HIP HOP GURU

Back in the day, Joe Rahman was kind of an old-school rap nerd. What I mean is, the guy knew everyone and everything about rap in the ’80s and ’90s—all the artists, all the albums, all the lyrics. The irony is that, while he’s a veritable encyclopaedia of hip-hop history, he dresses head-to-toe in baggy clothes with those classic oversized gold chains and ass-backwards baseball caps. But that’s not all. He also took this whole thing a step further, mastering an uncanny knack for impersonating those same old-school rappers. He’d be out of nowhere busting out the butterfly, velvet rope, or running man—all the golden-era dance moves—and doing it in the voice of whoever he was imitating, whether it was Snoop, Busta Rhymes, or whoever. Imagine a middle-aged man recreating the voice and gestures of Snoop Dogg or Busta Rhymes—that's him. He still thinks he's got the moves from back in the day! You'll catch him breakdancing at random spots around town, executing those classic 80s moves with gusto. And Lord, help us if someone mentions a rap song from that era, because this man will launch into an impromptu performance, spitting out lyrics faster than anyone can keep up. It might make us chuckle, but we’ve also got to admit that his passion for hip-hop is infectious.