"These rappers play to predominantly white, collegiate audiences who don't relate to mainstream hip-hop -- hence another term for their music, 'backpack' rap." - "Don't Call It Emo" by Renee Graham

Umm, since when?

Look people, I am a backpacker.

I'm a backpacker and proud of it.

I think producer/emcee Probe DMS of the CVEES expressed this sentiment quite well on last year's "For You" when he proudly announced "damn right motherfucker I'm a backpacker" before adding "we real hip-hoppers and yall are all actors."

But what exactly is a backpacker?

No, it doesn't have anything to do with that scruffy, college-age white guy, all Northfaced-down, with a giant ruck-sack on his back who was spotted about town asking if anybody knew the way to the hiking trail.

Put quite simply, "backpacker" is a catch-all term coined in the early-to-mid-'90s to refer to underground hip-hop fanatics, many of whom were known for rocking hoodies, skully-caps, baggy jeans, army fatigues, Timberland boots, fresh kicks of various sorts, designer gear from the likes of Tommy Hillfiger and Ralph Lauren... and most importantly... the ubiquitous backpack in which they carried their hip-hop miscellany, which could cover the spectrum from headphones, black-books, spray-paint cans, mix-tapes and demo tapes, to drug paraphernalia and weapons. You could be a grimy thug or a fresh-dipped cat and still be a backpacker. All that mattered was whether or not you were "keepin' it real" and true to "the underground."

As early as 1992 Grand Puba, former leader of Brand Nubian, bragged about the "knapsack" on his back, explaining that it's "just [his] flavor ahk" on his 'Reel To Real' album, one of the first records to proclaim the "keep it real" backpacker ethos.

Predating even that early instance of backpackerism there was EPMD and their Hit Squad crew, comprised of Redman, K-Solo and Das EFX, who embodied the ultimate in backpacker iconography with their dark, hoodies-n-timbs imagery ( complete with that ultimate hip-hop accessory, the backpack, in some instances ) and proclamations about "strictly underground funk," eschewing "the crossover" and whatever else the above-ground world had to offer

For most of the 1990's backpack rap flourished in the hands of groups as diverse as 3rd Bass, Leaders Of The New School, Onyx, Digable Planets, the Native Tongues crew, Black Moon and the Wu Tang Clan ( among others, too numerous to name ) as well as the slew of indie hip-hop artists that would emerge in the latter half of the decade.

The real emergence of the full-fledged backpacker, in both image and ideology, in fact coincides with the rise of modern-day indie rap in the form of Brooklyn New York's Black Moon. "Who Got The Props," their first single on independent New York dance label Nervous ( who would go on to create numerous sub-labels, including their hip-hop imprint Wreck ) is the first real official backpacker anthem. Flipping an ill funky-jazz loop ( crate digging being another favorite backpacker pastime ) over a dusty drum break, and featuring the spit-fire flow of Buckshot Shorty the track was -- to quote Buckshot himself -- "booming like a speaker," espousing the backpacker lifestyle of keeping it real while rocking the official "real head's" uniform of "100 dollar sneakers, baggy black jeans, knapsack, and my beeper." The song's video, and their performances from the time featured both Buckshot and 5ft bouncing around to the hyped track dressed "head to toe in Guess & 'Lo" while toting their ever-present backpacks.

Even if the backpacker phenomena hadn't existed before this, which it had, it was only in a stage of fetal development and it was the rise of Black Moon that was it's actual birth. From that point on, through the rest of the 90's and unto this very day, the underground/indie hip-hop scene was recognized as the domain of the backpacker.

As recently as last year Buckshot, who is still deep in the independent hip-hop game, was himself heard to remark how he's viewed by his peers as being on "that underground backpack rappin' shit" on the song "And So" with his extended crew the Boot Camp Clik.

When the New York underground started blowing up in the late 90's thanks to labels like Rawkus and Fondle 'Em and artists like Company Flow, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Non-Phixion and M.F. Doom, backpack rap blew up with it. The internet helped even more. Every burgeoning hip-hop artist and fan in every city connected to the inter-web had an outlet for their voice in hip-hop. No matter where you lived you could now cop an underground 12'' with ease via the net, and artists from diverse areas of the country, such as the Midwest and New England, started to make names for themselves outside of their respective regions of origin.

This was great for hip-hop as an art, but suddenly the backpacker was viewed as some spoiled suburbanite or cranky college kid, sitting at a computer terminal writing "keystyles" or arguing about his favorite super-underground artists in internet chat-rooms rather than simply a die-hard hip-hop head who may or may not actually rock a backpack. Of course that's not to say that the two things don't overlap. I know a lot of "real heads" who you are just as likely to find updating their Friendster profiles as you are to find ripping mics in a smoky club somewhere. And there are plenty of nondescript jerkfaces who probably know and love hip-hop way more than the average youngster walking around the Bronx on any given day.

So is it possible for one to be a college educated, white, emo-rap fan and a backpacker? Of course. Keeping it real is keeping it real, no matter who you are. And there's nothing realer than expressing your emotions, whatever they may be. But to infer that the term backpacker itself arose to describe one of the mostly newly developed rap sub-genres, and most recently born segments of the hip-hop listening populace is absurd.

I appreciate it for the info and the clarification. Too many times, I;ve heard people use the term "backpacker" or terms to segment hip-hop listerners without truly understanding what they're talking about. Your post is a perfect response to The Globe's article.

I like this blog. I've thought it was odd how backpacker turned from the "in" thing to being derogatory and you explained why very succinctly. Peace.