#TBT #ALookBack @ The Boogie Monsters, 1994 Hip-Hop Group, The Life Story of one Ivory Myers, on his

Lets Go Back to 1994, I was in the high school hallwalls, head phones on, Hip-Hop walking, where I didn't get all A's. Back then, The Rhthym Paves the way, for a young hip-hop kid, absorbed by the culture! Coming up in the golden age of Hip-Hop was a experience. 1994 was a pretty huge year for Hip-Hop LP's. NAS,Illmatic, Biggie, Ready to Die, The Roots, Do you want More, COMMON, Resurrection, Gangstarr, Hard 2 Earn,.... the list goes on and on. So When I came across these dudes, I was in a shock! Their music and style related to me in more ways then one. I was diggin it!

When I first heard that!!! "Dan-ne-na, dan-ne-na!" "Dan-ne-na, dan-ne-na!" Dan-ne-nanny-yah! [Dan-ne-na, dan-ne-na] The recognized thresholds of negative stress [Dan-nah-nah-neyaa] The recognized thresholds of negative stress!

that joint and beat were knockin!!!!!

I ran to my local Musicland, or Sam Goody, to pick up the tape, and it got continuous routation in my deck. 'Riders of the Storm' yo! Vex, Myntric and Yodared where soooo DOPE. I dug their voices and deliveries! It was that NYC boom bap rap, ill beats, solid rhymes, the duo blended well together.. It defnitely was just my style! Songs like, Strange, Bronx bombers, muzik appreciation (love that song), honey dips in gotham, and this one song. 'Mark of the Beast' . a song describing the book of Revelation in The Bible. Talking about a mark of the beast, it reads...

"He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Rev 13:16-17)

Whoooooaaaaa.. Thats pretty deep and serious business huh, A Battle for my soul, through a Mark? GOD and the Devil? huh What!!!? It hit me heavy as a young Hip-Hoppa. and the message in this Boogie Monster song spoke volumes to ME. Ya see I come from a FAITH Based Hip-Hop background, I was blessed and fortunate to have been able to be used as a vessal of LOVE and Light through Hip-Hop Culture. I was blessed to be involved with a couple of RAP Ministries, serving and spreading the Good News to the World about Jesus Christ!!!....I was 15 years old, and I was performing at youth groups every weds night at different churchs, or revivals Traveling all through Colorado with my brothers Preachas in tha Hood,. (Flo and AGE). We were doing block parties, passing out tracks,rapping in juvinile jail's! All for the glory of GOD. . Man, I was on a high that I have never felt or witness before EVER!!.Seeing and feeling the spirit of GOD, working, moving,touching so many lives with people in my city. WOW!!!! It was unexplainable I formed a amazing, unconditonal releationship with the King of King's, The Lord of Lords, JESUS!. Jesus is Good to ME!

wait, wait, ....whaaaat?? Did you say!? Jesus??!!!

awww naw man, Jesus is Not Cool, Jesus is Wack b, Jesus and Hip-Hop don't mix! Oh you 're a Christian Hip-Hopper now, hahahahahah come on guy!!!!

ya ya, trust ME, I heard it all before, but I didn't take it that way.

This dude,Melle Mel, told me about the Message within Hip-Hop.I embraced that and listened. But The Message of what Jesus was speaking of, had me bewildered! I tried to apply it for the betterment in my life, and speak,Live a message of Love and Light through my songs in my own fashion. I didn't smoke or drink, or curse to much back then, I was a guerro kid, who kicked feeestyles ever second, every chance I got, I took! We'd Cypher after school,at house parties. I didn't push GOD on my homies, They knew what I was doing after school, and they respected it. I allowed the way I was living, to set a example to my peers.

Growing up, people knew the kid with the Hat/Headphones on always. A,'Krusty the Clown' doll rocking around his neck, crackin jokes laughin alot, was pretty different. A few of them understood me and we transformed, united within the city. We turned up the groove, to the beat of Hip-Hop Culture, and, it united Us, all in a poisitive way. Peace,Love,Unity, Having Fun. Build skills and gaining fame through Mcing,Djing,Bboying,Graffiti Art. Evolving into our own originality. The way we communicated through beats and rhymes, relaid amazing undertones, and vibrantions amongst the streets. We fellowshiped with the music..GOD connected US all.and Hip-Hop was the bridge

..I met some amazing good brothers and sisters in Denver who still are very active in the Hip-Hop community within the church community: SP Double, ILL7, Optwon,Speak, Speck, Diakono, Justice Rhymes, Kiko, Glocc, Illustrate, Joe Bereal, Calvin Kennedy, The Procussions, Felisa Latin Soul,Dno, Miz,Procyse and others.

Alot of Colorado Hip-Hoppa's came from out the roots of the inspiration of Goodness . Hip-Hop is a poweful vehicle and median for us to communicate,share & express our stories and experience to the world with. It is truly a gift from GOD. The gift of speech, to learn, teach and reach other's.

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The Boogie Monster's connected me to their message, and it impacted on me and brought me great insight, even till this day.So when I came across this video of one of the members of the Boogie Monster who is now a pastor, it sparked me to write this piece on them. There is a lot of Truth in the music. Some can destroy, some can uplift, But with the power of choice, it's a gift from GOD. It's in US all, how we choose to use it as artists. We need to continue to bring, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, betterment, empowerment, compassion, fun and LOVE back to the for front of the music. Most of this So called Hip-Hop in today's main stream is poison and misleading. I rather hear a message of Peace and Love and ways that I can become a better person. Turn a negative into a positive. Teach me something! We as artist can not, continue to poison the youth, when we are in the booth. We have to set better examples...

Check the Big homie's story, and thanks for reading my Blog!