I was born in Brooklyn and returned there when I was 20 years old in 1981. Hip hop was a vibrant, thriving music form at that time. If you really wanted to hear the music, you had to go out to the parks and recreation centers where it was being created. Club Negril, a Manhattan reggae club changed all of that. They sponsored a once a week hip hop night. Club Negril was the greatest hip hop spot in New York at the time It might have fit 150 comfortably. I met DJ Kool Herc at Club Negril. I'd be surprised if he remembered me, I was one of a million people who has had a brief conversation with him over a life time.
The two things that I remember about him were A.) his great humility, rare in hip hop. B.) He was afforded massive respect from a very tough crowd. The people from the streets respected him. They even called him, the "godfather of hip hop." Unfortunately, the rest of the world hasn't shown him that kind of love. The headlines tell us that Herc is very, very sick and also financial incapacitated.
Isn't it amazing that someone could create a multi-billion dollar industry and yet never profit from it financially? I can't even imagine how heart breaking that must be for Kool Herc and other artists who created the blueprint.
Say a prayer for DJ Herc. And if you can, send a check. Go to Davy D's website or
www.allhiphop.com. They'll tell you how.
Okay, I'm an oakland grandma--with two young grandsons, one young granddaughter and the oldest grandson fast becoming a young man. Thanks, Rev Harry, for the tough love & insight I need in doing my work.
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