1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: From a Heart Podcasts. I am Fab five Freddy and 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: this it's fifty years of Hip Hop podcast series. Hey guys, 3 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: I just want you all to remember this amazing fact 4 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: that hip hop music is the most listen to music 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: around the world on all streaming services combined. It's pretty 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: incredible fact. But right here, baby, on the fifty Years 7 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: of Hip Hop podcast series, we're taking you back to 8 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: how this all began. And you know, it's really amazing 9 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: that hip hop is just so New York. Before rapping 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: and hip hop music exploded, you can only experience the 11 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: elements of this exciting culture. I'm talking about the breakdancing, djaying, 12 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: the graffiti art that M seeing in New York City. 13 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: To know the real deal about this burgeoning cultural revolution, 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: you were either there, I mean at early park jams 15 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: and the block parties, or you heard the word on 16 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: the now extinct cassette tapes blasting from somebody's boombox, or 17 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:04,960 Speaker 1: maybe you were lucky enough to home on yourself. That's right, 18 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,199 Speaker 1: from the Bronx to Queens to Brooklyn, the hip cutting 19 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: edge teenagers. Don't forget hip hop was invented by teenagers. 20 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: They were all plugged into this potent flavor going on 21 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: at these park jams and block parties, and those cassette 22 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 1: tapes would passed from hand to hand and it was 23 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: basically that early version of the Internet, aka the Grapevin 24 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: tell a friend to tell a friend something hot was 25 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: going on, literally on fire and about to bubble over 26 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 1: all over the stove. Fat Joe recording artists, Bronx hip 27 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: hop legend and at the way you heard new music 28 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 1: is you would venture out, you would go to other 29 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: parts of town. You would go to other like fat 30 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: Pop Freddy. I don't believe it's from the Bronx right 31 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: where using yes, Fat Joe, you're right, I'm from Brooklyn 32 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: do a die bed style to be specific by brother 33 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: Great Russell Simsy from the Bronx using the feed every day. 34 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: Right So now it's nothing for me. But when you 35 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: were a teenager, going to where cou Herk was from 36 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: was a mission. You had to take two trains, the 37 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: five train of one forty nine, then the four trains. 38 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: You know, it's the West Side, you know, and when 39 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: you're a teenagers like take you ten hours, like you 40 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 1: were in an old different place. But the first time 41 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:26,359 Speaker 1: I heard rock Kimmer, Eric being rock Kimmy. They were 42 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,079 Speaker 1: playing Boom Bong Boom and on the west side they 43 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,800 Speaker 1: had already did the why dud and it was like 44 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: ten of buts, and we just kept studying the mold 45 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: the why. We was trying to blind how to do 46 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 1: the why there was already up on the box. The 47 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: next day were back in our hood to South Bronx 48 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: and were in the jam doing the Why, and kids 49 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: were looking at us like, oh, it's the why, and 50 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: that's how you know. Hip hop was really really word 51 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: of mouth. Was really all about word of mouth, the hunting. 52 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: So the gyms, most of the jams used to be 53 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 1: out across the street Elementary. I went to we in 54 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: a project, my projects, like twenty buildings. They all got 55 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: fourteen floors and one hundred and forty four apartments in there, 56 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: and everybody got nine kids, so every builder got fifteen 57 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: hundred people. Right but cross the street in the park, 58 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: that's where they used to jams, the premium hunt. So 59 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: it was right out of my window. Then middle of 60 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: the night when the big guys, you know break night. 61 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: You know, we had a phone, a public phone, you know, 62 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: a regular phone in front of my building. They would 63 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: break this that says phone and they would have like 64 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: a plug out of it, so they were plugged the 65 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: boombox and they would listening to Awesome Too all night. 66 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: And that's where I would listen to, like Crash Crew 67 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: or that we don't want to be left behind. All 68 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: we want to do is just blow your mind just 69 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: one more time. And then I was doing I wasn't 70 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: supposed to do. I was a kid, Bob six seven 71 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: years old, staying up all night just listening to hip 72 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: the window like it was. It was crazy. Grandmaster Caz rapper, 73 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: extraordinary songwriter and DJ, member of the legendary hip hop 74 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: group the Cold Crush Brothers. Now, I wasn't No ambassadorship 75 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: is concerned. You did what you did where you did 76 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: it at, you know what I mean. And the scope 77 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: was limited. It grew after a while. But if he 78 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: was in Brooklyn, you was in Brooklyn. You're in Bronshire 79 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: in the prom definitely on Brooklyn, and Bronze wasn't mixing 80 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: at that time. Anyway. Queens is somewhere far out to us, 81 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Manhattan is Manhattan. We could 82 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: haul them, but Manhattan is that's downtown. How how hip 83 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 1: hop spread is by word of mouth and by cassette 84 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: takes all right, and then when the flyers, because there's 85 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: those three ways that hip hop spread Flyers, word of mouth, 86 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: and cassette tapes of the recordings of those live parties 87 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: that started to get circulated. And even if you weren't 88 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: privy to a party to be there alive, you heard 89 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: this cassette tape, you got an idea of what it was. 90 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: You're like, oh shit, that's what they're doing. And people 91 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: were traveling around. You've got people going into the service 92 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: who take their music with them, and they're exposing their 93 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: music to people from all over the world. There's some 94 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: camp based or army base in South Carolina somewhere, and 95 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,839 Speaker 1: people from all over the world are stationed at that base, 96 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: so they're sharing each other's culture. So that's another way 97 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: hip hop spread, not just here domestically, but globally. Peter 98 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: Guns hip hop artists and Bronx representative. Well, you know, 99 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: while my older brother Rick needs to bring home a 100 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: lot of mixtapes, but you know they didn't call them mixtape. 101 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,559 Speaker 1: They went damn, you know, damn tape from the Jam 102 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 1: the pop dam And I would say my first introduction 103 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: of hip hop was a Cold Crush. Whether you know, 104 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: Easy A d lived on the block, Grandmaster cassn't lived 105 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: too far, and I had alized the Cold Crush brother, 106 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,039 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I was there to see 107 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 1: them perform at the Boys Club. Whenever they performed, you know, 108 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: when it was in the park, I was out there. 109 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: I was. I formed the group called the Baby Cold Crush, 110 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: and we ended up changing our name to the Vicious Street. 111 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: But I had alized of the Cold Crush, and I 112 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: had alized Grandmaster Cast so much that I named my 113 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,160 Speaker 1: son Cat. That's how much the inspiration they named me. 114 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: If it wasn't for the Cold Crush, I wasn't I 115 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,599 Speaker 1: wouldn't be. I probably wouldn't have thought about rapping. I 116 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: was already doing the all. I was a musician, droms keyboards, 117 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 1: messing with the guitar a little. But I was on 118 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: some music. But when when I and I was a kid. 119 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: But when I heard the Cold Crush, that was it 120 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: had changed everything for me. Grandmaster Flash a pioneer of 121 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: hip hop, Djane cutting and mixing, the actual Courier or 122 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:02,719 Speaker 1: the Flyer tweeking outside of the Bronx was what we 123 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: call the mixtape and that of the cassette tape. Somehow 124 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,239 Speaker 1: another emitted from Bronx to Brooklyn, the Queens to stat 125 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: Now into Long Islands of Philadelphia, and from Philadelphia to 126 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: Virginia and Virginia and then it went down south and 127 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: then it went overseas somehow another what we were doing, 128 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: people was like, oh my god, listen to what they're doing. 129 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: Some people are saying the sounds like three people was 130 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: DJ at the same time all my tapes. It is like, 131 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: how is he doing that? Because we have this same 132 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: record and this drum break is not this long on 133 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: the records of my mom's house, you know. So this 134 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: thing went super global. And then with the inclusion of 135 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: the speaker, the human being to put a lyric on 136 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: top of this area of music, which was possibly the 137 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: greatest drummers in the world, and you put a lyric 138 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: a lyricists over the top of this, then this thing 139 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 1: was out of here, totally out. And that's when people 140 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: were off coming into the Bronx and looking for people 141 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: to sun love. Hearing all this talk about how important 142 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: you know, the cassette tape was to spreading hip hop music. 143 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: I was a cassette tape boombox person my whole time 144 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: growing up. You know what I'm saying, At mad cassette tapes, 145 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: different boomboxes, big take about ten or twelve deep batteries. 146 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: Sometimes boom boxes got so big. Cats would put them 147 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: on Little Dolly so they can wheel them around town 148 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: and blast that hip hop music that nobody else had 149 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: access to. But the tricky thing about them cassette tapes, 150 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: after you played them a lot, they were sometimes pop 151 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: and you had to perform delicate surgery to open the 152 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 1: tape up and get some scotch tape and piece it 153 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: back together. If you were lucky, man, it was a 154 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: delicate procedure. By the way, my boombox, my last major 155 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: boombox that I still had up until about ten years ago, 156 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: I donated it to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Grandmastercats. 157 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: I knew in my heart when I was practicing the 158 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: elements of hip hop. At some point it did hit 159 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: me and I was like, you know what, if other 160 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: people got to see this, they would love it. Now. 161 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking globally. I wasn't even thinking, you know, 162 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 1: like the country from state to state. I was just 163 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: thinking like, you know, just parts where nobody had heard 164 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: of this before, Like if people got to see this, 165 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:29,680 Speaker 1: witness it, because a lot of people around here is like, 166 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: that's this book. Why y'all doing that? Y'all wasting your time. 167 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: You'a aren't gonna get nowhere of doing that. Why are 168 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: you stepping up your sneakers spinning around on the goddamn flow, Yo. 169 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: You can't come in here doing that's you got to 170 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: take that. Get out to the park, yo. Why are 171 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,560 Speaker 1: you writing all over the goddamn change vandalizing the mother 172 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: to the city, and this and this and that. Everything 173 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,599 Speaker 1: got vilified, Everything was bellified. Dan said, why are you 174 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: can't sit in the street? You know what I mean? 175 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: That got dualified? Graffiti? That got delified, all right, DJ? 176 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: And if you played music too loud to to you 177 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: know what I mean, that got devilified. All that's not music, okay, 178 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: you're just using other people in the yeah, mother, and 179 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: that's an art form unto herself? What's wrong with you? 180 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: All right? And then when rat came along Bloom they're 181 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,319 Speaker 1: not really saying anything. It doesn't mean anything. That's bulls doing. 182 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: They're just talking about partying and how many girls they 183 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: have until the message came out. That was the first 184 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: record that kind of validated the spoken word aspect of 185 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: hip hop Fat Joel. Before that, it was all about 186 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: having a party, happy birthday. They been in Dan It 187 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:36,319 Speaker 1: was all about a party, you know. To the hit 188 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: Ho Hi, you know, everything was it was all a party. 189 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 1: And so that was the first consciousness in hip hop. 190 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,320 Speaker 1: And if you notice at the end of that video 191 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: they get locked up for no reason and put me 192 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:55,079 Speaker 1: on him a police car and for the lord the 193 00:10:55,360 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: same we're talking about two days, the same exact aggression. 194 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: We're talking about two days. And so they were at 195 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: every time and they change the message in the hip hop. 196 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: They definitely did that one million percent. About a dozen 197 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: rap singles have been released locally in the New York 198 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: area in the late seventies on independent labels like Enjoy Records, 199 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: Sounds in New York, and Paul Wembley. No marketing or 200 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: promo behind these records, just that local love and listeners. 201 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy nine, a Handpick rap group was put 202 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: in place and given the name of the record label. 203 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:46,439 Speaker 1: They were on Raps first national hit, Rapper's Delight by 204 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,480 Speaker 1: the sugar Hill Game became a national sensation, but hip 205 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: hop music true pioneers was shocked, confused, and surprised, especially 206 00:11:55,880 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: Grandmaster Cats. However, in the summer of nineteen eighty two, 207 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 1: the Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five featuring 208 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 1: Duke Booty When that drop, it was a game changing 209 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 1: earthquake of a song. Along with its rough edge music video, 210 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: it painted a vivid picture of what inner city slum 211 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: living was like in New York ghettos at the time. 212 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 1: Released on sugar Hill Records, it took rap from the 213 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 1: party to the streets to hardcore reality. Curtis blow legendary 214 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: rapper and hip hop's first rap superstar, The Message was 215 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,199 Speaker 1: one of the greatest songs. I would say it was 216 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: a significant great song in hip hop and then came 217 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 1: out in nineteen eighty two. But along with that song 218 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 1: also came Planet Rock, which was incredible too. You know, 219 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 1: I had a lot of songs that were socially relevant 220 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:02,959 Speaker 1: as far as messages are turned like the breaks throughout 221 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 1: your years. Hard times tough, a big one, a lot. 222 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: I want just enough ones. It got to be so 223 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 1: damned tough. But speaking on the Message, I think that 224 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 1: song right, there was a revolutionary song that really expressed 225 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: the trapmatic, the cultural trauma that we were faced with 226 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: doing the sixties and the seventies, and it was so 227 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: relative to you know, the oppression and the pain and 228 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: the racism. And yeah, great song. Great song is rated 229 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: the number one song and history of hip hop off 230 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: All Times or by Rolling Stone magazine. And shout out 231 00:13:57,160 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 1: to Duke Body rest in peace, my man, and of 232 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: course the Grand Master Mellie Mel, who we met in 233 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 1: a gang in nineteen seventy five and it will always 234 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 1: be my brother, my friend for life, grand Master Mellie Mel, 235 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:17,760 Speaker 1: Grand wizit Did or pioneering hip hop DJ credited as 236 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:22,120 Speaker 1: the inventor of the scratching technique. When the message came out, 237 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: that's when I can see that hip hop was taken 238 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: a pivotal term because the DNA hip hop DNA finally 239 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: was able to record something and actually able to see 240 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: and hear what we were going through in the bronx. 241 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 1: You know, not to take anything away from rappers delight, 242 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 1: but once the message came out, that's when everything started 243 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 1: to change. Man, That's when all the goose and the 244 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: Bronx was like yeah, like this is our time because 245 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 1: Big Bang Hey, God Bless him was saying rhymes that 246 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 1: was written by grand Master Cash, which is hip hop 247 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: dna if my bloodline. But once the messages came out, 248 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 1: that's when I could feel and see that everything started 249 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 1: to change in the world of hip hop, the culture, 250 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: the art form, everything started to change when the message 251 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: came out. From the impact of the message, that was 252 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 1: like a giant media landing in the whole pop culture spectrum. 253 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: That was a big inspiration for the whole conscious rap 254 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: movement and also for Nway's impactful record After Police. You 255 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: can draw a line right back to the message that 256 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: hard reality of this is what's going on. This is 257 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: what we're living through right here right now. It's like 258 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 1: a jungle. Sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep 259 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: from going under Ed Lover rapper, actor, radio personality, and 260 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: former MTV VJ. In my opinion, probably one of the 261 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 1: most important songs in the history of HEPP is the 262 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:09,640 Speaker 1: message Rappers, The Light gave us the opportunity to know 263 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 1: that we can rap on record, But as great and 264 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,240 Speaker 1: as many records as they sold, nobody took them three 265 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,680 Speaker 1: mcs like they would end all be all was he right, 266 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: nobody's putting none of them on the top ten of 267 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,160 Speaker 1: rappers of all time, just you're not going to do it. 268 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: So that being said, when the message came out, it 269 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: gave you that glimpse, the first real glimpse into the 270 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: inner city right of what was going on in the 271 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: in the city. It opened the door up for reality rap, 272 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: which later on gave way the gainst the rap. So 273 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:44,640 Speaker 1: nobody was talking about that. They was. They was not 274 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: talking about that with the message brought to the table, 275 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: They wasn't. Nobody was talking about that. Nobody was talking 276 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 1: about broken glass everywhere, people pissing on the steps. You know, 277 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,560 Speaker 1: they just don't can't. Nobody talked about anybody being a 278 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 1: thug and they're going to jail and hanging themselves in 279 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: the cell because they got turned out in jail. That 280 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,280 Speaker 1: was reality, right, bro. If he the curse, curse, curse, 281 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: curse them have been the same thing as gangs. But 282 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,080 Speaker 1: that gave birth to everybody that came after that. Everybody 283 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: that says I could talk about what I see, but 284 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 1: was really you know, I'm sneaking to Ouzy on the 285 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,160 Speaker 1: island and my army jacket line that could have never 286 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: been said if it wasn't for the message, everything that 287 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: Jay Z said two twenty two, twenty twos and all 288 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 1: of that, you know, rolling in the Lexus load with 289 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: you know, with all of that, anything Biggie said, none 290 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,919 Speaker 1: of that could have been ever said on the record 291 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: without the message being success. It was reality at its finest. 292 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:48,080 Speaker 1: It was blunt, It was in your face. It was 293 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: what you've seen in the ghetto every day, which gave 294 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 1: an open door to everybody that come behind him to 295 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: do reality. Besides the groups that dominated early rap like 296 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:03,919 Speaker 1: Grand Master Lashing, Furious Five, Cold Crush Brothers, Treacherous Street, 297 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: the Funky four plus one, Mercedes Laden's Fantastic Romantic Five, 298 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,600 Speaker 1: and others, solo rappers would also want a strong come 299 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: up at that time Spooney G and Super Rhymes. They 300 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:19,800 Speaker 1: were two local soloists making noise. But it was Curtis 301 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: Blows the break some Mercury Records that made him raps 302 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: first solo superstar and also the first on a major 303 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:32,199 Speaker 1: record label. Kawam rapper and record producer Curtis Blow and 304 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 1: He's like He's the King of Rapper. Curtis Blow was 305 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: the first solo everybody was in a group. Everybody was 306 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: a part of the group. Here comes Curtis Blow producing 307 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: the records. He's rapping, he's singing. He has videos. He 308 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:48,919 Speaker 1: has like clean videos like you know you have the 309 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 1: message which is like grainy, grimy, you know, cheap video 310 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: in the streets. But Curtis Blow guy like pull on 311 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,440 Speaker 1: fly videos. He signed to a major record label. He's 312 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,439 Speaker 1: making selling platinum records as a solo artist. He's showing up. 313 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: You see pictures of him and had a shirt on 314 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: he had all these chains on its where the change 315 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:10,159 Speaker 1: is starting at this point, you know, he got his 316 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: disc of chains on hook and then on top of that, 317 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: just when you think it's over, he's a star. But 318 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,040 Speaker 1: one way he comes to Crush Grew and it's like 319 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,560 Speaker 1: Curtis blows the man. And even though run DMC and 320 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 1: then you got B Street as well, but B Street, 321 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: you know, even though like you got you see one 322 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: DMC and Mellie Belle them in these movies with Crush 323 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: Grew though it was about Run DMC and it was 324 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: a vehicle for Running MC, it was clear that they 325 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: followed behind Curtis Block. I definitely give him that title, 326 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:45,359 Speaker 1: like the first king of rap. Like you know, if 327 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:49,280 Speaker 1: we had to name kings, he would be in the 328 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:53,560 Speaker 1: first wood Fat Joe. If you're talking about fifty years 329 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 1: in hip hop. The man really had it. He was 330 00:19:56,440 --> 00:20:01,159 Speaker 1: the first platinum solo whist he was superstar, was the 331 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,480 Speaker 1: first I saw with Jerry on the shirt, open looking, 332 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: squagged out. You know, he had he saw all the praise. 333 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:13,560 Speaker 1: He had uh uh rule the world and then he 334 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 1: had the king celebrate kN kn't celebrate. He did this 335 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 1: up dedication to Martin Luther King. They're up under him. 336 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 1: His camp was the brother hey Jay opening the Bronx 337 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: up up in the Bronx, hey day they had like no, 338 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 1: Curtis Blow is a living legend. He's the first y'all 339 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:41,439 Speaker 1: saying the class in the rap movie. He was you know, 340 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: he was a legend. He deserves it. He was the 341 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:46,720 Speaker 1: Blue Pray And if you ask the prioneers, if they 342 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 1: be truthful, they'll tell you he was the first like 343 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,880 Speaker 1: rap star. Now did Mellie Melvin come bigger than Curtis Blow? 344 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: I think so, But Curtis Blow was, you know, the 345 00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:02,919 Speaker 1: first superstar. Curtis Blown Blow as the first rap superstar. 346 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 1: You know, I always said yes, but in my humility 347 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:15,920 Speaker 1: and just thinking about it more as I read these 348 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:22,159 Speaker 1: interviewers and listened to these interviews, the modest situation is 349 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 1: to be transparent and tell my real truth of the matter. 350 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 1: I think that the sugar Hill Gang was the first superstars. 351 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:39,359 Speaker 1: I was the first solo superstar in hip hop. Yes, 352 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,920 Speaker 1: that is true. But I stood on the shoulders of 353 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: the sugar Hill Gang. And I must say that because 354 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,640 Speaker 1: that song Rappers Is a Light started it off for 355 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:52,360 Speaker 1: a whole lot of people. So the message, without question, 356 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:57,160 Speaker 1: one of raps most important songs was sugar Hill listed 357 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: it as being by Grandma to Flash and the Furious Five, 358 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:05,679 Speaker 1: when in actuality it's just Mellie Mell on the record 359 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:09,400 Speaker 1: rapping and Duke Booty rest in Peace on the chorus 360 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 1: Grand Wizard Theater. Or when Rappers Delight came out, it 361 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: was like everybody was bumping Rappers Delight and they caused 362 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,840 Speaker 1: on the streets everywhere. Man crazy man. So it had 363 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,359 Speaker 1: to be between Rappers Delight and Curtis Blows Christmas Rapping, 364 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:31,400 Speaker 1: because I think they came out like months apart from 365 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 1: each other. When Rappers Delight came out, it was like 366 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:38,399 Speaker 1: It opened up a door for everyone in the world 367 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: to see and hear a culture, you know, a culture 368 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,879 Speaker 1: that I was locked in a certain part of the 369 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: world that eventually became worldwide. You know, it doesn't matter 370 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: where you live. You can live in Japan or Australia, 371 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: or you in Africa, you're in Malaysia, you in Canada, 372 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,640 Speaker 1: you're different part of the world. But everybody's going through 373 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,199 Speaker 1: the same thing. They're trying to get their government to 374 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: do the right thing. Some people are single parent homes, 375 00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: going to school, you know, drugs. All of this was 376 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: coming out of hip hop. You know, it was the 377 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 1: voice of the voiceless. And that's what happens when when 378 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:24,360 Speaker 1: hip hop became worldwide, and that's when the first record 379 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 1: actually came out. People seeing a way for their voices 380 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: to be heard. Carl Cannin fashion designer and the godfather 381 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,879 Speaker 1: of urban street wear, Rapper's Delight. You know, I'm saying, 382 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: Rapper's Light came out. Everybody wants to be like one 383 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 1: to Mic Big Hank, and we all started on Little Crew, 384 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:47,720 Speaker 1: were always trying to imitate them. You know, it was 385 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: the coolest thing out Like, they gave us a sense 386 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:53,399 Speaker 1: of pride, sense of feeling a sense of unity and 387 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: just repeating those rats were back to front. It informced 388 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:01,040 Speaker 1: us to started on DJ Crew because you know, growing 389 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: up a staff in East New York, we always part 390 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: of the five percenters. That's just what it was in 391 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:07,959 Speaker 1: our projects, and mulesn't down to five percenters, you know, 392 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 1: get r an Ova. So we all had knowledge itself 393 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,120 Speaker 1: at a very young age, which helped us a lot too, 394 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 1: because he made us look at the world a little 395 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: bit differently. So all those things, all those factors played 396 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,920 Speaker 1: a role into building the character of who I am today. 397 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,399 Speaker 1: Fat Joe the biggest it was. It was one of 398 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 1: the biggest songs ever created. Shuggarho as a label label 399 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:34,400 Speaker 1: was the first the creators. It was the first to 400 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: take rec artists and put them on Vining til Via 401 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:42,359 Speaker 1: Robinson and so she was beyond ahead of a time, 402 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:45,480 Speaker 1: and she knew stuff about music business that nobody else knew. 403 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 1: She was ahead of a very intelligent But years later, 404 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: if you would have asked me this ten years ago, 405 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:57,720 Speaker 1: I would have been like, yo, shig. But years later 406 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:04,640 Speaker 1: you realize day they took a verse from Grandmaster Cass. 407 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: They jacked his verse and never gave him money, never 408 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: gave him publish it, never gave him nothing. That don't 409 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:14,159 Speaker 1: sit right with me no more with that record, you know. 410 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 1: And it's sad because you know, I love that record, 411 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:19,119 Speaker 1: that records my childhood. That record is one of the 412 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 1: greatest records and hip hop visitery. But to know that 413 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,120 Speaker 1: they did that at the time where I just explained 414 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: to you that an MC got it right there on, 415 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: Oh no, that's a crime. But is it one of 416 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:36,160 Speaker 1: the biggest hip hop songs of all time? Yes, some 417 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: people would say it's the biggest grand Master Cass. That 418 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 1: was a template for hip hop, for rap music, hip 419 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,679 Speaker 1: hop culture. You know, it's a lot more than you 420 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:48,919 Speaker 1: know a song. No matter how how big that song became, 421 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,560 Speaker 1: it was just one element of the culture of hip hop. 422 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,520 Speaker 1: So it definitely led the charge as far as rap 423 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: music and the recognition of rap music and culture of 424 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 1: hip hop. The part I had I played as I 425 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,240 Speaker 1: wrote by the third of Rappers Delight. I wrote all 426 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 1: the Big Bang Hank's lyrics that he recited in Rappers Delight, 427 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:13,960 Speaker 1: which inadvertently bade me hip hop's first ghostwriter. Unpaid, unpaid 428 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,919 Speaker 1: coast in No way wasn't collaborative. These are rhymes that 429 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: I had written, you know already. These were in my 430 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: repertoire rhymes and they were on tapes. So Hank was 431 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,879 Speaker 1: just mimicking the rhyme from the tape. When when they 432 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 1: auditioned him or for Rappers de Light, he didn't tell 433 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:33,320 Speaker 1: them that he didn't rap, that he was my manager. 434 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: That's how that was supposed to go. Okay, Hey, hey, guys, 435 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: we're making a record and we heard that you rapped. 436 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: You know what I mean. You're in the piece of 437 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:43,399 Speaker 1: shop at your boom box, you know what I mean, 438 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:45,480 Speaker 1: And guys are rapping, you know. Would you like to 439 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,639 Speaker 1: audition for this record that we're doing now? If you 440 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,160 Speaker 1: managed me, what are you supposed to say to her? 441 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,919 Speaker 1: I don't rap, man, but I manage casting Ova Fly 442 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 1: one of the best rappers in the Bronx or MCS 443 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 1: at the time. He was to calling ourselves rappers. That's 444 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:02,320 Speaker 1: what he was supposed to do. But he didn't do that. 445 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:04,960 Speaker 1: He just got in the car with them and started 446 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:08,119 Speaker 1: reciting by rhymes from the tapes, and they loved it 447 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:10,640 Speaker 1: and made him part of the sugar Hill Okay, in 448 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 1: reference to Grandmastercaz, who wrote all of Big Bank Hank's verse, 449 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: which was basically stolen from from Kaz. He's so gracious 450 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 1: about how he speaks about this. Tens of millions of 451 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 1: dollars should have gone two Grandmaster casts for his efforts 452 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:32,199 Speaker 1: on that important record. And it's interesting how Jay Z 453 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 1: on his big hit Izzo, drops a line where he says, 454 00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:39,920 Speaker 1: I'm overcharging for what they did to the Cold Crush. 455 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: He's really speaking about what happened to Grandmastercas, how they 456 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:48,399 Speaker 1: stole his lyrics on sugar Hill Russell Simmons Record Executive 457 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:51,960 Speaker 1: and Entrepreneur. The first thing paused, and then we played 458 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:53,920 Speaker 1: a lot and people talked about it, but then really 459 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,640 Speaker 1: wrapped the light. I opened the door. They didn't open 460 00:27:56,640 --> 00:27:58,639 Speaker 1: the door really because I had Priston wrapping on the 461 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:02,200 Speaker 1: shelf while the light without it. Nobody wanted it. And 462 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 1: I told you how we got it, you know, and 463 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:07,200 Speaker 1: everybody who existed, like Black, we don't want that. There's 464 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:09,200 Speaker 1: only one record. I don't know how it got here. 465 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 1: And then I remember when he had Rappers Delight first played. 466 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,119 Speaker 1: All the rappers were mad. We had an armory and 467 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 1: I first heard Rappers Delight and there was like thousands 468 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:20,920 Speaker 1: of kid a couple of thousands, and all the big 469 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 1: stars were played, but not Hollywood and not a Chief 470 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: and not thoughts, but you know, like the flashes of 471 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 1: the world. Flashes stob that from the ground. I mean, 472 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 1: he was the big ticket seller of that world. So 473 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:33,879 Speaker 1: all those guys were there and it was at an armory, 474 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 1: and he played Rappers Delight, and many of us felt 475 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 1: that they had stolen off future that we would have 476 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,959 Speaker 1: rappers Delight, not me of the rapper, but the rappers 477 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: up with big but their music and rappers the Light 478 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 1: came from artists who would not from the community, and 479 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 1: we were light shocked by that. That was seventy nine, 480 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,000 Speaker 1: or at least every nine, and caused Christmas Rapp, who 481 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,920 Speaker 1: was laked every nine, so it was as she felt 482 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: that they stole everything. They opened the doors, but no 483 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: one wanted to play another rapper after. I remember that 484 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: radio was forced to play Rapping the Light. It was 485 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,239 Speaker 1: just so big they couldn't get away from it. Just 486 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:10,600 Speaker 1: as the following year, Christmins Rapping played the B side 487 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: played all year long, and then Christmith came along again. 488 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:18,760 Speaker 1: They played Pristmith Rapping nineteen eighty coursing eight one or 489 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,120 Speaker 1: eighteen end of a deal maybe eighting one that came 490 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 1: the breaks and he played that Christmas rapping the breaks 491 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 1: of both Curtis Glove. On the next episode of the 492 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 1: Fifty Years of Hip Hop podcast series, we go back 493 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 1: to a time when rap was not played on the radio, 494 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 1: with the exception of New York City, which had a 495 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 1: couple of stations WBLS and WHBI that would play rap 496 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: on the weekends or late night during the week and 497 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: this episode is going to dive into the rise of 498 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:54,600 Speaker 1: rap hitting the airwaves and causing a major shift in radio. 499 00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 1: Coach to coach. This episode has been executive produced by 500 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: Dolly S. Bishop, hosted and produced by your Boy Fab 501 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:06,960 Speaker 1: five Freddie. Produced by Aaron A. King Howard, Edit, mixed 502 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 1: sound by Dwayne Crawford, music scoring by Trey Jones, Talent 503 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 1: booking by Nicole Spence.