For me it was my older brother Bobby's tape collection. I found a breakdancing tape "Nucleus" and I would put it into a flat tape-player and stick it under my pillow and play "Jam On It" over and over again. Until I fell asleep. Then later it was those tapes that he would make when he went back to NY for family that he recorded from the radio. I went to Japan at 15 and that cemented it.. my connection to America and myself.. hiphop is my culture.
I can't front....MC Hammer and Kris Kross was probably when i first got into it....
funny, i got this das efx album because i was too young and the record store wouldn't sell me tupac's album (2pacalypse now). i had to get this older chick to buy me the latest 2 live crew album at the time (growing up in miami, you HAD to have 2 live crew!) LOL.My mom was hesitant to buy me Das EFX's new tape for Christmas. She said they looked scary: