Been talking to my crew and bboy friends, going to too many parties, going to local shows in intimate venues, and some of my good friends throw up burners (Evict and Smae). More sources have influenced me, but these above are particularly culpable for this train of thought:
1. A jam is a party that everyone can go to. As equals, people that are new to the concept of hip hop are as welcome as one trained in the art. We're supposed to be having fun, right? Drinks if you're of age and food for everyone! Tired of being hungry at bboy competitions (I try to eat good tasty food, but just tasty will do sometimes). Tired of that sense of dread before I step into a battle and my imagination feels looped because the music is.
2. At a jam, all elements of hip hop are shown simultaneously at the level of the artists involved. Culture is an organism that expands as individuals are immersed. What better way to immerse those in unfamiliar territory than to offer an appealing sensory collage whilst offering an economically non-competitive atmosphere for artists to engage each other. Doing both in themselves expresses and celebrates a fundamental tenant of hip hop; which is creativity.
3. At a jam: comparison, competition and influence converge to transcend genre and form. DJs style sets, writers speak, graf artists and designers create to communicate a concept to their audience and where there's communication there's chance for conversation. Yeah bboys, if you aren't willfully communicating, you ain't saying shit.
On another note, I saw an interesting parallel to approaching the idea of a jam this way. At family reunions we ate soul food. In my family, my parents posed questions and encouraged education and ideas to raise me. I spent most days with my mother (more crew related). The interactions by which hip hop creates community are analogous to familial interaction. Some people may say duh, but the shit is always fresh to me.
