NEW YORK -- The question came from the back of the bus: What started the late-1980s feud between Kool Moe Dee and LL Cool J, one of the legendary lyrical battles in hip-hop? The answer came from a qualified source -- L.A. Sunshine, who recorded with Dee in the 1970s hip-hop group the Treacherous Three. That's how the history comes on this tour of hip-hop New York -- from the people who lived it and helped to propel hip-hop to the global, multibillion-dollar industry it is today.
Sunshine told the riders on this tour bus that Dee was offended by a lyric he had heard from newcomer Cool J, and the established rapper didn't hesitate to make his feelings known. "Moe will tell you now," Sunshine said with a laugh, "he still thinks he's God's gift to rap."
The Hip-Hop Cultural Sightseeing Tour from Hush Tours takes riders through Harlem and the Bronx, pointing out landmark clubs and parks where hip-hop started and the neighbourhoods where many of the early stars came from. The guides are the pioneers themselves. On this Saturday, Sunshine was holding court in the front of the bus with Rahiem, of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the group that pioneered "political" rap with their seminal song The Message. Kool DJ Red Alert, who has been playing hip-hop at parties and on the radio for years, and Reggie Reg of the Crash Crew were also on hand.
At a stop in a Bronx restaurant, attendees were joined by Kool Herc, the Jamaican-born DJ considered the father of hip-hop. It was Herc, at parties in the early 1970s, who began playing the instrumental segments of songs over and over again while speaking in rhyme over them. Still a DJ after three decades, he said he got involved with the tour because of the perspective it offers. "It's giving back to the kids that don't know their history," he said.
There is no shortage of tour choices in New York. You can take a tour of jazz haunts or art galleries, spend an afternoon at a Brooklyn brewery or see a demonstration of tea services. If you adore high fashion but have a low budget, one tour teaches you how to buy on the cheap.
But Debra Harris, president of Hush Tours, felt that not enough people ventured out of Manhattan to explore what the other boroughs had to offer. Raised in the Bronx, she knew it had a lot for visitors, especially when it came to the origins of hip-hop.
"I just want them to be able to learn a little bit about the culture. Everything starts from somewhere," she said.
She started putting together the tours three years ago; they've been running monthly since last June and the company hopes to run them twice a month this summer. Tickets are $75 (U.S.) for the four-hour excursion.
Along with highlighting the Bronx, the tour highlights the pioneers, which Harris felt was important. "When they go outside of the country, they are treated with a lot of respect, but right here in the United States and especially in New York City, I think that they are under-recognized and I wanted to change that," she said.
Hearing the history from the people who lived it makes a difference, said Hillary Fontaine, 29, of San Francisco, taking the tour with a friend. "It adds authenticity," she said, wearing the Kangol hat and the fake gold chain all riders are given to wear as examples of hip-hop style. "It doesn't make it feel like a tour."
For more information, visit http://www.hushtours.com.
60