183rd Crew Spittin' Rhymes After Midnight

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Well after midnight we set out on the road with J Gutta, Hip Hop Artist from Ground Up Entertainment. Gutta has taken us on many adventures into what he has dubbed "Hood Hoppin'". Tonight we found ourselves on the legendary corner of 183rd and Creston in the South Bronx hooking up with a few of his friends and relatives.
This short clip shows a the beginning of what became a very large "cypher" breaking out with guys freestylin' (rhyming off the top of the head). The artists that are featured in this video are J Gutta, Neva' Snitch (Gutta's cousin) and Toochie. Many other guys were there that night including Bennie Negron. I'm sure I'll toss up a clip later with more of the guys going off and showing a bit more of the fun times from that night.
183rd and Creston has a long reputation of being a corner of much activity. It falls in the heart of the 46th Precinct of the South Bronx. A little bit of history on Creston Avenue as taken from "History in Asphalt" by John McNamara (Bronx Historical Society, 1991): "At its northern end, it was once part of the Haskin estate of Fordham. A supposition is that this avenue, on the crest of an elevation shared by the Concourse, received its name from that fact. In the 1800s, the hills were called Mount Sharon (Fordham Road) and Prospect Hill (E. 180th St.)." From the same source here is a bit of history on West 183rd Street: "This street crosses part of the Jan Arcier (John Archer) property of 1683, which in the 19th century was part of the Morris holdings. From Loring Place to University Avenue this street was originally called Hampden Avenue. G.W. Hampden was a partner to Logan Billingsley of the East Fordham real estate syndicate in the 1890s."
The area is rich with history and even with the crime that has been associated with the area, one can see the strong sense of family and unity when one steps foot in the park on any afternoon or weekend. This summer, I had the great fortune of being able to spend time within this community for many events and developed a bond with many of the people of the South Bronx who now I consider dear friends. I will continue to bring more videos from this communtity showing the diversity of life in our city as well as a peek into the birthplace of Hip Hop.