Hey new blogger interface.. maybe I'll be able to update my template now.

Freestylin' on the T

I got on the Red line last night to come home from Park street at about 9 PM. The train was fairly crowded so I sat down in one of the only available seats. I was fairly surprised when the two kids that were sitting next to me started rappin. They took turns freestylin', which is basically just improvising lines as you go along. They were loud enough to be heard by those around them, but weren't really trying to perform. I can't say that I've heard this done very often, but I thought they were pretty good. They could keep the rhyme goin in some pretty creative ways and weren't really getting "stuck" anywhere. I could see some of the looks other people were giving them, but I was into it and stayed close so I could hear what they were saying.

They stopped around Central and then we struck up a bit of a conversation. One of them had noticed that I was paying attention and asked me what I had in my MP3 player. I threw out all the Hip Hop bands I had: Tribe Called Quest, Black Eyed Peas, Jurassic 5, Diggable Planets. They were impressed so we talked about the bands a bit and how people might react to performances like this in public spots like the T. I got put in my place a little when they asked me where I lived. When I said Somerville they said, "Oh so you're a yuppie?". I replied that I didn't think I was a yuppie, but they said yuppies never think they're yuppies.