Rhymes and Reason
Hip Hop Help Quest
Main Characters / Extra Characters
My Classmates
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Requirements
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Requirements
Payton: Hey, Danny! I’d like you to meet Luke!
Luke: What’s up, Danny?
Danny: Hey!
Payton: Luke’s a huge hip hop fan. Not just the music, but the culture behind it!
Luke: That’s right. I live and breathe it! What about you?
Danny: It’s not my favorite, but it’s all right. I listen to a range of different stuff. But I’m always willing to discover more!
Luke: Cool! It’s nice to find people who keep an open mind about it. It’s just...
Danny: Is something wrong?
Payton: Luke’s last school was full of hip hop fans. At our school, the following’s not quite as big.
Luke: Hip hop is a whole lifestyle to me. Without people to share the things I love with, it’s easy to feel out of place, know what I mean?
Danny: Definitely. But there’s no reason why we can’t change that!
Payton: My thoughts exactly! That’s why we just talked to the student council... They’ve asked Luke to plan a dance with a hip hop theme!
Luke: They even asked me to perform on stage that night!
Danny: That’s a great idea! It’s bound to get more people into hip hop, and I’m sure you’ll find more people you have things in common with! Is there anything I can do to help?
Luke: That’s kinda why we came to you. If this is the first hip hop dance at this school, I wanna make sure we come correct. I want a crew to have my back on stage, but I gotta make sure they have the right skills. Know anybody who’d be down?
Danny: Definitely!
Danny: So where do we start?
Luke: Check it out. There are four elements of hip-hop. I say we start with the first.
Danny: Like... airbending?
Luke: Nah, we need DJs!
Requirements
You, Priya, and Kai arrive at the stage set up in the gym, where Luke prepares the DJing station.
Priya: Hey, Luke! We heard you needed some DJs!
Luke: Right on. You guys ever DJ for hip hop events?
Kai: Mostly we play EDM. House, dubstep, that kinda stuff...
Priya: Speaking of which, where can I plug in my synth board?
Kai: And what’s with the crates full of vinyl records? Any of those antiques have good drops?
Luke: ‘Drops’? Nah, but they’re better for scratching.
Priya: Scratching on actual records, huh? I’ve always wanted to learn!
Luke: That’s right. Back to basics. No digital library, no sound effects other than the ones you create with the vinyl.
Kai: Back to analog... that’s old school! I like it!
Time - 10 hours
After hours of practice, Priya and Kai are bobbing their heads to a classic hip hop beat as they man their turntables.
Priya: This scratching thing is fun!
Priya scoots a record back and forth, warping sounds into rhythmic, percussive effects.
Luke: Now sync up the hi-hats and match the track speeds...
Kai: On it!
Kai listens intently to one half of a pair of headphones... then slides the crossfader, transitioning seamlessly from one song to another!
Luke: Smooth! That mix was perfect!
Danny: This is sounding great already!
Luke: We’ve got DJs on the ones and twos, but that’s not all we need.
Danny: It’d be great to have more activity on the stage, like back up dancers.
Luke: My thoughts exactly! Next up is the B-Boy element... we need breakdancers!
Requirements
You bring William and Willow with you to meet with Luke.
Danny: Hey, Luke. I brought two of the best dancers I know!
William: What were you thinking for our big number?
Luke: When the track hits the dance break during the performance, I wanted to have a crew breaking on stage. But let’s start with the basics. Can y’all 6-step?
William and Willow exchange a blank look...
William: No... but would it help if we did the Texas Two-Step three times as fast?
Willow: Or the Spanish Pasodoble... but tres times as rapido?
Luke: Ha, I don’t think so. But at least we know where to start. DJ, run that track!
Time - 16 hours
Luke: All right, one more time, just like I showed you!
You press play on a stereo, and a Sugarhill Gang track blares from the speakers!
William: Here goes!
William drops low to the ground, shuffling into a 6-step on hands and feet, gaining momentum... ...before swinging into a flare and finishing with a L kick freeze!
Danny: Whoa!
Willow: My turn!
Willow busts into an uprock, feeling the rhythm... ...then coin drops, spinning into a windmill with legs flared!
Luke: Nice!
Luke: So I got DJs spinning and a dance crew on deck!
Danny: Looks good so far! What else do we need?
Luke: What’s a hip hop show without emcees? I’ll be on the mic, but I want a couple of people to pass it to, know what I mean?
Danny: Yeah! I don’t know of any rappers at our school, but I do know some people with the talent to learn the skills!
Luke: Perfect. That’s all I need!
Requirements
Danny: Hey, Luke! I brought some friends! Music is second nature to Kat, and London is one of the most talented vocalists I know! If you need people to learn to rap, they’re the people for the job!
Luke: Cool. So what do you guys know about rap?
Kat: Admittedly little... but if I could just study the sheet music for our piece, I’m confident I can learn it in no time at all.
Luke: Um... rap music doesn’t really have sheet music.
Kat: No sheet music?! Then how does one annotate the lyrics’s rhythm? The vocal intonation? ...NO SHEET MUSIC?!
Luke: Maybe we should start a different way... do you two have favorite rappers? Or favorite rap songs?
London: Ooh! I like that song, ‘Gold Digger’...
Luke: Nice! Some Kanye West!
London: ...as performed by the Season 1 cast of ‘Glee’!
Luke: Oh no.
Luke reaches into a bag and pulls out a stack of old CDs, handing them to the others.
Luke: Y’all got some homework to do. We’ll talk after you’ve listened to these classic rap albums!
Time - 22 hours
Later...
Danny: How’s everything going, guys?
Kat: Masterfully! I’ve concluded that rap cadence is stylistic and improvisational, but still adheres to rhythm... like a snare drum flourish!
Luke: Whatever works for you!
London: And I’ve been listening to these classic rap albums. They’re great! Also, they’re a LOT different from the rap they can play on network television!
Kat: We’ve both been inspired!
Luke: They’ve each written 16 bars for the show, and I can vouch. They’re on point!
Danny: Awesome! I can’t wait for the performance!
Later, you sit on the stage in the gym where the performance is scheduled take place.
Danny: I gotta say, Luke, this dance seems like it’s coming along great!
Luke: I’d say so too. But there’s a few things we still need! This stage has gotta have the right look! With some supplies, I think we could have this place looking perfect!
Danny: You got it!
Requirements
Later, Luke returns with a bag of supplies.
Luke: I picked up everything we need! I was thinking we could hang a huge painted banner across the stage!
Danny: Awesome! Hand me a brush, and we’ll get started!
Luke: No brushes here!
You open the bag to find an assortment of cans of spray paint!
Luke: It’s the fourth elements of hip hop... Graffiti art!
Danny: Graffiti art? That’s cool! It’ll make the stage look like an urban landscape. It’s raw, and gritty... and fun!
Luke: Exactly! Everything hip hop was meant to be!
Danny: I can definitely get on board with that!
Luke: We’ve got the supplies, now we just need artists with skills!
Danny: Oh, leave that to me. Our school is full of artistic talent! I can find you some people for sure!
Requirements
Nick and Madison meet you outside the gym, where Luke has rolled out the long canvas banner on the floor.
Nick: Hey! We heard you needed a banner painted for the hip hop dance!
Danny: Sure do. But not just any banner!
You motion to Luke, who has begun spray painting colorful letters on the canvas in an abstract, angular style.
Madison: I’m cool with spray paint as a medium, but... I can’t even read what that says!
Luke: It’s not about being legible!
Danny: Yeah! It’s about being bold! It grabs attention! Makes a statement!
Madison: Hmmm... drawing the eye! Demanding visibility! I like it!
Nick: I can’t wait to get started!
Time - 19 hours
Later, Nick and Madison step back as you all admire their finished work...
Nick: What do you think?
Danny: Wow... this... is...
Luke: Dope!
Bright colors zig and zag across the canvas, hooking into sharp, bold lettering, all behind pictures of a turntable, a sneaker, a microphone, and an aerosol spray can.
Madison: We wanted to represent the four elements of hip-hop!
Danny: This is perfect!
Danny: Well, music and dancers are all set, and the stage looks awesome. What’s next?
Luke: Next? Nothing left but to do this thing! You fill the crowd, I rock the mic!
Requirements
Later, the whole student body gathers in the gym as the dance begins! Backstage, you share a few words with Luke.
Danny: You’re gonna kill it, Luke!
Luke: No doubt. Let’s do this thing!
Suddenly, a bouncing bass line thumps from the speakers, and the crowd roars to life! Luke strides out into the stage, fellow rappers and dancers in tow!
Luke: All right people, make some noooiiise!!!
James: Woo!
Blaine: Yeaaah!
Time - 23 hours
Luke’s performance comes to its final number! Up on stage, the DJs scratch up a storm, looping samples and laying effects over a pounding beat! The breakdancers jump into the crowd and clear some room as they slide and spin across the dance floor! The audience goes wild! At the edge of the stage, Luke and the other rappers work the crowd!
Luke: When I say hip, you say hop! Hip!
James: Hop!
Luke: Hip!
Blaine: Hop!
The crowd erupts into roaring applause as the track thumps to a stop!
Luke: Thank you! Shout out to Twin Branches and the P-Berry Dance Crew! Shout out to DJ Chicken and the world-famous Skullkid! And most of all, shout out to my partner, Danny! Peace and love. We outta here!
Danny: Yeaaah!
Later, you and Payton meet up with Luke as the elated crowd streams out of the gym.
Payton: Luke! That was awesome!
Danny: Yeah! Looks like everyone had a great night!
Luke: Well, the night’s not over yet!
Danny: It’s not?
Payton: Are you saying what I think you’re saying?
Luke: Yup! What’s a hip hop party without a hip hop AFTERPARTY?
Payton: Woo!
Requirements
Luke: Awwww yeah!
Danny: Ha! Looks like you had fun!
Luke: Most definitely. You know what they say, ain’t no party like a hip hop party!
Danny: Just don’t tell me there’s such thing as an after-after-party. I’m not sure our school is ready for that!
Luke: Hey, Danny. I just wanna thank you for having my back through this whole thing. Good lookin’ out!
Danny: No problem! I had a lot of fun doing it!
Luke: For real though, hip hop is my life. Back at my old school, sharing that interest with my friends is what made me feel connected... like I was a party of something. When I transferred, I was worried I was gonna feel like an outsider for having different interests.
Danny: Well, I hope we’ve proved that’s not a problem here at our school. No matter what you’re into, you can always find a friend to connect with. You’re ALWAYS a part of something here!
Luke: That’s what i’m talkin’ about. Thanks, Danny!
Danny: Any time!
- Have a Hip Hop
Payton: Hey, Danny! I’d like you to meet Luke!
Luke: What’s up, Danny?
Danny: Hey!
Payton: Luke’s a huge hip hop fan. Not just the music, but the culture behind it!
Luke: That’s right. I live and breathe it! What about you?
Danny: It’s not my favorite, but it’s all right. I listen to a range of different stuff. But I’m always willing to discover more!
Luke: Cool! It’s nice to find people who keep an open mind about it. It’s just...
Danny: Is something wrong?
Payton: Luke’s last school was full of hip hop fans. At our school, the following’s not quite as big.
Luke: Hip hop is a whole lifestyle to me. Without people to share the things I love with, it’s easy to feel out of place, know what I mean?
Danny: Definitely. But there’s no reason why we can’t change that!
Payton: My thoughts exactly! That’s why we just talked to the student council... They’ve asked Luke to plan a dance with a hip hop theme!
Luke: They even asked me to perform on stage that night!
Danny: That’s a great idea! It’s bound to get more people into hip hop, and I’m sure you’ll find more people you have things in common with! Is there anything I can do to help?
Luke: That’s kinda why we came to you. If this is the first hip hop dance at this school, I wanna make sure we come correct. I want a crew to have my back on stage, but I gotta make sure they have the right skills. Know anybody who’d be down?
Danny: Definitely!
Danny: So where do we start?
Luke: Check it out. There are four elements of hip-hop. I say we start with the first.
Danny: Like... airbending?
Luke: Nah, we need DJs!
Requirements
- A Level 4+ DJ (Priya)
- A Level 4+ DJ (Kai)
You, Priya, and Kai arrive at the stage set up in the gym, where Luke prepares the DJing station.
Priya: Hey, Luke! We heard you needed some DJs!
Luke: Right on. You guys ever DJ for hip hop events?
Kai: Mostly we play EDM. House, dubstep, that kinda stuff...
Priya: Speaking of which, where can I plug in my synth board?
Kai: And what’s with the crates full of vinyl records? Any of those antiques have good drops?
Luke: ‘Drops’? Nah, but they’re better for scratching.
Priya: Scratching on actual records, huh? I’ve always wanted to learn!
Luke: That’s right. Back to basics. No digital library, no sound effects other than the ones you create with the vinyl.
Kai: Back to analog... that’s old school! I like it!
Time - 10 hours
After hours of practice, Priya and Kai are bobbing their heads to a classic hip hop beat as they man their turntables.
Priya: This scratching thing is fun!
Priya scoots a record back and forth, warping sounds into rhythmic, percussive effects.
Luke: Now sync up the hi-hats and match the track speeds...
Kai: On it!
Kai listens intently to one half of a pair of headphones... then slides the crossfader, transitioning seamlessly from one song to another!
Luke: Smooth! That mix was perfect!
Danny: This is sounding great already!
Luke: We’ve got DJs on the ones and twos, but that’s not all we need.
Danny: It’d be great to have more activity on the stage, like back up dancers.
Luke: My thoughts exactly! Next up is the B-Boy element... we need breakdancers!
Requirements
- A Level 5+ Dancer (William)
- A Level 5+ Dancer (Willow)
You bring William and Willow with you to meet with Luke.
Danny: Hey, Luke. I brought two of the best dancers I know!
William: What were you thinking for our big number?
Luke: When the track hits the dance break during the performance, I wanted to have a crew breaking on stage. But let’s start with the basics. Can y’all 6-step?
William and Willow exchange a blank look...
William: No... but would it help if we did the Texas Two-Step three times as fast?
Willow: Or the Spanish Pasodoble... but tres times as rapido?
Luke: Ha, I don’t think so. But at least we know where to start. DJ, run that track!
Time - 16 hours
Luke: All right, one more time, just like I showed you!
You press play on a stereo, and a Sugarhill Gang track blares from the speakers!
William: Here goes!
William drops low to the ground, shuffling into a 6-step on hands and feet, gaining momentum... ...before swinging into a flare and finishing with a L kick freeze!
Danny: Whoa!
Willow: My turn!
Willow busts into an uprock, feeling the rhythm... ...then coin drops, spinning into a windmill with legs flared!
Luke: Nice!
Luke: So I got DJs spinning and a dance crew on deck!
Danny: Looks good so far! What else do we need?
Luke: What’s a hip hop show without emcees? I’ll be on the mic, but I want a couple of people to pass it to, know what I mean?
Danny: Yeah! I don’t know of any rappers at our school, but I do know some people with the talent to learn the skills!
Luke: Perfect. That’s all I need!
Requirements
- A Level 4+ Virtuoso (Kat)
- A Level 4+ Glee Club Member (London)
Danny: Hey, Luke! I brought some friends! Music is second nature to Kat, and London is one of the most talented vocalists I know! If you need people to learn to rap, they’re the people for the job!
Luke: Cool. So what do you guys know about rap?
Kat: Admittedly little... but if I could just study the sheet music for our piece, I’m confident I can learn it in no time at all.
Luke: Um... rap music doesn’t really have sheet music.
Kat: No sheet music?! Then how does one annotate the lyrics’s rhythm? The vocal intonation? ...NO SHEET MUSIC?!
Luke: Maybe we should start a different way... do you two have favorite rappers? Or favorite rap songs?
London: Ooh! I like that song, ‘Gold Digger’...
Luke: Nice! Some Kanye West!
London: ...as performed by the Season 1 cast of ‘Glee’!
Luke: Oh no.
Luke reaches into a bag and pulls out a stack of old CDs, handing them to the others.
Luke: Y’all got some homework to do. We’ll talk after you’ve listened to these classic rap albums!
Time - 22 hours
Later...
Danny: How’s everything going, guys?
Kat: Masterfully! I’ve concluded that rap cadence is stylistic and improvisational, but still adheres to rhythm... like a snare drum flourish!
Luke: Whatever works for you!
London: And I’ve been listening to these classic rap albums. They’re great! Also, they’re a LOT different from the rap they can play on network television!
Kat: We’ve both been inspired!
Luke: They’ve each written 16 bars for the show, and I can vouch. They’re on point!
Danny: Awesome! I can’t wait for the performance!
Later, you sit on the stage in the gym where the performance is scheduled take place.
Danny: I gotta say, Luke, this dance seems like it’s coming along great!
Luke: I’d say so too. But there’s a few things we still need! This stage has gotta have the right look! With some supplies, I think we could have this place looking perfect!
Danny: You got it!
Requirements
- Spend 30,000 coins
Later, Luke returns with a bag of supplies.
Luke: I picked up everything we need! I was thinking we could hang a huge painted banner across the stage!
Danny: Awesome! Hand me a brush, and we’ll get started!
Luke: No brushes here!
You open the bag to find an assortment of cans of spray paint!
Luke: It’s the fourth elements of hip hop... Graffiti art!
Danny: Graffiti art? That’s cool! It’ll make the stage look like an urban landscape. It’s raw, and gritty... and fun!
Luke: Exactly! Everything hip hop was meant to be!
Danny: I can definitely get on board with that!
Luke: We’ve got the supplies, now we just need artists with skills!
Danny: Oh, leave that to me. Our school is full of artistic talent! I can find you some people for sure!
Requirements
- A Level 5+ Artist (Nick)
- A Level 5+ Artist (Madison)
Nick and Madison meet you outside the gym, where Luke has rolled out the long canvas banner on the floor.
Nick: Hey! We heard you needed a banner painted for the hip hop dance!
Danny: Sure do. But not just any banner!
You motion to Luke, who has begun spray painting colorful letters on the canvas in an abstract, angular style.
Madison: I’m cool with spray paint as a medium, but... I can’t even read what that says!
Luke: It’s not about being legible!
Danny: Yeah! It’s about being bold! It grabs attention! Makes a statement!
Madison: Hmmm... drawing the eye! Demanding visibility! I like it!
Nick: I can’t wait to get started!
Time - 19 hours
Later, Nick and Madison step back as you all admire their finished work...
Nick: What do you think?
Danny: Wow... this... is...
Luke: Dope!
Bright colors zig and zag across the canvas, hooking into sharp, bold lettering, all behind pictures of a turntable, a sneaker, a microphone, and an aerosol spray can.
Madison: We wanted to represent the four elements of hip-hop!
Danny: This is perfect!
Danny: Well, music and dancers are all set, and the stage looks awesome. What’s next?
Luke: Next? Nothing left but to do this thing! You fill the crowd, I rock the mic!
Requirements
- Danny
- A Classmate Except Luke (James)
- A Classmate Except Luke (Blaine)
Later, the whole student body gathers in the gym as the dance begins! Backstage, you share a few words with Luke.
Danny: You’re gonna kill it, Luke!
Luke: No doubt. Let’s do this thing!
Suddenly, a bouncing bass line thumps from the speakers, and the crowd roars to life! Luke strides out into the stage, fellow rappers and dancers in tow!
Luke: All right people, make some noooiiise!!!
James: Woo!
Blaine: Yeaaah!
Time - 23 hours
Luke’s performance comes to its final number! Up on stage, the DJs scratch up a storm, looping samples and laying effects over a pounding beat! The breakdancers jump into the crowd and clear some room as they slide and spin across the dance floor! The audience goes wild! At the edge of the stage, Luke and the other rappers work the crowd!
Luke: When I say hip, you say hop! Hip!
James: Hop!
Luke: Hip!
Blaine: Hop!
The crowd erupts into roaring applause as the track thumps to a stop!
Luke: Thank you! Shout out to Twin Branches and the P-Berry Dance Crew! Shout out to DJ Chicken and the world-famous Skullkid! And most of all, shout out to my partner, Danny! Peace and love. We outta here!
Danny: Yeaaah!
Later, you and Payton meet up with Luke as the elated crowd streams out of the gym.
Payton: Luke! That was awesome!
Danny: Yeah! Looks like everyone had a great night!
Luke: Well, the night’s not over yet!
Danny: It’s not?
Payton: Are you saying what I think you’re saying?
Luke: Yup! What’s a hip hop party without a hip hop AFTERPARTY?
Payton: Woo!
Requirements
- Complete a Party with Luke
Luke: Awwww yeah!
Danny: Ha! Looks like you had fun!
Luke: Most definitely. You know what they say, ain’t no party like a hip hop party!
Danny: Just don’t tell me there’s such thing as an after-after-party. I’m not sure our school is ready for that!
Luke: Hey, Danny. I just wanna thank you for having my back through this whole thing. Good lookin’ out!
Danny: No problem! I had a lot of fun doing it!
Luke: For real though, hip hop is my life. Back at my old school, sharing that interest with my friends is what made me feel connected... like I was a party of something. When I transferred, I was worried I was gonna feel like an outsider for having different interests.
Danny: Well, I hope we’ve proved that’s not a problem here at our school. No matter what you’re into, you can always find a friend to connect with. You’re ALWAYS a part of something here!
Luke: That’s what i’m talkin’ about. Thanks, Danny!
Danny: Any time!