Saturday, July 2, 2005

St. Louis Bling 

We always knew we’d rue the day the Mayor’s Younger Offspring found her way to this site. We knew it would likely mean an interruption to a steady stream of podcasts on urban planning and municipal finance issues.

Still, it was inevitable. Consider this podcast a command performance.

Deejays, emcees, breakers, graffers – you might as well be talking about hypogriffs and bunyips. What we knew about the major streams of the hip hop culture – and the St. Louis hip hop scene — would have fit on an index card.

But, hip hop’s sounds, clothes, language, symbols, and rhythms are everywhere – from the streets of The Ville to the clubs on Washington Avenue to the playgrounds at St. Rafe’s.

So, MayorSlay.com sat down with a pair of experts — Kiki and J-Nicks – to learn a few things about one of the City’s most powerful – and interesting – cultural influences.

We could not have had better teachers. Kiki (“The First Lady”) is a well-respected radio programmer and broadcaster. J-Nicks is a DJ on 103 The Beat who has just signed on as one of the hosts on BET’s influential Rap City.

From them, we learn that the St. Louis hip hop scene has both a venerable tradition and an important national influence. And we get some good advice about crackin’ our books before bustin’ our moves.

Download and Listen to this Podcast: hiphop.mp3