Da Hawnay Troof

Fri Jan 30

Nocturnal

Da Hawnay Troof is not rap music, in the same way that KRS-One said that Nelly isn't rap. A hyperactive kid in sweatbands can't do anything but make you laugh for a minute, right? If you posed Da Hawnay Troof to me hypothetically--simple house beats, tight clothes, lines like, "If you wanna dry hump, than prepare to be dumped," I wouldn't imagine myself up front with my hands in the air. But I went back and thought about Wild Style, and the way in which everyone is focused on Busy Bee during the live show. Instead of basking or posturing in their attention, he reflects it back onto them--building the excitement rather than sucking it up.

Da Hawnay Troof does the same thing--with the audience following his every move, he makes us aware of the fact that we are the important part. With a minimum of words and especially no "you guys are frickin' awesome!" Hawnay makes the crowd feel both carefree and vital, a nearly impossible combination. Perhaps Da Hawnay Troof comes at the right time, when everyone is tired of standing around or feeling gloomy and would rather dance and laugh.

How does this connection relate to the fact that Hawnay is not hiphop? It's about energy. This doesn't mean that the future is laptops and body shots, because this kind of energy and excitement would be the first thing missing from a biter's act. It does mean that you don't have to take people by the hand and shout at them about what's wrong with their lives; you have to live alongside them and hope everyone benefits from it. I read this Aldous Huxley quote where he says, "It's a little bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer than, 'Try to be a little kinder.'" Da Hawnay Troof somehow does one better by creating a space where everyone is excited and happy enough to do so.