I am not quite sure when I became a fan of hip-hop music, but it is something that has always been apart of my life.

I pride myself on my love for music of all genres (a credit I give to both of my parents) but there is something that always brings me back to hip-hop.

I love the feeling, the sound, the techniques, the style, the depth and the purpose of it. I love the looks on everyone's face when a DJ plays that song that takes them back to one of their favorite moments in time; a house party, school dance, summertime in the park, your first date, first kiss, first time hearing the song that will forever play in your heart.

It has been said that scent is tied to memory, so is music. If the volume is loud enough you can actually disappear and become one with the beat. This is the feeling that I seek every time I turn on the radio, and to my dissatisfaction it only comes once in a blue moon.

My father was a radio personality and music programmer for radio stations across the nation as well as a famed author and radio programming coach.

My mother was a reggae disc jockey in the Bay Area. On Saturdays our house would be full of sounds from Peter Tosh to Luther Vandross, Prince and A Tribe Called Quest, but I will never forget how I felt inside when I heard the neighborhood D-boys roll down the street to "Jam On It" or the crazy sensation to move when "Sucker MC's came on the radio.

Yes, I was young, but I was aware then of the power of music and how the right baseline and drumbeat could make you take action.

As I grew so did the movement. In fourth grade I remember coming home every day and dancing like crazy to Public Enemy "Fight the Power." I remember the first time I heard "Bonita Applebum" by A Tribe Called Quest and I still can "Humpty Dance" with the best of them.

All of these memories of music remind me of a time when music was fun and exploding with positive energy. This was a movement that was global with no signs of stopping, and I was right there in the middle of it all, rapping, "parents just don't understand."

Not all hip-hop was full of sunshine and crazy 808 beats. This music was a way for our nations people to cope. Through hip-hop, the struggles that weren't mainstream from the boroughs of New York to the streets of Compton, and everywhere in between were brought to life bar by bar. America and beyond began to take notice. Just like the decades before, music was an effective communication source.

My favorite part of the hip-mop movement was the presence of women. Salt N Pepa, J.J. Fad, M.C. Lyte, Queen Latifah and Monie Love not only changed the game, but they made women a focal point in this industry. For the first time strong women emerged with powerful voices and ideas that commanded the attention of all listeners.

As a young woman, I needed someone that I could identify with and although I loved Ice Cube, I couldn't completely relate. These hip-hop pioneer women helped shape this music, and shape the dreams of their listeners.

This was an era of cultural pride. Proud to be who you were born to be, proud to be educated, proud to have dreams and proud to have the ability to follow those dreams. Now the mainstream music has been replaced with violent, materialistic lyrics that are leading our youth in the opposite direction.

Positive language and endearing terms of brother and sisterhood have been replaced with derogatory terms for women and demeaning nicknames for our young men. I miss hip-hop music.

Think about it, when was the last time you heard a song that made you jump up and move the way "Scenario" did? When was the last time that a song rocked your core like "The Bridge is Over"?

You owe it to yourself to experience the song that made that made you fall in love with hip-hop in the first place.

If you have a love for hip-hop music and the last time you got out of your seat to dance was when Biggie and 2 Pac were still alive, I'd like to invite you out to a party that is focused on the best part of hip-hop, the early years.

Following the fireside chat, you can meet and greet hip-hop pioneer Monie Love at LIVE on North, 2028 E. North Ave.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and cover charge is just $7. We will also be celebrating the life and music of Guru from Gang Starr as his sudden passing from cancer left the music world shocked.