when did you fall in love with hip hop?

after a full morning of shopping, washing clothes, getting my hair done and watching movies, i'm now starving and waiting for the sun to set. as black august comes to a close, i'm getting the itch to call it even and say i did my part in the struggle. then i'm reminded of the 26.2 in january and my inner fortitude kicks in.

my girl C and i just finished watching brown sugar and in an effort to discourage any pre-sunset eating i'm consider the main question of this film - when did you fall in love with hip hop?

i'd have to say i fell in love with hip hop my sophomore year of high school. after a night of joyriding and having a little underage fun, my friend footes popped in a cd and i knew that love was real. hearing black thought plea with the object of his affection rang in my ears and created a bond that spans over 10 years. silent treatment was the first roots song i ever heard and i have been in love with the band ever since. everthing from random free concerts in b-more, the annual show at the 9:30 club to the most recent show at fur, the roots are a staple in my life.

now, i'd heard hip hop before and appreciated it in its formative years, but the roots gave me a new outlook - hip hop was more than rap. as an only child i grew up on anita baker, johnny gill before new edition, teena marie and al green. listening to 95.5 wasn't my mother's thing and my thing was her thing.

the roots gave way to talib, talib to mos def and the journey continues til this day.