Those of you who listen to the radio in the Bay Area know who I am talking about. He does this show "Battle of the Ages" and he pitts over 30 contestants with under 30 contestants. Well, I used to listen to this show years ago when I was under 30 and relate more with the youngsters especially since I work with youth. But sure enough when I turned 29 then 30 things started to change for me. Suddenly I can't tolerate radio hip hop. I hate it. It is jarring to my ears. I would rather listen to soul and R&B music which I used to only tolerate. A year later, I can't listen to rap music at all. I barely tolerate the R&B and I listen exclusively to Jazz and Classical music. My wife calls me her old man.
Needless to say the "battle of the ages" show has me dying laughing at the under 30 contestants who confess to having tatoos, living at home with mom and dad, having large plastic cups in the cabinet, having rims on their car, wearing throwback jerseys and baggy pants, and eating fruit loops for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. They show up late for work on a regular basis. They admit to leaving the milk out or owing their parents money. The under 30 contestants admit to having "hoochie" clothes or "rapper" outfits. Gold jewlery, piercings (not in the ears), and wearing flip flops or house robes outside. The under 30 contestants are shameless. What is even more interesting is they fit the bill of a few PARENTS of the youth I work with. Go figure that one out.
I grew up squarely in the hip hop age and grew out of it and yet there are adults who were born BEFORE me and they are still giving pounds and saying "what's up dog", or "you got it pimp" or my favorite, "what up boss". These adults have actually reverted to the dominant mainstream hip hop culture and lifestyle.
These kids come on the show and don't know Smokey Robinson or Roberta Flack. They don't know the Commodores or Stevie Wonder.
Vice versa, the over 30 contestants get tripped up on what the latest slang means or what the latest Chris Brown song is.
It is a classic battle and it is the basis of this blog.
I am sharing my experiences and reflections as an over 30 contestant in life and wondering if any of this sounds familiar to anybody else.
Don't get me wrong. There are a few hundred rap songs, mostly made between 1989 - 1994 that I will always get down to. In fact, NWA, Public Enemy, Too Short, E-40, Tribe, even a couple MC Hammer songs I will never abandon. But the fact remains, I would rather listen to Ornette Coleman break it down.
