Let’s get ‘hyphy’

Go crazy, stupid, dumb and retarded.
Do the “dummy”, “retarded” and “ride the yellow bus”.
“Yaddameen,” and “Ghost ride (your) whip.”
To many local students, these terms and phrases sound unfamiliar and strange, but Baton Rougeians are beginning to learn what subculture to associate them with: “The Hyphy Movement.”
“All I know is (that) it’s something from California that makes California students go crazy,” said Alphonse Stewart, a senior secondary education major from Baton Rouge.
With the platinum-selling album “My Ghetto Report Card” by E-40, which survived off the hits “Tell Me When To Go” and “U and Dat”, “hyphy” now lives outside of the Bay Area, yet some people are still confused about the “hyphy” lifestyle and its’ association with the Bay Area society.
To California natives, “hyphy” is much more than a dance and not a complete representation of all the state’s young adult population.
Although its’ mass recognition outside of the California limits is still new, the term and music has been around for a while.
“Hyphy” originated in the Bay Area, more specifically in the urban throngs of Oakland, Calif.
California rapper Keak Da Sneak first coined the term on his locally released album “Sneakacydal”.
The term’s national recognition preceded the release of Bay Area rap group The Federation’s track “Hyphy” in 2004, which was also featured on Electronic Arts Sports’ “Fight Night” videogame.
“Hyphy”, which is a slang version of the word hyper, is the Bay Area’s version of “crunk” and has rapidly become a culture and way of life all its own.
“Basically, ‘hyphy’ is just letting yourself go and expressing yourself in your own way,” said Gabrielle Marshall, a sophomore criminal justice major from Oakland, Calif.
A highlighting aspect with the “hyphy” culture are sideshows, when one or more drivers use their cars to perform a series of stunts called doughnuts, which are accomplish by braking and turning at high speeds.
Other vehicle stunts include “yoking” and “ghost riding.” The latter is achieved when a driver walks alongside a slow rolling car with the door open, giving the appearance that the car is driving itself to observers.
Like much of the rap culture, the “hyphy” culture also endorses the heavy usage of drugs and alcohol, but the more important aspects of the movement are dancing and partying, both of which drugs are not a necessity in order to enjoy.
“Hyphy” culture insiders say the movement is an attempt to remind the world that the Bay Area exists and has its own style.
But that message is finding a hard time breaking into Baton Rouge’s club scene, which is dominated by the music of the state’s own local talent.
“The deejays play to the demographics and only play music that is local, unfortunately neglecting California and East Coast music,” said Demill Pugh, a junior music performance major from Shreveport.
But this hasn’t prevented some Southern University students, from the Bay area, from enjoying the aspects of the culture.
Through the reemergence of the California Club, SU Bay area students are hosting parties of their own to hear the music that makes the movemment what it is.
“It’s nice to be able to express ourselves away from home,” said Hakeem Mahdi, a sophomore civil engineering major from Oakland, Calif. “The world needs to remember everything isn’t crunk, but there is other music and other lifestyles.”
“Now we can feel like we belong in the clubs out here,” said Mahdi.