Hey, I'm 19 and I found this site by looking up "hip hop forum" while high and I spent a good thirty minutes really confused as to why there was more talk of hippies and not hip hop. Still, this seems interesting, and I love talking to a variety of people so no matter what this forum is actually about I'm just glad to be here. I'm a big fan of A Tribe Called Quest, though I like other groups/artists as well of course. I'm always looking for more music to try and be inspired by. Anyway, I mentioned ATCQ because their music is on my mind a lot and I'd love to talk about them, especially with older fans who would know things I certainly don't. That, or with any artists who really like their writing and musical/visual aesthetics and maybe make comics? That's really specific but that's where I'm at personally haha. Oh, and if you know any good shit from Minneapolis, let me know. But anyway, I'd love to talk about pretty much anything else too. I just like talking. But that's why I was here initially. OH OH also I'm really into art history, or at least that's what I study...... So talk to me about art past and present please! That's all, sorry if any of this reads strangely, I'm not sure what's considered customary.
You never know where you will land when you do a simple search on the internet. There is nothing customary about HIP forums... just be yourself, explore and see what you find. There are a variety of posts and opinions shared here. It is quite a good community. I'd say the most important thing is to be respectful and kind... I hope you find a spot to share your thoughts and to connect with others.
Thank you! What is North Carolina like? It's not a state I know much about, and if you have time or desire to talk about it, I'd love to know more about it!
That's very true! I like trying to find forums for things I like because they have interesting varieties of people, I feel. I'm excited to better understand this place, and thank you for the kind welcome!
The mountains of western North Carolina are very beautiful; my county is something like 72% national forest. 0ur annual rainfall is a couple of inches short of qualifying us as a temperate rain forest. Wildfowers proliferate most of the year, and wildlife is (relatively) plentiful; I've counted over a hundred bird species. I live within sight of the Appalachian Trail, and Standing Indian & Brasstown Bald mountains (respectively the highest point along the Nantahala (el. 5,499′, and the highest point in Georgia (el. 4,784′), and Lake Chatuge. Fires, Dick's, and Tusquittee Creeks are stocked with rainbow and brown trout; the headwaters are some of the last habitat pristine enough to support populations of native speckled trout and hellbenders; the largest salamanders in the country. The Nantahala and Ocoee Rivers are within 30 minutes of here. My township is the smallest of the smallest county in the state, which is very rural; total county population is only around 11,309; the population of the only town is 438. It also has the highest church attendance of any county in a state notorious as "the buckle of the Bible Belt", but only Christian churches; I don't know of any mosques, temples, or gurdwaras within a hundred miles in any direction (but I do know of two Ku Klux Klan claverns and one chapter of the III Percenters). 96% self-describe as 'religious'; literally all self-describe as Christian. It's over 95% White, 98% native-born Americans, literally all speak English as their primary language. There is no 'out' LGBTQ community here (demographics predict that 7.2%, 814 of us, are LGBTQ). It's literally the Whitest place I've ever seen. 74.2% vote Republican; most of them MAGA cult members. When Dylan Roof shot up Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC; hundreds of confederate flags sprouted like weeds all over the county. During the Black Lives Matter protests, the same businesses and front yards flew "police lives matter" flags. Our county government is a closed system run hereditarily by one of the largest families in the area. Similarly, North Carolina itself is considered a pseudo-democracy, ranking right up there with such pillars of democracy as Sierra Leone, Cuba, and Indonesia. We're so heavily gerrymandered that minority rule is guaranteed; election outcomes are preordained and my vote is negated before it's even cast. 47% of the veto-proof Republican legislature stands for reelection unopposed, because there's literally no possibility of unseating them. The State Supreme Court and Superior Courts are all equally partisan. North Carolina is no Longer Classified as a Democracy North Carolinians plead for fair elections. State lawmakers will ignore them.
Come on Piobaire, don't make all of NC seem like hillbilly reds. To his east we have the Research Triangle with many big time technology companies like IBM, Lenovo, Apple, about a dozen major pharmaceutical companies, many electronic design and manufacturers. There's eight major universities and numerous smaller universities within a 30 mile radius. This is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation because it's affordable, all kinds of real jobs, great education, great for families, low taxes - and the sun actually shines more than two days a month. This is a very Democratic area, many younger professional progressive people with one of the highest concentrations of PhDs in the nation. Farther east, the beaches are unbeatable...the ocean is warm...and not a free-for-all like, say, Myrtle Beach or such...
My comments specified western North Carolina (contrary to Raleigh's notions. western North Carolina doesn't end in West Asheville). Research Triangle's 5 1/2 hours east of here; I never get further than Asheville (2+ hours east), and I very rarely go there. I lived near Asheville in the 80's; it was cool...but you were always cognizant that as soon as you stepped outside city limits, you were surrounded by the people who repeatedly sent Jesse Helms to Washington.
Just funnin'....I'd much rather live in Asheville than humidity city. I was up there for business in June... As anywhere here, outside of civilization, you may as well be in Alabama.....but I'm never moving.
