Hip-Hop History Month,#11

Rodney Oliver, or better known as "Rodney O", was born and raised in Riverside, CA, and went to high school at Poly High with Brother Marquis, from 2 Live Crew, and professional basketball players Cheryl and Reggie Miller.

Rodney, Brother Marquis, Mister Mixx, and Fresh Kid Ice, started rapping together in about the tenth or eleventh grade when they heard a label was beginning in their area. They were known as Caution Crew, which consisted of Rodney and Brother Marquis.

Rodney brought one of his records to to an Uncle Jamm's Army party, and gave it to Egyptian Lover. A couple days later, Egyptian Lover reached out to him, and told him he liked his voice and wanted to get him in the studio. "These Are My Beats" was created.

Although Rodney didn't believe the beat lfit him", and he wasn't fond of his vocal levels, all that KIND of changed when they heard "These Are My Beats" while driving on a secluded road in Alabama.

Still not completely happy with the song, it was while they were on the road in Denver, motivation struck. Rodney played keyboard in Egyptian Lover's band, but he envied the love the other performers got from the ladies. The marquee consisted of Egyptian Lover, LA Dream Team, Joe Ski Love, and UTFO. It was after this show, he wrote "Ever Lasting Bass".

In his mind, he knew it was going to be a hit, and he will "not be denied the signing of autographs anymore".

Rodney went to the studio, and after the first session, His manager approached him and said, "ya know, I seen this one cat scratch at a show performing with Kid Frost, in Phoenix.. man! If you EVER need someone to scratch, this guy Joe Cooley is INCREDIBLE"! Rodney told him to go get him. Joe was SO cold on it, Rodney decided to incorporate HIS name to form a duo.

After recording it at a Skip Sailor's (Skip Sailor Recording Company, Inc.), Rodney played the mix for Egyptian Lover while riding with him in his Benz. Egypt stopped the song in the middle and exclaimed "that's a hit"! General Jeff came in before the album was completed, and assisted on its creation.

Let's fall and jump back, and catch Joe up.

Born in Los Angeles, and moved to Compton in 1980, Joe Cooley started Djing in 1983 when he heard (and seen) Mix-Master Spade. See how these connections are so relevant and important? Goes to show how tight knit the hip-hop community is. Anyway, he also had an early love for the bass guitar; this information will show its importance later. Trust me.

Joe eventually joined a crew of DJs, and one member, in particular, named "New York Nick", introduced him to different techniques. Being from New York, he shared things that Grand Master Flash would do, which assisted in the evolution of who would now be called, "The King of Scratch", Joe Cooley.

But what made Joe different from other DJs? Why do WE refer to him as the "King of Scratch"? It goes back to his bass guitar roots. His scratches maintained a rhythm of an instrument; that bass. Some DJs refer to their tables as their "tools", or even their "weapons", but to Joe, it's an instrument. He scratches in "the key of funk". He was also the FIRST DJ to put his tables sideways. He did this in the mid 80s. If you hear it was ANYONE else, they are lying.

One thing Rodney has maintained about Joe, is, he is the only DJ that he knew of, that could "imitate and scratch sound you could do with your mouth". A talent, in fact, that Joe has proven in countless records. But, let's get back to it...

During this time, the mixers began to evolve. So even though he started with knobs, which was awkward, he eventually got a Realistic mixer. It didn't have a fader, so he used the verticle levels. Once the cross fader came into effect, it took awhile for Joe to get the hang of it. In fact, as DJ Domino from South Central Cartel, and now member of The World Class Wrecking Cru, would attest, Joe would have to continuously reverse the cables for the turntables to have it work the opposite way. Once it became too big of a hassle, Joe took it upon himself to just integrate himself into it the "standard". But, before that, he used the clip switch (which will be important later on, as well).

There was an concert and audition for the KDAY Mix-Masters at the Olympic Auditorium Joe attended where he met Tony G and Grey Mack. Needless to say, he immediately became a member. One day, Greg told Joe about a thing called The New Music Seminar, which was taking place in New York. This was a DJ battle platform that predates all the ones you see today. I will say this, and I am ONLY keeping it a buck, for both the hip-hop culture on a whole, and the West Coast....the east coast wasn't ready for Joe Cooley. Here's why:

The East Coast got out of the fast tempoed songs before the West Coast did. Electro Funk, and fast funk music overall was the music that still played in heavy rotation here. Joe tailored his scratching to bpms (beats per minute) of 120, 130. The average song from the east was in the 90s and some times lower....for the most part. This enabled the hand speed of west coast DJs.

Now, remember when I said that Joe used the clip switch? The preliminary judges never seen someone use it before. In fact, they came close to removing him claiming it was "cheating". They finally reconsidered and allowed him in.

Fair warning, to the people that read my posts, they KNOW I speak my mind. I say what I mean and mean what I say. I speak my opinions, however, I do stand by them with sound reasoning. And because I know the people I speak for will NEVER say it themselves, I will! Love me or hate me, that's my get-down.

So Joe demolishes everyone they placed him against, even friends, like Mister Mixx, to climb that ladder.l, as did Cash Money. At the end, it comes down to those two. This battle is THE most controversial battle in the history of Djing; Hands down.

I have to say, DJ Cash Money is one of my all time favorite DJs. Him, Jazzy Jeff, Joe Cooley, Tony G, and Tony A. However, on THIS day, as dope as Cash Money is, Joe got him. Joe's speed and technique, like I said, was something the east coast hasn't seen before, and since he was so use to uptempo records, he was faster, and slightly cleaner. Flavor Flav from Public Enemy, even rushed backstage to tell Joe how he "was robbed". When Joe got home and we talked about it, I could both feel and see the disappointment in his face. He won't say it, but it hurt his soul. Bottom line, Cash went in as the favorite, and Joe being an unknown at the time, AND being from the westcoast, undoubtedly swayed that decision. There... I said it. Fight me. Joe stays humble, so he will never say that, but, I grew up 5 houses away from him....I'll say it for him.

Anyway, Kid Frost's first DJs was Tony G and Julio G. I know from experience, Joe was at every club you could think of trying to get on the tables like rappers would get on the Mic. I know this because that's how I met Cli-N-Tel. I wanted to get on the Mic, and Joe was never shy about getting on turntables, so he backed me up. I would assume Tony and Julio G couldn't make it and asked Joe to stand in for them. Being the kind of cat Joe is, he jumped at it.

Part 2 is where I will discuss General Jeff. We lost a real one when he passed. The legacy he left behind is undeniable and actually touches many of the posts I've made previously. He remains a vital piece of the hip-hop culture, but he was also a community activist. I loved him like a brother, so I want to touch on as many aspects as I can. I want to have a hand in ensuring his legacy continues. So stay tuned. #hiphophistorymonth