OG's Stories

Telling the tale of how OG's tell their tales. It's always some funny and wacky way of them going about it too.

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Nicholas Sapp  0:00  
What's going on with y'all good people, man Welcome back to Poplock Parables, where I tell stories about my adventures in street dance. This is Episode Six. Yes sir this episode is transcribed on Poplockparables.buzzsprout.com. It's also available on listening platforms such as Apple podcast, Spotify, Google podcasts, and the like. Today's episode I'm talking about OG's, and how they tell stories. So OG's. You know, the elders, in our dance communities. And they definitely have a unique way of describing their histories, to say the least. Hope y'all enjoy.

Okay, so before I start, I need to explain what OG is. OG is a term we use basically just describes what are what an elder is. It depends on the scene's age in particular. So some dance styles, like the styles that started in the 90s? And the 2000s. Their OG's are only like 35-40. Right? But older styles like, you know, 70s and 80s, their OG's gonna be you know, 50-60. Right? So it just kind of depends, OG old generation, original gangster original generation. I mean, it has several different meanings. But when you say, OG's you're just an older person. Right? So every OG story. Oh, not everybody. I'm saying this, every OG story every OG back in the day story has five core parts that will always be mentioned. Number one, is talent show. Number two, it's time period. Number three is community. Number four are old moves. And number five, tangents. 

So I'm gonna start with number one. Number one is the talent show. Now talent shows, I don't know if they're a uniquely American concept. Basically, talent shows for those who may not know talent shows are little organized events. A lot of times they get thrown at schools. But some are, you know, very large events, televised events like the Showtime at the Apollo. That's a big one. Right? And talent shows just you just have people doing different stuff. So singing, dancing. You know, things like that. Well, no. Anyway, I'm sorry. Because I'm thinking about America's Got Talent I'm thinking about. So You Think You Can dance? So those are those are talent shows as well. And those exist globally. But I don't know. If there Yeah, that's a mess. Because I have a uniquely American, regardless, talent shows, right? Go on stage, saying dance, tell jokes, do weird stuff, whatever, right? And showcase you got this or that talent. And then it's a competition and eventually, one person wins money or contracts, you know, depending on the size of it. Things like that talent.  Every OG story. Got a talent show up in some right. Now I have a story. But you know, I'm saying that's that's the key part is talent shows right? OG stories. 

"Oh, yeah, man, you know, yeah, back in the day, you know, at this, you know," let's say, I don't know, here back there. "'I used to go to the Crenshaw, Crenshaw High School talent show, man, and we thought we keep competing. And one year they had a robot competition. And I won the robot competition. I won $100 man, it was cool." Or they talked about how they meet people "yeah man on the I met him at the talent show, saw him up on stage at the talent show. I say, Oh, dang, I wanna I want to see I want to do that. I want I want to meet that dude." Or, "oh, yeah. This group or that group, we used to see them all the time at the talent shows" like it's everything has a talent show, right? Different different high schools have different rivalries based on and those rivalries will come to a culmination at the top, which schools had had the best team or which neighborhood had the best team, everybody will find out at the talent show, right? Oh, it will be a talent show somewhere in that story. 

Number two time period, right when I say time period, I mean literally like you. They'll be talking. And they'll say some to the year, might even set a date, but usually to the year guaranteed. So it'd be stuff where they'd be talking. And they'd be like, "Oh, yeah, man. I'm here. So we used to get down and we was at the park he was at. He was at the park battling. And this was a This was right in 1982. When Zapp & Roger you know what he just released the Zapp II. They had that one song Dance Floor you know, let me see you moving on the dance floor. But you know that song. That was hard' or "Oh yeah, this was a, this was a this was 1985. I remember in 1985, because the year before the summer before when I saw Breakin' 2 with my friends. And then the summer after we was like, Oh, they gone make another one. And then they didn't, and we was like aw dang. 1985." So it was just like they just they just remember to year to the date, man.

And it's just it's just mad impressive. And it's one of those things where a lot of OG's will like mentioned, mentioned themselves basically they introduce themselves rather than right. So like I was on a zoom call recently. And it was funny, because it was a bunch of OG's on there. And so the OG's. hopping off the mics. And they "yeah wassup this is OG, Seymour. Long Beach. 1973." Okay, dang, to the date, huh? "Yeah, man, you know, this is a I got my start 1978 when I saw this on Soul Train, and Oh, man. I said," Man, it's all day. Every everybody got a time period. Everybody got a date? a year in mind. Guaranteed, plenty of years. And it's always impressive. So how do you remember such distinct years? You know, saying it's hard for me to remember, you know, stuff that happened when I was 19. I'm only 25 now. So, like, how y'all remembered 30-40 years ago, so easily? Impressive to me. 

Anyway, number three, part of stories is community. So when I say community, I mean, where they used to stay, who they used to stay around, where they went to high school, whose house they used to practice at, the dance groups at the time. All the things like that. Right? So it'll be stuff where you'd be talking. "Oh, yeah, man, it's, uh, you met someone. So you met on the Earthquake, dude Earthquake." Okay, now, this is actually a story. So I've been told before. "Here, man, Earthquake and you know, we used to work at the same McDonald's in high school. And, you know, I didn't know he could pop, I was popping at the time, but I didn't know he could pop. It was cool. Because I ran into him. 10 years later at a Poppers Picnic. And I was like, Hey, man, I used to work at McDonald's offered a Crenshaw, and man, I didn't know you could pop!" 

Or it's like, "oh, yeah, man. You know, every every day, we went over Danny house, we were just in a garage at Danny house. From from no 12pm to 8pm you know, we had to be back before the streetlights went on, you know, so to say six. We had to be back before street lights went off. So we were just at his house everyday. 6pm just in the garage practicing just just getting your practice, right." Or, "oh, man, you know, it was this group called House-o-matics at a time (Chicago).  Oh, man, they was so cool. I wanted to be in House-o-matics man. so bad. I was like, oh, man, when I go home, I'm gonna be in this dance group. I want to do this. Oh, man." Like it's just everything revolved around literally, who was in your community, the things that was going on in your community? Are these things, whose mom did this? Even though whose parents was doing that? Right? You know, some latchkey kid stuff going on with people's parents is working in some cases just at home and they're like, well, I had nothing to do. So I just went out to this person's place I went out here went out there, you know, whatever. So community man, they always got to mention the communal aspect or the people involved around in their time. They learned this from how they found out about this, how they were spending my time you know, all kinds of stuff like that. 

Number four, is the old move. Right? Every OG got an old move that they used to do back in the day. And they might not do no more because they they too old and they body gone hurt if they do it or they don't practice it no more. Every OG gotta old move. It's like, and they always say like, "hear me, you know, I used to have this one I called" and they always have like wild names. "I just had this one move called called the folding chair. Right. And you know how a folding chair right like you can you can snap it up and carry it which and then you snap and pull it back and you sit in here so I call my move the folding chair because I used to lean all the way back and let my knee touch back to the floor you know, you know how when you have a folding chair and you lay down you get a folding chair sometimes falls down hit the ground but it still stay folded up. That's what mine was. So I used to lean All the way back. You know, I let my knees touch hit the floor and the crowd go. Oh!!! yeah, man, I can't do that no more. No, you know you get Oh, you can't do that. No way it hurt now but you know, I used to kill em back in the day." It was like ever OG Got it. Got it. Oh, like that. And it's always it always has a ridiculous name. Now always. But many times it has a ridiculous me, right?

"Oh yeah, man I used to head is one move. I called it. I called it lightbulbs where I stick my finger out. And I throw it in a circle. And people like what's going on what's going on? stick your finger out. And that's rolling the circle. And I pop it in my mouth. And I make my head bobble. And I look up. And then my hair will fly up people go Oh!!! and it's like the light bulb because you know, when a light bulb Come on your head, you go Ping. And that's when my hair would go when I stick my finger and go Ping. Oh, yeah, man. I was crazy. I used to kill it." Just like all I'm getting excited. All of the that's just how they move, man. That's how they talk dawg. Old moves. Every OG got an old move. Right. And some of them tried to bring it back. 

Or even even when those things were some of these tried to change it and come up with new moves. They get so accustomed to doing the old move where people get so accustomed them doing it that, I've you know, I've had experiences with teachers that might have been like, Oh, yeah, I've done a couple performances, where I just I didn't do that one move everybody wanted me to do. And then they came up to me afterwards. And they was like, "Hey, man, that was cool, man. But uh, you didn't do the move. You didn't do the move man. You didn't do the light bulb thing, man." And he's like, "Oh, you know, I was working on some new stuff." "Okay, cool. Well, yeah, man, I wanted to see the light bulb." So I feel like it's a reason why they have that one move because people get used to seeing that, people like it. So they rely on us that will move their own way. But he got the old move they used to. 

So finally, number five is the tangent. Every OG story. Gone have a tangent. Right? And no, tangents are normal. I'm as I'm speaking, I've gone on a couple of tangents. Right? Where I'm talking about tangents we like how are we gonna get back to the main point of the story, you know, saying like, some tangents. You go on a tangent. Okay, this is a little quick tangent, and then, you know, come back to the story, but nah some of them OG tangents. And you'd be like, I don't even know if  we still on the same story. He just talking about something else now. Right, like, okay, like, for example. We talked about a year the time period thing. Yeah. Right. 

So, it'll be stuff like, OG talking: "Oh, yeah, man, you know, um, I went to this battle. And that's the first time I met poplocking, Poplocking Dave And you know, Poplocking Dave, he was cool man. And he used to wear his hair, and like Jheri curl, and it was crazy. You know Jheri curl, like you remember that Soul Glo commercial, man. So he used to wear his hair in a Jheri curl. And this was back in like, 1980, 1982. And I remember, because me and my friend went to go see Star Wars, that one time, and it was cool, because I remember we went to the movie theater, and the line was out the door. I don't know, I was like, Damn, we was afraid we weren't gonna be able to get no tickets. And then, you know, cuz my mama dropped us off. And then you know, cell phones didn't exist back then. So you can't call us. So we seen their line at the movie theater." And you like, hold on? You said no, hold on, bro. We was talking about dance, why he's talking about Star Wars? Oh, no. Wait a minute, wait a minute. And it's one of those things where it's like, some people, most people aren't gonna interrupt. The story is kind of like a respect feeling. We was gonna let you just keep talking. Because I, you know, you could decide to not share this story with me. So, you know, I'm appreciative of you sharing this story with me. Right? So you just let them talk for some time. 

They going Oh, that's a big one right here, too, big tangent. When they get to talk about how much they don't like this one person? Back in the day? Oh my goodness. It'd be like it'd be somebody that might not even be around no more. And it would be like, "Oh, yeah, man. Um, I used to battle this dude named DeonDre Davis right he used to go by DD back in the day cuz you know, DD, DeonDre Davis, DD, right. And man, I used to hate that dude, man. Because he thought he was so cool. He used to do this and do that. Man, I used to hate that dude. So we met up in the park one day and we start battling" and you like, Okay, sir. I don't really see what this has to do with this class. I'm paying you for. I'm paying you $20 to take the class or, shoot, you taking the private for somebody, I'm paying you $50, $100, $200 for an hour of your time, two hours of your time for you to teach me this thing. I kind of kind of prefer to not go on a tangent about this dude that you used to hate back in high school and you got it, but at the same time it's kind of like well you know I am respectful for your time.

You know, the fact that you are talking to me, sharing information with you, sharing this information with me right. You older person you got lots of knowledge and this knowledge is it's just kind of one of things which just is at the at the basis issa respect thing. It's like, OG's gone go on tangents man, some people like "I don't like them tangents" but I'm just like, I mean, it just comes with the territory right. Like you get all this knowledge and wisdom and building a relationship. And with that you will have listened to some some tangents you listen to some stories about back in the day. Were you like I don't I don't know. Why are you telling me this? Are you like I don't see what this particular thing that you have mentioned has to do with everything else we are learning but hey, you know what, man you know share your story man it's all good. 

So yeah, just to recap every OG story all the back in the day stories, they gone mention the talent show, they will mention time period the date like the year to the date right? They gone talk about who all was there, oh you should have been there, Where do you stay, Who do you stay around, you know all the communal aspects right? Number Four they gone talk about the old move they used to do or several right, or an old move somebody else used to do that they might have took or inspired or whatever right. Old stuff they used to do, and then five is they gone go on some tangents guaranteed. You love em man. Love the OG's man. They only around for so long. So you know when they get them stories? Yeah, it don't hurt too much to listen to the stories. That's all I got to say. So yeah, man. That's about it. OG's. Back in the day, you already know.

I just want to thank you all again, for listening to Poplock Parables. You can find me Nicholas, on Twitter and Instagram at Poplock Parables. You can also email me at Poplockparables@gmail.com. You know what, I'm sayin' if you enjoy you know what I'm saying, subscribe, follow. Leave a review. All that good stuff. Y'all know what to do, y'all already know. Yes, sir. Outside of that, I'm ain't got nothing else to say. Hope y'all have a great day. Yes, sir.

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