7/07/2009

Se7en Se7enty Se7en!

Today marks the day of Se7en Se7enty Se7en... but of course you're wondering what is Se7en Se7enty Se7en? well 7-77 (cuz i dont feel to type the words anymore since you now know how to say it) was the day that ATA was founded. The 1st 7 represents the days in week (7 days... but of course you knew that). The 2nd 7 represents the 7th day and the 3rd 7 is the 7th month of the year. So basically altogether 7-77 simply means the week of July 7th.
ATA at one point in time stood for "All together again". In order to explain the origin of this name i have to go back further in the birth of a crew called "Prodigy".

Prodigy was a team that existed my younger days being apart of Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn. It was kinda like this exclusive society of individuals who knew a cool handshake and got to rock an american flag around everywhere. The way to be apart of this crew was an initiation process of getting your ass beat. I can honestly say, i dont recall ever having to fight anyone to get in Prodigy but i was claiming it. Like i was dumb back then... rockin the red, white and blue beads round my neck, not caring about anything... even my moms thought i was Odee and hd mad people talk to me about gangs and stuff.... but i digress. Prodigy had it's run with a lot of people wanting to become apart of this exclusive clique. At first the intake was cool, but after a while, people just started to let any an everyone in it. One of our mentors/ dance instructor heard about this clique and their practices and basically ended all existence of the clique. I would say a few years later, on July 7th 2003, we were all chosen to go to Seattle, Washington to perform for a signature dance performance we usually do. 14 of us were chosen to go on this trip and were on a flight from the Eastcoast to the Westcoast (my 1st time being on the westcoast actually). The actual airline we took over there was called "ATA" it just so happened because we were on our flight all talking about how we need to be unified again like our Prodigy days but more controlled on who's apart and what we're about. It was decided between four individuals including myself that the new family that was gonna start that day and forever live on no matter what was called "All Together Again" because we once were Prodigy but now we all were to get back together and form ATA. Out of the 14 that went on the trip, only 10 ended up becoming official ATA members.

ATA had it's run at the beginning with making sure it wsn't gonna be a flop like it's predecessor but eventually anything that rises falls, and ATA fell horribly. The moment of it's fall had to be when I, Bobby Chappelle, left for my college experience at Morrisville State College. It seemed that because i was the center of making sure my family wasn't gonna flop, once i went away to school, it did. I came back from many school breaks to find out people in ATA who i never met a day in my life. So many people were apart of this family for the wrong reasons and it basically ended up repeating what Prodigy did. There have been many times i have wanted to turn my back on the entire name of ATA period just because of how it was turning out to be, but i had to stop and think, this was something that i created and i wasn't gonna let any random people fuck up something that was built on meaning. The solution to this so far was the new beginning of a new name. I felt the old name lost it's meaning through translation of the many problems over the years.

Nowadays ATA has took on the name "Above Them All" because in this world, you have to be the ones that stand out to make it places. The only ones i consider apart of ATA is the original people i basically grew up with. There still is inquiry of who really is in the crew or not, but honestly, if I, Bobby Chappelle, don't know you, then you're not and never was down with my family... point blank. Well today mkes 6 years of the roller coaster ride of this family... i appreciate all my REAL niggas in it and we goin for 7 years next year and so on. Shout outs to my dudes Khi, jRed, Ian, James, Triz, Budda, Spazz and Boxie. That whole Lady ATA was a joke and niggas only did that cuz they wanted ass the EZ way!... as for the other cliques created in spite of ATA because they wanted to be down but couldn't... you're welcome!... without us, there would be no you.



PS- Since 7-77 is a week and not just a day, i will be celebrating the entire week

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