EP. 1-The Carnival (1982)

My dad was drafted into the army in 1968, and approximately two years later, I was born in a hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, joining him, my mother, and my older sister living in Hanau. In my first 14 years of life, we lived in three different parts of Germany, including our second trip back to Germany living on military bases in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, between the years of 1977-1984. It was during that time, in October of 1979 specifically, that I learned about rap music, courtesy of my dad buying me “Rappers Delight” while on a trip to Indiana for some work training. This episode talks about how living on army bases affected how I, and others living a similar lifestyle, experienced the growth of rap music and eventually Hip Hop culture as it exploded out of the upper East Coast. Additionally, it touches on the scarcity of rap music at the time, as well as a lack of outlets to easily discover it, learn more about the artists, find the music, and so on, especially if you didn’t live in one of the few major metropolitan areas were the scene was thriving at this time; Philly, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Oakland, and of course, its place of birth, New York. Based on the way this episode flows, I thought it best to keep the spotlighted artists a secret, but they are early pioneers, who helped bring a sense of elegance, style, and materialistic outlandishness to the rap game.