Why is record digging no part of hip hop?

GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
edited September 2005 in Strut Central
Sorry for being a little ignorant, but I really don't know much about the history of the "4 elements" and the origin of hip hop.

A friend of mine is a hip hop radio show host and we usually spend a lot of time talking about music. Generally, we got the same taste in hip hop music. We like the "golden era" sound, but still enhjoy some "modern" groups.
We've been at a Jazz concert two weeks ago. It was MAAAAAAD nice. Hohner/Roland electric piano plus Jazz guitar (sounded like Wess Montgomery), bass and drums. Reminded me of Romano Mussolini, but nevermind...
On our way home, my friend said that the concert was horrible and explained that he can't listen to Jazz just because the music is sooo repetitive and basically boring to hip hop fans. Snobbish music! I went crazy and told him that Jazz and Funk are the roots of his favorite music. How could he ever disrespect superb Jazz musicians right after they played their hearts out?!?!?!
I tried to talk to him about Jazz and Funk and how most early hip hop was very simple knitted and oftenly straight stealing 1:1 from Jazz or Funk records. His response: "Ayo, you're acting snobbish like your Jazz heroes. You can't talk about hip hop to me. Crate digging and crate diggers have never been an element of hip hop." I was shocked.

What's the true rlationship between hip hop culture and crate digging? No part of hip hop? Come on! Hip Hop wouldn't be hip hop without the usage of old records. Records and crate diggers were always the 5th element of hip hop, right? What would hip hop be without crate diggers?

My friend said that Public Enemy and ATCQ probably used their parents records for beat making! How ignorant is that? Herc was a crate digger first thing, right? Was I being fooled??? How important is digging in the eyes of the hip hop people and their so called hip hop culture?
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  • gloomgloom 2,765 Posts
    p diddy digs, so that makes it part of hip hop







    80s pop raer ayo!

  • Well at one point in time you would have been correct, but now it is completely irrevelant. Now its called patch digging, or preset digging.


    jesus i have my hatter hat on this week. whats wrong with me?

  • MP3 digging.... break mix digging.... dudes don't buy records anymore....

  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    MP3 digging.... break mix digging.... dudes don't buy records anymore....

    I get that, but who's digging for MP3s? Which part of hip hop is trying to find stuff to create the hip hop music? DJs? Are producers neither an element of hip hop?

  • crate digging = part of DJing
    german radio show host = mr sucker

  • erewhonerewhon 1,123 Posts
    Talking about "elements" in hip-hop is the real fifth element of hip-hop.




  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    german radio show host = mr sucker

    haha! could be!

  • BsidesBsides 4,244 Posts
    MP3 digging.... break mix digging.... dudes don't buy records anymore....


    c'mon. I buy them here and there.




    How does wes montgomery have anything to do with the roots of hip hop? Other than that his music was stolen for a couple mid nineties rap beats.


  • mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts
    i thought CK was the 5th element


  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts
    Did you ask your friend WHY he would attend a jazz show, KNOWING he would hate it? What element of hip hop is that?


  • My friend said that Public Enemy and ATCQ probably used their parents records for beat making! How ignorant is that? Herc was a crate digger first thing, right? Was I being fooled??? How important is digging in the eyes of the hip hop people and their so called hip hop culture?

    aka Mom's and Pop's collection. Digging is the nerdiest part of hip hop (which has a lot of nerdy aspects anyway), so not cool for the image, but most importantly the concept of digging does not promote consumption of mass-produced diposable crap for some offshored mega corp and their spokesmodel to make a buck from. Thus it ain't representin yo.

  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    Did you ask your friend WHY he would attend a jazz show, KNOWING he would hate it? What element of hip hop is that?

    it was supposed to be all brave by him. we told him we were going and he joined us without even asking. i have no idea why he attended the show... guess it's because hip hop people got soooo much respect for everything.

  • we told him we were going and he joined us without even asking

    3rd element of European hiphop

  • dollar_bindollar_bin I heartily endorse this product and/or event 2,326 Posts
    "Ayo, you're acting snobbish like your Jazz heroes. You can't talk about hip hop to me. Crate digging and crate diggers have never been an element of hip hop."


  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    worst thing about this is that you could play any sort of hip hop music to true hip hop fans and they would not dare to hate on any hip hop track, no matter how bad the music is. just saying: oh, that's not my style, but you know, it's all hip hop, so it's cool. You know: gotta respect! There's no such thing as BAD music in hip hop.

    But when hip hop kids listen to ??ber Jazz or Disco, they can't stand it and will say: that's weak. they's hate on any heavy metal, but wouldn't dare to admit some hip hop tracks suck BADLY!!!

  • Deciding on what is an element is sooooooo last decade.


    That does not exist anymore.

  • mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts


    Digging is the nerdiest part of hip hop [/b](which has a lot of nerdy aspects anyway), so not cool for the image, but most importantly the concept of digging does not promote consumption of mass-produced diposable crap for some offshored mega corp and their spokesmodel to make a buck from. Thus it ain't representin yo.

    dead that.
    anyway i think digging is much less "nerdy" than breaking


  • Deciding on what is an element is sooooooo last decade.
    That does not exist anymore.

    2nd element of old guys listening to new hiphop

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,903 Posts
    MP3 digging.... break mix digging.... dudes don't buy records anymore....

    This is sad.

    Reminds me on how guys would always come into whatever shop I was working at and try fronting. Same dudes every week. "Y0, I just heard DJ such n such play this track. Do you got it??" Thinkin' they are the man for even knowing about the track. Most times it's always a track that (Enter a big name radio DJ name here) only had. And they loved when you would say no, cause it made them feel special. But I always loved when I would pull out the promo and go "Yup, here ya go" and they would never ever buy it.

    MP3's have just blown up this steez 2,000,000% in a slightly different way. I'm not hatin' tho. Play on! I love to find me some track I've always loved. Just sad to see people not wanting to own a tangible product.

  • gloomgloom 2,765 Posts















  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    Reminds me on how guys would always come into whatever shop I was working at and try fronting. Same dudes every week. "Y0, I just heard DJ such n such play this track. Do you got it??" Thinkin' they are the man for even knowing about the track. Most times it's always a track that (Enter a big name radio DJ name here) only had. And they loved when you would say no, cause it made them feel special. But I always loved when I would pull out the promo and go "Yup, here ya go" and they would never ever buy it.

    Yep, I sympathize! Sayin!



  • Digging is the nerdiest part of hip hop [/b](which has a lot of nerdy aspects anyway), so not cool for the image, but most importantly the concept of digging does not promote consumption of mass-produced diposable crap for some offshored mega corp and their spokesmodel to make a buck from. Thus it ain't representin yo.

    dead that.
    anyway i think digging is much less "nerdy" than breaking


    Nah, at least breakers get pussy... or ass.

  • mordecaimordecai 2,204 Posts
    i think digging is much less "nerdy" than breaking
    you are kidding right?

  • mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts
    i think digging is much less "nerdy" than breaking
    you are kidding right?

    no. i've a lot of cool bboy shit, but i've also seen a lot of clowns (try to) do it - see above pic.
    in my head, it's much cooler digging out and discovering obscure and beautiful old music than spinning around on your head with elbow and kneepads on.

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    i think digging is much less "nerdy" than breaking
    you are kidding right?

    he is, he meant to say DJing

  • mordecaimordecai 2,204 Posts
    i think digging is much less "nerdy" than breaking
    you are kidding right?

    no. i've a lot of cool bboy shit, but i've also seen a lot of clowns (try to) do it - see above pic.
    in my head, it's much cooler digging out and discovering obscure and beautiful old music than spinning around on your head with elbow and kneepads on.
    i see your point, but i think people talking about run-out etchings, # of copies pressed, different pressing runs, color differences on bootlegs... is MORE NERDY than learning a new dance move... i see b-boying as athletic and full of energy while digging can be exciting, but is usually only self-satisfying. like i think a crowd would gather around a b-boy but probably not around you at a crate at a record show.

  • Well at one point in time you would have been correct, but now it is completely irrevelant. Now its called patch digging, or preset digging.

    TRITON-hop!




    SG

  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    I find listening to you all talk about this is hilarious. Testosterone and jealousy are the 2 missing elements of Hip hop.

    - spidey

  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    Don't get me wrong. I'm not interested in hip hop talk. I was just wondering how hip hip was build up and what part digging plays. It's not like we are trying to defend crate digging against all other so called "elements" (bling bling) of hip hop. Talking about elements and culture in hip hop is truly rediculous. I would never call hip hop a philosophy or culture style. But most German hip hop fans would...

  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    all other so called "elements" (bling bling) of hip hop

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