Hip-Hop History Month Final

 Time to officially finish off hip-hop history month, let's finish my story. When we last we left off, I pretty much lost not one, but TWO deals simultaneously; good times. Anyway, Gilly Gill was initially Djing for his cousin. His name was Tommy Gun. We met and got to kicking it, and came up with the crew name “Western Front”. During this time, that was only two camps in Moreno Valley that even mattered. One was us, and the other was a HUGE crew called Homeless Nation, which is still very much around to this day. The same way Paul and I drifted away from High Intensity to start our own thing, Gill and I pretty much did the same thing. I was with Gill when he battled at parties, and Gill was with me when I would get called out and wreck people who wanted to battle me on the street. We had clout.

Thanks to Big Steve,  Gill and I would hang out with Unknown DJ, CMW, King T, Tha Liks, and a few other west coast legends. One would think I would have known them when I lived in Compton, but like Gill is from Lynnwood, I didn’t meet him until we both came to Moreno Valley. Then again, I did spend more time in Wilmington, because that’s where I went to school.

Tommy Gun got their cousin to manage him and he started doing shows at Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet. He was going to bring Gill back on as the DJ, and I was going to be his hype man. This was the first time I played this position, but it was “whatever”; it was hip-hop!

It didn’t take long for us to get noticed by Thump Records, and while Gill was preoccupied playing various clubs, he couldn’t make it to shows. So it was just me and Tommy for the most part. We competed with Lighter Shade of Brown, Hispanic MCs, Knight Owl, and ALT, to name a few, in a nightly basis throughout the 90s. We even became close friends to another young lady that joined the label later on; some of you might remember JV, who had a single called Nayba’hood Queen, which took off in the Mexican communities.

You MIGHT be wondering since I was on tour with them so much and for so long, why didn’t I get signed? Good question. Race had everything to do with it. The ONLY Black person I seen signed by Thump was Toddy Tee. The exec at the time, were trying to cash in by signing a Black pioneer thinking it would add to the fan base. This one exec while drunk, exclaimed "Mexicans created hip-hop" and "when he was younger, he use to beat niggers up all the time". Yeah. That's what I was around.

I never spoke to Toddy about this, but I’ve always got the impression he didn’t take that signing too serious. Most people got “got” by this particular exec, but I feel like Toddy Tee possibly came up a little. But, like I said, I don’t know for sure; it’s just a feeling. I’m gonna have to ask him.

Since then, I’ve made some good friends who I still fuck with, today, like Alvin Trivette (aka ALT), but many, are just a distant memory. Things finally came to a conclusion, I got closer to JV. I taught her showmanship, and became her hype man for a few years until she gave up on music completely. For awhile after that, I put the whole thing behind me.  

In the mid 90s I began writing for a now defunked magazine called Phat! Magazine. I interviewed The Baka Boyz, a lot of acts who would often be affiliated with shows from 92.3 The Beat, as well as backstage to all their concerts, but the biggest interview for me was when I interviewed Afrika Islam. Our conversation was so deep about the culture, that, he did something he didn't often do; I was made a member of the Universal Zulu Nation. I never took it lightly, and always prided myself on it. A great deal of the thanks went to a man named Shakiji, who,  I had a bit of a falling out with, but I can't disregard the things he's done for me.

The magazine folded, and a few years later, a situation presented itself for me to share what I’ve learned with other artists until it made me start back up again. Since then, I’ve been screwed at Def Jam, which screwed other opportunities with people like Luducris and Slick Rick, but also, I got to be managed by Greg Mack for a hot minute. So now, I do it because I love it. No expectations, no goals, just doing it just to do it.

Another good take away from the Def Jam thing, I discovered I can make, produce, and record myself without having to depend on people I can’t depend on. I learned a lesson or two I wish I would've learned decades ago.

Number one, if you REALLY want it, learn to do it all on your own. Your own beats, your own recording, your own graphics, the whole nine. Because when you are forced to depend on other people, you’re liable to get screwed. And number two, keep a level of selfishness to your get-down. Being passive will do nothing make time pass for you.

Now, I'm back with Pauly Paul, and I brought Gilly Gill back into the fold. I had many brushes and opportunities, but like General Jeff was always in the right place at the right time, I was always in the right place at the wrong time. I guess it be like dat some times. I took ALL these experiences, and all these lessons, embraced them with love, and that allows me the opportunity to share what I've been sharing.