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Ninety One Minutes of Freshness
Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images (Clockwise L-R) Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Terminator X, S1W, Chuck D of Public Enemy.
With the impending screenings of ‘Fresh Dressed’ at the Watershed, Antonia explores what it meant to be ‘fresh’ through the years of American hip hop by curating a playlist for your ears.
Everyone has an opinion about what hip hop is. It means so many things to so many people. Some only see the negative, others (most, hopefully) will see its many positives. As an art form that originally stemmed from a form of expression of feelings that came from racial oppression in the US of A through police brutality and unjust political systems and it’s more than just music. Hip hop is a constantly evolving culture because it is a reflection of the times we live in and draws inspiration from occurrences of plights of different individuals. And it can rarely be pinned down to just rap, because its expressed through a multi-faceted, complex culture of language, graffiti, breakdancing, beatboxing and the critical relationship between the DJ and emcee (turntabling and scratching). As well as the notion of being conscious – or as today as it is termed, ‘woke’
‘Fresh Dressed’ is a documentary feature depicting the journey of hip hop through the lens of fashion. From the mouths of trendsetters such as Kanye West, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Andre Leon Talley and Pharrell, we find out the origins of the term ‘fresh’ and what exactly that meant – even from low-income households.
In the lead up to ‘Fresh Dressed’ coming to the Watershed next week, I thought I’d explore the notion by creating a playlist, featuring some of the faces you will see in this film and many many more.
Listen to ‘Ninety One Minutes of Freshness’ below and get involved in the conversation of what being fresh means to you on Twitter @rifemag with the hashtag #ImFreshBecause
Stay fresh, players.
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About the author
Antonia Odunlami
I’m 21, from east London. I am a recent Philosophy graduate from Bristol University, and whilst being one of three Content Creators here at Rife, I am also the Music Editor for a online publication called gal-dem. It is run, written and controlled by young women of colour for all to engage in, creating waves in mainstream media but from our perspective. My hobbies include playing music obnoxiously loud, winning fake arguments in my head and watching Eastenders.
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