A Hip Hop Conversation #1


I've been sitting on way too many of these conversations.  Here is a new feature to the blog where different hip hop related experiences, conversations, and memories will be delivered to you for your reading pleasure.  In the below conversation that I had a few months back with a student of mine, please notice the distinction between what Pipo says versus what Pipo's Brain thinks.  Enjoy.

Student: So Professor, I heard that you are a deejay.
Pipo: Yup.
Student: What kind of deejay are you?
Pipo's Brain: The kind that uses turntables and a mixer.  What do you mean what kind of dj am I?  
Pipo: I guess you can call me a hip hop dj.
Student:  Wow. That's cool. I'm an emcee.
Pipo's Brain: Here we go...At least he didn't say he just bought a computer program and is a dj too.  Hey, give the kid a chance, you don't hear "I'm an emcee" that much anymore.
Pipo: That's wonderful to hear.  So you are a hip head huh?
Student: Oh yeah. I'm an emcee and a spoken word poet. I've been rhyming since I was 10 years old.
Pipo: Okay, okay, give me your favorite 3 albums.
Student: Ah man, that's tough.  There's just so many albums.
Pipo's Brain: I bet he hasn't heard an entire album in his life.  This damn mp3, itunes, single song listening generation.
Pipo: You're stranded on a deserted island and can only take 3 albums with you.  Which ones do you take?
Student: Marshal Mathers LP - Eminem
Pipo's Brain - Oh god, here we go.  Man you're getting old.  Stop judging the kid.  Your top 3 didn't go further back than 10 years when you were 18 years old.  I know, I know... but he could have at least gone with Eminem's first LP.
Student: My Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
Pipo's Brain - Solid album, but couldn't he have gone with Graduation, College Dropout, or whatever the other album was called that he dropped before 808.
Pipo: So you liked that Kanye huh? I think that's one of the better albums to drop in the last few years.  I'm a fan of Kanye because he's brought sampling back to mainstream music.
Pipo's Brain: Don't bring up Watch the Throne and leave yourself vulnerable to that's the greatest album in the history of mankind blah blah blah.  If you do that, and he does that, you know you can't help yourself but to go on your WTT rant.  Don't do it!!  Remember, you didn't always know everything about music.  
Student: Oh yeah.  That album was incredible.   That was like his comeback album after the whole Tayler Swift thing...
Pipo's Brain: Oh, I thought he was going to say it was his comeback after the 808 flop. 
Pipo's Brain: I've had enough of this list. I've got a feeling his #3 is going to force me into a fake reaction that I'm not capable of right now.  Change the conversation fast before he lists #3.  Hurry, think of something quick.....
Pipo: You said you are a poet.  Have you ever listened to Gill Scott Heron?
Pipo's Brain:  Nice thinking tex.  Let's find some safe common ground.  All those spoken word, def poetry types love themselves some Gill Scott.
Student: No. Never heard of him.  Who is he?
Pipo's Brain: I wonder if he's even heard of Mos Def.
Pipo: Some consider him the original emcee.  He was a poet, singer, musician, etc... Trust me, you'll enjoy his stuff.
Student: Oh, I just love anything spoken word.  That's why I love the last track on Kanye's album (Who Will Survive)...
Pipo: Do you know who that is on that Kanye song?
Student: Isn't that Kanye messing with his voice........

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a university instructor who prefers hoodies to tweed I can identify. Sometimes they go better though. For instance I shared a moment shortly after Guru's death reminiscing over "Hard To Earn"and the continuing relevance of "Mass Appeal" with a student. I'm guessing she was about 5 yrs old when that dropped. So at least that happens too, albeit rarely. Brief relief from the deluge of cash money and soulja boy or whoever took his place.

Thanks for sharing the convo and your pain. Peace.

lightningclap said...

Best post evar! I come here for some mixes, but damn, that's real talk, g.

DIGUMSMAK said...

man...im gonna have to sit down and analyze this....hahahaha..

Sonny Rioja said...

hahahaa. comedic delight. what else can you do but educate and school people? i'm sure you gave the cat your link, right?

Eric Nord said...

LOL. Probably not even worth the effort of dropping knowledge. It takes work to find the real.

pipomixes said...

I've got some real heads in the making too. Other stories to come. Krs-1 describing hip hop as an "elitist" culture couldn't be more true. And that's not a bad thing

Anonymous said...

Man- dis shit hilarious right here. Pipo's Brain got it all figured out!
Keep spreadin that NOWledge