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In the Beginning there was Funk
The Creator of Locking Speaks
In the beginning there was Funk And man saw that the Funk was good so he learned how to appreciate it He learned that the Funk was an instigator of motion and emotion So man learned how to harvest it and soon the land was filled with its influence A divine force showed man that every groove was in-tuned with the Funk and thus mankind began his quest to find the Funk amp learn the secrets of how the soul was affected by it so Hence when the world was ready one man emerged as the original translator of the music Wrought by the genius of pure fate a new era of dance was born as the masses looked on with innocent wonder Few have understood it Few have grasped its intricate design But countless are whose passion for the dance has kept it alive with the realization that Locking was the first true interpretation of Funk music Bringing it back to the Source When I met Don Campbell my mind was like a canvas painted with dull bland colors that resembled the hues of a dreary day But Dons emphasis on character expression and spontaneous dance creativity made me discover the reason why I had failed at Locking I had never learned that the true beauty of the dance lies in pure improvisation not a series of pre-planned sequenced dance moves Soon after applying what methods he taught me my canvas was colored with the bright exciting colors of inspiration Ever since my painting has been taking form and its structure can be attributed to the simplistic genius of this man I could write a book on our conversations alone but this month I choose to address questions that have been lingering in todays most popular Internet dance forums The greatest enemy that we sometimes face is the lack of communication So the purpose of this article is to address these issues by allowing the creator of the dance to answer them in his own words Don Campbells words are shown in bold print and they have been shortened to expose the core of the statement
Interview with Don Campbell October 23 2001 Don what led you to discover Locking Well it all really came out of me trying to do other popular dances of the timeI had a way of locking into my moves That was my thing I went into it without really noticing it Then a close friend of mine (Sam Williams) brought it to my attention He said to me one day keep doing that lock Campbell so I did Everything I did started to involve this lock Some feel as if the dance called the Funky Chicken was what you were trying to do when you invented the Lock is that true No man the Funky Chicken had nothing to do with me developing the Lock It was just something I had incorporated within my danceI kinda added it into what ever I was trying to do at the timehellip Who influenced your dance style while in its premature stage Well I would have to say my friends from Trade Tech College Sam Williams and Sweet T (Michael Moore) I used to look up to these guys They all used to hang out after school and just dance They had their own students and everything so I would just hang out and just watch at first Then they started influencing me and I started to learn dances like the Alligator and the Robot these guys were always live they used to wear Big Apple hats and knickers They introduced me to that style of dressingthey played a major role in my life if it were not for Sam amp Sweet T I probably would never have started dancing What was your foundation before the formation of your group
I will have to say the Lock that freeze that pause Everything starts and ends with the LockIf you watch any of the Lockers youll see that is what they all had in common that Lock Were there any Lockers before your group If so can you drop any names Oh yeah there was a whole bunch of them You see I started getting popular and everyone just started imitating me So many young cats started Locking to get popular with the ladies and win dance conteststhere was Dimitre Joe she was one of the 1st female Lockers Lil Joe he was in a group called the Dance Masters Then there was the original Skeeter Rabbit (not the member of the Electric Boogaloos) He was badhe came up with the Skeeter Rabbit stepCapt Crunch and the Funky Bunch they had their own style of Locking too Then there was Scooby Doo who also has a move named after himhellipthey were all bad in their prime What made you choose the dancers you chose for your group I picked them out of clubs and dance contestsI picked the best of them I looked for characterhellipbecause we all were hamscharacter plays a great role in what we didsome just started to hang out where me and the others would dance and just started picking uphellip Where there any dancers that you approached to be in your group that were unable to join for any reason Yes Jimmy Foster (Scooby Doo) He was one of the badestI met Jimmy at the Climax IIwe were friends for some time until we split up because of jealousy on his behalf We used to be very competitive until that turned into jealousy One night I had lost a dance contest and I turned to see Jimmy clapping away as happy as can behe was happy to see me loose Besides that and other situations I saw that he was in it for himselfhellip Who was the greatest Locker that was never part of your group Jimmy againno doubt about it People dont know how bad Jimmy wasif it were not for his jealousy he wouldve been in the groupI felt as if I could not trust himhellip How do you feel the dance evolved into what it is today What role does innovation play in your dance Once you understand the dance you will understand how free it really isthe other Lockers understood the basic Lockthey started imitating me and some of the early Lockershellipmany adapted moves that they had prior to LockingLike Leo (Fluky Luke) He had the which-a-way before he was a Lockerso they all learned to adapt their own individual flavor Innovation does play a great roleits all about creativityhellipno one wants to see a clone of anyone else In this day amp age many main stream choreographers teach watered down routines of Locking How could someone tell the difference between a choreographer and a dancer that has captured the true essence of the dance Well choreographers can only teach what they see not what they feel They can only show routinesthey cannot improvise to any music like we could We could lock to anything for hours on endhellipits all about creativity Choreographers cannot createhellipthey can only duplicate Do you feel that the other moves introduced by members of the Lockers (ie which-a-ways alphas etc) are essential to the foundation of a Locking Those were great moves they worked for the individual But the only thing that is essential is the LockLocking is not about moves its a dance that is where many go wrong Do you feel that those signature moves should be learned and adapted Yeah everything should be learnedbut then adapted with your own flavorbut dont feel incomplete if you do not learn every move in historythose moves were
what others brought to the platebring your own moves into Lockingthats what made this dance what it is If there are those that believe that Locking was incomplete until the other members of the Lockers added their own signature moves how would you respond to that My flavor was complete Locking was more than just a dance it was a style my striped socks my Derby and suspendersthe way I used my handkerchief that was Cambellocking The dancers at Mavericks Flat used to imitate me because I began winning all the dance contests This started it allyou can say that I knew that my dance was complete when so many people started to dance and look just like me I did not like it at firstbut then I started to see how many people starting really loving the danceI was taken back by itthen it was cool What are the criterias of a complete Locker A dancer that has the Lock and can imitate any songwe once did a piece to Swan Lake we Locked to classical music A true Locker can find a rhythm to anything and imitate ithellip What should be preserved as time passes and new innovations shape your dance Again it goes back to that Locknothing is more important than this Where do you want to see your dance go in the future I want for it to be recognized along side the classic dances like Ballet Jazz amp Modernthis is where it belongsI feel it deserves that recognitionI also want to see new Lockers not clones of me Leo PenguinhellipI want to see new interpretationshellip Do you consider Locking a street dance Did you ever intend for your dance to be a street performance art or a dance form for the stage The streets is where it came fromthat is where is started it was up to us to take it where it wentbut the streets gave the dance an edge that no other dance form had at the time freedom There were too many rules in Ballet Modern or Jazzthe streets gave us the freedom to express our own individuality through the danceI intend it to be what ever the you want it to be Did you think that it was ever going to get this far No not at first But after Sinatra and all the television appearances I saw how many people wanted to dance and look just like us Then I knew that I had something goingit is up to people like you to keep it aliveit will be up to the new generation to keep it going long after I have gone If there is one statement that you would like to make to a dancer that wishes to learn Locking what words of inspiration would you say to him or her Learn to dance ittheres a rhythm learn the rhythm Every song has a feeling learn how to get into them Remember it is not about moves its about dancing Dont try to Lock just like me Fluky Shab-a-Doo or anyone else Look for your own flavor This dance is about the individualhellip
With this interview I hope to have targeted some of the questions I have gathered from different sources including many dance forums I hope some misconceptions have been clarified with this effort Don is the kind of person that is always willing to answer any questions and his contribution continues to bless us with knowledge and history He is one of my greatest mentors Not just because of his genius towards the dance but because of his humble simplicity I have learned that true greatness sees a skill as a gift a gift that is a privilege not a right Don Campbells character is an example to follow and I can say that he has inspired the whole world to be Funky May his legacy last forever Until next month keep it real yall
Aquaboogy
Afrika Bambaataas Definition Of
Hip Hop
Hip Hop means the whole culture of the movement when you
talk about rapRap is part of the hip hop cultureThe
emceeingThe djaying is part of the hip hop culture The dressing
the languages are all part of the hip hop cultureThe break dancing
the b-boys b-girls how you act walk look talk are all part of hip
hop culture and the music is colorless Hip Hop music is made
from Black brown yellow red white whatever music that gives
you the grunt that funk that groove or that beat Its all part of
hip hop
Are artist from the West Coast and Miami
considered Hip Hop Too Short E-40 all the brothers and sisters that are making that
hip hop and coming from the funk part of it are all hip hoppers
The Electro Funk which is that Planet Rock sound which is now
considered the Miami Bass sound is also hip hop The GoGo
sound that you hear from Washington DC is also hip hop New
Jack Swing that Teddy Riley is RampB and hip hop mixed
togetherSo hip hop has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues People also have to recognize from hip hop
musicinparticular the electro funk came House music and
Freestyle music with a lot of our Pueto Rican hip hoppers
The freestyle music really comes from Planet RockIf you look at
all the freestyle records its based upon Planet Rock If you look at
all the Miami Bass records its based upon Planet Rock Its all
based upon electro funk which came from hip hop music
Hip Hop has experimented with a lot of different styles of music
and theres a lot of people who have brought different changes
over time with hip hop which have brought out all these funky
records which everybody just started jumpin on like a catch
phrase For example when Planet Rock came out you had all of
the electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh with the
show and La Di Da Di a lot of rappers went that wayWhen
Eric B came out with I Know U Got Soul all the way up to Run
DMC and Wu-Tang All these people brought changes within hip
hop music Unfortunately today a lot of the people who created
hip hopmeaning the Black and Latinos do not control it no
more
Afrika Bambaataa
Sept 23 1996
Grandmaster Flashs Definition Of Hip
Hop
As one of the pioneers of who was known for his ability to mix music I
mixed anything from Billy Squire to Michael Jackson to Thin Lizzy to Sly
And The Family Stone to Glen Miller to Tschochosky
When I laid this foundation down the key was we could take almost anything
musically just as long as it had a beat to it so that the rhymer who flowed
over the top of it could syncopate For anybody to say that whatever theyre
doing in Florida is not hip hopor whatever theyre saying in LA is not hip
hop Who are these people to say that There were songs that Bambaataa
played that to this day I still dont know They were so funky Some of the
ones I got the priviledge to knowI was suprisedYou take a song like
Apache for example which was considered to be one of the hip hop main
themesThose were a bunch of white guys The Incredible Bongo Rock
Band were white guys There was one person there who was Black He was
King Erickson who was a percussionist
For anybody to say this is not hip hop or that is not hip hop is wrong That is
not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people who were going
to continue this to take anythingby all means necessary and string it along
DJ Kool Hercs
Definition Of Hip Hop
Hip Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica I was born in
jamaica and I was listening to American music in Jamaica My favorite artist
was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played was
by James Brown When I came over here I just put it in the American style
and a perspective for them to dance to it In Jamaica all you needed was a
drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record
was at and prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their
own taste and beat percussion-wise cause my music is all about heavy bass
How Did The early Hip Hop Scene
Of The 70s Kick Off It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discoteques back in the days I had respect from some of the gang members
because they used to go to school with me There were the Savage Skulls
Glory Stompers Blue Diamaonds Black Cats and Black Spades Guys
knew me because I carried myself with respect and I respected them I
respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never tried to use my
charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked and
acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my partyI would hail
my friends that I knew People liked that Id say things likeThere goes my
mellow Coca La Roc in the house There goes my mellow Clark Kent in the
house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in the houseTo my mellow
Ricky D To my mellow Bambaataa People like that sort of
acknowledgement when they heard it from a friend at a party
What were the early rhymes like
Well the rhyming came aboutbecause I liked playing lyrics that were saying
something I figured people would pick it up by me playing those records but
at the same time I would say something myself with a meaninful message to
it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
and this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc and the Sound System and
youre listening to the sounds of what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave
fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
when it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
the high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Who were the first modern day rappers My man Coke La Rock He was the first original members of the Herculoids He
was first known as A-1 Coke and then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy
Tim and there was Clark Kent We called him the Rock
MachineHe was not the same Clark Kent who djs for Dana
Dane An imposter I repeat hes an imposter The real Clark
Kent we called him Bo King and only he knows what that means
There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business
This guy carrying his name I guess he respects Clark Kent
Interview w DJ Kool Herc
1989 New Music Seminar
by Davey D
If there was ever a case of being at the right place at the right time The day I ran into
DJ Kool Herc at the 1989 New Music Seminar was that time It was a controversial yet
electrifying seminar I was attending a panel on Hip-Hop and hanging out with fellow
journalist Harry Allen the Media Assassin Toward the end of the panel Kool Herc walked
into the room yet no one seemed to know understand and to a certain degree care who he
was His name was mentioned and his contributions to Hip-Hop were uttered but he was
clearly not given the proper respects Whoever was moderating the panel didnt really
know or understand who Kool Herc was I hadnt seen him in a long time and was a bit taken
back but I immediately grabbed my tape recorder and seized the moment This was
history This was the Godfather of Hip-Hop This was the man who started it all and here
I was in a room with a bunch of folks who were so caught up in themselves that they
neglected to let this brother drop science Heres the transcript of our interview that
took place in June 1989
Davey D Herc Legend has it that youre the one that started hip-hop How did this come
about
Kool Herc Hip-Hop started when my father brought a PA system and didnt know how to
hook it up I was messing around with the music and I started out by buying a few records
to play at my house When I was doing that I saw a lot of kids playing outside in the
backyard My sister asked me to give a party one day Actually she wanted me to play at a
party [1520 Segdwick Ave] and I went out and got around twenty records that I felt was
good enough and we gave a party and charged about twenty five cents to come in and made
300 dollars
At the time I was into graffiti so there was a lot of curiosity was about who I was And so
when they came there they saw who I was and what I did I fulfilled their expectations on
me Herc could talk and play good music and people didnt mess around in his party The
lsquobabesrsquo [fine women] were there and he [Herc] might call your name on the mic In those
days aint no body know about calling your name on the mic or hearing records back to
back
Davey D Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back what exactly did
you mean by that
Kool Herc I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party That
would keep my head going The homeboys that I played basketball with not the
curiosity seekers not the party goer that come into see or hear me play but friends
that when the partys over is gonna be there Thats who I was calling outpeople like
that Id say things like There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house There
goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in
the house There goes my mellow Ricky D There goes my mellow Bambaataa
People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend
Davey D So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses
rap music today
Kool Herc Well the rhyming well you know I like playing lyrics that was saying something
I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records but at the same time I
would say something myself with a meaningful message to it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc
and the Sound System and youre listening to
is what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
When it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
The high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Davey D Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica
Kool Herc Hip-Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica cause Im West
Indian I was born in Jamaica I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my
favorite artist was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played
were by James Brown When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style
and a drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record was at and
prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their own taste and beat
percussion wise Cause my music is all about heavy bass
Davey D What year did this happen
Kool Herc 1970
Davey D Who were the original Herculoids
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
I will have to say the Lock that freeze that pause Everything starts and ends with the LockIf you watch any of the Lockers youll see that is what they all had in common that Lock Were there any Lockers before your group If so can you drop any names Oh yeah there was a whole bunch of them You see I started getting popular and everyone just started imitating me So many young cats started Locking to get popular with the ladies and win dance conteststhere was Dimitre Joe she was one of the 1st female Lockers Lil Joe he was in a group called the Dance Masters Then there was the original Skeeter Rabbit (not the member of the Electric Boogaloos) He was badhe came up with the Skeeter Rabbit stepCapt Crunch and the Funky Bunch they had their own style of Locking too Then there was Scooby Doo who also has a move named after himhellipthey were all bad in their prime What made you choose the dancers you chose for your group I picked them out of clubs and dance contestsI picked the best of them I looked for characterhellipbecause we all were hamscharacter plays a great role in what we didsome just started to hang out where me and the others would dance and just started picking uphellip Where there any dancers that you approached to be in your group that were unable to join for any reason Yes Jimmy Foster (Scooby Doo) He was one of the badestI met Jimmy at the Climax IIwe were friends for some time until we split up because of jealousy on his behalf We used to be very competitive until that turned into jealousy One night I had lost a dance contest and I turned to see Jimmy clapping away as happy as can behe was happy to see me loose Besides that and other situations I saw that he was in it for himselfhellip Who was the greatest Locker that was never part of your group Jimmy againno doubt about it People dont know how bad Jimmy wasif it were not for his jealousy he wouldve been in the groupI felt as if I could not trust himhellip How do you feel the dance evolved into what it is today What role does innovation play in your dance Once you understand the dance you will understand how free it really isthe other Lockers understood the basic Lockthey started imitating me and some of the early Lockershellipmany adapted moves that they had prior to LockingLike Leo (Fluky Luke) He had the which-a-way before he was a Lockerso they all learned to adapt their own individual flavor Innovation does play a great roleits all about creativityhellipno one wants to see a clone of anyone else In this day amp age many main stream choreographers teach watered down routines of Locking How could someone tell the difference between a choreographer and a dancer that has captured the true essence of the dance Well choreographers can only teach what they see not what they feel They can only show routinesthey cannot improvise to any music like we could We could lock to anything for hours on endhellipits all about creativity Choreographers cannot createhellipthey can only duplicate Do you feel that the other moves introduced by members of the Lockers (ie which-a-ways alphas etc) are essential to the foundation of a Locking Those were great moves they worked for the individual But the only thing that is essential is the LockLocking is not about moves its a dance that is where many go wrong Do you feel that those signature moves should be learned and adapted Yeah everything should be learnedbut then adapted with your own flavorbut dont feel incomplete if you do not learn every move in historythose moves were
what others brought to the platebring your own moves into Lockingthats what made this dance what it is If there are those that believe that Locking was incomplete until the other members of the Lockers added their own signature moves how would you respond to that My flavor was complete Locking was more than just a dance it was a style my striped socks my Derby and suspendersthe way I used my handkerchief that was Cambellocking The dancers at Mavericks Flat used to imitate me because I began winning all the dance contests This started it allyou can say that I knew that my dance was complete when so many people started to dance and look just like me I did not like it at firstbut then I started to see how many people starting really loving the danceI was taken back by itthen it was cool What are the criterias of a complete Locker A dancer that has the Lock and can imitate any songwe once did a piece to Swan Lake we Locked to classical music A true Locker can find a rhythm to anything and imitate ithellip What should be preserved as time passes and new innovations shape your dance Again it goes back to that Locknothing is more important than this Where do you want to see your dance go in the future I want for it to be recognized along side the classic dances like Ballet Jazz amp Modernthis is where it belongsI feel it deserves that recognitionI also want to see new Lockers not clones of me Leo PenguinhellipI want to see new interpretationshellip Do you consider Locking a street dance Did you ever intend for your dance to be a street performance art or a dance form for the stage The streets is where it came fromthat is where is started it was up to us to take it where it wentbut the streets gave the dance an edge that no other dance form had at the time freedom There were too many rules in Ballet Modern or Jazzthe streets gave us the freedom to express our own individuality through the danceI intend it to be what ever the you want it to be Did you think that it was ever going to get this far No not at first But after Sinatra and all the television appearances I saw how many people wanted to dance and look just like us Then I knew that I had something goingit is up to people like you to keep it aliveit will be up to the new generation to keep it going long after I have gone If there is one statement that you would like to make to a dancer that wishes to learn Locking what words of inspiration would you say to him or her Learn to dance ittheres a rhythm learn the rhythm Every song has a feeling learn how to get into them Remember it is not about moves its about dancing Dont try to Lock just like me Fluky Shab-a-Doo or anyone else Look for your own flavor This dance is about the individualhellip
With this interview I hope to have targeted some of the questions I have gathered from different sources including many dance forums I hope some misconceptions have been clarified with this effort Don is the kind of person that is always willing to answer any questions and his contribution continues to bless us with knowledge and history He is one of my greatest mentors Not just because of his genius towards the dance but because of his humble simplicity I have learned that true greatness sees a skill as a gift a gift that is a privilege not a right Don Campbells character is an example to follow and I can say that he has inspired the whole world to be Funky May his legacy last forever Until next month keep it real yall
Aquaboogy
Afrika Bambaataas Definition Of
Hip Hop
Hip Hop means the whole culture of the movement when you
talk about rapRap is part of the hip hop cultureThe
emceeingThe djaying is part of the hip hop culture The dressing
the languages are all part of the hip hop cultureThe break dancing
the b-boys b-girls how you act walk look talk are all part of hip
hop culture and the music is colorless Hip Hop music is made
from Black brown yellow red white whatever music that gives
you the grunt that funk that groove or that beat Its all part of
hip hop
Are artist from the West Coast and Miami
considered Hip Hop Too Short E-40 all the brothers and sisters that are making that
hip hop and coming from the funk part of it are all hip hoppers
The Electro Funk which is that Planet Rock sound which is now
considered the Miami Bass sound is also hip hop The GoGo
sound that you hear from Washington DC is also hip hop New
Jack Swing that Teddy Riley is RampB and hip hop mixed
togetherSo hip hop has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues People also have to recognize from hip hop
musicinparticular the electro funk came House music and
Freestyle music with a lot of our Pueto Rican hip hoppers
The freestyle music really comes from Planet RockIf you look at
all the freestyle records its based upon Planet Rock If you look at
all the Miami Bass records its based upon Planet Rock Its all
based upon electro funk which came from hip hop music
Hip Hop has experimented with a lot of different styles of music
and theres a lot of people who have brought different changes
over time with hip hop which have brought out all these funky
records which everybody just started jumpin on like a catch
phrase For example when Planet Rock came out you had all of
the electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh with the
show and La Di Da Di a lot of rappers went that wayWhen
Eric B came out with I Know U Got Soul all the way up to Run
DMC and Wu-Tang All these people brought changes within hip
hop music Unfortunately today a lot of the people who created
hip hopmeaning the Black and Latinos do not control it no
more
Afrika Bambaataa
Sept 23 1996
Grandmaster Flashs Definition Of Hip
Hop
As one of the pioneers of who was known for his ability to mix music I
mixed anything from Billy Squire to Michael Jackson to Thin Lizzy to Sly
And The Family Stone to Glen Miller to Tschochosky
When I laid this foundation down the key was we could take almost anything
musically just as long as it had a beat to it so that the rhymer who flowed
over the top of it could syncopate For anybody to say that whatever theyre
doing in Florida is not hip hopor whatever theyre saying in LA is not hip
hop Who are these people to say that There were songs that Bambaataa
played that to this day I still dont know They were so funky Some of the
ones I got the priviledge to knowI was suprisedYou take a song like
Apache for example which was considered to be one of the hip hop main
themesThose were a bunch of white guys The Incredible Bongo Rock
Band were white guys There was one person there who was Black He was
King Erickson who was a percussionist
For anybody to say this is not hip hop or that is not hip hop is wrong That is
not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people who were going
to continue this to take anythingby all means necessary and string it along
DJ Kool Hercs
Definition Of Hip Hop
Hip Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica I was born in
jamaica and I was listening to American music in Jamaica My favorite artist
was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played was
by James Brown When I came over here I just put it in the American style
and a perspective for them to dance to it In Jamaica all you needed was a
drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record
was at and prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their
own taste and beat percussion-wise cause my music is all about heavy bass
How Did The early Hip Hop Scene
Of The 70s Kick Off It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discoteques back in the days I had respect from some of the gang members
because they used to go to school with me There were the Savage Skulls
Glory Stompers Blue Diamaonds Black Cats and Black Spades Guys
knew me because I carried myself with respect and I respected them I
respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never tried to use my
charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked and
acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my partyI would hail
my friends that I knew People liked that Id say things likeThere goes my
mellow Coca La Roc in the house There goes my mellow Clark Kent in the
house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in the houseTo my mellow
Ricky D To my mellow Bambaataa People like that sort of
acknowledgement when they heard it from a friend at a party
What were the early rhymes like
Well the rhyming came aboutbecause I liked playing lyrics that were saying
something I figured people would pick it up by me playing those records but
at the same time I would say something myself with a meaninful message to
it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
and this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc and the Sound System and
youre listening to the sounds of what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave
fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
when it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
the high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Who were the first modern day rappers My man Coke La Rock He was the first original members of the Herculoids He
was first known as A-1 Coke and then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy
Tim and there was Clark Kent We called him the Rock
MachineHe was not the same Clark Kent who djs for Dana
Dane An imposter I repeat hes an imposter The real Clark
Kent we called him Bo King and only he knows what that means
There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business
This guy carrying his name I guess he respects Clark Kent
Interview w DJ Kool Herc
1989 New Music Seminar
by Davey D
If there was ever a case of being at the right place at the right time The day I ran into
DJ Kool Herc at the 1989 New Music Seminar was that time It was a controversial yet
electrifying seminar I was attending a panel on Hip-Hop and hanging out with fellow
journalist Harry Allen the Media Assassin Toward the end of the panel Kool Herc walked
into the room yet no one seemed to know understand and to a certain degree care who he
was His name was mentioned and his contributions to Hip-Hop were uttered but he was
clearly not given the proper respects Whoever was moderating the panel didnt really
know or understand who Kool Herc was I hadnt seen him in a long time and was a bit taken
back but I immediately grabbed my tape recorder and seized the moment This was
history This was the Godfather of Hip-Hop This was the man who started it all and here
I was in a room with a bunch of folks who were so caught up in themselves that they
neglected to let this brother drop science Heres the transcript of our interview that
took place in June 1989
Davey D Herc Legend has it that youre the one that started hip-hop How did this come
about
Kool Herc Hip-Hop started when my father brought a PA system and didnt know how to
hook it up I was messing around with the music and I started out by buying a few records
to play at my house When I was doing that I saw a lot of kids playing outside in the
backyard My sister asked me to give a party one day Actually she wanted me to play at a
party [1520 Segdwick Ave] and I went out and got around twenty records that I felt was
good enough and we gave a party and charged about twenty five cents to come in and made
300 dollars
At the time I was into graffiti so there was a lot of curiosity was about who I was And so
when they came there they saw who I was and what I did I fulfilled their expectations on
me Herc could talk and play good music and people didnt mess around in his party The
lsquobabesrsquo [fine women] were there and he [Herc] might call your name on the mic In those
days aint no body know about calling your name on the mic or hearing records back to
back
Davey D Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back what exactly did
you mean by that
Kool Herc I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party That
would keep my head going The homeboys that I played basketball with not the
curiosity seekers not the party goer that come into see or hear me play but friends
that when the partys over is gonna be there Thats who I was calling outpeople like
that Id say things like There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house There
goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in
the house There goes my mellow Ricky D There goes my mellow Bambaataa
People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend
Davey D So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses
rap music today
Kool Herc Well the rhyming well you know I like playing lyrics that was saying something
I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records but at the same time I
would say something myself with a meaningful message to it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc
and the Sound System and youre listening to
is what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
When it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
The high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Davey D Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica
Kool Herc Hip-Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica cause Im West
Indian I was born in Jamaica I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my
favorite artist was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played
were by James Brown When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style
and a drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record was at and
prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their own taste and beat
percussion wise Cause my music is all about heavy bass
Davey D What year did this happen
Kool Herc 1970
Davey D Who were the original Herculoids
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
what others brought to the platebring your own moves into Lockingthats what made this dance what it is If there are those that believe that Locking was incomplete until the other members of the Lockers added their own signature moves how would you respond to that My flavor was complete Locking was more than just a dance it was a style my striped socks my Derby and suspendersthe way I used my handkerchief that was Cambellocking The dancers at Mavericks Flat used to imitate me because I began winning all the dance contests This started it allyou can say that I knew that my dance was complete when so many people started to dance and look just like me I did not like it at firstbut then I started to see how many people starting really loving the danceI was taken back by itthen it was cool What are the criterias of a complete Locker A dancer that has the Lock and can imitate any songwe once did a piece to Swan Lake we Locked to classical music A true Locker can find a rhythm to anything and imitate ithellip What should be preserved as time passes and new innovations shape your dance Again it goes back to that Locknothing is more important than this Where do you want to see your dance go in the future I want for it to be recognized along side the classic dances like Ballet Jazz amp Modernthis is where it belongsI feel it deserves that recognitionI also want to see new Lockers not clones of me Leo PenguinhellipI want to see new interpretationshellip Do you consider Locking a street dance Did you ever intend for your dance to be a street performance art or a dance form for the stage The streets is where it came fromthat is where is started it was up to us to take it where it wentbut the streets gave the dance an edge that no other dance form had at the time freedom There were too many rules in Ballet Modern or Jazzthe streets gave us the freedom to express our own individuality through the danceI intend it to be what ever the you want it to be Did you think that it was ever going to get this far No not at first But after Sinatra and all the television appearances I saw how many people wanted to dance and look just like us Then I knew that I had something goingit is up to people like you to keep it aliveit will be up to the new generation to keep it going long after I have gone If there is one statement that you would like to make to a dancer that wishes to learn Locking what words of inspiration would you say to him or her Learn to dance ittheres a rhythm learn the rhythm Every song has a feeling learn how to get into them Remember it is not about moves its about dancing Dont try to Lock just like me Fluky Shab-a-Doo or anyone else Look for your own flavor This dance is about the individualhellip
With this interview I hope to have targeted some of the questions I have gathered from different sources including many dance forums I hope some misconceptions have been clarified with this effort Don is the kind of person that is always willing to answer any questions and his contribution continues to bless us with knowledge and history He is one of my greatest mentors Not just because of his genius towards the dance but because of his humble simplicity I have learned that true greatness sees a skill as a gift a gift that is a privilege not a right Don Campbells character is an example to follow and I can say that he has inspired the whole world to be Funky May his legacy last forever Until next month keep it real yall
Aquaboogy
Afrika Bambaataas Definition Of
Hip Hop
Hip Hop means the whole culture of the movement when you
talk about rapRap is part of the hip hop cultureThe
emceeingThe djaying is part of the hip hop culture The dressing
the languages are all part of the hip hop cultureThe break dancing
the b-boys b-girls how you act walk look talk are all part of hip
hop culture and the music is colorless Hip Hop music is made
from Black brown yellow red white whatever music that gives
you the grunt that funk that groove or that beat Its all part of
hip hop
Are artist from the West Coast and Miami
considered Hip Hop Too Short E-40 all the brothers and sisters that are making that
hip hop and coming from the funk part of it are all hip hoppers
The Electro Funk which is that Planet Rock sound which is now
considered the Miami Bass sound is also hip hop The GoGo
sound that you hear from Washington DC is also hip hop New
Jack Swing that Teddy Riley is RampB and hip hop mixed
togetherSo hip hop has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues People also have to recognize from hip hop
musicinparticular the electro funk came House music and
Freestyle music with a lot of our Pueto Rican hip hoppers
The freestyle music really comes from Planet RockIf you look at
all the freestyle records its based upon Planet Rock If you look at
all the Miami Bass records its based upon Planet Rock Its all
based upon electro funk which came from hip hop music
Hip Hop has experimented with a lot of different styles of music
and theres a lot of people who have brought different changes
over time with hip hop which have brought out all these funky
records which everybody just started jumpin on like a catch
phrase For example when Planet Rock came out you had all of
the electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh with the
show and La Di Da Di a lot of rappers went that wayWhen
Eric B came out with I Know U Got Soul all the way up to Run
DMC and Wu-Tang All these people brought changes within hip
hop music Unfortunately today a lot of the people who created
hip hopmeaning the Black and Latinos do not control it no
more
Afrika Bambaataa
Sept 23 1996
Grandmaster Flashs Definition Of Hip
Hop
As one of the pioneers of who was known for his ability to mix music I
mixed anything from Billy Squire to Michael Jackson to Thin Lizzy to Sly
And The Family Stone to Glen Miller to Tschochosky
When I laid this foundation down the key was we could take almost anything
musically just as long as it had a beat to it so that the rhymer who flowed
over the top of it could syncopate For anybody to say that whatever theyre
doing in Florida is not hip hopor whatever theyre saying in LA is not hip
hop Who are these people to say that There were songs that Bambaataa
played that to this day I still dont know They were so funky Some of the
ones I got the priviledge to knowI was suprisedYou take a song like
Apache for example which was considered to be one of the hip hop main
themesThose were a bunch of white guys The Incredible Bongo Rock
Band were white guys There was one person there who was Black He was
King Erickson who was a percussionist
For anybody to say this is not hip hop or that is not hip hop is wrong That is
not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people who were going
to continue this to take anythingby all means necessary and string it along
DJ Kool Hercs
Definition Of Hip Hop
Hip Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica I was born in
jamaica and I was listening to American music in Jamaica My favorite artist
was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played was
by James Brown When I came over here I just put it in the American style
and a perspective for them to dance to it In Jamaica all you needed was a
drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record
was at and prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their
own taste and beat percussion-wise cause my music is all about heavy bass
How Did The early Hip Hop Scene
Of The 70s Kick Off It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discoteques back in the days I had respect from some of the gang members
because they used to go to school with me There were the Savage Skulls
Glory Stompers Blue Diamaonds Black Cats and Black Spades Guys
knew me because I carried myself with respect and I respected them I
respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never tried to use my
charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked and
acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my partyI would hail
my friends that I knew People liked that Id say things likeThere goes my
mellow Coca La Roc in the house There goes my mellow Clark Kent in the
house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in the houseTo my mellow
Ricky D To my mellow Bambaataa People like that sort of
acknowledgement when they heard it from a friend at a party
What were the early rhymes like
Well the rhyming came aboutbecause I liked playing lyrics that were saying
something I figured people would pick it up by me playing those records but
at the same time I would say something myself with a meaninful message to
it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
and this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc and the Sound System and
youre listening to the sounds of what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave
fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
when it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
the high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Who were the first modern day rappers My man Coke La Rock He was the first original members of the Herculoids He
was first known as A-1 Coke and then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy
Tim and there was Clark Kent We called him the Rock
MachineHe was not the same Clark Kent who djs for Dana
Dane An imposter I repeat hes an imposter The real Clark
Kent we called him Bo King and only he knows what that means
There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business
This guy carrying his name I guess he respects Clark Kent
Interview w DJ Kool Herc
1989 New Music Seminar
by Davey D
If there was ever a case of being at the right place at the right time The day I ran into
DJ Kool Herc at the 1989 New Music Seminar was that time It was a controversial yet
electrifying seminar I was attending a panel on Hip-Hop and hanging out with fellow
journalist Harry Allen the Media Assassin Toward the end of the panel Kool Herc walked
into the room yet no one seemed to know understand and to a certain degree care who he
was His name was mentioned and his contributions to Hip-Hop were uttered but he was
clearly not given the proper respects Whoever was moderating the panel didnt really
know or understand who Kool Herc was I hadnt seen him in a long time and was a bit taken
back but I immediately grabbed my tape recorder and seized the moment This was
history This was the Godfather of Hip-Hop This was the man who started it all and here
I was in a room with a bunch of folks who were so caught up in themselves that they
neglected to let this brother drop science Heres the transcript of our interview that
took place in June 1989
Davey D Herc Legend has it that youre the one that started hip-hop How did this come
about
Kool Herc Hip-Hop started when my father brought a PA system and didnt know how to
hook it up I was messing around with the music and I started out by buying a few records
to play at my house When I was doing that I saw a lot of kids playing outside in the
backyard My sister asked me to give a party one day Actually she wanted me to play at a
party [1520 Segdwick Ave] and I went out and got around twenty records that I felt was
good enough and we gave a party and charged about twenty five cents to come in and made
300 dollars
At the time I was into graffiti so there was a lot of curiosity was about who I was And so
when they came there they saw who I was and what I did I fulfilled their expectations on
me Herc could talk and play good music and people didnt mess around in his party The
lsquobabesrsquo [fine women] were there and he [Herc] might call your name on the mic In those
days aint no body know about calling your name on the mic or hearing records back to
back
Davey D Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back what exactly did
you mean by that
Kool Herc I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party That
would keep my head going The homeboys that I played basketball with not the
curiosity seekers not the party goer that come into see or hear me play but friends
that when the partys over is gonna be there Thats who I was calling outpeople like
that Id say things like There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house There
goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in
the house There goes my mellow Ricky D There goes my mellow Bambaataa
People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend
Davey D So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses
rap music today
Kool Herc Well the rhyming well you know I like playing lyrics that was saying something
I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records but at the same time I
would say something myself with a meaningful message to it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc
and the Sound System and youre listening to
is what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
When it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
The high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Davey D Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica
Kool Herc Hip-Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica cause Im West
Indian I was born in Jamaica I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my
favorite artist was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played
were by James Brown When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style
and a drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record was at and
prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their own taste and beat
percussion wise Cause my music is all about heavy bass
Davey D What year did this happen
Kool Herc 1970
Davey D Who were the original Herculoids
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Afrika Bambaataas Definition Of
Hip Hop
Hip Hop means the whole culture of the movement when you
talk about rapRap is part of the hip hop cultureThe
emceeingThe djaying is part of the hip hop culture The dressing
the languages are all part of the hip hop cultureThe break dancing
the b-boys b-girls how you act walk look talk are all part of hip
hop culture and the music is colorless Hip Hop music is made
from Black brown yellow red white whatever music that gives
you the grunt that funk that groove or that beat Its all part of
hip hop
Are artist from the West Coast and Miami
considered Hip Hop Too Short E-40 all the brothers and sisters that are making that
hip hop and coming from the funk part of it are all hip hoppers
The Electro Funk which is that Planet Rock sound which is now
considered the Miami Bass sound is also hip hop The GoGo
sound that you hear from Washington DC is also hip hop New
Jack Swing that Teddy Riley is RampB and hip hop mixed
togetherSo hip hop has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues People also have to recognize from hip hop
musicinparticular the electro funk came House music and
Freestyle music with a lot of our Pueto Rican hip hoppers
The freestyle music really comes from Planet RockIf you look at
all the freestyle records its based upon Planet Rock If you look at
all the Miami Bass records its based upon Planet Rock Its all
based upon electro funk which came from hip hop music
Hip Hop has experimented with a lot of different styles of music
and theres a lot of people who have brought different changes
over time with hip hop which have brought out all these funky
records which everybody just started jumpin on like a catch
phrase For example when Planet Rock came out you had all of
the electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh with the
show and La Di Da Di a lot of rappers went that wayWhen
Eric B came out with I Know U Got Soul all the way up to Run
DMC and Wu-Tang All these people brought changes within hip
hop music Unfortunately today a lot of the people who created
hip hopmeaning the Black and Latinos do not control it no
more
Afrika Bambaataa
Sept 23 1996
Grandmaster Flashs Definition Of Hip
Hop
As one of the pioneers of who was known for his ability to mix music I
mixed anything from Billy Squire to Michael Jackson to Thin Lizzy to Sly
And The Family Stone to Glen Miller to Tschochosky
When I laid this foundation down the key was we could take almost anything
musically just as long as it had a beat to it so that the rhymer who flowed
over the top of it could syncopate For anybody to say that whatever theyre
doing in Florida is not hip hopor whatever theyre saying in LA is not hip
hop Who are these people to say that There were songs that Bambaataa
played that to this day I still dont know They were so funky Some of the
ones I got the priviledge to knowI was suprisedYou take a song like
Apache for example which was considered to be one of the hip hop main
themesThose were a bunch of white guys The Incredible Bongo Rock
Band were white guys There was one person there who was Black He was
King Erickson who was a percussionist
For anybody to say this is not hip hop or that is not hip hop is wrong That is
not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people who were going
to continue this to take anythingby all means necessary and string it along
DJ Kool Hercs
Definition Of Hip Hop
Hip Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica I was born in
jamaica and I was listening to American music in Jamaica My favorite artist
was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played was
by James Brown When I came over here I just put it in the American style
and a perspective for them to dance to it In Jamaica all you needed was a
drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record
was at and prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their
own taste and beat percussion-wise cause my music is all about heavy bass
How Did The early Hip Hop Scene
Of The 70s Kick Off It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discoteques back in the days I had respect from some of the gang members
because they used to go to school with me There were the Savage Skulls
Glory Stompers Blue Diamaonds Black Cats and Black Spades Guys
knew me because I carried myself with respect and I respected them I
respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never tried to use my
charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked and
acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my partyI would hail
my friends that I knew People liked that Id say things likeThere goes my
mellow Coca La Roc in the house There goes my mellow Clark Kent in the
house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in the houseTo my mellow
Ricky D To my mellow Bambaataa People like that sort of
acknowledgement when they heard it from a friend at a party
What were the early rhymes like
Well the rhyming came aboutbecause I liked playing lyrics that were saying
something I figured people would pick it up by me playing those records but
at the same time I would say something myself with a meaninful message to
it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
and this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc and the Sound System and
youre listening to the sounds of what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave
fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
when it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
the high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Who were the first modern day rappers My man Coke La Rock He was the first original members of the Herculoids He
was first known as A-1 Coke and then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy
Tim and there was Clark Kent We called him the Rock
MachineHe was not the same Clark Kent who djs for Dana
Dane An imposter I repeat hes an imposter The real Clark
Kent we called him Bo King and only he knows what that means
There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business
This guy carrying his name I guess he respects Clark Kent
Interview w DJ Kool Herc
1989 New Music Seminar
by Davey D
If there was ever a case of being at the right place at the right time The day I ran into
DJ Kool Herc at the 1989 New Music Seminar was that time It was a controversial yet
electrifying seminar I was attending a panel on Hip-Hop and hanging out with fellow
journalist Harry Allen the Media Assassin Toward the end of the panel Kool Herc walked
into the room yet no one seemed to know understand and to a certain degree care who he
was His name was mentioned and his contributions to Hip-Hop were uttered but he was
clearly not given the proper respects Whoever was moderating the panel didnt really
know or understand who Kool Herc was I hadnt seen him in a long time and was a bit taken
back but I immediately grabbed my tape recorder and seized the moment This was
history This was the Godfather of Hip-Hop This was the man who started it all and here
I was in a room with a bunch of folks who were so caught up in themselves that they
neglected to let this brother drop science Heres the transcript of our interview that
took place in June 1989
Davey D Herc Legend has it that youre the one that started hip-hop How did this come
about
Kool Herc Hip-Hop started when my father brought a PA system and didnt know how to
hook it up I was messing around with the music and I started out by buying a few records
to play at my house When I was doing that I saw a lot of kids playing outside in the
backyard My sister asked me to give a party one day Actually she wanted me to play at a
party [1520 Segdwick Ave] and I went out and got around twenty records that I felt was
good enough and we gave a party and charged about twenty five cents to come in and made
300 dollars
At the time I was into graffiti so there was a lot of curiosity was about who I was And so
when they came there they saw who I was and what I did I fulfilled their expectations on
me Herc could talk and play good music and people didnt mess around in his party The
lsquobabesrsquo [fine women] were there and he [Herc] might call your name on the mic In those
days aint no body know about calling your name on the mic or hearing records back to
back
Davey D Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back what exactly did
you mean by that
Kool Herc I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party That
would keep my head going The homeboys that I played basketball with not the
curiosity seekers not the party goer that come into see or hear me play but friends
that when the partys over is gonna be there Thats who I was calling outpeople like
that Id say things like There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house There
goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in
the house There goes my mellow Ricky D There goes my mellow Bambaataa
People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend
Davey D So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses
rap music today
Kool Herc Well the rhyming well you know I like playing lyrics that was saying something
I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records but at the same time I
would say something myself with a meaningful message to it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc
and the Sound System and youre listening to
is what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
When it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
The high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Davey D Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica
Kool Herc Hip-Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica cause Im West
Indian I was born in Jamaica I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my
favorite artist was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played
were by James Brown When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style
and a drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record was at and
prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their own taste and beat
percussion wise Cause my music is all about heavy bass
Davey D What year did this happen
Kool Herc 1970
Davey D Who were the original Herculoids
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Afrika Bambaataa
Sept 23 1996
Grandmaster Flashs Definition Of Hip
Hop
As one of the pioneers of who was known for his ability to mix music I
mixed anything from Billy Squire to Michael Jackson to Thin Lizzy to Sly
And The Family Stone to Glen Miller to Tschochosky
When I laid this foundation down the key was we could take almost anything
musically just as long as it had a beat to it so that the rhymer who flowed
over the top of it could syncopate For anybody to say that whatever theyre
doing in Florida is not hip hopor whatever theyre saying in LA is not hip
hop Who are these people to say that There were songs that Bambaataa
played that to this day I still dont know They were so funky Some of the
ones I got the priviledge to knowI was suprisedYou take a song like
Apache for example which was considered to be one of the hip hop main
themesThose were a bunch of white guys The Incredible Bongo Rock
Band were white guys There was one person there who was Black He was
King Erickson who was a percussionist
For anybody to say this is not hip hop or that is not hip hop is wrong That is
not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people who were going
to continue this to take anythingby all means necessary and string it along
DJ Kool Hercs
Definition Of Hip Hop
Hip Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica I was born in
jamaica and I was listening to American music in Jamaica My favorite artist
was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played was
by James Brown When I came over here I just put it in the American style
and a perspective for them to dance to it In Jamaica all you needed was a
drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record
was at and prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their
own taste and beat percussion-wise cause my music is all about heavy bass
How Did The early Hip Hop Scene
Of The 70s Kick Off It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discoteques back in the days I had respect from some of the gang members
because they used to go to school with me There were the Savage Skulls
Glory Stompers Blue Diamaonds Black Cats and Black Spades Guys
knew me because I carried myself with respect and I respected them I
respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never tried to use my
charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked and
acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my partyI would hail
my friends that I knew People liked that Id say things likeThere goes my
mellow Coca La Roc in the house There goes my mellow Clark Kent in the
house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in the houseTo my mellow
Ricky D To my mellow Bambaataa People like that sort of
acknowledgement when they heard it from a friend at a party
What were the early rhymes like
Well the rhyming came aboutbecause I liked playing lyrics that were saying
something I figured people would pick it up by me playing those records but
at the same time I would say something myself with a meaninful message to
it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
and this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc and the Sound System and
youre listening to the sounds of what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave
fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
when it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
the high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Who were the first modern day rappers My man Coke La Rock He was the first original members of the Herculoids He
was first known as A-1 Coke and then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy
Tim and there was Clark Kent We called him the Rock
MachineHe was not the same Clark Kent who djs for Dana
Dane An imposter I repeat hes an imposter The real Clark
Kent we called him Bo King and only he knows what that means
There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business
This guy carrying his name I guess he respects Clark Kent
Interview w DJ Kool Herc
1989 New Music Seminar
by Davey D
If there was ever a case of being at the right place at the right time The day I ran into
DJ Kool Herc at the 1989 New Music Seminar was that time It was a controversial yet
electrifying seminar I was attending a panel on Hip-Hop and hanging out with fellow
journalist Harry Allen the Media Assassin Toward the end of the panel Kool Herc walked
into the room yet no one seemed to know understand and to a certain degree care who he
was His name was mentioned and his contributions to Hip-Hop were uttered but he was
clearly not given the proper respects Whoever was moderating the panel didnt really
know or understand who Kool Herc was I hadnt seen him in a long time and was a bit taken
back but I immediately grabbed my tape recorder and seized the moment This was
history This was the Godfather of Hip-Hop This was the man who started it all and here
I was in a room with a bunch of folks who were so caught up in themselves that they
neglected to let this brother drop science Heres the transcript of our interview that
took place in June 1989
Davey D Herc Legend has it that youre the one that started hip-hop How did this come
about
Kool Herc Hip-Hop started when my father brought a PA system and didnt know how to
hook it up I was messing around with the music and I started out by buying a few records
to play at my house When I was doing that I saw a lot of kids playing outside in the
backyard My sister asked me to give a party one day Actually she wanted me to play at a
party [1520 Segdwick Ave] and I went out and got around twenty records that I felt was
good enough and we gave a party and charged about twenty five cents to come in and made
300 dollars
At the time I was into graffiti so there was a lot of curiosity was about who I was And so
when they came there they saw who I was and what I did I fulfilled their expectations on
me Herc could talk and play good music and people didnt mess around in his party The
lsquobabesrsquo [fine women] were there and he [Herc] might call your name on the mic In those
days aint no body know about calling your name on the mic or hearing records back to
back
Davey D Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back what exactly did
you mean by that
Kool Herc I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party That
would keep my head going The homeboys that I played basketball with not the
curiosity seekers not the party goer that come into see or hear me play but friends
that when the partys over is gonna be there Thats who I was calling outpeople like
that Id say things like There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house There
goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in
the house There goes my mellow Ricky D There goes my mellow Bambaataa
People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend
Davey D So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses
rap music today
Kool Herc Well the rhyming well you know I like playing lyrics that was saying something
I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records but at the same time I
would say something myself with a meaningful message to it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc
and the Sound System and youre listening to
is what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
When it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
The high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Davey D Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica
Kool Herc Hip-Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica cause Im West
Indian I was born in Jamaica I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my
favorite artist was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played
were by James Brown When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style
and a drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record was at and
prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their own taste and beat
percussion wise Cause my music is all about heavy bass
Davey D What year did this happen
Kool Herc 1970
Davey D Who were the original Herculoids
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
was at and prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their
own taste and beat percussion-wise cause my music is all about heavy bass
How Did The early Hip Hop Scene
Of The 70s Kick Off It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discoteques back in the days I had respect from some of the gang members
because they used to go to school with me There were the Savage Skulls
Glory Stompers Blue Diamaonds Black Cats and Black Spades Guys
knew me because I carried myself with respect and I respected them I
respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never tried to use my
charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked and
acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my partyI would hail
my friends that I knew People liked that Id say things likeThere goes my
mellow Coca La Roc in the house There goes my mellow Clark Kent in the
house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in the houseTo my mellow
Ricky D To my mellow Bambaataa People like that sort of
acknowledgement when they heard it from a friend at a party
What were the early rhymes like
Well the rhyming came aboutbecause I liked playing lyrics that were saying
something I figured people would pick it up by me playing those records but
at the same time I would say something myself with a meaninful message to
it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
and this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc and the Sound System and
youre listening to the sounds of what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave
fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
when it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
the high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Who were the first modern day rappers My man Coke La Rock He was the first original members of the Herculoids He
was first known as A-1 Coke and then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy
Tim and there was Clark Kent We called him the Rock
MachineHe was not the same Clark Kent who djs for Dana
Dane An imposter I repeat hes an imposter The real Clark
Kent we called him Bo King and only he knows what that means
There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business
This guy carrying his name I guess he respects Clark Kent
Interview w DJ Kool Herc
1989 New Music Seminar
by Davey D
If there was ever a case of being at the right place at the right time The day I ran into
DJ Kool Herc at the 1989 New Music Seminar was that time It was a controversial yet
electrifying seminar I was attending a panel on Hip-Hop and hanging out with fellow
journalist Harry Allen the Media Assassin Toward the end of the panel Kool Herc walked
into the room yet no one seemed to know understand and to a certain degree care who he
was His name was mentioned and his contributions to Hip-Hop were uttered but he was
clearly not given the proper respects Whoever was moderating the panel didnt really
know or understand who Kool Herc was I hadnt seen him in a long time and was a bit taken
back but I immediately grabbed my tape recorder and seized the moment This was
history This was the Godfather of Hip-Hop This was the man who started it all and here
I was in a room with a bunch of folks who were so caught up in themselves that they
neglected to let this brother drop science Heres the transcript of our interview that
took place in June 1989
Davey D Herc Legend has it that youre the one that started hip-hop How did this come
about
Kool Herc Hip-Hop started when my father brought a PA system and didnt know how to
hook it up I was messing around with the music and I started out by buying a few records
to play at my house When I was doing that I saw a lot of kids playing outside in the
backyard My sister asked me to give a party one day Actually she wanted me to play at a
party [1520 Segdwick Ave] and I went out and got around twenty records that I felt was
good enough and we gave a party and charged about twenty five cents to come in and made
300 dollars
At the time I was into graffiti so there was a lot of curiosity was about who I was And so
when they came there they saw who I was and what I did I fulfilled their expectations on
me Herc could talk and play good music and people didnt mess around in his party The
lsquobabesrsquo [fine women] were there and he [Herc] might call your name on the mic In those
days aint no body know about calling your name on the mic or hearing records back to
back
Davey D Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back what exactly did
you mean by that
Kool Herc I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party That
would keep my head going The homeboys that I played basketball with not the
curiosity seekers not the party goer that come into see or hear me play but friends
that when the partys over is gonna be there Thats who I was calling outpeople like
that Id say things like There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house There
goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in
the house There goes my mellow Ricky D There goes my mellow Bambaataa
People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend
Davey D So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses
rap music today
Kool Herc Well the rhyming well you know I like playing lyrics that was saying something
I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records but at the same time I
would say something myself with a meaningful message to it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc
and the Sound System and youre listening to
is what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
When it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
The high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Davey D Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica
Kool Herc Hip-Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica cause Im West
Indian I was born in Jamaica I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my
favorite artist was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played
were by James Brown When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style
and a drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record was at and
prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their own taste and beat
percussion wise Cause my music is all about heavy bass
Davey D What year did this happen
Kool Herc 1970
Davey D Who were the original Herculoids
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business
This guy carrying his name I guess he respects Clark Kent
Interview w DJ Kool Herc
1989 New Music Seminar
by Davey D
If there was ever a case of being at the right place at the right time The day I ran into
DJ Kool Herc at the 1989 New Music Seminar was that time It was a controversial yet
electrifying seminar I was attending a panel on Hip-Hop and hanging out with fellow
journalist Harry Allen the Media Assassin Toward the end of the panel Kool Herc walked
into the room yet no one seemed to know understand and to a certain degree care who he
was His name was mentioned and his contributions to Hip-Hop were uttered but he was
clearly not given the proper respects Whoever was moderating the panel didnt really
know or understand who Kool Herc was I hadnt seen him in a long time and was a bit taken
back but I immediately grabbed my tape recorder and seized the moment This was
history This was the Godfather of Hip-Hop This was the man who started it all and here
I was in a room with a bunch of folks who were so caught up in themselves that they
neglected to let this brother drop science Heres the transcript of our interview that
took place in June 1989
Davey D Herc Legend has it that youre the one that started hip-hop How did this come
about
Kool Herc Hip-Hop started when my father brought a PA system and didnt know how to
hook it up I was messing around with the music and I started out by buying a few records
to play at my house When I was doing that I saw a lot of kids playing outside in the
backyard My sister asked me to give a party one day Actually she wanted me to play at a
party [1520 Segdwick Ave] and I went out and got around twenty records that I felt was
good enough and we gave a party and charged about twenty five cents to come in and made
300 dollars
At the time I was into graffiti so there was a lot of curiosity was about who I was And so
when they came there they saw who I was and what I did I fulfilled their expectations on
me Herc could talk and play good music and people didnt mess around in his party The
lsquobabesrsquo [fine women] were there and he [Herc] might call your name on the mic In those
days aint no body know about calling your name on the mic or hearing records back to
back
Davey D Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back what exactly did
you mean by that
Kool Herc I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party That
would keep my head going The homeboys that I played basketball with not the
curiosity seekers not the party goer that come into see or hear me play but friends
that when the partys over is gonna be there Thats who I was calling outpeople like
that Id say things like There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house There
goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in
the house There goes my mellow Ricky D There goes my mellow Bambaataa
People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend
Davey D So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses
rap music today
Kool Herc Well the rhyming well you know I like playing lyrics that was saying something
I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records but at the same time I
would say something myself with a meaningful message to it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc
and the Sound System and youre listening to
is what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
When it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
The high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Davey D Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica
Kool Herc Hip-Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica cause Im West
Indian I was born in Jamaica I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my
favorite artist was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played
were by James Brown When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style
and a drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record was at and
prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their own taste and beat
percussion wise Cause my music is all about heavy bass
Davey D What year did this happen
Kool Herc 1970
Davey D Who were the original Herculoids
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Davey D Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back what exactly did
you mean by that
Kool Herc I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party That
would keep my head going The homeboys that I played basketball with not the
curiosity seekers not the party goer that come into see or hear me play but friends
that when the partys over is gonna be there Thats who I was calling outpeople like
that Id say things like There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house There
goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in
the house There goes my mellow Ricky D There goes my mellow Bambaataa
People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend
Davey D So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses
rap music today
Kool Herc Well the rhyming well you know I like playing lyrics that was saying something
I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records but at the same time I
would say something myself with a meaningful message to it I would say things like
Ya rock and ya dont stop
And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc
and the Sound System and youre listening to
is what we call the Herculoids
He was born in an orphanage
he fought like a slave fuckin up faggots all the Herculoids played
When it come to push come to shove
the Herculoids wont budge
The bass is so low you cant get under it
The high is so high you cant get over it
So in other words be with it
Davey D Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica
Kool Herc Hip-Hop the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica cause Im West
Indian I was born in Jamaica I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my
favorite artist was James Brown Thats who inspired me A lot of the records I played
were by James Brown When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style
and a drum and bass So what I did here was go right to the yoke I cut off all
anticipation and played the beats Id find out where the break in the record was at and
prolong it and people would love it So I was giving them their own taste and beat
percussion wise Cause my music is all about heavy bass
Davey D What year did this happen
Kool Herc 1970
Davey D Who were the original Herculoids
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Kool Herc My man Coke La Rock He was the first A-1 Coke Then he was Nasty Coke and
finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark
Kent We called him the rock machine
Davey D Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane
Kool Herc No No Impostor I repeat hes an impostor The real Clark Kent was
called Bo King and he knows what that means There was only one original Clark Kent in
the music business This other guy is carrying his name I guess he respects Clark
Kent
Davey D How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop
Kool Herc It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known
discotheques back in the days I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they
used to go to school with me There was the Savage Skulls Glory Stompers Blue
Diamond Black Cats Black Spades Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect
and I respected them I respected everybody I gave the women their respect I never
tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that I played what they liked
and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party I never gave a party
without the public asking me when is the next party If I went to the East side it would be
Hey Herc whens the next party On the west side itd be Whens the next party So
when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges thats when Id give the next party I
never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next
one cause they telling me they like it and thats what kept me going I was the peoples
choice I was their investment They made me who I am and I never fronted on them No
matter how big my name got I was always in the neighborhood They could see and touch
me The people have a way of showing they want or dont want you Right now they want me
to get out
Davey D Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the
big million-dollar industry that it is today
Kool Herc No Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own
culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into Nobody knew A lot of
people knocked it but I stuck with it I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a
discrepancy at a party They didnt know Right now they know its out and the people are
saying Hey you should get something for being out there Herc You started this for Run
and Kurtis Blow It started here They came to my parties They heard what I played
They went out there and put other things to it Hey its only right when anything gets
created theres gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it I like it But
when they ask the question of where it comes from It started here
Davey D Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to
stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx How come Kool Herc never put
out a record How come Kool Herc wasnt out there in the limelight
Kool Herc The thing is I carried hip-hop I dominated this in the 70rsquos Then the whole
volcano erupted around this with Rappers Delight with Big Bank Hank Hank knew me
personally He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle When he had the impact of
bringing it to the public knowing it was the real deal They didnt know who he was Right
around there I got hurt I got stabbed
Davey D Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit
Kool Herc No I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up It killed the juice in me
When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for
weeks you got time to think I kept visible I was about my own thing I rented the space
I spun the music and I promoted the place I didnt have too many people around me with
more motivation to help It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it
was going And where ever rap is going Im gonna be there Theres always gonna be a part
there for me Dont let me forget I didnt want to be in it like that A lot of them
pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasnt getting paid I didnt want to
get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me
about that perspective of letting me be my own man Let me run whatever part Im
supposed to run and have authority Dont let me be like some sort of puppet I wasnt
with that
Davey D Youve followed rap over the years What do you think about the changes
Kool Herc I wanted rap to always be a positive beautiful music I wanted it to be
political I want it to stay that way We got kings queens and jokers There was some
women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick but she gotta understand that hes like
a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that
Its not like hersquos gonna go to play in front of the youngsters The radio is not supposed to
give a lot of air time to records like that Thats the peoples choice Thatll spread like
wild fire through word of mouth It dont need no airtime
Davey D Back in the days you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with
Flash and other rivalries Did you get along with everybody and what about all these
stories
Kool Herc I got along with everybody cause I
gave respect A lot of things happened at certain
guys parties that I didnt tolerate People always
like to put things into it For example they were
always trying to put Bam against me What they
didnt know was that me and Bam had already met
I told him the public had this idea and that there
were all types of scrutiny but this is me I
respected Bam from the day I went to a party and
rode into Bronx River I met Bam and was talking
to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of
music When I first came to the neighborhood and
I was waiting for the person I was supposed to
meet I didnt go to his house But I rode back to
Bronx River one summer and Bam had his
equipment set up and was playing music and I knew
in a way who inspired him And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
or for my fans He had his own style and I loved that He had records I never heard
before Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that I didnt want to
hear the lsquosame ole same olersquo
Back then crews were gangs Get that straight Crew was another name for gang So
therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu
Nation) and the Casanovas So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs
That tension was already there
Davey D Are you gonna be making a comeback
Kool Herc I was never away I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear
could give a hand to As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it And
thats all Ive been hearing what moved the crowd already A lot of music Ive already
heard or Ive played already Ive come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some
connections This is really a move out I never left New York and I want to see how Hip-
Hop effects other states and the world by my own eyes You see Im a freestyle DJ I like
to play something that the radio should be playing that theyre not playing Thats where
my music always comes from Id like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the
road and play during the intermission of these groups shows
Davey D Any last words
Kool Herc Well no matter what rumors youve heard Im still built like a twenty
fiveforty five frame I still weigh 230 pounds and Im in love with a beautiful young lady
from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon
c 1989
Interview w
Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hops Innovator
by Davey D- Sept 96
One of Hip Hops foremost pioneers is
Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash
Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ
should be and headed one of Hip Hops
best and most enduring groups The
Furious Four which later became The
Furious Five Flash put his superstar crew
together in 1976 They eventually went on
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
to record some of Hip Hops biggest hits including White Lines The
Message and Scorpio to name a few However long before records came out
GM Flash was Hip Hops most popular act Going to a Flash party was an event
Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time
Both him and his grouprsquos showmanship are unequaled to this day
Theres not enough that can be written about Flashs accomplishments He
invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching
and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for todays Hip Hop DJs
He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading
cue He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat
box This interview took place several days after 2Pacs death in September
of 1996
Davey D For people who arent familiar tell us what was Grandmaster Flashs
legacy in Hip Hop What were you best known for within the early days of Hip
Hop
GM Flash As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer I was known
for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it I called it the quick
mix theory It consisted of backspinning the double back cutting and
scratching I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the
turntables I would do 360 turns cutting with my elbows my mouth and crazy
stuff like that
Davey D Not only were you the DJ but you had some of the fiercest emcees
in the business Could you tell us the original members of your crew A lot of
people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five but I remember
when you started off with just one then it became three and then for a long
time it was GMF and the
Furious Four Break this down
for us
GM Flash The first member
was who I called The crowd
pleaser was Cowboy The
second one who was recruited
was Kid Creole The third
member who was recruited was
Kid Creoles brother who was
known as Melle-Mel The
fourth member recruited was Mr Ness who later became known as Scorpio
The final person was Raheim I also had my assistant Disco B
Davey D What ever happened to Disco B
GM Flash Disco B still rolls with me now Hes still doing his thing He does
clubs in different places He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my
craft
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Davey D What have been some of the positive changes youve seen over the
years within Hip Hop What are some of the changes youve seen that you
dont like
GM Flash What Ive found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from
any other genre of music recreate it reform it rearrange it and put poetry
over the top of it Thats Hip Hop That was a positive thing for it Now as for
what I dont like Ill try to explain this real carefully Me Bambaataa and Kool
Herc planted this seed This seed was a seed to a tree This tree had a massive
trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves The leaves symbolize different
subject matter that we can speak on If you think about the history of Hip Hop
weve had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something
as cool as sneakers There was a time when all these various subject matters
were utilized But what has happened we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing
this tree At this point in time I just feel that this tree is leaning By that I
mean I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree when this
particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things
Davey D Why do you think this has happened
GM Flash I think the music business plays a big part Lets say have two
record companys which Ill call Company Left and Company Right Lets say
Company Left has an artist with a hit record Company Right would rather come
up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the
creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable If
you think about my era to throughout the 80rsquos you had anybody from Eric B amp
Rakim whos subject matter was totally different from Chuck D whos subject
matter was totally different from LLs whos subject matter was totally
different from KRS-One We were basically bombing the airwaves and the
record companies could not figure out how and why What has happened is that
to some degree they have taken an attitude where they dont listen to demos
of diverse subject matters Theyre looking for demos like the record the guy
on the left just did Hip Hop has become real constrained The creative juices
and creative flows have been diminished
Davey D Now this is very different from the days when you first came out
because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as
possible
GM Flash Exactly especially when youre talking about a music where you can
do just about anything We can talk about just about anything lyrically We can
even sing off key but if its produced properly it can be a hit What has
happened is that theres just too much of one particular subject matter being
talked about Classical RampB and Blues are constrained They have a bridge
They have a chorus They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of
key With Hip Hop thats not the case
Davey D When is something not Hip Hop I run into people who will listen to a
group like the 2 Live Crew and say Thats not Hip Hop or they would hear
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
someone who has an RampB beat in the background and theyll say Thats not Hip
Hop The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined There are a lot
of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop
Theyll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop Now coming from one of the
people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music
GM Flash Let me just say this and I want to be real
clear As being one of the pioneers who was known for the
ability to mix music I mixed anything from Billy Squire
Michael Jackson to Beethoven When I laid this
foundation down the key was being able to take almost
anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it so
that the rhymer can syncopate to it So what Im trying
to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that
whatever theyre doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or
whatever theyre doing in LA is not Hip Hop who are
these people to say that
There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had
the privilege of getting to know what they were I was surprised You take a
song like Apache which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop The guys
who did were The Incredible Bongo Band They were a bunch of white guys
There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson He
was a percussionist For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and thats not
Hip Hop that is not the way the formula was laid down It was for the people
who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along
Davey D Do you the media has given Hip Hop its due Have we in the Hip Hop
media treated it correctly Have we defined it correctly I mean there are a
lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then
the ones you Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years You have guys
who get on radio who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own
misleading definitions but because they have access to the airwaves theyre
able to make those definitions stick Do you think this sort of activity has led
to Hip Hop becoming stagnant
GM Flash I think whats happening here is theres a group or maybe one
person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to
get the kids to do now The definition just keeps changing It keeps changing
even though there was already a floor plan All the newer artists had to do was
build upon the floor plan The definition has already been set and that is
unlimited subject matters unlimited music genres This was already set in
the early 70rsquos All that had to happen now was people build upon it So if a
person has an RampB track in the background and hes rhyming over the top of it
its Hip Hop If its a techno track and hes rhyming over the top of it its Hip
Hop Its even to the point where now that RampB needs major assistance from
our genre That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative
of the musical aspect of Hip Hop The definitions have already been laid For us
to keep claiming this isnt Hip Hop and that isnt Hip Hop doesnt make
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
sense to me
When we were going into the studios my point of
view of course would differ from Heavy Ds point
of view It would differ from Snoop Doggs point of
view or it would differ from LLrsquos or any other artist
Of course we would differ but thats the beauty of
Hip Hop We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down We
should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other Were all responsible to
continue the growth of Hip Hop You have to remember that after a while when
your career is over theres a child thats looking at you that wants to do the
same thing that youre doing so why not give him all the avenues Give him all
the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues We have
enough black eyes coming from people who dont like Hip Hop So for us who do
love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other
Davey D Hip Hop and violence how do you see it
GM Flash Hip Hop has always been a dynamo Its the only genre of music
where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible
That has been the objective Thats why Hip Hop works so well with an
audience Now the violence mixed in between I personally feel that the
business aspects have played a role Meaning that you have some people in the
music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside
and plant a negative seed They will encourage artist to do something just
because the guy across town is doing it He will tell an artist to escalate it to
another level They would set the stage
Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line
is we dont own anything We are offspring to a record label owner So what the
owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy
but as long as its selling records they dont care We have to take
responsibility to say hold up wait a minute this thing has gone to far
Theres gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music Its with
Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres When it comes to the point that there is a
tragedy over it that scares me That scares me because all the owners will do is
find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough We gotta
stop fighting amongst each other I think the only rift should be when take it
the stage and try to out perform each other
Davey D There were some legendary battles that you and your crew
participated in name some of those battles
GM Flash Before I was a recording artist I didnt look at things as battles
For example me and Bambaataa might play in the same room Me and Kool Herc
might play in the same room Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same
room Now the audience mightve look at that as a battle which was fine but
our true battles didnt come until we started touring
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Davey D I heard you guys used to battle against bands
like the Barkays and Lakeside
GM Flash This is what Im trying to tell you For
example I didnt take the word battle seriously until we
started making records When we started making records
we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check All we would bring was
our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to
us like Oh you guys must be here for intermission music We would hear this
sort of stuff from these big time groups I wont name no names but they know
who they are When they read this interview theyll know who they are We
would take that as a slap in the face We would find out when we went on stage
and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop which was to drain the
audience We would get them to clap their hands and say Horsquo As we were
leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and
say Good Luck We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a
tired worn out audience Thats when the battle was on I had love for
Breakout I had love for Bambaataa I had love for Kool Herc
Davey D I know you dont call it a battle but a lot of us did and if there was
one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The
Fantastic Romantic Five
GM Flash Ok let me put that into perspective Before I had fully put my
group together I was down with another group called the L Brothers It was
Gene Livingston Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother
named Theodore Livingston Now when I was creating this formula not
everyone truly understood what I was trying to do What I would notice was
this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene
Livingstons house Now his little brother would watch me but Gene would say
Whatever you do Do not let my little brother touch the turntables When
Gene used to go to work I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him
He had been watching me all the time What I would do is put a milk crate
under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate
what I did We kept it a secret for a long time me and Theodore
One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother
and I said Gene your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if
we let him get on the turntables For a long time Gene would resist because he
couldnt catch what I was doing on the turntables Finally he said ok and I
brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table I pulled out the
turntables I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard
Theodore He did his thing and the crowd went nuts He was a little kid and
could hardly reach the tables It put a damper on his older brother because he
couldnt catch the tricks So it was a rivalry from there I broke off from the
L Brothers and created my own situation I have love for Theodore because he
was there I have love for Gene I have love for all these people because they
were there The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we
played a room but all he doing was what I did
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Davey D Where do you see Hip Hop going
GM Flash Im a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to
someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do as far
as 2Pac dying No one had a right to have done that I know he has done things
to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable but for him to die thats
not good at all Where is Hip Hop going Im hoping that this tragedy will help
us to see we cant fight amongst each other because were gonna burn it out if
we dont Stop fighting Right now I couldnt tell you where Hip Hop is going
Theres gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and
were gonna talk about it Were gonna figure out how to put a stop on the
violence
Davey D Last question people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself
have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like
the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke What
advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could
avoid the same mistakes
GM Flash Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow You are
not writing for the record company Youre writing for the public The public
makes you who you are Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless
you are assisted by family and lawyer This thing that was a dream at one time
is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight
c 1996
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Interview w
Afrika Bambaataa
Hip Hops Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept 96
Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of
gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika
Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation
Heres a guy who came out of New Yorks
ruthless gang culture and succeeded in
creating something positive when there was
so much negativity around He took former
gang members put them under one umbrella
initially called the Organization and later
Zulu Nation He was the one who attempted
to bridge the generation gap between a
resistant older Black community and its
innovative young He along with DJ Kool
Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the
local neighborhood thugs
Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection
and his willingness to expand Hip Hops musical boundaries He was the first
deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it
over a Hip Hop break beat He was creative enough to take the Theme to the
Pink Panther and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats Bam was the first to really
take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlems Black and
Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural He was the first to take
Hip Hop downtown to New Yorks trendy Village district He was also the first
to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see
what Hip Hop culture was really all about
Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop
when he dropped his uptempo landmark record lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo in 1982 True to his
moniker lsquoMaster of Recordsrsquo Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German
dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song lsquoTrans-Europe Expressrsquo Hes the
one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music in particular the funk from
being compromised diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco Before
folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era Bam was a full
fledged Funkateer Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for
James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop Bam
was making records with him
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread
the word about this new style of music and
culture thus making him Hip Hops first
Ambassador This is the same Bambaataa-The
Grandfather of Hip Hop who recently came to
the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999]
to perform at a club with less then 100 people
It was sad to see the man who did so much for
this culture wasnrsquot given the respect from one
major radio or video outlet that now makes a
living peddling Hip Hop culture They didnrsquot bother to seek him out and grant
him an interview No one bothered to build directly from his experience
expertise and wisdom This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the
blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todayrsquos Hip
Hopper heshe will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say Hes
Old School
Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times This particular
day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts He
was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast
rappers At the time of this interview [September lsquo96] things were kind of
hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence
Davey D How did you get involved with Hip-Hop
A Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers
Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash Kool Herc came to the shores of
America from the island of Jamaica in 1969 He started jamming these
slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats I knew that as a DJ from
1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound I brought out all these
other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records It was for
this reason I am called the Master of Records
Davey D A lot of people dont realize your reputation Back in the days you use
to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from
different sources of music You definitely earned that title When we talk
about Hip-Hop how would you define it Is it just one type of music Is it a way
that you present it Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things
A Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement When you talk
about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture That
means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture The Deejaying is part of
the Hip-Hop culture The dressing the languages are all part of the Hip Hop
culture So is the break dancing the b-boys and b-girls How you act walk look
and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture And the music is colorless Hip Hop music
is made from Black brown yellow red and white Its from whatever music
that gives that grunt that funk that groove that beat Thats all part of Hip
Hop
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Davey D So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop I ask that cause
you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is
not real Hip Hop Is that a false definition
A Bambaataa Yes thats a false definition
Too Short E-40 and all the brothers and
sisters thats making Hip Hop and coming from
the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop The
electro-funk which is that lsquoPlanet Rockrsquo sound
which is led to the Miami Bass sound is also
Hip Hop The GoGo sound that you hear from
Washington DC is also Hip Hop The New Jack
Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is
RampB and Hip Hop mixed together So Hip Hop
has progressed into different sounds and
different avenues Also people have got to
recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth
of House music and Freestyle dance music
that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans
Davey D Now can you repeat that again I keep telling people all the time that
Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop I keep telling people
that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers I keep
telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from
songs like Apache and developed freestyle
A Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from Planet Rock If you listen
to all the freestyle records youll hear that they are based on Planet Rock All
the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock So freestyle came from
Electro Funk which as you know came from Hip Hop
Davey D How has Hip Hop changed over the years What do you like about it
What do you think is hurting it What do you think we need to do to take things
to the next level
A Bambaataa The thing thats good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented
with a lot of different sounds and music Theres a lot of people over time who
have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping
on like a catch phrase When Planet Rock came out then you had all of the
electro funk records When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick
like La Di Da Di you had all the people going in that direction When Eric B
and Rakim came out with I Know You Got Soul and all the way up to Run DMC
all the way to Wu-TangAll these people gave little changes that effected Hip
Hop music The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the
people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more A
lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils Now we
act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but theres actually
censorship in Hip Hop
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Davey D What exactly do you mean by that
A Bambaataa Well a lot of people within government and big business are
nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists because they speak their minds They
talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know They reflect
whats around them That means if you see drugs in your area your gonna come
straight with it If you see something is going wrong within politics and the
world today then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with
it If they think that theres a lot of racism going on then theres another Hip
Hop artist whos gonna come out and speak their mind A lot of people fear this
So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner
Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah They came
down on the Zulu Nation They came down on Public Enemy They came down on
NWA and The Geto Boys All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded
freedom of expression But now you see censorship going on
Ice T made a record called Cop Killer which was really a heavy metal record
done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T
and said it was rap
Davey D How are you seeing this censorship coming about
A Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack Its
not just Hip Hop but Black people Latino people and all people are under attack
for different things Were attacked within Hip Hop music Were attack
within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and supe
you uprsquo [tell you lies] Were attacked within our bodies and health They attack
our natural food source so that itrsquos hard for people who want to get into
holistic herbs or natural healing Since the pharmaceuticals dont make any
money and they control the doctors If the doctors dont make any money then
all hell breaks loose In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot
of the youth for a test sight By that I mean they are flooding the
communities with drugs We are under attack in all fields of our life
Davey D Today theres a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know
youre going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement
Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to
accomplish
A Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in
New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk
about this East West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur
We want to give him a memorial
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness thats going on between
the East and West We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal Hip Hop
is not East coast or West coast Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the
South of America as well as all around the world Its in different countries
from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands Its now a
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
universal thing Its what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or
white thing Or it can speak to all people on the planet Thats what this day of
atonement is about-to bring our people together
We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and lets get an
understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from There are others
who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and
keeping things built up in the media Theyre keeping friction going between
people from the East and the West One thing we all got in common is your
color which is Black and Latino which is our family
Davey D Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence
A Bambaataa Well the continuation with violence is America itself They tell
you youre not supposed to have guns or youre not supposed to have knives yet
they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies They allow us
to have guns and weapons in our videos They allow us to disrespect our Black
woman A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be
carried out in the streets Thats like when they tell you after you buy your
VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies But here they
come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies Life in the
American system is just crazy and wild out There are certain things that
they say you cant do there are all these secret people behind the scenes who
make things available for you to do Thats why you have so much crime and
violence
Black people didnt come up with the first drive by shooting A lot of this was
taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called real
gangsters like Al Capone All this is played in your subconscious mind There are
people who think less of themselves and dont know their real self and they
tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of
these movies
Davey D Any last wordsWhere do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple
of years
A Bambaataa If we do not sit down meaning our people as a whole and unite
and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize I can
definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger
I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other Sooner or later we
need to wake up and know whatrsquos going on We need to do what brother Malcolm
X The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Minister Farrakhan and many others had
suggested--read books You better know whats going on with this New World
Order cause theres something serious going down and believe me all of yall
thats out there with all this foolishness They got a lot of big concentration
camps (prisons) just waiting for you So get ready for the new age and the next
Millennium In the year 2000 The New World Order
c 1996
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Entrevista Mele-Mel
JayQuan Peace thanks for taking the time to talk to me its an honor I think youre the greatest Emcee
Melle Mel Thanksits all good
JQ Most cats credit either you Cowboy (RIP) Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emceewho inspired you
MM Kool Herc Coke La Rock Timmy Tim and Clark Kent
JQ What year did you start Emceeing
MM 1977
JQ Who are the first members of Furious 5
MM Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash Then me amp my brother ( Creole ) joined We were called the 3 Emcees
JQ How did the record We Rap More Mellow come about and why were you called the Younger Generation
MM Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge We didnt sign contracts or anythinghe just threw the name Younger Generation on it
JQ How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson amp Enjoy Records come about
MM Bobby owned a Record store in Harlemhe is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
him about us and the Funky 4
JQ Who wrote your routines and did you ever write ryhmes for each other
MM We all wrote routines together We wrote our own ryhmes I did do some writing for Cowboy
JQ Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep
MM Not reallythey just used the same break that we did In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record
JQ Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews
MM We battled Breakout amp Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 In fact thats how we got Rahiem from that battle with Funky 4he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4
JQ I noticed that on Super Rappin in 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verseor was that verse added later
MM The verse was added laterit just fit the song so we put it in
JQ Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups
MM Flash wanted to go to court for royaltiesI didnt want toI felt that it would be long amp drawn out and im a recording artist not a lawyer - I said lets make records Originally everyone
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
went with Flash then after White Lines came out Scorp amp Cowboy came back with me
JQ Did you know the new members of Flashes clique and what did you think of them
MM I had seen them before but I didnt personally know themthey were ok kinda corny I thought
JQ What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label
MM Freedom
JQ I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group membersis that so
MM Yeahit just came from our days B Boyin togetherwe just vibed
JQ I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought and because they rapped over stripped down beats like what you did in the parks and clubs Do you agree
MM Yeswhile we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in It was the right time for themthey came right in time for Mtv and that crowdwe missed all that Sugarhill wasnt into doing videos They were a company from the 60s and they were still operating like MotownThey were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs After our split neither faction was the same Even after we got back together it wasnt the same
JQ Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
MM Nowe werent really after street credibility at that point We were starswe were doing shows all over Peppermint loungeeverywhere Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk right up there with the Ramones the Clash amp Mick Jagger we werent treated any less than them Whitelines was a dance recordput any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response All we cared about was love from the Bronxand as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like look at them Niggas go
JQ How did the Zulu Kings come about
MM That was Afrika Islams thingjust a crew he put togetherIt was me Bronx Style Bob Ice T amp Caz
JQ You have done work with Bill Laswell Material amp the Last Poetshow did that come about
MM I dont remember how I met Bill but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working and it was good to work with the Last Poets those cats were doing an early version of rap I have done stuff with Bootsy amp Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic
JQ How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about
MM Harry Belafonte came to ushe was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time
JQ You have worked with Chaka Khan Rebbie Jackson amp Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them
MM Reggie Griffin was a
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced I Feel For You He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys - Thats where I met Quincy Jones He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff tooI did Back On The Block and Qs Juke Joint with him I also wrote a chapter in his book
JQ How did the Furious 5 reunite for On The Strength
MM Well Flash was already on Elektra and the label felt that his records werent doing well They suggested that we reunite The record just didnt take off
JQ I thought that it was a good albumwas it politics that killed it
MM Yes the material was good but the project was doomed from the startthe manager was trying to manage the group from prisonit was a mess
JQ What about the Piano Lpit was on one of Sylvias labeldid you sign with her again
MM It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign that project fell apart too The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songsI had to finish the rest myself to try to salvage the project
JQ Im gonna name some Emcees rate them from 1 - 10 10 being the best
Caz - 10
Rakim - 9
T La Rock - 7
Moe Dee - 10
LL Cool J - 7
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Lil Rodney C - 6
Nas - 8
Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased cuz he is my brother but he is a dime to me )
Rahiem - 10
Scorpio - 8
Cowboy - 10
Run - 7
Chuck D - 8
DLB (Fearless 4)- 7
Busy Bee - 5 (laughsthats my Nigga I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical )
Jay Z - 9
Ice Cube - 95
Ice T - 8
GLOBE - 8
Big Daddy Kane - 9
Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo - eleven)
Mc Shan - 8
KRSOne - 8
Biggie - 10
Tupac - 9
Guru - 8
JQ Ahhhhyou feel Kool G Rap too
MM He is sickdid you hear the Roots Of Evil cd
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
JQ YesI have all his albumsG Rap is the truth What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap
MM Let me tell you somethingthugs and killers dont make records If you got on the mic back in the days with all that im a thug shit the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up None of these Niggas are that hard no one is that hard I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the micyou might have been like who is thatit was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name People thought that we were down with the Casanovaswe were scared of the Casanovas
JQ I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday but they show videos by Biggieyoung people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era not to mention the true school What are your feelings on that
MM Its a smack in the face to even call it old school They just throw Run and them in there with us then they just label it all old school Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane its not fair to them or us If its old they just lump it all together the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 Herculords and Bam amp the Zulus Those were the first established groups After that is Cold Crush Fantastic 5 Busy Bee Funky 4 Spoonie Gee Treacherous 3 Kurtis Blow Luv Bug Starski Fearless 4 and
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
a couple other groups
JQ On the song Scorpio who does the computer voice
MM Me
JQ Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible
MM Its not a question of whether we could get together or not I just dont think that we could get a deal The record company people just dont see a market for us
JQ I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonderwhat made you talk about clones not being a slave to computers and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984
MM Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anythingI just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees
JQ Well I would say that you are deepwhat is Melle Mel doing today
MM I just did a Lp with Rondoour group is called Die Hardthe cd is called On Lock I have some more projects coming also
JQ Peacethanks for your time
copy 2002 JayQuan Dot Com
As told to JayQuan 2 15 02 No part may be copied without authors permission
Special thanks to Rondo amp Kurtis Blow
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies the host or
announcer To us the guys on the street it meant the guy on the mic Not singing just
talking on the mic Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its
initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be In order to fully understand
the role of the MC in hip-hop culture we must examine the origin of the MC Today the
MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry But how did the
role of the MC come about We will have to go back way back Lets call it 1974 - BR
(before rap) When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy
DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young
eager hip-hoppers It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a
lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would
use their catchy phrases The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be
announced The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music The MC was there
to put a little extra on it The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ
and big up the crew
By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew Crews started to pop up like
toast There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs A better description would be
that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game Some were crate-
carrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls Whatever the motivation the
game was on As the number of MCs continued to increase competition rose Just as the
DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence turning their hobby into an art
form so began the MC craft
When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone you are the voice of the
group There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are The game
was to be the best Some MCs were naturally talented like some people are born to sing
Other MCs studied practiced and persevered Another group of MCs were ham
sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams But like it or not
the field was full and the streets were the prize
MCs came in all shapes and sizes There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ) groups
(two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4 Lisa Lee Cosmic
Forces Lil Lee and Cool DJ AJ) It was no longer enough to be the man in your own
hood This was the big time and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo
Theatre in Harlem New York Talk about a tough crowd It was the job of the MC to act
as ambassadors bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and
boroughs It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good
hip-hop no matter where it came from Many crews tried to conquer new territory Many
were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature Only the cream rose to
the top
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was Some were
writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious One MC in particular
was primarily a crowd rocker He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners
have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop He is the hip-hop
master of audience call and response
Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals Grandmaster
Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition
of Scorpio and Rahiem respectively) DJ Breakout Baron and The Funky Four + 1
More The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore Mean Gene Cordio and the
Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock thus The Fantastic Five)
Charlie Chase Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly)
Soon the role of the MC catapulted to the next level The MC was now a showman the
leader of a unit a team The MCs role as an artist grew as a result of the recording
industrys interest in the hip-hop forum Not only was the MC the new cultural icon but
the pillars upon which the rap industry was built The MC represented hip-hop in every
way MCs represented through their rhyming skills their style of dress their walk and
their attitude While the DJ was delegated to background status the MC came forward
and became the man The MCs became writers composers and arrangers The DJs
became producers
Prior to the industrys involvement competition on the street was fierce There was no
love lost between rival MC camps The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the
official rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 With their DJ marquee
tight routines and flashy leather outfits they set the standards for all MC groups Their
leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time Melle Mel When they made the
transition from tri-state (NY NJ CT) shows to touring with established artists the
battle was on for the number one status in New York So began one of if not the fiercest
rivalries in hip hop history the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5 The two
Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era
July 4 1981 at the Harlem World Disco Cold Crush Brothers vs The Fantastic Five
The Cold Crush Brothers went on first wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and
brims along with prop machine guns The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white
tuxedos to the squeal of female fans The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5
prevailed However the standards were set Battles like this and MC conventions became
the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews
Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am
sure you know The Fantastic 5 with DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar
with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee But ladies and gentlemen
there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush Cold Crush Brothers 1980
By the 1980s the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the
art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements no long hair elaborate
routines flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns The arrival and wild success of Run-
DMC made everyone want to become an MC It was not hard anymore because beats and
rhymes became a simple formula All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
So where are MCs today Look around chances are you are listening to and watching them
every day You are watching them in music videos perhaps wearing their new line of
sportswear or clothing endorsed by them Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on
television or even a motion picture starring an MC Maybe you have attended one of their
sold out concerts or have seen one in a commercial One way or another people all over
the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society At the core of all
the excitementhellip the MC At a closer look the role of the MC has not changed much They
are still inventive informative and entertaining
I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released
several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo Japan for a promotional tour We made
several appearances and performed on radio and TV We were there for three weeks By
the time we left the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming
DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves Some even tried short
rhymes in English and in their native tongue Japanese
Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop This role increased as hip-hop grew
out of the neighborhood into the mainstream The MCs role was to introduce the hip-hop
culture to the world Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide the role of the MC today is
to grow the art form to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses
MCs must also continue to teach entertain and set positive examples for our youth and
for the future
This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check
out his website httpwwwcoldcrushbrotherscom
HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP
of At149stcom
copy1998 149st Do not republish without permission
GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to
mark territory It wasnt till the late 1960s that writings current identity started to
formThe history of the underground art movement known by many names most
commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia Pennsylvania during the mid to late
60s and is rooted in bombing The writers who are credited with the first conscious
bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL They wrote their names all over
the city gaining attention from the community and local press It is unclear whether this
concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous
occurrence
PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
birth to writers In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these
writers TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights TAKI was the nick
name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he
lived He was employed as a foot messenger so he was on the subway frequently and
took advantage of it doing motion tags The appearance of this unusual name and
numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article He was by no means the
first writer or even the first king He was however the first to be recognized outside the
newly formed subculture Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of
significance is JULIO 204 FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers
On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well Scores of writers were
active FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame The subway
system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these
separate movements People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others
efforts This established the foundation of interborough competition
Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became
competitive At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as
many as possible Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible
It wasnt long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many
more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught The
concept and method of bombing had been established
Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way
to gain fame The first way was to make your tag unique Many script and calligraphic
styles were developed Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes stars and other
designs Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning For
instance crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king Probably the
most famous tag in the cultures history was STAY HIGH 149 He used a smoking joint
as the cross bar for his H and a stick figure from the television series The Saint
Tag Scale The next development was scale Writers started to render their tags in larger scale The
standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing
more attention than a standard tag did not have much visual weight Writers began to
increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional
color Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger
width of spray This led to the development of the masterpiece It is difficult to say who
did the first masterpiece but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the
Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further
enhance the name Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed
designs First with simple polka dots later with crosshatches stars checkerboards
Designs were limited only by an artists imagination
Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway
car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223) These masterpieces were termed top-
to bottoms The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements but
these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based Some of the
more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1 JAPAN 1 MOSES 147
SNAKE 131 LEE 163rd STAR 3 PHASE 2 PRO-SOUL TRACY 168 LIL
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
HAWK BARBARA 62 EVA 62 CAY 161 JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149
The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart
from the tag styled pieces Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphias TOPCAT
126 These letters would evolve in to block letters leaning letters and block busters
PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters more commonly referred to as Bubble letters
Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore
the foundation of many styles Soon arrows curls connections and twists adorned
letters These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for
Mechanical or Wild style lettering
The combination of PHASEs work and competition from other style masters like RIFF
140 and PEL furthered the development RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in
what is termed style wars RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon
them and take them to another level Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major
contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the
masterpiece which became standards for generations to come
This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized Hugo Martinez a sociology
major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation
Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists UGA selected top subway artists
from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery
UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists The Razor Gallery was a
successful effort of Mr Martinez and the artists he represented PHASE 2 MICO
COCO 144 PISTOL FLINT 707 BAMA SNAKE and STICH have been
represented by Martinez
A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled The Graffiti Hit
Parade was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists
Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168 CLIFF 159 BLADE ONE created works with
scenery illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces This formed
the basis for the mural whole car Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by
writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS
THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974 All the standards had
been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations
established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis New York City
was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained This led to the
heaviest bombing in history
At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves Whole cars
became a standard practice rather than an event and the definitive form of bombing
became the throw up The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter Th
e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in
Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on
the INDs and BMTs Crews like POG 3yb BYB TC TOP made major contributions
Throw up kings included TEE IZ DY 167 PI IN LE TO OI FI aka VINNY TI
149 CY PEO Writers became very competetive Races broke out to see who could do
the most throw ups Throw ups peaked from 75 thru 77 as did whole cars Writers like
BUTCH CASE KINDO BLADE COMET ALE 1 DOO2 JOHN 150 LEE
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
MONO SLAVE SLUG DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars
following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF
STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS TMT UA
MAFIA TS5 CIA RTW TMB TFP TC5 and TF5 Style wars were once again
peaking It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the
elimination of writing a priority On Broadway CHAIN 3 KOOL 131 PADRE NOC
167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2
RIFF 140 and PEL CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew In style
war tradition TMTs works were countered by CIA DONDI came out with POSE
against CHAINs DOSE
CASE 2 KEL 139 COMET REPEL COS 207 DURO MIN SHY 147 KADE
198 FED 2 REVOLT RASTA ZEPHYR BOOTS 119 KIT 17 CRASH and
DAZE were also active writers of the time LEE CAZ 2 IZ SLAVE REE DONDI
BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena SEEN MAD
PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars MITCH 77 BAN 2
BOO 2 PBODY MAX 183 and KID 56 ruled the 4 line FUZZ ONE was a major
presence on all 7 IRTs CIA TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of
style
In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods Train yard fence
repair was becoming more consistent Writers slowly started to quit and consider other
creative options Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond
painting subway cars The established art world was once again becoming receptive to
writing There hadnt been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early
70s In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the
art dealer Claudio Bruni Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES
studio Stephan Eins Fashion Moda and Patti Astors Fun Gallery to expand their
horizons These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in
expanding writing overseas European art dealers became aware of the movement and
were very receptive to the new art form Shows featuring paintings by DONDI LEE
ZEPHYR LADY PINK DAZE FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the
once secret world of New Yorks youth
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985
During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to
several factors Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the
greater society in general The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner
city Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available The climate on the
street became increasingly tense Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and
requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more
difficult Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe
The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys anti-graffiti
budget Yards and layups were more closely guarded Many favored painting areas
became almost inaccessible New more sophisticated fences were erected and were
quickly repaired when damaged Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than
ever making the life span of many paintings months if not days This frustrated many
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
This article was reprinted with permission from at149stcom Let them know what you
think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
writers causing them to quit
Many others were not so easily discouraged yet they were still affected They perceived
the new circumstances as a challenge determined not to be defeated by the MTA Due
to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive claiming
ownership to yards and layups Claiming territory was nothing new in writing but the
difference at this time was that threats were enforced If a writer went to layup unarmed
he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies
At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the
writing experience The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for
legendary conflicts In addition to the pressure from the MTA cross out wars among
writers broke out The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world High profile
writers during these years were SKEME DEZ TRAP DELTA SHARP SEEN
TC5 SHY 147 BOE WEST KAZE SPADE 127 SAK VULCAN SHAME BIO
MIN DURO KEL T KID MACK NICER BRIM BG 183 KENN CEM
FLIGHT AIRBORN RIZE JON 156 KYLE 156
THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars
servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards This provided a last shot for
writers
The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE WEN DERO
WIPS TKID SENTO CAVS CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with
burners These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through
the paint A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing Due to a lack
of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time many writers
were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars These tags were generally
poor artistic efforts The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature)
were long gone If it wasnt for the afore mentioned writers and a few others the artform
in New York City could have officially been deemed dead
By mid 86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand Many writers quit and the violence
subsided Most lines were completely free of writing The Ds Bs LLs Js Ms were
among the last of the lines with running pieces MAGOO DOC TC5 DONDI
TRAK DOME and DC were all highly visible writers
Security was high and the Transit Polices new vandal squad was in full force What was
left was a handful of diehards GHOST SENTO CAVS KET JA VEN REAS
SANE SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive
To be continued part 2
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think of this article by reaching out
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
Writing(HISTORY OF
WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)
The late 1960s and early 70s burn baby burn It seems appropriate that during a time
period of political debate racially heated atmosphere and struggle black and Latin power
let their voices be heard Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner
cities of New York
Philadelphia had its Cool Earls Philadelphia Phils names of whichever rang a bell in New
York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet Ajax or Mr Clean
was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name
Julio 224 on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood
Adapting the moniker Taki 183 and using a thick marker Taki as he called himself
scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State
making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the cultures first official born
icon and king
In time through influences such as his writers became somewhat of a sport calling
themselves writers and their signatures hits they eventually moved the practice to New
York Citys underground subway system Spray paint was introduced they say by a writer
named RA 184 also of Manhattan While in the meantime Brooklyn was also making its
mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own Brooklyns scribe
seemed precision-cut and ornamented adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly
rendered letters Undertaker Ash The Last Survivors Flowers Dice App super The
latter two combing the named of two writers While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or
Dead incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names
visual esthetic
Manhattans was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting its
Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that
merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161s ys The uniqueness of
signatures or hits as they called them stood out amongst Frank 227 SJK177 Tan amp
0202 744 JOE 136 Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the
first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1 3 A Lines) While Barbara and Eve 62 became
the first female superstars the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and
Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names
appeared at a rapid pace
Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youths battle cry and with that
last but not least the fever caught on Amongst its very early writers who combined their
own styles were SLU II and El CID followed by LEE 163d the Bronx first king who
along with Phase 2 set another unprecedented stage for bombing where writers like
Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known Its early
influences were Uncle Rich Johnny 800 Pior 168 Lionel 168 Tracy 168 MampM 177
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc whos face in the letters K-O-O-L changed
about as much as his beats in a Jam
Super Kools summer of 72 brainstorm forever changed the writers approach to writing
By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters the master piece was
born and adapted by the entire writing movement as was his next venture - a masterpiece
that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other He
also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency
and also write their signatures large with less effort With the culture ever evolving and
adapting different paths to Get Up (have ones name in as many places as possible) the
transformation of the letter as it was known was taking place bombing had to reckon with
the style factor and concepts such as 3ds At the same time while cars and scenic
backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name -
which in the light of respect one seemed to cherish as they did life Indeed To go over
ones name was indeed as if to break a law which could result in the harshest of penalties
The name was ones honor ones claim to existence thus an area where violation was
virtually intolerable
From the early to mid 70s writing now with a basic foundation had more or less a blue
print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks As time past into the later 70s and 80s
those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter defining
style and continuing the evolution thats been a trademark of aerosol writing
Hence forth in the 90s the science of the letter and the sport of getting uparound
remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in which in
itself is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence as a force to be
recognized and reckoned with
This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999 httpwwwrockhallcomexhibitionspastaspid=495
