Me & Giz go back like a Cadillac with 4 flats. We used to rock parties together all over Phoenix back in the day. Nowadays, Giz spends her time in "Bed Stuy" Brooklyn hustlin the finest of vintage clothing. Whether she's Dj'ing, modeling, or acting, it's the clothing hustle that Giz is most passionate about. From the flea market to the corner to various shops in Bed Stuy, you can find Giz lacing New Yorkers with the grooviest digs. I always make it a habit to check her out when I'm in town and I wanted to introduce her to you.
The day of this show I was hanging out at Crates Record shop when Serg the owner told me that Sadat X, El, & Ed O.G. would be stopping by to record a song in the store's recording studio. Ten minutes later they all walk through the door accompanied by Dj Kaos. I say my greetings and bounce back to the crib to grab some vinyl for these guys to autograph. After returning to the shop, we all hung out in the studio and it was cool to talk rap with Ed O.G. I go all the way back to "Be A Father To Your Child". In fact, I own every record from all three of these emcees. Later that night at the show, the crowd was kinda light(hmmmm…. is this a result of the gentrification of rap?), but the energy was strong. After the opening acts, Sadat X hit the stage for a shorter set than expected. I love Brand Nubian but was hoping to hear more of his solo joints like "Lump, Lump", "Hang Em High", or "X-Man" but it's cool, I mean, how you gonna be mad at hearing "Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down","1999", & "Slow Down".
Ed O.G. went on next and proceeded to blaze the spot up! He started with a few songs from his new Lp "Freedom" then went down memory lane with "Love Comes And Goes" & "Be A Father To Your Child". Ed's entire set was rock solid and he still spits with excellent breath control and doesn't break a sweat.
Finishing off the night was El Da Sensei. El did his thing and of course ran through the Artifacts classics. At the end of his set he invited Sadat X back to the stage to perform a song from their upcoming "XL" Lp which was the title of the tour. I thought they would be doing an entire set of these songs but no, just the one. Hopefully this will be an upcoming tour.
I'm a huge fan of Kid Capri. I've been collecting mixtapes for years and have always enjoyed his style of Dj'ing, my favorite type of "party-rocking" dj'ing. I've had the pleasure of meeting him on a few occasions, like the time I interviewed him before the Def Comedy Jam show in Milwaukee back in the late 90's, or the time he rocked Club Pompeii in Tempe, Arizona back in the mid-2000's, or even the time he burned down Crotona Park at the Tools Of War show with his famous 45 set back in the summer of 2011. This latest encounter was a different story.
While vacationing in New York this summer (2018) I linked up with this record dealer that I know to pick up some funk and rap 45's he was holding for me. He took me to some of his digging spots in New Jersey and he told me that he had some vinyl that he needed to take to Kid Capri and that I could roll with him if I wanted to. Ok, cool. A few evenings later we are at Capri's crib hanging out in his studio listening to records. After a while, I pull out a 45 and tell Kid, "Here's a "break" I know you don't have". "I don't know man, I got a lot of breaks", he replies. I hand him a copy of Kaleidoscope "Tempe, Arizona" and he throws it on the decks and clearly expresses that he's digging it. Then he stands up and says, "follow me". We walk over to a different area of his studio and he shows me his collection of 45's. He pulls out a box and proceeds to play me some of the illest breaks on 45 I have ever heard while occasionally looking over and saying,"DON'T SLEEP ON THE KID BOY, I GOT JOINTS!" After about an hour of listening to breaks he brings up the beef between Funkmaster Flex and himself breaking down the entire situation. Some of those details I can't repeat but everyone knows Kid would destroy Flex in a battle.
For the last few month's Kid has been talking about his new upcoming album called "Top Tier" which is a collection of songs produced by him featuring some of the top battle Mc's in New York. I got a chance to listen to the entire project and let me tell you, it's fire.
It's always flattering to hang out with talented individuals you admire and chop it up about the culture, especially the Dj/vinyl culture. It's amazing that no matter who you are or how big your record collection is, someone can always put you on to gems you've never heard of.
Fresh back from my trip to Nyc and ready to share the highlights of the third week of the Crotona Park Jams in the boogie down Bronx! The weather was great, the flavor was on point as usual and the legends were in attendance for all to see. Got to hang out with some of my favorite hip-hop cats and caught up with a few homies. Special thanks to Christie Zee, Popmaster Fabel, and the Friends of Crotona Park for another great event.
The Legendary Percee P
Kool Dj Red Alert
Percee P & Kool Dj Red Alert
Red Alert & J-Blast
Mean Gene & Ty Boogie
Coke La Rock
Old School Represent!
GrandWizzard Theodore
PopMaster Fabel
GrandMaster Caz
Dj Hollywood
Reggie Reg (Crash Crew)
Debbie D (Us Girls)
Rockin Rob, Danny Dan, Louie Loo, & J-Blast
Mike "C" (Fearless Four) & Debbie D (Us Girls)
Me & Hollywood discussing our upcoming world tour!
Straight out of Jersey is producer/record pro/dj M.Fasis. This guy never ceases to amaze me with the records in his collection. We have gone digging together several times and he constantly pulls heat,….constantly. As a fellow connoisseur of rap music, it was only right that I find out what his top 3 rap songs of all time are.
Top three? hmmm...okay. Three of many. Was about to go into albums lol.
1)’Peter Piper’ by Run DMC
I gotta say’s the one that did it for me. my mom’s (police) graduation and had just bought a copy of ‘Tougher Than Leather’ from the one of the cassette dealers in the city and popped it in the car afterwards. heard the rhymes which at the time to me i thought they were a bit advanced. and those bells and drums were basic yet effective as f*ck. at that point i said to myself, ‘yeah, i wanna be a part of this right here’. incredible undeniable classic.
2) ‘The Choice is Yours’ by Black Sheep.
You already know. Once that bass line kicked in i knew this will be one of those songs that stays in the brain and will always be a certified head banger. crazy too, digging from back in the day i remember finding that bass line and was floored speechless because coming across that requires listening, and i mean LISTENING.
3) Pete Rock & CL Smooth-‘Escapeism’
Off the Main Ingredient Lp. Killer KILLER track with Pete spitting over his own beat, this ill bass line (in case you haven’t noticed i love me a dope bass line along with drums of course) with these crazy horns he drops sparingly to keep it interesting and for the hook there are these slowed down muddy vocals that add even more character to the track as a whole.
but yeah, that’s the three out of three hundred million lol. no doubt my brother, peace!
During the 90's, Rob Swift released an incredible collection of mixtapes that put him in a category all by himself. His use of "sample" based records and breakbeats and a "mad scientist" style of dj'ing resulted in what I think are the most creative mix tapes to date. This 8 minute clip is just a small example of Rob's greatness.
I don't get over to Tucson very much these days but when I do, I always make it a point to do a little digging at PDQ Records. This is no doubt the largest record store I have ever been in and one of the biggest in the country. They have it all. Stereo equipment, 8-track tapes, posters, music videos, and lots and lots of RECORDS! This spot is not for the amateur digger. Back in the day,I never spent less than 4 hours in this place. They have nuggets but you'll have to dig for them. For a closer look, check the video below.
