick Rick, it was a tape and we played that tape just about every day in it's entirety. Our little heads bobbing…
This track that was playing in the tape player of this large black "boom box" was unlike the meaningless and offensive "music" that is being playing nowadays. Sometimes it gave us hope for better days when all we were surrounded by was the illusion or false hope of a utopia where all that pleased us as children was at our reach. As we grew older so did "he." The content contained in the music slowing began to change, from Fab Freddie and the Furious 5 and Slick Rick, to Fresh Prince and LL Cool J, to the modern day "hip-hop" artist and their infatuatous lyrics of sex, drugs, and alcohol. We were now growing into pre-teens and wanted more from the music that we listened to. But oh how did I still love hip-hop. "He" held a piece of my soul. I wanted the music to stay with me, but that didn't happen, I started to lose my precious hip-hop when gangsta rap and booty shaking came on the scene. The music change first then came the messages delivered in the music. And by the time we were adults, well, hip-hop I still love you, but it's kinda hard to find you in the midst of all this loud "noise."
Hip-hop you are still here aren't you; in the minds and hearts of those who loved you from way back when… You know when, right after 8-tracks and right before CDs.
I can hear Slick Rick, RUN DMC, Geto Boys and LL Cool J flowing in my head now and remember actually where I was and what I was doing when I first heard your voice. I hear you hip-hop. And I fell in love with you the first time I heard you.
Summer of 1989… When did you first fall in love with hip-hop?