MUSIC, MEMORIES, AND DMX

August 11, 2021

Happy Birthday Hip Hop!

I remember the first time I heard Hip Hop - and I mean the good stuff. I was in awe of the superhero emcees, breakdancers, and Deejays. I couldn’t rap to save my life. I took too long to think of something clever or witty to say, and my “poetry” was relegated to trying to win the love of REDACTED in the year above me at school, serenading and failing in front of a classroom or assembly hall. Or REDACTED, a Jamaican Goddess who was around ten years older. She even had her own flat in Maida Vale, very fancy stuff. Well, someone else may have paid for her flat but I digress. Ahhh I miss my Goddess teachers and being a teenage idiot. (The names have been hidden to protect the innocent). I couldn’t Deejay but I did have great taste in music, which would later lead me to helping my family run a record label dedicated to releasing roots music – James Brown, Muddy Waters, Billie Holiday and more. But I sure could dance. Dancing was my religion, and every Saturday I would race into London to sweat out all of my school boy blues. When I moved to L.A that became JuJu in Leimert Park, Crenshaw. My favorite times.

My earliest recollection of being moved by HIP HOP was PUBLIC ENEMY’S “Fight the Power,” and DE LA SOUL’s entire 3 FEET HIGH AND RISING album, and honestly before that, GRANDMASTER FLASH. I just didn’t know I had been hooked. When I heard A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, I was in love. I had to have the gear, I wanted to feel like my heroes who were only a few years older than me, but seemed so much wiser and cooler. I was already a Raiders fan so that helped. I had loads of that stuff lol. Next was the Soul 2 Soul hoodie and FREE AFRICA medallion plus beads. A blend of everything a fanboy could want. Yep, I was that dude - I was De La Enemy. This is probably the only window of time I ever was into a fashion of sorts besides a brief stint with my Dad’s seventies attire when I had dance offs with the Funky Bunch and yes… that is a long story. I’ll probably share on the @strangercomics Instagram Live on Thursday.

I guess that’s why music has been a HUGE part of Stranger Comics. I write to jazz, blues, and all that old soul magic. But 90’s hip hop was my era. Just the other day I introduced my son to Biggie and Black Moon. With alllllll that said – you have seen our HIP HOP homages to Tribe and BIG, if not, check the website :) This Thursday (8/12) on INSTAGRAM LIVE at 6 PM PDT / 9 PM EDT we will have 25 only of the Bloody Blighted edition of DUSU #1 “DUSU ‘GON GIVE IT TO YA” homage to the legend DMX. Every purchase will get 3 raffle tickets to win one of 7 ghost variants like we did with the StrangerCon back in Spring. This Summer StrangerCon that will help launch our new Kickstarter on the 28th will give every attendee the white trade dress DMX homage version for free if we hit 100 LIKES! CLICK HERE!

And that’s not all! My last musical crushes were on two soul queen legends from my era: Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu! So, I wanted to do an homage for our newest campaign that drops on my birthday, August 28th! Please click through and hit the NOTIFY/REMIND ME BUTTON to not miss out on what should be an amazing event - and our most ambitiously beautiful Kickstarter campaign to date.

Thank you so much for reading and being a part of the Stranger Comics journey.

Much love!
Seb

SONG OF THE WEEK: "T.R.O.Y" by Pete Rock and C.L Smooth.

 
PLEASE HIT THE NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH BUTTON HERE


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