By Camila Crews

I’ve tasted it and it has left a sweet taste in my mouth. What have I tasted you ask? Brown Sugar, that’s what. In the opening lines of the new hit movie Sanaa Lathan poses the question when was the first time you fell in love with hip hop?

My first time was when Salt-n-Pepa burst onto the scene with blond hair, spandex black pants and multi-colored leather coats. These sistahs were jumping around talking about how they wanted men to “Push It.” There I was a five-year old little girl in my mother’s living room trying to do pelvic thrust and the running man.

That was my first time. Yes, there were others before Salt-n-Pepa, but they were the first hip hop group I heard of. There was Michael Jackson when he was black with his pop sensation “Thriller.” Although it wasn’t hip hop it was the jam back in the day. Who could forget the eerie instrumental and those lyrics:

“It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark/ Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart/ You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it/ You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes, you’re paralyzed.”

I’m no hip hop expert. I still have a lot more to learn. I don’t know the history behind Eric B. and Rakim, nor can I name all the members of the Sugar Hill Gang. I am a new generation of hip hop. My adolescent memories bring me back to “Can’t You See” the R’B banger by Biggie and Total and of course who could forget “Once More Chance,” by the Notorious one himself.

Music is the soundtrack of my life. I can’t imagine my life without it. It’s the best friend I can count on in any situation. When I’m ready to get amped before a night out. I’m likely to throw MOP’s “Ante Up” or R. Kelly and Jigga’s “Take You Home With Me” into my CD changer.

When the man in my life is not acting right I let Mary tell me how she’s not gonna cry or let Erykah Badu tell him to call Tyrone, or listen to Gwen Stefani share her heartache. One thing about the movie Brown Sugar that stuck out in my mind was the fact that Lathan’s character Sidnee Shaw treated hip hop as more than music and a popular trend. To her, hip hop was love and affection as well as style and music. In her eyes, hip hop was life.

Hip hop is around us everyday. From the latest trends we wear to the way we talk. There are certain styles that would not be acceptable to rock not for the notable celebrities that wear these styles. An example of this is Nelly. The dude walks around with a white piece of tape underneath his eye. This may symbolize something deeper for him, but all in all it does look a little ridiculous.

Look at designer wear like Burberry. Burberry has been around since the 1940s. I had no idea what it was until I saw Ja Rule draped in the expensive fabric in his “Always on Time,” video featuring Ashanti. Now this clothing line has gone from being a celebrity style to being worn by the everyday people like you and me.

For me, I fell in love with music and not just hip hop. I can listen to anything from pop to rock. As long as it’s quality and the artist has a message to deliver I can vibe with it.

Music has affected me so much that I have dedicated my life to it. By that I mean I plan on becoming a music journalist. Hopefully one day I will be the reporter on the staff of VIBE magazine who is sent out on assignment to investigate the next stage of this amazing art form.