image via anthonyvaldez.org
Growing up just outside of Philly in the 90s and the early 2000s, the rap crew The Roots were pretty much everybody’s local heroes. They used to throw block parties on summer weekends and give out free water ice to local kids and adults alike (if you’re not from Philly, and you don’t know what what the heck water ice is, I mostly just feel bad for you), and promote emerging acts from neighbourhoods in North and Southwest Philly. But before I was old enough to really head to far flung spots on the other side of town, I got my hip-hop education through okayplayer the online community founded by the Roots’ drummer, the now infamous
?uestlove.
At the time, online message boards was where you met people, predating comment threats in facebook groups. My older brother (always the tastemaker in the family) reluctantly allowed me to make an account on the forums, risking a potential harsh to his vibe, where I discovered everything I could ever dream of knowing about rap, hip-hop, r&b, soul, and so many other forms of music.
In The Lesson, okayplayer’s central music board, people with decades and decades of musical knowledge debated the intricacies of Kool Moe Dee’s rap report card, speculated on the specifics of the Dungeon Family affiliate artists, swapped mixtapes and most of all, built up mysterious and enviable online alter-egos. While I could rarely keep up posting in a thread, I simply read and learned. As a wide-eyed white kid in the burbs, okayplayer became one of my first gateways to music geekdom.
Now today, okayplayer is still one of the best blogs for old school hip hop heads and new fans alike. Unlike so many other rap blogs, they rarely waste time deliberately or worrying about the most recent Instagram beef or who is going to be on the next Love & Hip Hop. But the writing is rarely elitist (there are occasional exceptions) and the news important for those wanting to follow rap acts from before and now.
Most importantly, the message boards are still alive, surviving so many others that have gone the way of the dodo. The Lesson is still popping and you can still learn so much by simply reading or, if you’re bold, chatting on the threads there. It feels nice to have a place to discuss shared passions outside of massive corporate platforms.
Jonathan Valelly is the editor of Broken Pencil.