My oddball relationship to rapping began around grade three.
I memorized "You Be Illin'" from my brother's
Run-DMC tapes;
my pal Marcus and I rhymed our class election speeches. (Help the poor
"'cause they don't live like Dudley Moore." We dominated.) Years
later, my goofy "Keepin' It Kosher, Keepin' It Real" failed to win
over
Lorna Crozier's
poetry workshop.
That didn't matter at last night's
Toronto debut of Hip-Hop Karaoke (HHK). The organizers encourage gettin' silly on the mic to
attract open-minded newcomers to hip-hop. Toronto's
Never Forgive
Action crew --
More or Les, DJs
Dalia &
Numeric (
Exclaim!'s
Noel Dix), plus
Ted
Dancin' -- distributed duotang tracklistings around
The Boat.
Which jam to choose? I needed a song I know -- the
HHK crew says
"this isn't typical karaoke with the machine and the bouncing ball."
Just a lyric sheet, the instrumental track and Les, "your hype man, the
dude who does choruses ...
if you don't need my help, I'll just stand to the side and wave my
hands."
My shortlist: Tribe's "
Check The Rhime", the Beasties' "
Get It Together" or Biz Markie's "
Just A Friend". I doubted I'd need Les' help. I was wrong.
Following kickin' performances including Lauryn Hill's "
That Thing" (
shebang!
friend Andrea didn't stumble once), my turn approached. I needed water.
"Just A Friend" requires actual singing, and as I'd learn,
shower caterwauling does not a stage performance make.
After
a couple of false starts -- the lyrics come in with the piano intro --
Les and I did the first line together and I was off. Everyone jumped up
and joined the chorus -- illustrator
Kagan McLeod was right --
I'd picked "the Hey Jude of hip-hop." I flubbed a line or twenty, but snapped right on "Oh, Snap!" Leaving the stage (
drippin', pourin' with sweat!),
I was mobbed with props. Spunky MC-about-town Miss Butter enthused "it
was like a grade one party until you brought the whole night together."
(She later risked
the hook by freestyling on "Get It Together".)
Other highlights:
robot dancing during "
Intergalactic"; the parka-clad Wu-Tang posse; the
chick who knew "Bust A Move" cold; singalongs on "
Me, Myself and I", "
F*ck Tha Police", "
The Message" and "
Jump Around";
Andrew's mom serving birthday cake; and Dalia's night-ending, flawless "
Top Billin'".
Les acknowledged "it takes a lot of gumption ... and for some a lot of drinks" to perform
tongue-twisting rhymes that are trickier than the karaoke standards.
He accompanied nearly everyone but didn't take a solo this time out,
instead commenting "for me every day is Hip-Hop Karaoke."
Alright, socially conscious hip-hop took a backseat to the partay vibe -- but
when everyone brings positive attitudes (
suggested
n-bomb substitutions: brother, cousin,
ninja),
isn't that unity what it's all about? Too bad
Maestro
didn't show up like
Big Daddy Kane has at the
NYC event
that started it all.
The important thing? Getting up, belting out a classic jam and keepin' it real. (
Cool like dat!). HHK-T.O. continues monthly.
Photo by J. Brown
