the teacher becomes the student

A couple of nights ago I went to a concert I had been anticipating for the past month or so. KRS-One was rolling through our little midwest city to remind some and teach others what a skilled hip hop MC sounds like. And the tickets were so cheap! One of the few advantages of being outside of a major city.

But as far as having to wait hours for the feature artist to appear, this city is like all the rest. I feel like every streetcorner MC in town took to the stage before we finally were able to see the person we'd come for and we arrived late. But when I heard KRS-One's voice on the mic, I felt like I saw a moving montage of the past twenty years of my life. He asked the audience "Who was bumping Criminal Minded in 1986?" I think only 10 of us could honestly say we were. Most of the kids pumping their fists in the air or break dancing at the foot of the stage were barely even thought of in 1986. Still, its sorta cool to witness the intergenerational and interracial followings that hip hop has made possible. Especially when kids who call themselves "heads" appreciate pioneers like KRS, Cool Herc, Big Daddy Kane, and others.