ver The Edge Pa Cc (eo do ELEMENTS OF HIP HOP REPRESENTED AT NATIVE FRIENDSHIP CENTRE By: Tara Marsden The appropriately named event, “Culcher’, synthesized the four elements of hip hop culture: DJing , MCing, Breakdancing, and Graffiti, for a diverse crowd at the Native Friendship Centre on Saturday the 30th. Unbeknownst to many, hip hop encompasses more than the mainstream rap artists that grace the screens of MuchMusic and MTV. The culture of hip hop, originating in America’s inner cities, has grown to world wide propor- tions, even finding its way to Prince George. The SC Coalition, consisting of Just-B, Pryd, and 2000 Victoria DMC Champ DJ Verse, returned to their native PG with an underground flavour that was well received by the —inter-generational crowd. Even the technical dif- ficulties with the sound sys- tem added to the under- ground vibe of the evening. As Just-B said once he finally got the mic working: “You see, this really is an underground thing here, when your speak- ers aren’t working right, and it takes all night to get the mic working”. The night consist- ed of,a fluid line up of the three DJ’s alternating on and off casually, with a finale of Just-B on the mic and Pryd doing some breakdancing. DJ Verse exhibited ample scratching and some of the more technical aspects of turntablism. While DJ’s Pryd and Just-B broke down some old school favorites, funk, and newer underground sounds that got everybody on the dance floor. All three repre- sented the fourth element, Graffiti, by sporting their own Culcher Clothing designs, which were also used for door prizes. The event was sponsored by Factory Skates, which is owned and operated by Pryd’s mom. The tickets were “Every § or 6 years, Kostast: produces an uncompromisingly originat book.” - Stan Parsky VATION KOSTASH a steal at only $5 advance, just enough to cover basic costs. You could really tell that everyone involved was in it for the love, and not for the money. Unfortunately, the crowd dispersed early, but The N By: Crytal Ross Myrna Kostash offers an ambitious and insightful work in her novel, The Next Canada. Through a series of interviews, interpretations, and details, she provides a. forum where the 25- to 35- year-old generation can voice what it means to be Canadian. She then — sup- ports the forming of these views with historical rele- vance, as well as making future: predictions from them as to Canada’s direction. The interviews are conducted with a great range of young Canadians, from TV produc- ers to union organizers to queer activists, which leads to a gathering of diverse opin- ions. Kostash ambitiously the guys kept it going for the few that remained. If you love hip hop, and weren't there, you missed out. As musical talent usually tends to head south, rather than north, these kinds of events must be Photo by: Tara Marsden The Next Generation, Kay and friend do a little breaking supported. As Pryd said at the end of the night: “ When we left [PG] there was just a small group of us who were into this, but now its goodto see that people are really feeling it’. ext Canada covers a broad range of top- ics as they pertain to Canadians, including the workplace, unions, cyber- space, the arts, cultural com- munity, sexualities, ethnici- ties, politics, the future Quebec, and the “next Canada’. While the wealth of ideas and information alone presented in this book make it worth reading, what really made it stand out for me was the refreshingly humourous way in which Kostash pre- sented her material. She took a potentially dry set of details, history, and accounts and infused them with her own humourous style. Another enjoyable aspect of Kostash’s style of writing was her ability to remain fairly objective. The material presented was com- plemented by her opinions, not overwhelmed by them. | also enjoyed the numerous relevant quotes she included throughout the novel. In short, if you are at all interested in Canada, what it means to be Canadian, and the shaping of the future Canada, you should take the time to read this book. Even if you don’t find yourself enjoy- ing The Next Canada (though | think you. will), you can sound intelligent impressing your friends with the many facts about Canada found in this book. Over The Edge Needs You. If you can blink you can help!