Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson in Top Five
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had an affinity for music. My uncle was a DJ in his younger years, and he would spend hours in his room mixing and listening to both old and new stuff, so I was always up on the latest hip-hop and R&B joints; also, in addition to the syndicated stations like MTV and BET, Philly had a show called Urban Xpressionz that aired every Saturday night, and a station called The Box that allowed you to order whatever video you wanted to see, 24 hours a day. My friends and I loved The Box, even though our parents hated it because we’d often run up a bill. One thing about my siblings and I: we didn’t listen to just hip-hop and R&B, we enjoyed rock and pop as well. Nirvana, The Cardigans, No Doubt and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers get much love in my iTunes world, and The B-52’s Love Shack is still a go to jawn for me when I need a pick me up, as well as Deee-Lite’s Groove is in the Heart.
As a young teenager, I was more into the radio. I would stay up every Friday night and listen to Power 99 FM’s “The Come Up Show” with Q Deezy and Cosmic “Stricktly Skills” Kev. The Come Up Show (in my opinion) was comparable to Big Tigger’s The Bassment, as they played mainstream music while allowing local talent to shine on Friday nights. Every Friday night I’d sit with my tapes, ready to record what I considered to be the hottest freestyles, the dopest interviews and overall show of the week. Some of my favorite rappers at the time were Major Figgas, Journalist, Nas, Big L and Jay Z, Big and Pac. I swore by Big L and Nas especially, because the lyricism and overall flow of the two intrigued me. I loved (and still adore) Big for his stories, and Pac for not only his lyrics, but the man he was, which is why he is always in and out of my top five. Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt, his best album in my book, spoke to me about lessons I’m still learning in my life right now. Major Figgas and Journalist were from Philly, and their freestyle game was impeccable!
Notable artists that also had Philly and The Come Up Show buzzing were Beanie Sigel, Naam Brigade, Philly’s Most Wanted and Ms. Jade; Eve had us all rocking to her first album (bitches, what they call us?!! BRICK HOUSE STAAAALIONS!) Cassidy, State Property, Off The Hook Ent., Nina Ross, Poodah Brown, Sandman, and Charli Baltimore had the city on lock! My love for my city was immeasurable, and I would constantly argue that our local talent could and would put mainstream artists to shame. I knew of just about every rapper that blessed The Come Up Show, and I just knew that after I graduated college, I was gonna have my own version of The Come Up Show and show everybody love.
Fast forward about 20 years. I’m still into the music, but not half as much as I used to be. I no longer listen to the radio on Friday nights, and even though we air The Juicebox show every Thursday night, I can’t name five underground artists off the top of my head.
Young April would be ashamed!
Somewhere between 17 and 33, I lost my love of the game. I used to listen to freestyles and write rhymes all day, every day, seven days a week; now I’m writing blogs, poems and listening to more jazz than hip-hop. I am, however, super into instruments and sampling, working on mixing and creating beats in my spare time. I have two kids, a full time job, a production company ( Cóphi Productions with KenzO and Wiz!) and a lover that loves the music just as much (if not more) than me.
I remember when I went to see Top Five in the theaters, starring Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson. Rock plays a comedian that hit it big time as an actor; Dawson is a writer that is sent by The New York Times to interview him, and they spend a day together getting to know one another for Dawson’s piece. Within this one day, Rock’s character realizes that somehow, between his first movie and current time, his love for comedy slipped away from him. Without giving the whole movie away, Rock’s character attempts to get back to his comedy roots.
As I’m writing this piece, that is the movie that comes to me. Somewhere between becoming a mom, employee, radio show host, business owner and writer, I let my love of underground hip-hop slip away from me. My top five hasn’t really changed— I’ve added J Cole and Kendrick, but even then, Nas, Hov and Big/Pac still linger around that list. Mac Miller is also another artist that tugs at my heart strings. It’s clear to me that I need to open my mind, ears and heart to new artists and give them some spins. I’ve got so much new music to tap into to change my top five.
Brown Sugar, one of my favorite movies, comes to me often. People regularly compare me to Sydney Shaw, and I love them for it. Sydney Shaw, played my Sanaa Lathan, is a writer for a hip-hop magazine. Her love for music is comparable to mine, and she starts off every interview with one question:
“So, when did you fall in love with hip-hop?”
I think I’ll follow Syd’s suit from here on out and ask,
“Who’s in your top five?”
This will allow me to expand my catalogue, while building rapports with dope artists.
The love I have for music is real.
I gotta get back to it.
Join us this Thursday from 6P-8P EST on Spreaker (available on iTunes and Google Play) as KenzO Smallz and I tap into our top five and discuss our love of music. If you can’t wait until then, leave a comment below. We’re always excited to talk about music!
Peace,
April Bee