|
Hyphy Nation -- The Bay Area's Movement
"It's like having the holy ghost...something just comes over you, and you just start moving."
By Tapan Munshi
Listen
to this Commentary!
There’s a new style of hip-hop known as hyphy that’s getting so popular it’s influencing teen slang with phrases like ”go dumb” and “riding the yellow bus” which mean to get excited and hyper. But young people say it’s not about celebrating ignorance - it’s about having a good time. Hyphy music and dance are drawing national attention to youth culture from San Francisco Bay Area cities like Oakland and Vallejo. We asked Youth Radio’s Tapan Munshi, a Bay Area deejay also known as DJ Tap10, to explain the phenomenon. (April 4 on NPR's All Things Considered)
Hyphy is a relatively new sound out here in the Bay Area. Hyphy means hyper, crazy, or wild. It’s different from a lot of other rap in that the beats are generally faster and where a lot of rappers try to be too cool, or too tough, hyphy rappers aren’t afraid to be goofy with their rhyme style. A great example of that is Mac Dre’s Feeling Myself. Check out the way he over enunciates in his rap.
"Feeling Myself" (Mac Dre): She’s after your scritch…And I’m after hers…You’re nothing but a mark…talking to your girlie…I’m feeling myself.
Mac Dre and a lot of other rappers who’ve come after him have really set the soundtrack to the lives of young people like Leon Sykes who grew up in Oakland. And hyphy is like gospel to him.
"Hyphy" (The Federation): Rick Rock beats…
LEON (on tape)
The hyphy movement is an act of free living. It's like having the holy ghost ... something just comes over you, and you just start moving. Your body comes over you. You can't stop ... You hear the song…We get hyphy to “Mary Had A Little Lamb”…you're doing things with style. Energy with style.
TAPAN
Along with the music, there's a whole bunch of terms associated with being hyphy and just walking down the street, you can hear teens like Ashley Jones saying hyphy slang.
ASHLEY (on tape)
Go dumb, get stupid, just all these terms for ignorance or whatever.
"Hyphy" (The Federation): Crazy, stupid, dumb, retarded … Northern Califoolya player …left coast west coast…
TAPAN
Now that hyphy music has really blown up, I’m always talking with my friends like Jason Valerio about what it all means.
JASON (on tape)
Yes, hyphy is a movement. I wouldn't necessarily say that it's a political movement ummm it's more just energy that is kind of constant with you culture in general. So you had the punk movement back in the late 70's, early eighties where music was very hard ... and it's pretty much all about the energy.
PATRICK (on tape)
I definitely find hyphy music to be very infectious. It sounds great played very loud in speakers, in clubs, and even in people's cars. I just wonder what exactly the movement is. Isn't hip hop and rap in general a way of people escaping from their own problems and own realities?
"That's My Word" (Keak Da Sneak):Hold it down for the Bay rappin’ Oakland, if it wasn’t for that granddaddy smokin’ …
LEON (on tape)
If you're in New York, rural town Kansas, if you're in Detroit, Michigan and haven't heard this music yet ... you will soon.
"That's My Word" (Keak Da Sneak): Keek the Sneek: I don’t think they know, that’s my word …
|
|
