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Hip-Hop Coloring Book Brings Old School to New Generation

By Della Hasselle | December 12, 2011 5:56pm

BOWERY — A new hip-hop coloring book is bringing old school classics to fresh, young faces.

Graphic designer and Brooklyn-based hip hop artist James "Creative" Shields is the mastermind behind "The Hip Hop Coloring Book," recently released in paper form and in an interactive program designed for iPads, computers and smartphones. It's designed to educate kids as young as 3 about hip-hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and others.

"It's a way to preserve the culture," said Shields, 26, who debuted the book and technology (which involved a digital drawing pad and projector) at the Bowery's Charles Bank Gallery on Saturday. "I was looking for something that wasn't cheesy, wasn't corny."

The book brushes on the four main points of hip-hop — rapping, deejaying, break dancing and graffiti — with blank pictures, puzzles, mazes and more. Allusions to various records, pictures of trains and blank walls waiting to be tagged, '80s-style jackets and other details all serve to illustrate hip-hop culture in New York during the late '70s and '80s.

"I like it a lot — it's so different," Upper West Side parent Urika Talling-Smith, 40, said at Saturday's event. "The computer program is good because it's so interactive. You allow your kids to go on the computer, but it's not just some game."

Shields, who said he's been into break dancing and rapping since he was a small kid, was looking for a way to share his knowledge of hip-hop and make money as an artist. Originally he wanted to teach kids about graffitti, but he realized that he had to delve into the history of hip-hop in order to give them lessons on the art form.

Shields believes that it's just as important for kids to learn about old school hip-hop as it is for them to learn about any other type of art.

"Hip-hop is an American art form," Shields explained. "We need to continue the practice of artistic expression, and continue the culture that hip-hop originates from."

The coloring book format only makes the lesson more accessible, he said.

"The vehicle of the coloring book takes away the intimidations of having to learn," he added. "The child user of the book participates in the history through drawing — they're actively learning and being able to remember."

At Saturday's opening party, which involved crayons for kids, refreshments for adults and plenty of hip hop music, Shields won over at least a few small hip hop fans with his creations.

"I really like coloring on the computer because it's a lot of fun," 5-year-old Joakim Oscar Talling-Smith said while sketching on the digital tablet.

Talling-Smith, who says he takes hip hop dance classes and likes to make up rap songs with his friends, also said that he loved the feature where he could create something on the computer, then erase his work to start all over.

"It's cool because you can really do some magic," he added.