Hip Hop 101 officially recognized as VSA organization

Walter Padilla News Editor

After six years as an unofficial outlet for performing students, faculty, and community members, the joint project known as Hip Hop 101 received official Vassar Student Association (VSA) recognition on Sunday, Sept. 19 as an on-campus organization. The new organization consists of two hip hop groups coming together to create a space where the four main elements of hip hop (breakdancing, MCing, DJing, and graffiti) can represent the cultural movement as a whole to the Vassar community.

According to T.C. Weaver, one of Hip Hop 101's most active members, the organization is a union between a breakdancing/graffiti group that has been on campus since 1992 and a newer musically-oriented group brought together by Mike Cuocci '06. Cuocci's group focused on bringing vocal performers (MCs) and music mixers (DJs) together, while Weaver's already-established group had been concentrating on dancing and graphic design.

"Being that we were two different sides of the same coin, we thought that if we joined our forces we could possibly become an organization and reach out to people of like mind," said Weaver.

Though both parties began to interact with each other in the spring of 2003, the consolidated group, known as Hip Hop 101, formulated during the Fall 2003 semester. "We noticed the MCs and dancers getting together at the same time in the same place," said Asif Lakhani '07, co-president of Hip Hop 101. "It was through unorganized meetings and gatherings that we started getting people dancing, MCing, and rapping all at the same time. We got to a point where we wanted to reach out to the rest of the campus."

"We wanted to be able to present what we do to the campus and also help promote awareness of the founding elements of hip hop, which are b-boyin' [breakdancing], MCing, DJing, and graffiti. A lot of people don't know that without any of those four elements, hip hop does not exist," said Weaver. "A lot of people separate hip hop and rap, but rap is just the voice of hip hop. Graffiti is the visuals, DJing is the music, and b-boyin' is the dance of hip hop."

"It's also important to recognize the fact that hip hop has been something that has been on this campus for many years," said Kenny Miles '07. "Hip Hop 101 didn't just start the whole revolution and this organization; the concepts have been here for who knows how long."

"I've been hanging on this campus since '86 and I know when hip hop basically showed up at Vassar," said Weaver. "Being the oldest in the group, I've been around before hip hop was actually 'hip hop' and [thus] I can give [members] what I know and what I lived and also build on their experiences…I can help them, not necessarily guide them, just give them insight to the whole of the culture."

Professor of Religion Elliot Ratzman is also an active member of Hip Hop 101, teaching not only on the academic side, but also hip hop as a "life side."

"I think that we'll see that the convergence of generations will produce important synthesis of styles and philosophies, and hopefully it will generate some good positive conflicts, because hip hop is an ethical act. Hip hop raises the energy level, people's involvement, people's attentiveness, people's awareness of what's going on around them," he said.

"Hip hop is not a fad; it's not something you grow out of. It's not something just for teenagers or kids; it's evident that it's for all people," added Lakhani.

"It's something that started out with disenfranchised, underprivileged youths in '69 or early '70s as a way to escape the trappings of their environment, a way to be creative without being destructive. Where graffiti was initially marking of territory, now is a form of fine art. Where rap music was once strictly confined to the South Bronx or Brooklyn, now it is a global phenomenon. Where hip hop was just something kids in the hood did, now it is something that the world lives," said Weaver.

"You can't watch TV without seeing something touched by hip hop, whether it is the dance, music, the voice of hip hop, or the visuals," continued Weaver. "Sprite, the Gap, and iPod commercials are hip hop oriented. There's hip hop in just about every movie in some way, shape, or form," he said.

To provide proof of hip hop's universality, in less than a year Hip Hop 101 has hosted various open-mic events, as well as provided Valentine's Day performances and created their own album. Their first project as the consolidated Hip Hop 101 was a joint venture with Unbound, an open-mic event at the Students' Building on Dec. 5, 2003, during which they introduced their motto "Respecting the Foundation," alluding to the four main pillars of hip hop.

According to Miles, Hip Hop 101 joined with a-capella groups to create Hip HopApella, a Valentine's Day fundraiser where members from both groups serenaded students for a fee.

Hip Hop 101, with a minimal budget, also helped organize the Throw Back Jam last April, a successful music and dance event co-sponsored by the African Students Association, Black Students Union, Poder Latino, WVKR, Class of 2006, VSA, the English Department, and alumni. It was at this event when the group launched the Hip Hop 101 Basement Mixtape, a compilation of hip hop performances by artists from the group, as well as students, professors and community members. The 37-track CD contains various freestyle songs, as well as pre-recorded pieces that students already had available. "We spent lots of late nights recording at WVKR studio, sometimes for 7 hours straight from about 11 p.m. to 6:15 a.m.," said Miles.

"Action," a track on the Basement Mixtape, criticizes U.S. military involvement in foreign countries, mass media and censorship. "Find all different angles of mainstream media./This propaganda is making me so heated/that I just pick up a microphone,/let me enter your dome/all these facts you can’t find on TV at your home./So turn off your TV and just listen to me/but not on the radio 'cause they wouldn’t play these/words," say Cuocci's lyrics.

Hip Hop 101's first event as a recognized VSA organization is this Saturday, Oct. 2 "Da Partie," which will be a combination event of an open-mic session from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., followed by a party from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the College Center.

According to Hip Hop 101 co-president Niki Magtoto '05, Da Partie will "provide students with the ability to both air their voices regarding the approaching election as well as increase voter and political awareness." Originally called "Bush Bash," according to Magoto, Da Partie will be "as non-partisan as possible; by bash we mean event, not necessarily slander, and it will be a co-sponsored culminating event for the prior week which many organizations will be using to promote voter and political consciousness."

Co-sponsor organizations for Da Partie include Vassar College Democrats, Democracy Matters, Feminist Majority Alliance and VSA, who allotted $600 last Sunday, Sept. 26 to cover the DJ, security and decorations. Other Hip Hop 101 members include secretary Morgan Monaco '06, campus liaison Jesse Jacobs '06, and Chris Joslyn '06.

Aside from events, Hip Hop 101 offers free classes in any element of hip hop to all Vassar students. Reminiscing about joining Weaver's dance group in 2000, Geoff Marschall '05 affirms his growing understanding and involvement with hip hop.

"I heard TC had this dance group on campus and I thought I would really like to learn, so I go in and make a complete ass of myself my first day. But they're really welcoming and I came back and they taught me. I felt really comfortable," said Marschall.

"Hip hop is also a unifying device, because it's not just all black people or all white people; it unifies everybody. It brings everybody from different races, nationalities, creeds, and sexes together in the same spot," said Weaver. "The statement of Hip Hop 101 is to 'respect the foundations' and hopefully we will be able to let the rest of the campus embrace the full scope of hip hop the way we see it and the way we love it. We just try to share our love with everybody else."