The A&T Register

Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: Arts & Life

Media Credit: MCT Campus Photos( from top to bottom): Sha-Rock, Chief Rocker Busy Bee, and Grandmaster Caz were guests on a panel at A&T about hip hop's origins.

Several old school hip-hop artists came to A&T's campus on Friday to educate the current generation of young people about 'true hip hop.'

When people think of the pioneers of hip-hop music, some of the first names to come to mind are LL Cool J, Slick Rick and Rakim.

These three artists are all well respected by older and current fans alike and have each carved out a place in hip-hop history for what they brought to the mic. However, early MC's such as Sha-rock, Busy Bee and Grandmaster Caz were some of the names that inspired guys like these topick up a microphone in the first place.

The event titled "The Origins of Hip Hop" was the result of a joint collaboration between the Residence Hall Association and the brothers of the Eta chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. The event gave students an opportunity to learn about the true history of hip hop from some of the earliest pioneers who have often been forgotten about in favor of the more mainstream names of the industry.

RHA president, Brian Tennie, described the planning of the event as something that was in the works for quite some time.

"I first heard of the event when the vice president of Sedgwick & Cedar (a NewYork based clothing company that helps to try preserve the culture of hip hop), Scott-Abdul Salaam, brought up the idea as we were discussing a future event. RHA decided to do it because it is something that the students would really be interested in," Tennie said.

The event, which started at 7 p.m., opened with some remarks from members of the RHA and an introduction of the panel by Busy Bee himself.

A thrilling break dancing exhibition by A&T students immediately followed.

Busy Bee then went to the podium and explained to the audience about the role he played in hip-hop's history.

Busy Bee is often considered to be the first official solo hip-hop MC. He was known as the "Original Chief Rocker" for his ability to get block parties started and keep the attention of the crowd with his infamous shout outs. Bee was also involved in one of the first beefs of hip hop when he battled the equally legendary Kool Moe Dee.

Continued...

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