Herbie Hancock-"Rock It" (Hip-Hop/Jazz)

Selected viewer comments from http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments=1&v=o4EhaQklWqA

Posted in 2009:
wardog1967 - Herbie is ONE funky dude, brother.

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chrisswinehart1 - wow how those robot come to life who where poppin and breakin

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wardog1967- That is when break dancing started and became really popular...these guys took it to a new level!

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alexvoz - I was one year old. I love looking back on it all and learning about it.

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wardog1967- During the mid 80's scratching was an art form and became synonymous with break dancing. Very cool indeed.

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alexvoz- It was complimentary no doubt! Djing, MCing, breaking, graffiti writing = hip hop

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outlok1- I just bought the Scratch DVD as well and referred back to this performance. I was 8 y/o in '84. I remember the song, but not the correlation to hip-hop at the time.

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bvax- The first time I seen this it bugged me out but it was sooooooo dope!!

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ingebird415- I miss the 80s music sooooo much!!!! and the fun hairdos and clothes!!!

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wardog1967- It certainly was a nicer place to be in the 80's than it is these days! Not sure about the hair though...LOL!

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alexvoz-I first heard about this performance in the documentary Scratch. Many of today's prominent turntablists refer to this as their first exposure to scratching. Awesome.

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wardog1967 - Timeless performance...I freaked when i first saw it too!

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stillwaterseven- this is such a simple beautiful piece of music,...isn't this the first time turntables/scratching was shown to a national audience?

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wardog1967- If it wasn't, it was certainly ONE of the first times...Public Enemy perhaps? But yeah, I agree...very simple, very tasteful and very talented. Pity TV didn't give Herbie Hancock a fair go.

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shlee0471- it rocks..  gorgeous!!

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patricioleon - I'm 38 years old (I was 1y by then}}9 and I still remember that performance , In fact I've been waiting to see again this video for so long. Thank do much wardog1967 for uploading this video and thank youtube for make this possible.

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twofoot65- that ruled! REAL breakdancing!

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anthtan - Not only is this a great video. For me, this is one of the reasons YouTube became great: seeing rare stuff, kindly shared by generous individuals. How else am I or anyone else going to get to watch these classic moments in time from 25 years or more ago? I watched this when I was a kid and now I can share it with my kids. Fantastic. But now, copyright is killing YouTube. Sharing is not necessarily stealing! Thanks, wardog1967

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wardog1967-You're welcome. I agree totally about seeing the rare stuff too.

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meandaha- Back then I was listening to the new breakdancing/rapping/scratchin­g..etc. I was 15ish or so. I had heard "Rock It" but never seen the video. I watched this the night it aired but had no idea about the robotics involved. As I watched this on t.v. I was BLOWN AWAY by the "robots" coming to life and BREAKDANCING!!! It shocked everyone in the audience which you can tell by the gasps and yells in the background.

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wardog1967 - I respect your opinion, dude. DXT put the scratch in it. Herbie Hancock could've played that on a sample track...without DXT...Break dancing and hip hop music went hand in hand back then. All good.

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txalnyoz- Wow nice video man!!

Look I'm a modern music student and I need that video for a musicology work. Would be possible to have it in high quality? I will be happy if you can provide a link or some information about where to find it.

Million thanks!!

Marçal trumpeter

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wardog1967- To be honest, that's the only level of quality I was able to get that video on. I searched high and low to get it; it took me ages to find it. Help yourself, dude.

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kaiart - BTW peoples, it's "Grandmixer DST", not 'DXT'. Just a little FYI

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TrojanRockStar - Actually it is DXT. Google it!!

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kaiart- Actually he was ORIGINALLY...DST when he did Rockit with Herbie (Google that!!). Later on, he changed it to DXT. I was a former NYC DJ in the 80's and 90's. Have all DST's stuff on vinyl. Youtube the title 'Crazy Cuts' DST.

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giantrobot9000- That breakdown is so incredible. The drama of the robots getting up is awesome. How can you NOT move to that?!?!?!

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wardog1967-I know...the audience reaction when they get up is awesome.

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porkisgood4u - standing ovation

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matkrassus - Especially for '84 this looks fantastic... Actually this performance got Mixmaster Mike (Beasty Boys DJ) into scratching records! I saw this in the "Scratch" documentary...

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IBsmokin4u - this performace brought break dancing to main stream america and to the whole world for that matter, prior to this performance breakdancing was only seen with inner city youth in just a few city's and their surrounding area, alot of people never thanked herbie for bringing it to the masses!

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PRLANDSTORM-Wow .....Remembered it like it was yesterday. I was 14 at the time and till this day it's still number one in in the grammy awards in my book. Thanx wardog1967 for the memories of the mid 80's.

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affiliate30- hey, I was 14 too at the time, those were the times. it was all about dancing and having fun

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romeropablo - 1984, simmons drums...powerfull bass, 2x4 ryhthm and 144 pulses per minute on the song, Sinclaviers keyboards...That's techno today. Herbie Hankcock put some funk on that...

We need that creativity today...

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Posted in 2010:

Blacksungod- I remember watching this.

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boogadook- I was extremley excited the night i watched that live.I was breakdancing in the living room.PEACE LOVE , GET DOWN!

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danielayalamusica - herbie is the Man!!!

amazing.

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funkberto - Look how Latoya,Brooke Shields and other luminaries was Shocking by a Electro Hip Hop thunder via Herbie and Grandmixer DST (one of the Bambaataa's Zulu Nation DJs)

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[Editor: Because of jambalayah's no profanity policy, this next comment is edited.]

aqquinodj- This performance was a big bang . you know that, how many kids were watching this at tv in the same time I was and now they are directing the music today? How many of us wanting to be djs after this, better thatn this, battle djs, after this? I am so... proud to be a dj, I am so glad to watched this show at home when I was 10 years old. I remember, I couldnt sleep wishing to be a dj, wow, what a great childhood i got.

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eunny4u - What is break dancing team name? AnyOne? Thought same team was on Thriller MV :)

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wardog1967- @eunny4u The African-American dancer's name is Steve Daniels...the others...not sure...

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SkorpionOne - My God how I loved the 80's and all the music!!! This is back when real artists performed real music not like today's so-called fluff!! Thanks for sharing haven't seen this in decades!! ;)

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wardog1967- @SkorpionOne No probs; glad you enjoyed it. Agree with you about today's garbage.

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Rhyno186- I actually remember watching this live on TV when it aired back then. It was epic then, and is still epic now. Seeing as how this still stands up, it really shows how music was so much better and original then vs. now.

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wardog1967- @Rhyno186 Amen!

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JDKNSATL - LEGENDARY

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SirCed2008 - Incredible creativity for 1984!!! The "robotic dancers" are phenominal!!! I was "fooled" into thinking they were elaborate robots (like the MTV video) and not "real" people...but then... THAT is what helped make this performance so magnificently BRILLIANT!!!

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van76- This was the first time I've seen and heard of Herbie Hancock and Rockit. The music video came second for me. Since Michael Jackson won most of the Grammys, I wonder if this performance stole the show.

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lamtahoe-o @van76 It did steal the show. I watched it when I was 12 years old, and have never forgotten about it. Michael Jackson did the moonwalk to "Beat It" live at the Grammys the year before ( 1983 ) . So this wasn't the first time America saw this kind of thing, just that Herbie did it in such a classy way. When the mannequins came to life was so profound for me at the time and amazingly still is. Thanx for posting. Peace out 80's.

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mjlastshot23- This was absolutely brilliant, stands the test of time! It was such a "game-changing" performance that the master innovator, Michael Jackson, whom was in the audience for the show, is wowed. You can see him at the conclusion of the performance. The crowd went wild.

This only happened at the Grammy's a few times that I can remember: Isaac Hayes and the Shaft live performance, Michael Jackson's first moonwalk, etc.

Brilliant.

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sneakerthekid
2 months ago Groundbreaking.

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Beefy1Time - I never got a chance to see this the first time, I was 8 when this happened, and had a bedtime of 8 pm because of school. Reading an interview with the dj D. St, he was touching upon this moment and it made me want to see it. Thanks for sharing. Loved every second of it.

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jcarlosco- this is the true funk

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romeonarcizo- He's music was very futurist for the time...Now everybody can't make it..but in that time (1983) was completely extraordinary!!!!!..this is music gentlemen!!!!!

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Azizip17 - Thank you, wardog1967 for uploading this clip from the Grammys & also for sharing comments throughout this thread. Most people who upload videos don't stick around to comment & respond to others' comments.

This Grammy performance was outstanding and Herbie Hancock's "Rock It" tune is a hip-hop classic. But Rock It can also be considered jazz. After all, Herbie Hancock is a jazz musician. Google The Dozens: Hip-Hop Meets Jazz for other examples of hip-hop/jazz recordings. Thanks again. Peace!