The Kids are Alright: Coolspotting in Netherlands Pt II

VIDEO: Plateau Kamikaze met Hef (1 of 2)

iv) Hip Hop A la Carte, Rotterdam

On a typical day feeling things out, walking around Rotterdam. I stumbled on what I thought was a Hip Hop store over the bridges, in fact it was label headquarters for 'Hip Hop a la Carte'. I got the 411 from the crew out front, the team were made up of multi-skilled B-Boys, writers and MCs who also cook and do video production. The guys present a Hip Hop cooking show, interviewing MCs and promoting Dutch Hip Hop. I was able to sit around during filming until they decided to shoo me away.

I conversed with 'Fonk Loks' and the guys as well as their guest of the day 'Hef'. This is the closest 'Ive been to real Hip Hop in my 200+ days in Europe. The guys reaffirmed what has already been said about Hip Hop in Holland, that its still marginal in the country. Which I explained to them was baffling considering "The Hundreds" of Dutch kids stocking and rocking streetwear.

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v) Hypo Kunst SuperMarkt, Delft

Hypo Kunst in Delft, a cafe and music venue is one of the hippest spaces I've seen. From the illustrations on the coffee table to the Art on sale. Most notable was the 'Girl with a pearl earring' & braces. The space is an Art retail store but also stages live music. On this particular afternoon their was some sort of Jazz Karaoke, where they were inviting semi-professional artists to perform with the house band.

Find their gallery on Facebook - Hypo Kunst SuperMarkt gallery

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VIDEO: Piano in Amsterdam Library

vi) Bibliotheeks in Holland (Top 3: Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Denbosch)

Possibly the most consistent great thing about Holland are the libraries. I often seek Bibliotheeks because books are great time-fillers and its reliably the best source for cheap/free internet. However Holland is on some next level ish.

Apart from the standard array of Books and Magazines. There is the Boutique style interior design, classy cafes, and game console kiosks. Notables include the Multimedia section in Rotterdam Bibliotheek and the free Piano at the lobby of the Amsterdam Openbare Library. Rotterdam offers multiple Mac kiosks with a comprehensive MP3 catalogue. I would happily spend days scooping up Japanese Fashion and Dutch Hip Hop books to browse whilst listening to the complete discography of Kid Cudi.

Amsterdam, much like I saw in Barcelona offers a free organ for pianists to share their art. It creates a unique and ever changing ambience but importantly it allows people who have dedicated years to their craft an outlet to express it.
This will be my last post on Holland, closing this chapter on a memorable time.

The Kids are Alright

- Coolspotting in Frankfurt and Barcelona
- Coolspotting: Subculture in the South of Spain
- Coolspotting in Netherlands
- Coolspotting in Netherlands Pt II
- Coolspotting: Nerding out in England - Comics, CosPlay, Video Games and Wrestling
- Coolspotting in Berlin
- Coolspotting in Istanbul
- Coolspotting in Sydney
- Coolspotting in Melbourne