How Prince Inspired the birth of 'El Boogie'

From the time I was a little girl, I have always been a 'performer' of sorts. Singing, dancing.. the usual. I was a Cheerleader in Jr High and at that time the cheer squad would stand around at lunch, doing cheers and chants.. Ahh chants.. I had forgot all about them.. Anyway as we would say these chants some folks of us had by nicknames. So low and behold someone named me 'Shorty'. I bring Prince is attached to this part of the story because I can NEVER hear "Let's Work" without thinking of dancing to that song during half time at our basketball games.

Ahhh get it 'Shorty' Shake it!! 

Bet you can't spot me *giggles

Fast forward to the early 2000s. A friend from work was into the spoken word scene. She asked me to be apart of a Poetry Slam Panel as a judge and I agreed. It was a week long competition and Poets from all over the country had come Cali to participate.  At the end of this one 'slam' she invited folks to get on the mic. This was my first experience with an open mic, poetry reading or anything, but like I said.. I am a performer, so I guess I just couldn't pass up the chance to hold the mic. As I begin to walk toward the mic the 'DJ' (cough) started to play Prince's 'Musicology' and so I started dancing my way to the stage. That was the first time I heard it and I was like. 'Aye'!!. My girl Bran is crackin up as well as some people in the audience. So I do my thing, but I'm not really doing poetry more like a comedy routine. Bran calls is 'cometry'. As I leave the stage, once again he plays some music and on que, I dance my way off stage. From that point on, Bran was like.. 'you El Boogie' lol. I look at her like, what you mean? She says 'you just El Boogie, you just be dancing'

"Hey, is this thing on?"

 So the next time I went to the open mic finals, I still wasn't prepared to get up.. but I had no choice. . When I tried to protest, she says.. na uhn.. you getting up there.. I look and Bran had already put my name on the list = L-Boogie. I tell her, I can't be L-Boogie, Lauren Hill is L-Boogie. She goes, 'well, she's not using it right now, you L-Boogie!'

The more I thought about it, and kinda played around with the spelling I liked it. She was right. I am 'the Boogie' which is how it breaks down in Spanish (I hope). Every time I hear music I GOT to move something. I may have did the same for some other record and maybe it doesn't matter that is was a Prince song, but I remember I went out and bought the CD soon after. So, that's why I connect the birth of Boogie to him and I'll always 'shake a lil something for Prince. 
~Shaboogie Pop*

About Prince... of course

WHEW!! 2016 has been rough for the LIVING!! So many souls have transitioned so far this year. It seems a bit overwhelming. In an attempt to get my thought together I created a poem of sorts listing a few artists who have passed this year and included one of their songs. It's a bit corny..but it gave me a distracts of sorts.  I've always wanted to do a piece something like this.

“The Day… Prince Went Home”

When Prince came, Natalie Cole said. ‘Hey Mr. Melody’ and

Maurice White was like; ‘Let’s Groove Tonight!’ 

Looking for

Vanity

Prince said where’s my ‘Nasty Girl’?

Paul Kantner looked at her and said oh good, now you have ‘Somebody To Love’

David Bowie chimed in with of course it is a ‘Modern Love’

Yes! Vanity said Joey Feek sang ‘If I Needed You’ for me

And once Frank Sinatra Jr sang ‘My Way’ I just knew

Just then Phife Dawg said well ‘Can I Kick It?’ and

Merle Haggard jumped in with make sure you don’t ‘Sing A Sad Song’

At the end Glenn Frey made sure there was a ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’