Rating:
  Review Date: April 11, 2007
  Website: Cafetorium All-Stars Website
  Label: Uncommon Records

Review – “Tales From the Cafetorium”:
When I was in elementary school, my brother and I would occasionally go to an after school program called Latch-Key. This program was for kids whose parents worked late, and it gave us a place to hang out until they got home from work. Unfortunately, we hated going to Latch-Key, because to us it was just an extension of school. We would be forced to sit in a classroom and do homework or watch educational films, and it was no fun. After a while, we simply stopped going, instead opting to break into our house through a fault in the backdoor and watch the cable television stations that were denied to us when mom and dad were home.

Later, I learned that “latchkey” is actually a term used to describe a certain type of child. The term was originated back in the early 1940s to describe children whose fathers were away fighting in World War II, and whose mothers had to get jobs to support the family. Latchkey kids are children that return home from school with no parental supervision. This often instills an attitude of loneliness, boredom or fear in children under the age of ten. In the early teenage years, latchkey children have a greater susceptibility to alcohol and drug abuse, smoking and sexual experimentation. Overall, latchkey kids are believed to have higher levels of behavioral problems and depression, and lower levels of self-esteem than other children.

This has always angered me, because I’ve always felt that we could prevent the development of latchkey kids by creating better and more interesting after school programs. I guess that’s why I liked the idea of Dig Dug’s Cafetorium All-Stars so much.

The Cafetorium All-Stars is an after school program for students of Washington Elementary School in Berkeley, California. Instead of sitting in a boring classroom, these students are given the chance to work with Dig Dug, an accomplished hip-hop producer and member of Uncommon Records, on developing and creating their own hip-hop music. And “Tales From the Cafetorium” is their debut project.

Now I ain’t going to lie to you homie … this album was obviously created by a bunch of elementary school students. The rhymes and flows are at a beginner’s level, and the beats are often repetitious and loopy, which was certainly required for the kids to be able to rap over them. Yet I can’t help but admire the time and effort put in by Dig Dug and his crew of youngsters. Instead of going home to empty houses, pornography-plagued Internet connections and violent television programs, these children write poetry and make music. The experience is likely to create future emcees, deejays, and hip-hoppers, and undoubtedly gives the children something positive and fun to do after school. I only wish I could’ve had such a program when I was in grade school.

I highly recommend checking out this album, if only to support Dig Dug and his hip-hop after school program at Washington Elementary School. This is the type of thing our communities should be supporting when it comes to our children. Peace.

Album Track Listing:

1. Ooh-Ah-Dele
2. Get Up
3. Don’t Be Late
4. Like a Cat
5. Chain Gang
6. This Day Is Everyday
7. Ss Are the Best
8. KickBall
9. Mesmerized
10. Lulu
11. Astro-Boy
12. H-A-DOUBLE S
13. Great 8s
14. Fast As A Car