She's a Brooklyn Swinger

"She don't come from Manhattan, Bronx, Queens or the Isle of Staten. She's a Brooklyn Swinger..."

So I grew up in the 70's and 80's. I am a product of a lot of different music. Today I was visiting one of my favorite Blogs (shout out to Dallas Penn) and he had some old school, new wave videos linked to his site.

I had to laugh because throughout my life, I really have acquired some strange musical tastes.

Coming from Trinidad, I grew up listening to calypso kings like The Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, Miss Francine, David Rudder, Crazy, etc. This was the stuff we partied to whenever my family got together. Real music that wove stories of love, hate, comedy and drama. The heart of my caribbean island.

My parents were also young and grew up in the SOUL era. They grooved to Al Green, The Sytlistics, Teddy P, Marvin, Stevie, Aretha, Donnie, Roberta, The Commodores, Earth, Wind and Fire and Parliament. So I listened to real soul music. Songs that were instant classics. Real singers, real musicians.

And growing up in Brooklyn, I was in the midst of the birth of hip hop. I mean from hearing DJ's mixing in parks, MC's battling to Fatback (ya'll ain't feeling me) to Sugar Hill. I lived that. So real rap music is in my soul.

I grew up in the era of red light basement parties, adidas and pumas, namebelts and swatch watches. When parties were about dancing to GOOD music. I was there when KRS-One dissed the hell outta MC Shan and told Queens that the Bridge was OVA. I was there when Rakim told honey that he was not one to be Glazed. That was my time. I remember that we would wop till our knecks hurt. I remember Dana Dane, MC Lyte (the greatest female rapper of ALL time..Cha Cha Cha), Kool Moe Dee, Biz Markie and LL when he was young, arrogant and cocky as a mug. I remember the Big Daddy (Yeah, as in your Father). That was real hip hop.

In addition to hip hop, I turned to reggae. Most Brooklynites had some caribbean roots somewhere down the line. So when reggae started to come up, it was music that we all listened to anyway. I remember the Reggae parties and trying to find a guy to dance with that knew how to actually move to some Rockers, not just hang on and grind. We would be in a party and just hear....the Barrington Levy, Shabba, Dawn Penn, Chaka Demus and Pliers...the Big Reggae Hits at the time and the floor would get PACKED.

So now, when the state of Hip Hop is at an all time low...I am here to say "BRING BACK THE OLD SCHOOL" I need some Slick Rick & Dougie Fresh. I mean can't we trade Young Jeezy and The entire Dipset clan? Damn, radio is f*ckin sorry.