A True Skool-era hip hop tribute occurred on a recent Saturday afternoon with several pioneers in attendance for the 5th annual Sha-Rock Day in honor of the culture’s first female MC. The throwback event at The Bronx’s Magenta Playground was reminiscent of back-in-the-day park jams, complete with DJs, MCs, B-Boys/B-Girls and graf writers. It also doubled as a pre-50th anniversary of hip hop recognition with several luminaries navigating down memory lane.
As a member of the pioneering Funky Four Plus One More, they set trends during the culture’s infancy. “Rappin’ and Rockin’ the House,” “Do You Want To Rock,” and “That’s the Joint,” are some of their memorable recordings. Sha-Rock helped pave the path for many ladies who later picked up the mic.
“I’m back because of a phenomenal lady. ShaRock is the catalyst for me coming back,” explained The Mercedes DJ Baby D, about why she traveled from Japan for this tribute. “We heled pave the way for what women are doing in hip hop. Y’all are not recognizing the women, because we were there busting our behinds doing what the men were doing.”
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The Herculoids’ Coke La Rock, hip hop’s first MC; Chief Rocker Busy Bee; Legendary Twins DJ Flame; Sister Disco; Sparky D; and Funky Four’s Rodney C were among those who paid homage. Flip Mode’s Rah Digga moderated the afternoon festivity, and Funky Four’s DJ Breakout entertained attendees with tunes from various genres covering several decades.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson “gave words, wisdom and encouragement to all attendees,” and former council member Andy King presented Sha-Rock with a proclamation, while fellow artists continued to heap praises.
“We took this all around the world, straight from the boogie down Bronx,” certified The Cold Crush Brothers’ DJ Toney Tone. “I wanna thank all of y’all for being part of hip hop culture. We’re in the Smithsonian, the first hip hop movie, we are the foundation of hip hop, the Bronx.”
Sha-Rock concluded: “Respect to all who’ve rocked with me on my journey since the beginning til the present in hip hop culture. We did it y’all. Thank you for this day in the Bronx. Next year the whole city will celebrate Sha-Rock Day!”
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