Raps Greatest Top 3 featuring - Dwight Spence

Back in 2016 I did a post about my top 3 favorite rap songs of all time and why.(You can check it out here.)   I decided I wanted to take this a bit further by asking a select group of individuals who I consider to be deeply rooted in rap music culture the same question.

First up is Dwight Spence. This brother has been a connoisseur of rap music from the very beginning. I've had the pleasure of seeing a small portion of his massive collection and let me tell you, it's very impressive. Hailing from North Carolina while residing in the Bronx, Dwight took some time out of his busy schedule to share his top 3 rap songs of all time.

1-SugarHill Gang (Rapper’s Delight)

                                A few things about this Legendary record is the beat got me up out my seat and dancing. Then the Rhyme got me going "how can you not try to remember the lines to this song". Also it was one of my first rap records I ran out to the store to buy. I still have that original record. It is going Nowhere. It's still clean with no scratches on it at all. I will treasure this record forever. No matter where I am, when I hear this song playing I will stop what I am doing and sing along and dance, I love it. I know this song line for line.

                                The biggest surprise to me was I never heard GRANDMASTER CAZ (original version) until a couple of years later on his CD. Now this has to make you really think how did one man pull off the version by himself compared to three guys breaking it down Lol.

2-Jimmy Spicer (Adventure of Super Rhyme)

                             This record right here is another Gem I have in my original collection of music I still have. Clean with no scratches on it at all. It's an unbelievable long record with a great vision of this guy. He had to have been dreaming in his sleep with this record in his head, and just jumped up and started writing it down on paper. Man this song has me wishing I had the real asset to some of the things he was rhyming, and was that GENIE.

        Too bad we don’t hear it on the radio the way they rocked (rappers delight) Lol.

3-Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (The Message)

                             This record right here was Master Minds at work putting in hard work on this legendary track with Grandmaster Flash doing his thing on the 1&2. These cats live in this Era and it was indeed a very important Era and Message to the whole world. These guys lived inside of each rhyme they laid down was deep in the game. When they did this, they were ahead of the game. It is very much alive and true today still, they laid down the GROUND work. They were talking about something big. They Blessed the game big time.

My Wild Style Journey

"I was a fan before I was the man."-Dj Scratch

I've always enjoyed meeting artists that I admire from Hip Hop and when possible requesting an autograph from those artists to capture the moment.  I've collected quite a few autographs over the years and wanted to share one of my favorite signed album covers with you. I've taken this Wild Style Lp all over the country with me to collect as many signatures from those that appeared in the movie. Most of these signatures took place in New York with some from Las Vegas, Phoenix, L.A. San Diego, and Boston.

Signatures include:

Grandmaster Caz

JDL

Kool Dj Aj

Grandmixer D. ST.

Jazzy Jay

K.K. Rockwell

Busy Bee

Mean Jean

Popmaster Fabel

Fab 5 Freddy

Tony Tone 

Crazy Legs

Grandwizard Theodore

Melle Mel

Eazy A.D.

Dot-A-Rock

In 2016 I decided to leave this record behind in Phoenix while I traveled to New York, (something I NEVER do), thinking what were my chances of meeting someone I could add to it. So i'm in the Bronx at the Tools Of War Crotona Park Jams and I run into this guy…..

Charlie Ahearn

DOH! (Homer Simpson voice)

The journey continues……..

Food And Funk At Fong's Market

Does it get any better then food and spinning records???     I think not.

It Was All A Dream

Memories, ahh the memories…..  This was that one party I did at that one spot with those cats from around that one part of town. The problem is, no one remembers it but me. I thought I left a good impression. I played all the right records, all the right breaks, but no one cared. No one remembers. I wonder why.

2010 Tools Of War Crotona Park Jams

Here are a few highlights from my visit to the 2010 Crotona Park Jams. I was at the July 15th show which featured Kool Dj Aj (R.I.P.)

Kool Dj Aj (R.I.P.)

Joe Conzo & Alien Ness

Popmaster Fabel

Coke La Rock

Cutmaster DC

Aj lookin for that perfect song to play

Bill Adler

Tony Touch

Mighty Mike C

JDL

1989 Eazy Duz It / Coast To Coast Tour

 I remember when the "Dope Man" 12" dropped back in 1987, it was like nothing anyone had ever heard in rap music at that point. Lot's of street violence, guns, and lot's of cussing.  I remember letting my high school english teacher listen to it on my walkman and she was disgusted. Two years later N.W.A. is huge and embarking on their first major concert tour. This was the same tour featured in the Straight Outta Compton movie.  When the tour arrived in my hometown of Milwaukee, the Mecca Arena was packed as usual with a full line-up.
   Highlights of the tour included a young T.K Kirkland opening the show with hilarious urban stand-up comedy followed by a then completely unknown D.O.C. The D.O.C. commanded everyone to stand up, which most of the 20,000 in attendance did, to be followed by "It's Funky Enough". By the second verse, everyone was shouting "IT'S GETTIN FUNKAYYY, IT'S GETTIN FUNKAYY"! Instant classic! He performed "Mind Blowin" next and then he was out!
  During JJ Fads set there was an incredible turntable solo by Dj Train (R.I.P.) and on the wheels for Kwame was none other than Dj Tat Money from Philly who also featured a solo.
  After the first few acts, fans were super anxious to see Too Short and began to chant "TOO SHORT,  TOO SHORT,  TOO SHORT!" When he took the stage he was wearing the biggest, fattest, gold rope I have every seen. It was huge! After his set everyone again began to shout, "TOO SHORT  TOO SHORT  TOO SHORT". I have never seen that before.
  N.W.A. appeared in various stages. First, Dj Yella came out and did a lot of scratchin. Dr. Dre and Ren followed and performed, "Compton's N Tha House","If It Ain't Ruff", and "Express Yourself". Ice Cube appeared next to perform, "Gangsta Gangsta" and "I Ain't Tha 1". Eazy appeared last to do all of his solo hits and then they did all the songs that they appear on together. The stage was set up to look like an alley or street corner somewhere in the hood with garbage cans, wire fences, trash, and police tape. This line-up was crazy and you don't see shows like this anymore.

  

                                 

   

Recent Digs! Amazing Spiderman #1!

Score! Never did I think that this mag would ever be a part of my collection. This isn't the kind of book you have the luck of finding at the local Goodwill or in a box at the flea market. This story is a bit more interesting. My sister, who lives in Georgia, calls me one day to tell me about an incident that happened at her friends newly purchased house. It wasn't a "new" house, just new to her friend. During the home inspection, a leak in the kitchen ceiling was discovered and after a few more weeks the ceiling fell and a number of contents fell with it. There was an antique silver coffee pot collection, some old Tupperware, several old postal mail bags, and about a dozen old comic books including this rare gem!

 

It's a little beat-up and I'm not sure what the value is on it at the moment but I plan on adding it to my already large comic book collection. I guess dreams do come true!