Hip-Hop History Month #17

On this final day of hip-hop history month, I’m going to do one that many don’t expect. This final one is going to be on….me.

I'm going to get back on track to what I was talking about tomorrow, because I was told I should keep this up even after the month is over. But for now....Yeah...I'm gonna tell MY story.

I made this decision for two reasons. One, to give some sort of reasoning to why I love this culture so much, why I study and follow it the way that I have since 1983, and the reason why I embrace every element with all the pride, and love that I could possibly hold. And the second reason? Simple. Because I know no one else will give me my own flowers like this. So you can stop now if you have no interest, or, you can keep reading and get MY story. You with it? Ok. Leggo!!!

Growing up between Compton & Carson, my life revolved around music and entertainment. I remember getting a toy trumpet at the age of 3 and actually figuring out how to pay real songs on it. My older sister was a funk fiend, and my father prefered oldies, so like a lot of budding hip-hop heads before hip-hop blew up, I was exposed to not only the latest music, but music years, decades even, before me.

There was no particular music or direction I was getting pulled towards, though. It was something like a void. I had the place settings but no “feature”.
Rappers Delight did nothing for me. I dug The Message, by Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five, but it didn’t sway me to be a rapper or choose hip-hop. That decision came about in 1983 when I heard Greg Mack play Run DMC, live in concert on K-DAY, where they performed “Here We Go”. It REALLY fucked me up. I recorded it and memorized every line. Later, Ice-T's “Ya Don’t Quit” and “Doggin The Wax” came out, and the void was filled. I wrote to the instrumentals, and “Master Dee” was born. I found my purpose. It made me go back and appreciate The Message, and my antennas was up anytime I heard someone rapping. After finding out that that was the DJ's name for Whodini, I choose my child-hood family nick name “Dee-Dee”, which I made “Double-Dee”. Many of my “back in the day” and “day ones” still call me that to this day.

Shortly after, I saw the break dancing, and the popping, I got the red sweat pants, and the red rising sun bandanas. I got the spiked bracelets and the bandanas to tie around my ankles. I couldn't break all that great, other than a kick worm, and maybe ONE windmill, so I leaned more towards popping. Even had a lil crew with a couple school mates. Rapping was still my favorite thing, though. In the midst of my “lunch time concerts”, I would still pop at home. No one EVER saw me do anything until I "battled" another cat on my friends list. I ain’t gonna tell them who you are, Maryea. We good.

One day while listening to K-DAY I heard these cats called The Fat Boys. One of them was making this sound with his mouth. It was a throatie, inhale – exhale kind of thing. I wasn’t sure if it was his mouth or an instrument, but being I was the type that found enjoyment in making different sounds with my mouth, I began doing that. It wasn’t until watching Krush Groove in 1985 did I realize he was making that sound PLUS the drum beat with his mouth, as well. Yep! I was hooked, lined, and sunken. I was officially a “beat-boxer”, or what I would call an “oral percussionist”. Yeah….I’m fancy. It was after Buffy I would began emulating every other beat boxer like Doug E Fresh, Biz Markie (RIP), even Richie Rich, who beat-boxed for Captain Rock, back in the 80s. Fast forward a couple years after I was introduced to “bombing” by another cat at my school (which I also took up immediately after).

I found myself at Saint Anthony’s in Long Beach. Although I wasn’t there long, I was there long enough to become apart of a DJ crew called “High Intensity”. They had a battle coming up and needed a rapper. I thought the guy who put me down was a little “weird”, but his partner? His partner would become my first DJ. At the time, his name was “Tempo”, and now, he goes by “DJ Paul Paul”.

Because of my relationship with Russ Parr, he would give me tickets to not only every Bobby Jimmy show, but every concert K-DAY was apart of. As a matter of fact, if the show where General Jeff became a member of Bobby Jimmy And The Critters was at the 3-2-1 Club, I was actually there for it. I wish Jeff was around for me to ask. That sucks.

I saw hip-hop as also a learning tool. Paul and I use to make tapes, and I would rush right over to let Joe Cooley listen to them. He was ALWAYS supportive. Probably why my little ass was bugging him so much. Paul, began getting too busy to do stuff, and he tells me he knows of another DJ who I should hook up with. It was another neighborhood cat that EVERYONE was scared to mess with. This DJ was Tony A.

The first time I heard him, he had set up equipment in the parking lot of where my school was changing their location to. He was incredible. I actually got into my first REAL battle that night; yeah…I won. After that night, we chopped it up and hung out all the time. I was actually with him when I met Cli-N-Tel aka Marq Hawkins , and he gave me detailed jewels on how to rock a crowd; shit I still use to this day.

Shortly after Tony Alvarez  took over the Roadium mixtapes, my family was about to move to Moreno Valley. He had asked me if I wanted to rap on a mix, but, I didn’t finish working on the lyrics, for some dumb reason or another. If I had recorded it, it would have been the first time he was referred to as “The Wizard”; but….you know. I did, however, make it on time to an audition for a new LA based label called Iceberg Records, in South Central LA. I walked away with the deal; still "fancy".

While living in Moreno Valley, I ran into someone else I had previously met at one of those teenage clubs; Kid Frost. We got to be pretty tight. I even helped him and his family move a time or two. He brought me on stage with him, and we cyphered at my NEW DJ’s house, The Slut On The Cut Gilly Gill.

I met Gilly Gill at a party we both showed up to. He and Steve “Big Steve” Hicks (RIP) were DJing, and I wanted to rap. They played the instrumental to "I Got Know How" by Young MC, and since I've always written to instrumentals, the crowd thought that we were all together. We have been super tight ever since. Jess still one of my very best friends. But let’s get back to Frost…

Frost and I talked about my writing for him and told me about his deal with Ruthless. He said he wanted to bring me with him, but I already had a pending deal with Iceberg. So Frost and I drove to LA to have a sit down with Iceberg, and angrily, he released me from my deal. I never wanted to speak to me again after that. Nope. You’re right. I never got signed to Ruthless.

Part 2 will be this evening. Hope I'm not boring you.