Preserving the Foundation> Interviewing Curtis Sherrod

 BTN: You used to emcee right?hip hop ctr 2

Sherrod: Yeah way back in the days!

BTN: What do you think is the biggest difference culturally in hip hop from the beginning back in the day and now?

Sherrod: Back in the day if you were a rapper. You had to be the best guy in your neighborhood, so that put a lot of pressure on you. Because your peers, your block, you were representing your block. It wasn’t like you had a dope producer, it wasn’t like you had a label, it’s what like “naw john john you ain’t ready yet to represent our block” so it was like a pride thing. We did it for the love there was no money at all back then. We just did it, for the skill, for the passion, for the joy and just to represent.

BTN News: I know you give back to the community. Right now you have a free block party for the community. The kids are able to participate and have fun and I know they are not only appreciative but influence by your impact to the community. What were your biggest influences coming up?

Sherrod: I was fortunate that I lived on the same block that Kool Herc lived on. He was the guy who invented hip hop and he took the time to talk to me. He help me book shows for my little crew and things of that nature. So being able to be down with someone who invented hip hop and then be able to participate and do parties or shows with people like the Cold Crush Brothers, or Grand Wizard Theodore, or Brother Disco DJ Breakout, I mean the people who actually invented this thing called hip hop. It put a mark on me, an indelible mark, and it’s up to me to try to keep it alive. 

BTN: How long has the center been open?

Sherrod: The center has been open for four and half years

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *