Hip Hop Serendipity

Wikipedia describes Serendipity as ..

“happy accident or pleasant surprise; a fortunate mistake. Specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.“

This is how I would describe how my connection with Pritt came to be, it was quite literally an unsought and unintended but very fortunate discovery that I made when I stumbled purely by chance upon Pritt’s WordPress web site.

I will admit unashamedly that I had not heard anything about the Looking for the Perfect Beat documentary project before, but I was immediately captivated by everything about the project and it’s maker(s).

Everything I looked at and read up on the site just felt so right and all done for the right reasons. I sensed a lot of honesty and integrity and ambition here and I just said to myself I really want to meet this guy Pritt to just at the very minimum shake the guys hand and tell him ho impressed with his work I am.

So I connected with Pritt via Facebook and checked out his profile which just echoed exactly the kind of vibe that I had gained from his WordPress site. Here was a guy who was definitely creative, well connected, hard working and ultimately a guy who just was so genuine and the real deal.

I decided I needed to show as much support for this project as I could, So I posted links to Pritt’s site on my Facebook page, I’d posted the amazing piece of art created by Chris Malbon, and links to the trailer to just try and help in any way I could. I then purchased a ltd edition copy of the art as all the funds from these sales would go towards the project, and I was showing as many people the art as I could to anonymously support the project to try and help.

But as the days went on I just kept thinking about the project, I kept going back to the site to check out the trailer, read Pritts words, look at the interview with Chris and look at the poster that I would get in the mail very soon. And one thing kept coming back to me, the thought that I needed to meet Pritt.

So I wrote Pritt an email via the Facebook site, and in some way tried to describe my admiration for all those things I mentioned earlier, and how in many ways I saw a parallel with his life and mine, mainly in his hard work and dedication, along with never having things easy. I told Pritt how I’m firm believer in trusting my intuition and this was really the main catalyst that gave me the courage to say hello and basically say look can we meet as I’d like to try and help you get to your goal in finishing the documentary. I had no idea what skill I could bring to the table but I just wanted to get involved and meet Pritt.

So we exchanged emails between us and arranged to meet yesterday and I drove down to Birmingham to have a meeting with Pritt at his house. As I got out of the car Pritt had come outside to greet me and we shook hands and said hello, and from those few moments I knew this guy really was the real deal and we would get along.

We talked and I was shown Pritt’s studio, his cameras and some of his immense archive of video footage. I can genuinely say I was blown away by his Hip Hop connections, I knew he was well connected but honestly I didn’t realize how well. Just seeing Jazzy Jay, Marley Marl and Ultramagnetic for starters was jaw dropping, but then to see other Hip Hop luminaries like Charlie Chase, Chuck Chillout and Grand Wizard Theodore on the screen just blew my mind..  and everyone who spoke about Pritt and how they saw him on these pieces of film just echoed all the sentiment that I had formulated prior to and during our meeting that here was a very well respected, honest, knowledgeable, hard working man full of integrity.

Pritt, it was an honor to meet you yesterday and I know we will be good pals for a long time to come. You truly are my spiritual Hip Hop brother.

Maybe things do happen for a reason!!

ChOCi

photographs by ChoCi