HipRockSoul: 1997-2006

All my life, I've been into music. Not many people know this, and I guess in someways, I've kept it as a secret, but I have some history in playing the piano. Since I was younger, there has failed to be any instance in my life where I wasn't involved with music in someway. From the church's youth choir to a brief stint as the church pianist to my High School's choir, music was an integral part of my life.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered this thing that we know as Hip-Hop. When I first heard about it, it was taboo.

See, my parents? They were one of those parents. If it wasn't Gospel or Distinctively Christian, it was questionable, at best. And these were the early nineties, when 'Pac and Biggie were running the radio. To answer Sid Shaw's eternal question, I remember when I first fell in love with Hip-Hop, or at least when I first developed a crush on her.

I was at my grandmother's house. I forget exactly why I was there, but I remember that my cousin was there too, probably skipping one of his many jobs. He had a boombox, the root of many an envious eye, and it was blasting this gem:

Armed and dangerous, ain't too many can bang with us
Straight up weed no angel dust, label us Notorious
Thug ass niggaz that love to bust, it's strange to us
Y'all niggaz be scramblin, gamblin
Up in restaraunts with mandolins, and violins
We just sittin here tryin to win, tryin not to sin
High off weed and lots of gin
So much smoke need oxygen, steadily countin them Benjamins
Nigga you should too, if you knew
What this game'll do to you
Been in this shit since ninety-two
Look at all the bullshit I been through


I was done for. I didn't know what it was. It didn't register that he was talking about less-than-Christian activity. I liked it. I was mesmerized, hooked and attached. It was dangerous and attractive, gritty and beautiful. From that point on, I actively pursued anything else that could make me feel that way...usually, this pursuit went against the desire of my parents.

So, logically, if they didn't like it, I was on the right track.

Years went by, and my chase for The Beat went the various phases. I partied with pop-rap for a while (Big Will f.k.a. Fresh Prince) and meditated with Christian rap/hip-hop (Corey Red, Cross Movement, KJ-52 etc.) and experimented with rock-rap (Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, etc.).

Then...
it happened.

Once again, the details are fuzzy, but I recieved/puchased/discovered a mixtape: DJ Maj Presents The Ringleader. Track 4 re-introduced my ears to a simply astounding sound by the name of 4th Avenue Jones. The track was called "What You Want" which was exactly that.

turn up your radio dial this now the jam zone
i’m making tracks homie serving their lacks until the amps blown
with the kind of flows you can’t clone
my tight poems sewing the game up putting the clamps on
never fake made for tv
real and i’m coming with skills fans camping out 3 days to see me
my whole click tighter than a beanie
removing our foes ready to prove it to those who don’t believe me
when I was young thinking of a way to ball
i came with a rap style that’ll fade them all
stayed true when I did it never had to switch
now my crew done came up from a rag to rich
rock sold out shows for a piece of mayo
got my own record company and beats for sale
excel when I get on it sound tight now don’t it
i see the look in your eyes you know you want it
you know you want it


And once again,
I was hooked.

All I wanted was some more of the 4th Ave Crew. I went on their website, which was the now-dead HipRockSoul.com and systematically bought three of their released albums. At the time, the newest album was called "HipRockSoul" and it was already sold out. So, I quenched my thirst with their albums, "No Plan B", "Respect", and "No Plan B Pt. 2".

I was in hip-hop heaven. They had rhymes with content, beats with strength and AWWW YEAH!!! all in it. Not only did their lyrics possess actual thought, but they were just unashamedly Christian. They openly claim the name of Jesus Christ, and don't really shove it down your throat. 4th Avenue also encouraged me to look for more in music. Actually, because of 4AJ, I've gotten into:

Pharoahe Monch
Mars iLL
Common
Somobe
Lupe Fiasco
Mos Def
De La Soul
Black Eyed Peas
Andre 3000
and a host of other fabulous artists.

But...with all good things, it had to come to an end.

Since I entered college, I've been almost literally holding my breath for a chance to see 4th Avenue Jones perform live. Unfortunately, Ahmad of 4AJ said on his myspace page that 4th Ave had their final live show in 2006, before he retired, then started working on his solo album.


Maybe I'm looking into it too much. Maybe my attention is ill focused. But I feel like this is the passing of an era in my life, like high school. I entered it, not knowing what to expect, but after a few years, while I am more equipped to handle certain things, I will miss the experience. And like I am doing with my memory of high school, I will look for ways to re-create the feeling.

*lifts up imaginary glass of champagne*

This toast is to 4th Avenue Jones. May I continue to search for Heart, Mind, Spirit and Soul Music, Rocking Hips and Souls with HipRockSoul.

4th Avenue Jones is:
Ahmad Jones - Vocals
Tena Jones - Vocals
Tim Stewart - Lead Guitar
Gailybird - Violin
Albert Parker - Bass
Derrick Calloway - Percussion