In the Beginning there was Funk

The Creator of Locking Speaks

In the beginning there was Funk. And man saw that the Funk was good, so he learned how to appreciate it. He learned that the Funk was an instigator of motion and emotion. So man learned how to harvest it and soon the land was filled with its influence. A divine force showed man that every groove was in-tuned with the Funk and thus mankind began his quest to find the Funk & learn the secrets of how the soul was affected by it so. Hence, when the world was ready, one man emerged as the original translator of the music. Wrought by the genius of pure fate, a new era of dance was born as the masses looked on with innocent wonder. Few have understood it. Few have grasped its intricate design. But countless are whose passion for the dance has kept it alive with the realization that Locking was the first, true interpretation of Funk music. Bringing it back to the Source. When I met Don Campbell, my mind was like a canvas painted with dull, bland colors that resembled the hues of a dreary day. But Don's emphasis on character expression and spontaneous dance creativity made me discover the reason why I had failed at Locking. I had never learned that the true beauty of the dance lies in pure improvisation, not a series of pre-planned, sequenced dance moves. Soon after applying what methods he taught me, my canvas was colored with the bright, exciting colors of inspiration. Ever since, my painting has been taking form and its structure can be attributed to the simplistic genius of this man. I could write a book on our conversations alone, but this month I choose to address questions that have been lingering in today's most popular Internet dance forums. The greatest enemy that we sometimes face is the lack of communication. So the purpose of this article is to address these issues by allowing the creator of the dance to answer them in his own words. Don Campbell's words are shown in bold print and they have been shortened to expose the core of the statement.

Interview with Don Campbell: October 23, 2001. Don, what led you to discover Locking? Well, it all really came out of me trying to do other popular dances of the time...I had a way of locking into my moves. That was my thing, I went into it without really noticing it. Then a close friend of mine (Sam Williams) brought it to my attention. He said to me one day, "keep doing that lock Campbell!" so I did. Everything I did started to involve this lock... Some feel as if the dance called the Funky Chicken was what you were trying to do when you invented the Lock, is that true? No man, the Funky Chicken had nothing to do with me developing the Lock. It was just something I had incorporated within my dance...I kinda' added it into what ever I was trying to do at the time Who influenced your dance style while in it's premature stage? Well, I would have to say my friends from Trade Tech College: Sam Williams and Sweet T. (Michael Moore). I used to look up to these guys. They all used to hang out after school and just dance. They had their own students and everything, so I would just hang out and just watch at first. Then they started influencing me and I started to learn dances like the Alligator and the Robot ...these guys were always live, they used to wear Big Apple hats and knickers. They introduced me to that style of dressing...they played a major role in my life, if it were not for Sam & Sweet T. I probably would never have started dancing. What was your foundation, before the formation of your group?

I will have to say the Lock, that freeze, that pause. Everything starts and ends with the Lock...If you watch any of the Lockers, you'll see that is what they all had in common: that Lock. Were there any Lockers before your group? If so, can you drop any names? Oh yeah, there was a whole bunch of them. You see, I started getting popular and everyone just started imitating me. So many young cats started Locking to get popular with the ladies and win dance contests...there was Dimitre Joe, she was one of the 1st female Lockers. Li'l' Joe, he was in a group called the Dance Masters. Then there was the original Skeeter Rabbit (not the member of the Electric Boogaloos). He was bad...he came up with the Skeeter Rabbit step...Capt. Crunch and the Funky Bunch, they had their own style of Locking too. Then there was Scooby Doo, who also has a move named after himthey were all bad in their prime. What made you choose the dancers you chose for your group? I picked them out of clubs and dance contests...I picked the best of them. I looked for characterbecause we all were hams...character plays a great role in what we did...some just started to hang out where me and the others would dance and just started picking up Where there any dancers that you approached to be in your group that were unable to join for any reason? Yes, Jimmy Foster (Scooby Doo). He was one of the badest...I met Jimmy at the Climax II...we were friends for some time until we split up because of jealousy on his behalf. We used to be very competitive, until that turned into jealousy. One night I had lost a dance contest and I turned to see Jimmy clapping away as happy as can be...he was happy to see me loose! Besides that and other situations, I saw that he was in it for himself Who was the greatest Locker that was never part of your group? Jimmy again...no doubt about it. People don't know how bad Jimmy was...if it were not for his jealousy, he would've been in the group...I felt as if I could not trust him How do you feel the dance evolved into what it is today? What role does innovation play in your dance? Once you understand the dance, you will understand how free it really is...the other Lockers understood the basic Lock...they started imitating me and some of the early Lockersmany adapted moves that they had prior to Locking...Like Leo (Fluky Luke). He had the which-a-way before he was a Locker...so they all learned to adapt their own individual flavor. Innovation does play a great role...it's all about creativityno one wants to see a clone of anyone else! In this day & age, many main stream choreographers teach watered down routines of Locking. How could someone tell the difference between a choreographer and a dancer that has captured the true essence of the dance? Well, choreographers can only teach what they see, not what they feel. They can only show routines...they cannot improvise to any music like we could. We could lock to anything, for hours on endit's all about creativity. Choreographers cannot createthey can only duplicate... Do you feel that the other moves introduced by members of the Lockers (i.e. whicha-ways, alphas etc.) are essential to the foundation of a Locking? Those were great moves; they worked for the individual. But the only thing that is essential is the Lock...Locking is not about moves; it's a dance, that is where many go wrong... Do you feel that those signature moves should be learned and adapted? Yeah, everything should be learned...but then adapted with your own flavor...but don't feel incomplete if you do not learn every move in history...those moves were

what others brought to the plate...bring your own moves into Locking...that's what made this dance what it is... If there are those that believe that Locking was incomplete until the other members of the Lockers added their own signature moves, how would you respond to that? ...My flavor was complete. Locking was more than just a dance, it was a style: my striped socks, my Derby and suspenders...the way I used my handkerchief, that was Cambellocking. The dancers at Mavericks Flat used to imitate me because I began winning all the dance contests. This started it all...you can say that I knew that my dance was complete when so many people started to dance and look just like me. I did not like it at first...but then I started to see how many people starting really loving the dance...I was taken back by it...then it was cool... What are the criteria's of a complete Locker? A dancer that has the Lock and can imitate any song...we once did a piece to Swan Lake, we Locked to classical music. A true Locker can find a rhythm to anything and imitate it What should be preserved as time passes and new innovations shape your dance? Again it goes back to that Lock...nothing is more important than this... Where do you want to see your dance go in the future? I want for it to be recognized along side the classic dances like Ballet, Jazz & Modern...this is where it belongs...I feel it deserves that recognition...I also want to see new Lockers, not clones of me Leo, PenguinI want to see new interpretations Do you consider Locking a street dance? Did you ever intend for your dance to be a street performance art or a dance form for the stage? The streets is where it came from....that is where is started, it was up to us to take it where it went...but the streets gave the dance an edge that no other dance form had at the time: freedom. There were too many rules in Ballet, Modern or Jazz...the streets gave us the freedom to express our own individuality through the dance...I intend it to be what ever the you want it to be... Did you think that it was ever going to get this far? No, not at first. But after Sinatra and all the television appearances, I saw how many people wanted to dance and look just like us. Then I knew that I had something going...it is up to people like you to keep it alive...it will be up to the new generation to keep it going long after I have gone... If there is one statement that you would like to make to a dancer that wishes to learn Locking, what words of inspiration would you say to him or her? Learn to dance it...there's a rhythm, learn the rhythm. Every song has a feeling, learn how to get into them. Remember, it is not about moves, it's about dancing. Don't try to Lock just like me, Fluky, Shab-a-Doo or anyone else. Look for your own flavor. This dance is about the individual

With this interview I hope to have targeted some of the questions I have gathered from different sources including many dance forums. I hope some misconceptions have been clarified with this effort. Don is the kind of person that is always willing to answer any questions and his contribution continues to bless us with knowledge and history. He is one of my greatest mentors. Not just because of his genius towards the dance, but because of his humble simplicity. I have learned that true greatness sees a skill as a gift: a gift that is a privilege, not a right. Don Campbell's character is an example to follow and I can say that he has inspired the whole world to be Funky. May his legacy last forever. Until next month, keep it real y'all. Aquaboogy

Afrika Bambaataa's Definition Of Hip Hop? Hip Hop means the whole culture of the movement.. when you
talk about rap..Rap is part of the hip hop culture..The emceeing..The djaying is part of the hip hop culture. The dressing the languages are all part of the hip hop culture.The break dancing the b-boys, b-girls ..how you act, walk, look, talk are all part of hip hop culture.. and the music is colorless.. Hip Hop music is made from Black, brown, yellow, red, white.. whatever music that gives you the grunt.. that funk.. that groove or that beat.. It's all part of hip hop.... Are artist from the West Coast and Miami considered Hip Hop? Too Short, E-40 all the brothers and sisters that are making that hip hop and coming from the funk part of it are all hip hoppers.. The Electro Funk which is that Planet Rock sound which is now considered the Miami Bass sound is also hip hop.. The GoGo sound that you hear from Washington DC is also hip hop.. New Jack Swing that Teddy Riley is R&B and hip hop mixed together...So hip hop has progressed into different sounds and different avenues.. People also have to recognize from hip hop music..inparticular the electro funk came House music and Freestyle music with a lot of our Pueto Rican hip hoppers... The freestyle music really comes from Planet Rock..If you look at all the freestyle records its based upon Planet Rock.. If you look at all the Miami Bass records it's based upon Planet Rock.. It's all based upon electro funk... which came from hip hop music... Hip Hop has experimented with a lot of different styles of music and there's a lot of people who have brought different changes over time with hip hop.. which have brought out all these funky records which everybody just started jumpin' on like a catch phrase.. For example when 'Planet Rock' came out you had all of the electro funk records.. When you had Doug E Fresh with the show and 'La Di Da Di'.. a lot of rappers went that way...When Eric B came out with 'I Know U Got Soul'... all the way up to Run DMC and Wu-Tang. All these people brought changes within hip hop music... Unfortunately today a lot of the people who created hip hop..meaning the Black and Latinos do not control it no more...

Afrika Bambaataa Sept 23 1996

Grandmaster Flash's Definition Of Hip Hop As one of the pioneers of who was known for his ability to mix music I
mixed anything from Billy Squire to Michael Jackson to Thin Lizzy to Sly And The Family Stone to Glen Miller to Tschochosky.. When I laid this foundation down.. the key was we could take almost anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it.. so that the rhymer who flowed over the top of it could syncopate.. For anybody to say that whatever they're doing in Florida is not hip hop..or whatever they're saying in LA is not hip hop.. Who are these people to say that?.. There were songs that Bambaataa played that to this day I still don't know.. They were so funky.. Some of the ones I got the priviledge to know..I was suprised...You take a song like 'Apache' for example which was considered to be one of the hip hop main themes..Those were a bunch of white guys.. The Incredible Bongo Rock Band were white guys.. There was one person there who was Black.. He was King Erickson who was a percussionist... For anybody to say 'this is not hip hop' or 'that is not hip hop' is wrong. That is not the way the formula was laid down.. It was for the people who were going to continue this to take anything...by all means necessary and string it along...

DJ Kool Herc's Definition Of Hip Hop? Hip Hop.. the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica... I was born in
jamaica and I was listening to American music in Jamaica.. My favorite artist was James Brown. That's who inspired me.. A lot of the records I played was by James Brown. When I came over here I just put it in the American style and a perspective for them to dance to it. In Jamaica all you needed was a drum and bass. So what I did here was go right to the 'yoke'. I cut off all anticipation and played the beats. I'd find out where the break in the record

was at and prolong it and people would love it. So I was giving them their own taste and beat percussion-wise.. cause my music is all about heavy bass... How Did The early Hip Hop Scene Of The '70s Kick Off? It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known discoteques back in the days. I had respect from some of the gang members because they used to go to school with me.. There were the Savage Skulls, Glory Stompers, Blue Diamaonds, Black Cats and Black Spades. Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect and I respected them. I respected everybody. I gave the women their respect. I never tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that. I played what they liked and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party....I would hail my friends that I knew. People liked that... I'd say things like..'There goes my mellow Coca La Roc in the house', 'There goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house', 'There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in the house'..'To my mellow Ricky D', 'To my mellow Bambaataa'.. People like that sort of acknowledgement when they heard it from a friend at a party. What were the early rhymes like? Well the rhyming came about..because I liked playing lyrics that were saying something. I figured people would pick it up by me playing those records, but at the same time I would say something myself with a meaninful message to it. I would say things like; Ya rock and ya don't stop and this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc and the Sound System and you're listening to the sounds of what we call the Herculoids. He was born in an orphanage he fought like a slave fuckin' up faggots all the Herculoids played when it come to push come to shove the Herculoids won't budge The bass is so low you can't get under it the high is so high you can't get over it So in other words be with it.. Who were the first modern day rappers? My man Coke La Rock.. He was the first original members of the Herculoids. He was first known as A-1 Coke and then he was Nasty Coke and finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock. There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark Kent.. We called him the Rock Machine...He was not the same Clark Kent who djs for Dana Dane... An imposter.. I repeat he's an imposter. The real Clark Kent we called him Bo King and only he knows what that means.

There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business. This guy carrying his name, I guess he respects Clark Kent...

Interview w/ DJ Kool Herc

1989 New Music Seminar
by Davey D

If there was ever a case of being at the right place at the right time. The day I ran into
DJ Kool Herc at the 1989 New Music Seminar was that time. It was a controversial yet electrifying seminar. I was attending a panel on Hip-Hop and hanging out with fellow journalist Harry Allen the Media Assassin. Toward the end of the panel Kool Herc walked into the room yet no one seemed to know, understand and to a certain degree care who he was. His name was mentioned and his contributions to Hip-Hop were uttered, but he was clearly not given the proper respects. Whoever was moderating the panel didn't really know or understand who Kool Herc was. I hadn't seen him in a long time and was a bit taken back, but I immediately grabbed my tape recorder and seized the moment. This was history. This was the Godfather of Hip-Hop. This was the man who started it all and here I was in a room with a bunch of folks who were so caught up in themselves that they neglected to let this brother drop science. Here's the transcript of our interview that took place in June 1989... Davey D: Herc. Legend has it that you're the one that started hip-hop. How did this come about? Kool Herc: Hip-Hop started when my father brought a PA system and didn't know how to hook it up. I was messing around with the music and I started out by buying a few records to play at my house. When I was doing that I saw a lot of kids playing outside in the backyard. My sister asked me to give a party one day. Actually, she wanted me to play at a party [1520 Segdwick Ave] and I went out and got around twenty records that I felt was good enough and we gave a party and charged about twenty five cents to come in and made 300 dollars. At the time I was into graffiti so there was a lot of curiosity was about who I was. And so when they came there they saw who I was and what I did, I fulfilled their expectations on me. Herc could talk and play good music and people didn't mess around in his party. The babes [fine women] were there and he [Herc] might call your name on the mic. In those days ain't no body know about calling your name on the mic or hearing records back to back...

Davey D: Ok when you say call your name on the mic and go back to back, what exactly did you mean by that? Kool Herc: I was like hailing my friends that I knew out there in the party. That would keep my head going. The homeboys that I played basketball with, not the curiosity seekers, not the party goer that come into see or hear me play, but friends that when the party's over is gonna be there. That's who I was calling out..people like that. I'd say things like, 'There goes my mellow Coke La Rock in the house' 'There goes my mellow Clark Kent in the house', 'There goes my mellow Timmy Tim in the house', 'There goes my mellow Ricky D', 'There goes my mellow Bambaataa'. People like that acknowledgment that they hear from their friend. Davey D: So how did that style lead to the actual rhyming style that encompasses rap music today? Kool Herc: Well the rhyming well you know, I like playing lyrics that was saying something. I figured the people would pick it up me playing these records, but at the same time, I would say something myself with a meaningful message to it. I would say things like: Ya rock and ya don't stop And this is the sounds of DJ Kool Herc and the Sound System and you're listening to is what we call the Herculoids. He was born in an orphanage; he fought like a slave fuckin' up faggots all the Herculoids played When it come to push come to shove the Herculoids won't budge The bass is so low you can't get under it The high is so high you can't get over it So in other words be with it Davey D: Did you get the rhyming style from Jamaica? Kool Herc: Hip-Hop, the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica, cause I'm West Indian. I was born in Jamaica. I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my favorite artist was James Brown. That's who inspired me. A lot of the records I played were by James Brown. When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style and a drum and bass. So what I did here was go right to the "yoke". I cut off all anticipation and played the beats. I'd find out where the break in the record was at and prolong it and people would love it. So I was giving them their own taste and beat percussion wise. Cause my music is all about heavy bass. Davey D: What year did this happen? Kool Herc: 1970 Davey D: Who were the original Herculoids?

Kool Herc: My man Coke La Rock, He was the first A-1 Coke. Then he was Nasty Coke and finally he just liked the name Coke La Rock. There was Timmy Tim and there was Clark Kent. We called him the rock machine. Davey D: Is this the same Clark Kent who DJs for Dana Dane? Kool Herc: No! No! Impostor! I repeat he's an impostor. The real Clark Kent was called Bo King and he knows what that means. There was only one original Clark Kent in the music business. This other guy is carrying his name. I guess he respects Clark Kent. Davey D: How did the whole party scene start with hip-hop? Kool Herc: It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known discotheques back in the days. I had respect from a lot of the gang members because they used to go to school with me. There was the Savage Skulls, Glory Stompers, Blue Diamond, Black Cats, Black Spades. Guys knew me because I carried myself with respect and I respected them. I respected everybody. I gave the women their respect. I never tried to use my charisma to be conceited or anything like that. I played what they liked and acknowledged their neighborhood when they came to my party. I never gave a party without the public asking me when is the next party. If I went to the East side it would be 'Hey Herc when's the next party?' On the west side it'd be 'When's the next party?'. So when I felt the symptoms or felt the right urges, that's when I'd give the next party. I never gave a party just to be giving a party unless the people asked me when is the next one cause they telling me they like it and that's what kept me going. I was the people's choice. I was their investment. They made me who I am and I never fronted on them. No matter how big my name got, I was always in the neighborhood. They could see and touch me. The people have a way of showing they want or don't want you. Right now they want me to get out. Davey D: Over the years did you think that rap music or Hip-Hop was gonna become the big million-dollar industry that it is today? Kool Herc: No. Little did anybody know we were making history by creating our own culture for our unborn family or unborn child to be coming up into. Nobody knew. A lot of people knocked it, but I stuck with it. I even got stabbed trying to bring peace to a discrepancy at a party. They didn't know. Right now they know it's out and the people are saying 'Hey you should get something for being out there Herc. You started this for Run and Kurtis Blow. It started here. They came to my parties. They heard what I played. They went out there and put other things to it. Hey it's only right when anything gets created there's gonna be somebody else creating something to enhance it. I like it. But when they ask the question of where it comes from. It started here. Davey D: Pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and others all went on to stay visible beyond the music just being stuck in the Bronx. How come Kool Herc never put out a record? How come Kool Herc wasn't out there in the limelight? Kool Herc: The thing is.. I carried hip-hop. I dominated this in the '70s. Then the whole volcano erupted around this with 'Rapper's Delight' with Big Bank Hank. Hank knew me personally. He knew where it came from because he was the doorman at our parties at the

Executive Playhouse that later changed its name to Sparkle. When he had the impact of bringing it to the public, knowing it was the real deal. They didn't know who he was. Right around there I got hurt. I got stabbed... Davey D: Because Big Bad Hank never gave you any credit? Kool Herc: No! I got stabbed up physically and that backed me up. It killed the juice in me. When your life gets damn near snuffed out and your up there lying in the hospital bed for weeks, you got time to think. I kept visible. I was about my own thing. I rented the space, I spun the music and I promoted the place. I didn't have too many people around me with more motivation to help. It was my business and I sat back and watched to see where it was going. And where ever rap is going I'm gonna be there. There's always gonna be a part there for me. Don't let me forget. I didn't want to be in it like that.. A lot of them pioneers no matter how their names were out there wasn't getting paid. I didn't want to get on that bandwagon because I was about my own thing and nobody ever approached me about that perspective of letting me be my own man. Let me run whatever part I'm supposed to run and have authority. Don't let me be like some sort of puppet. I wasn't with that... Davey D: You've followed rap over the years. What do you think about the changes? Kool Herc: I wanted rap to always be a positive, beautiful music. I wanted it to be political. I want it to stay that way. We got kings, queens and jokers. There was some women complaining about the lyrics of a Slick Rick, but she gotta understand that he's like a Eddie Murphy in our business and there are selective people out there that want that. It's not like hes gonna go to play in front of the youngsters. The radio is not supposed to give a lot of air time to records like that. That's the people's choice. That'll spread like wild fire through word of mouth. It don't need no airtime... Davey D: Back in the days, you heard stories about Bambaataa not getting along with Flash and other rivalries. Did you get along with everybody and what about all these stories? Kool Herc: I got along with everybody 'cause I gave respect. A lot of things happened at certain guy's parties that I didn't tolerate. People always like to put things into it. For example, they were always trying to put Bam against me. What they didn't know was that me and Bam had already met. I told him the public had this idea and that there were all types of scrutiny but this is me. I respected Bam from the day I went to a party and rode into Bronx River. I met Bam and was talking to him on the bench and he told me he had a lot of music. When I first came to the neighborhood and I was waiting for the person I was supposed to meet, I didn't go to his house. But I rode back to Bronx River one summer and Bam had his equipment set up and was playing music and I knew in a way who inspired him. And he gave the respect of playing records that I played for me

or for my fans. He had his own style and I loved that. He had records I never heard before. Some in fact that could help my mixing gap then and I loved that. I didn't want to hear the same ole same ole. Back then, crews were gangs. Get that straight. Crew was another name for gang. So therefore when you heard about Flash and Bam It was really about the Black Spades (Zulu Nation) and the Casanovas. So therefore you were going to have friction besides the DJs. That tension was already there. Davey D: Are you gonna be making a comeback? Kool Herc: I was never away. I would like to be a part of a production that my musical ear could give a hand to. As far as what I know and seen move the crowd or break it. And that's all I've been hearing, what moved the crowd already. A lot of music I've already heard or I've played already. I've come down here (New Music Seminar) to make some connections. This is really a move out. I never left New York and I want to see how HipHop effects other states and the world by my own eyes. You see I'm a freestyle DJ. I like to play something that the radio should be playing that they're not playing. That's where my music always comes from. I'd like to get my sound system back in shape and go on the road and play during the intermission of these groups shows. Davey D: Any last words? Kool Herc: Well, no matter what rumors you've heard, I'm still built like a twenty five/forty five frame. I still weigh 230 pounds and I'm in love with a beautiful young lady from Corpus Christi Texas named Wanda. I pledge to marry that lady pretty soon. c 1989

Interview w/

Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hop's Innovator
by Davey D- Sept '96

One of Hip Hop's foremost pioneers is

Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash. Back in the day he epitomized what a DJ should be and headed one of Hip Hop's best and most enduring groups The Furious Four, which later became The Furious Five. Flash put his superstar crew together in 1976. They eventually went on

to record some of Hip Hop's biggest hits including, 'White Lines', 'The Message' and 'Scorpio' to name a few. However, long before records came out, GM Flash was Hip Hop's most popular act. Going to a Flash party was an event. Old school headz all have fond memories of seeing Flash for the first time. Both him and his groups showmanship are unequaled to this day. There's not enough that can be written about Flash's accomplishments. He invented all sorts of techniques from backspinning to cutting and scratching and of course quick mixing which are the foundations for today's Hip Hop DJs. He was also responsible for tinkering with a mixer and developing a cross fading cue. He was also the first DJ to use a drum machine that he called a beat box.... This interview took place several days after 2Pac's death in September of 1996. Davey D: For people who aren't familiar, tell us what was Grandmaster Flash's legacy in Hip Hop? What were you best known for within the early days of Hip Hop? GM Flash: As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer. I was known for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it. I called it the quick mix theory. It consisted of backspinning, the double back, cutting and scratching. I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the turntables. I would do 360 turns, cutting with my elbows, my mouth and crazy stuff like that. Davey D: Not only were you the DJ, but you had some of the fiercest emcees in the business. Could you tell us the original members of your crew? A lot of people know you as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, but I remember when you started off with just one, then it became three and then for a long time it was GMF and the Furious Four. Break this down for us.. GM Flash: The first member was who I called 'The crowd pleaser' was Cowboy. The second one who was recruited was Kid Creole. The third member who was recruited was Kid Creole's brother who was known as Melle-Mel. The fourth member recruited was Mr. Ness who later became known as Scorpio. The final person was Raheim. I also had my assistant Disco B. Davey D: What ever happened to Disco B? GM Flash: Disco B still rolls with me now. He's still doing his thing. He does clubs in different places. He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my craft.

Davey D: What have been some of the positive changes you've seen over the years within Hip Hop? What are some of the changes you've seen that you don't like? GM Flash: What I've found appealing is the fact that Hip Hop can take from any other genre of music, recreate it, reform it, rearrange it and put poetry over the top of it. That's Hip Hop. That was a positive thing for it. Now, as for what I don't like, I'll try to explain this real carefully. Me, Bambaataa and Kool Herc planted this seed. This seed was a seed to a tree. This tree had a massive trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves. The leaves symbolize different subject matter that we can speak on. If you think about the history of Hip Hop we've had artist who can talk about from socially significant ideas to something as cool as sneakers. There was a time when all these various subject matters were utilized. But what has happened, we as Hip Hoppers are not fully utilizing this tree. At this point in time, I just feel that this tree is leaning. By that I mean, I think we are putting too much weight on one side of the tree, when this particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things. Davey D: Why do you think this has happened? GM Flash: I think the music business plays a big part. Let's say have two record company's which I'll call 'Company Left' and 'Company Right'. Let's say Company Left has an artist with a hit record. Company Right would rather come up with a record that sounds like Company Left as opposed to allowing the creative flow of the artist to come up with something just as comparable. If you think about my era to throughout the 80s, you had anybody from Eric B & Rakim who's subject matter was totally different from Chuck D, who's subject matter was totally different from LL's, who's subject matter was totally different from KRS-One. We were basically bombing the airwaves and the record companies could not figure out how and why. What has happened is that to some degree they have taken an attitude where they don't listen to demos of diverse subject matters. They're looking for demos like the record the guy on the left just did. Hip Hop has become real constrained. The creative juices and creative flows have been diminished. Davey D: Now this is very different from the days when you first came out, because the name of the game was to be creative and standout as much as possible. GM Flash: Exactly, especially when you're talking about a music where you can do just about anything. We can talk about just about anything lyrically. We can even sing off key, but if it's produced properly it can be a hit. What has happened is that there's just too much of one particular subject matter being talked about. Classical, R&B and Blues are constrained. They have a bridge. They have a chorus. They have to sing in a certain key and have some sort of key. With Hip Hop that's not the case. Davey D: When is something not Hip Hop? I run into people who will listen to a group like the 2 Live Crew and say 'That's not Hip Hop' or they would hear

someone who has an R&B beat in the background and they'll say 'That's not Hip Hop'. The definition of Hip Hop has become narrowly defined. There are a lot of people who will maintain that music from the West Coast is not Hip Hop. They'll say that E-40 or Too Short is not Hip Hop. Now coming from one of the people who pioneered this how would you definitively define Hip Hop music? GM Flash: Let me just say this and I want to be real clear. As being one of the pioneers who was known for the ability to mix music, I mixed anything from Billy Squire, Michael Jackson, to Beethoven. When I laid this foundation down, the key was being able to take almost anything musically just as long as it had a beat to it, so that the rhymer can syncopate to it. So what I'm trying to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that whatever they're doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or whatever they're doing in LA is not Hip Hop, who are these people to say that? There were songs that Bambaataa played that were so funky and when I had the privilege of getting to know what they were, I was surprised. You take a song like 'Apache' which is considered one of the themes of Hip Hop. The guys who did were The Incredible Bongo Band. They were a bunch of white guys. There was one person in there who was Black and that was King Erickson. He was a percussionist. For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and that's not Hip Hop, that is not the way the formula was laid down. It was for the people who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along. Davey D: Do you the media has given Hip Hop it's due? Have we in the Hip Hop media treated it correctly? Have we defined it correctly? I mean there are a lot of magazines who have put out different definitions for Hip Hop other then the one's you, Bambaataa and Kool Herc have laid out for years. You have guys who get on radio, who just got into Hip Hop two years ago asserting their own misleading definitions, but because they have access to the airwaves, they're able to make those definitions stick. Do you think this sort of activity has led to Hip Hop becoming stagnant? GM Flash: I think what's happening here is, there's a group or maybe one person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to get the kids to do now. The definition just keeps changing. It keeps changing even though there was already a floor plan. All the newer artists had to do was build upon the floor plan. The definition has already been set and that is, unlimited subject matters, unlimited music genres. This was already set in the early 70s. All that had to happen now was people build upon it. So if a person has an R&B track in the background and he's rhyming over the top of it, it's Hip Hop. If it's a techno track and he's rhyming over the top of it, it's Hip Hop. It's even to the point where now that R&B needs major assistance from our genre. That goes to show you that there is so much power in the derivative of the musical aspect of Hip Hop. The definitions have already been laid. For us to keep claiming this isn't Hip Hop and that isn't Hip Hop doesn't make

sense to me. When we were going into the studios, my point of view of course would differ from Heavy D's point of view. It would differ from Snoop Dogg's point of view or it would differ from LLs or any other artist. Of course we would differ, but that's the beauty of Hip Hop. We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down. We should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other. We're all responsible to continue the growth of Hip Hop. You have to remember that after a while when your career is over, there's a child that's looking at you that wants to do the same thing that you're doing, so why not give him all the avenues? Give him all the avenues so that when he puts pen to paper he explores all avenues. We have enough black eyes coming from people who don't like Hip Hop. So for us who do love Hip Hop we should not be throwing black eyes at each other. Davey D: Hip Hop and violence, how do you see it? GM Flash: Hip Hop has always been a dynamo. It's the only genre of music where we hit a stage the objective is to get everybody as hyped as possible. That has been the objective. That's why Hip Hop works so well with an audience. Now the violence mixed in between, I personally feel that the business aspects have played a role. Meaning that you have some people in the music business that have the power to sign artists who will take an artist aside and plant a negative seed. They will encourage artist to do something just because the guy across town is doing it. He will tell an artist to escalate it to another level. They would set the stage. Unfortunately we are arguing amongst each other so much when the bottom line is we don't own anything. We are offspring to a record label owner. So what the owners see is that we are fighting amongst each other and causing controversy, but as long as it's selling records they don't care. We have to take responsibility to say 'hold up, wait a minute this thing has gone to far'. There's gonna always be an element of violence in all genres of music. It's with Rock-n-Roll and all the other genres. When it comes to the point that there is a tragedy over it that scares me. That scares me because all the owners will do is find some new element and back it and sit back and collect the dough. We gotta stop fighting amongst each other. I think the only rift should be when take it the stage and try to out perform each other. Davey D: There were some legendary battles that you and your crew participated in, name some of those battles. GM Flash: Before I was a recording artist I didn't look at things as battles. For example, me and Bambaataa might play in the same room. Me and Kool Herc might play in the same room. Myself and DJ Breakout might play in the same room. Now the audience might've look at that as a battle which was fine, but our true battles didn't come until we started touring.

Davey D: I heard you guys used to battle against bands like the Barkays and Lakeside? GM Flash: This is what I'm trying to tell you. For example, I didn't take the word battle seriously until we started making records. When we started making records we would go into towns and get ready to do sound check. All we would bring was our turntables and a couple of microphones and other bands would say stuff to us like 'Oh you guys must be here for intermission music'. We would hear this sort of stuff from these big time groups. I won't name no names but they know who they are. When they read this interview they'll know who they are. We would take that as a slap in the face. We would find out when we went on stage and when we performed we used the formula of Hip Hop, which was to drain the audience. We would get them to clap their hands and say 'Ho! As we were leaving off stage we would knock on the dressing room door of the next act and say 'Good Luck'. We would then sit back on the side and watch them play to a tired worn out audience. That's when the battle was on. I had love for Breakout; I had love for Bambaataa. I had love for Kool Herc. Davey D: I know you don't call it a battle, but a lot of us did and if there was one rival group you guys had it was Grand Wizard Theodore and The Fantastic Romantic Five. GM Flash: Ok, let me put that into perspective. Before I had fully put my group together, I was down with another group called the L Brothers. It was Gene Livingston, Corey Livingston and this little kid who was little brother named Theodore Livingston. Now when I was creating this formula, not everyone truly understood what I was trying to do. What I would notice was this little kid watching me do all this because the equipment was in Gene Livingston's house. Now his little brother would watch me, but Gene would say 'Whatever you do, Do not let my little brother touch the turntables. When Gene used to go to work, I used to sneak Theodore in the room and teach him. He had been watching me all the time. What I would do is put a milk crate under him and let him get up on the turntables and I watched this kid duplicate what I did. We kept it a secret for a long time, me and Theodore. One day we did a block party and I stepped to Gene who was his older brother and I said 'Gene, your little brother would bring us so much more notoriety if we let him get on the turntables. For a long time Gene would resist because he couldn't catch what I was doing on the turntables. Finally he said 'ok' and I brought that same milk crate and that lunch kitchen table, I pulled out the turntables. I introduced him to the crowd as my student Grand Wizard Theodore. He did his thing and the crowd went nuts. He was a little kid and could hardly reach the tables. It put a damper on his older brother, because he couldn't catch the tricks. So it was a rivalry from there. I broke off from the L Brothers and created my own situation. I have love for Theodore because he was there. I have love for Gene. I have love for all these people because they were there. . The audience would look at me and Theodore as battling when we played a room, but all he doing was what I did.

Davey D: Where do you see Hip Hop going? GM Flash: I'm a little afraid right now because now that it has escalated to someone getting the ultimate punishment which only God is allowed to do, as far as 2Pac dying. No one had a right to have done that. I know he has done things to people that were sort of insulting or not agreeable, but for him to die that's not good at all. Where is Hip Hop going? I'm hoping that this tragedy will help us to see we can't fight amongst each other, because we're gonna burn it out if we don't. Stop fighting. Right now I couldn't tell you where Hip Hop is going. There's gonna be a major summit held at Mosque 7 later this afternoon and we're gonna talk about it. We're gonna figure out how to put a stop on the violence. Davey D: Last question, people are saying that pioneering groups like yourself have gotten ripped off from record companies and in a sense are winding up like the blues artist of the past that were exploited and left for broke. What advice would you give to young artist coming into the business so they could avoid the same mistakes? GM Flash: Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow. You are not writing for the record company. You're writing for the public. The public makes you who you are. Also I would say do not enter into any agreement unless you are assisted by family and lawyer. This thing that was a dream at one time is now a multi-billion dollar business so make sure your business is straight. c 1996

Interview w/ Afrika Bambaataa

Hip Hop's Ambassador
by Davey D- Sept '96

Everyone in Hip Hop owes a bit of

gratitude to Hip Hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation. Here's a guy who came out of New York's ruthless gang culture and succeeded in creating something positive when there was so much negativity around. He took former gang members put them under one umbrella initially called the Organization and later Zulu Nation. He was the one who attempted to bridge the generation gap between a resistant older Black community and it's innovative young. He along with DJ Kool Herc was among the first use Hip Hop as a way to provide a positive for the local neighborhood thugs. Bam was known as the Master of Records because of his huge vinyl collection and his willingness to expand Hip Hop's musical boundaries. He was the first deejay I ever heard take a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King speech and play it over a Hip Hop break beat. He was creative enough to take the 'Theme to the Pink Panther' and rock it over Hip Hop drum beats. Bam was the first to really take Hip Hop beyond the boundaries of The Bronx and Harlem's Black and Puerto Rican communities and make it multi-cultural. He was the first to take Hip Hop downtown to New York's trendy Village district. He was also the first to provide a safe haven for folks outside the community to come up and see what Hip Hop culture was really all about. Bambaataa was the one who gave birth to the Electro-Funk aspect of Hip Hop when he dropped his uptempo landmark record Planet Rock in 1982. True to his moniker Master of Records, Bambaataa used a sped up riff from the German dance group Kraftwerk and their classic song Trans-Europe Express. He's the one who attempted to keep the soul of Black music, in particular the funk, from being compromised, diluted and watered down during the Age of Disco. Before folks were really up on George Clinton and The P-Funk era, Bam was a full fledged Funkateer. Before folks really developed a deep appreciation for James Brown whose music became a major backbone for early Hip Hop, Bam was making records with him.

DJ Afrika Bambaataa was the one who spread the word about this new style of music and culture thus making him Hip Hop's first Ambassador. This is the same Bambaataa-The Grandfather of Hip Hop, who recently came to the San Francisco Bay Area [November 1999] to perform at a club with less then 100 people. It was sad to see the man who did so much for this culture wasnt given the respect from one major radio or video outlet that now makes a living peddling Hip Hop culture. They didnt bother to seek him out and grant him an interview. No one bothered to build directly from his experience, expertise and wisdom. This is the same Bambaataa who laid down much of the blue print for Hip Hop but now when his name is mentioned to todays Hip Hopper he/she will arrogantly dismiss Bam and accomplishments and say 'He's Old School'. Over the years I have interviewed Bambaataa numerous times. This particular day was telling because it Bam was on his way to a peace summit of sorts. He was doing his part to quell a growing feud between East and West Coast rappers. At the time of this interview [September 96] things were kind of hectic because Hip Hop had just lost 2Pac to senseless violence. Davey D: How did you get involved with Hip-Hop? A. Bambaataa I am one of the founders of Hip-Hop along with my brothers Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash. Kool Herc came to the shores of America from the island of Jamaica in 1969. He started jamming these slamming types of b-beats that we call break beats. I knew that as a DJ from 1970 on up that I would eventually come with this sound. I brought out all these other break beats that you hear so much on a lot of these records. It was for this reason I am called the Master of Records. Davey D: A lot of people don't realize your reputation. Back in the days you use to shock everybody because you had so many records and so many beats from different sources of music. You definitely earned that title. When we talk about Hip-Hop how would you define it? Is it just one type of music? Is it a way that you present it? Or is it a conglomeration of a lot of different things? A. Bambaataa People have to understand what you mean when you talk about Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop means the whole culture of the movement. When you talk about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture. That means the emceeing is part of the Hip-Hop culture. The Deejaying is part of the Hip-Hop culture. The dressing, the languages are all part of the Hip Hop culture. So is the break dancing, the b-boys and b-girls. How you act, walk, look and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture. And the music is colorless. Hip Hop music is made from Black, brown, yellow, red and white. It's from whatever music that gives that grunt, that funk, that groove, that beat. That's all part of Hip Hop.

Davey D: So is music on the west coast considered Hip Hop? I ask that cause you have a lot of people who keep insisting that artist like Too Short or E-40 is not real Hip Hop. Is that a false definition? A. Bambaataa Yes, that's a false definition. Too Short, E-40 and all the brothers and sisters that's making Hip Hop and coming from the funk side part of it is all Hip Hop. The electro-funk, which is that Planet Rock sound which is led to the Miami Bass sound, is also Hip Hop. The GoGo sound that you hear from Washington DC is also Hip Hop. The New Jack Swing that Teddy Riley and all them started is R&B and Hip Hop mixed together. So Hip Hop has progressed into different sounds and different avenues. Also people have got to recognize from Hip Hop music came the birth of House music and Freestyle dance music that is listened to by a lot of Puerto Ricans. Davey D: Now can you repeat that again. I keep telling people all the time that Latin Freestyle and Hi Energy music is part of Hip Hop. I keep telling people that a lot of the early freestyle producers were original Hip Hoppers. I keep telling them how the Puerto Ricans took the fast uptempo break beats from songs like 'Apache' and developed freestyle. A. Bambaataa Actually freestyle really comes from 'Planet Rock'. If you listen to all the freestyle records you'll hear that they are based on 'Planet Rock'. All the Miami Bass records are based upon Planet Rock. So freestyle came from Electro Funk, which as you know came from Hip Hop. Davey D: How has Hip Hop changed over the years? What do you like about it? What do you think is hurting it? What do you think we need to do to take things to the next level? A. Bambaataa The thing that's good about Hip Hop is that it has experimented with a lot of different sounds and music. There's a lot of people over time who have brought out all these funky records that everybody has started jumping on like a catch phrase... When Planet Rock came out, then you had all of the electro funk records. When you had Doug E Fresh doing songs with Slick Rick like 'La Di Da Di', you had all the people going in that direction. When Eric B and Rakim came out with 'I Know You Got Soul' and all the way up to Run DMC all the way to Wu-Tang...All these people gave little changes that effected Hip Hop music. The thing about Hip Hop today and music in general is that the people who created it meaning Blacks and Latinos do not control it no more. A lot of them have made companies and sold it out to the money devils. Now we act like we have freedom of expression within Hip Hop but there's actually censorship in Hip Hop.

Davey D: What exactly do you mean by that? A. Bambaataa Well, a lot of people within government and big business are nervous of Hip Hop and Hip Hop artists, because they speak their minds. They talk about what they see and what they feel and what they know. They reflect what's around them. That means if you see drugs in your area, your gonna come straight with it. If you see something is going wrong within politics and the world today, then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get straight with it. If they think that there's a lot of racism going on then there's another Hip Hop artist who's gonna come out and speak their mind. A lot of people fear this. So they (big business types) go together in their secret meetings like Warner Brothers and they came down on people like Ice T or Sista Souljah. They came down on the Zulu Nation. They came down on Public Enemy. They came down on NWA and The Geto Boys. All these Hip Hop artists were bold and demanded freedom of expression. But now you see censorship going on. Ice T made a record called 'Cop Killer' which was really a heavy metal record done by a Black heavy metal band so they came after it because it was Ice T and said it was rap. Davey D: How are you seeing this censorship coming about? A. Bambaataa You have to look at the fact that Hip Hop is under attack. It's not just Hip Hop but Black people, Latino people and all people are under attack for different things. We're attacked within Hip Hop music. We're attack within our minds by what they put on television to accommodate you and 'supe you up [tell you lies]. We're attacked within our bodies and health. They attack our natural food source so that its hard for people who want to get into holistic herbs or natural healing. Since the pharmaceuticals don't make any money and they control the doctors. If the doctors don't make any money then all hell breaks loose. In communities like LA and New York they are using a lot of the youth for a test sight. By that I mean, they are flooding the communities with drugs. We are under attack in all fields of our life. Davey D: Today there's a meeting taking place at the Mosque in NY and I know you're going to be playing a significant role in this Hip Hop Day of Atonement, Can you explain to everyone what this is all about and what you hope to accomplish? A. Bambaataa Well basically The Hip Hop Day Of Atonement at Mosque 7 in New York City is basically bringing a lot of the Hip Hop artist together to talk about this East/ West coast mess and to talk about our brother 2Pac Shakur. We want to give him a memorial. We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness that's going on between the East and West. We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal. Hip Hop is not East coast or West coast. Hip Hop is in the North of America and in the South of America as well as all around the world. It's in different countries from Europe to Africa to the West Indies to the Pacific Islands. It's now a

universal thing. It's what you put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or white thing. Or it can speak to all people on the planet. That's what this day of atonement is about-to bring our people together. We want you to sit down and leave your egos at home and let's get an understanding as to where all this is foolishness coming from. There are others who are putting things out there or throwing a stick and hiding their hand and keeping things built up in the media. They're keeping friction going between people from the East and the West. One thing we all got in common is your color, which is Black and Latino, which is our family. Davey D: Can you speak on the relationship between Hip Hop and violence? A. Bambaataa Well, the continuation with violence is America itself. They tell you you're not supposed to have guns or you're not supposed to have knives, yet they still show guns and all sorts of weapons in all these movies. They allow us to have guns and weapons in our videos. They allow us to disrespect our Black woman. A lot of these things would be considered criminal if it were to be carried out in the streets. That's like when they tell you after you buy your VHS and you rent movies they tell you not to copy the movies. But here they come with a scrambler that allows you to make illegal copies. Life in the American system is just crazy and 'wild out'. There are certain things that they say you can't do, there are all these secret people behind the scenes who make things available for you to do. That's why you have so much crime and violence. Black people didn't come up with the first drive by shooting. A lot of this was taught from watching the movies from the 1920s when they had so called 'real' gangsters like Al Capone. All this is played in your subconscious mind. There are people who think less of themselves and don't know their real self and they tend to fall victim these traps that are being put on television or in a lot of these movies. Davey D: Any last words...Where do you see Hip Hop going in the next couple of years? A. Bambaataa If we do not sit down, meaning our people as a whole and unite and form a Hip Hop united front or police our own self and organize, I can definitely see Hip Hop becoming destroyed and a lot of frictions getting bigger. I can see a lot of people going out and hurting each other. Sooner or later we need to wake up and know whats going on. We need to do what brother Malcolm X, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan and many others had suggested--read books. You better know what's going on with this New World Order cause there's something serious going down and believe me all of y'all that's out there with all this foolishness. They got a lot of big concentration camps (prisons) just waiting for you. So get ready for the new age and the next Millennium. In the year 2000. The New World Order. c 1996

Entrevista Mele-Mel

JayQuan : Peace .......thanks for taking the time to talk to me , its an honor ..I think youre the greatest Emcee . Melle Mel : Thanks....its all good. JQ : Most cats credit either you , Cowboy (RIP), Hollywood or Coke La Rock with being the first person that they saw Emcee....who inspired you ? MM : Kool Herc , Coke La Rock , Timmy Tim and Clark Kent . JQ : What year did you start Emceeing ? MM : 1977 JQ : Who are the first members of Furious 5 ? MM : Cowboy was the first Emcee for Flash . Then me & my brother ( Creole ) joined . We were called the 3 Emcees. JQ : How did the record " We Rap More Mellow " come about , and why were you called the Younger Generation ? MM : Terry Lewis produced it and put it out without our knowledge . We didnt sign contracts or anything.....he just threw the name Younger Generation on it. JQ : How did the Deal with Bobby Robinson & Enjoy Records come about ? MM : Bobby owned a Record store in Harlem....he is Spoonie Gees uncle and Spoonie told

him about us and the Funky 4 . JQ : Who wrote your routines ; and did you ever write ryhmes for each other ? MM : We all wrote routines together . We wrote our own ryhmes ; I did do some writing for Cowboy . JQ : Did the beef with the Crash Crew (over the Freedom break) get deep ? MM : Not really...they just used the same break that we did . In fact the label ( Sugarhill ) already had the track and they originally wanted Luvbug Starski to do that record . JQ : Were there any rivalries or battles between Furious 5 and any crews ?

MM : We battled Breakout & Baron and the Funky 4 and Fantastic 5 . In fact thats how we got Rahiem ...from that battle with Funky 4...he was with them at first when we were the Furious 4. JQ : I noticed that on Super Rappin in ' 79 you rocked a verse that you later rocked on the Message ; did Slyvia get the idea for the Message from that verse....or was that verse added later ? MM : The verse was added later....it just fit the song so we put it in. JQ : Why did the group actually break up into splinter groups ? MM : Flash wanted to go to court for royalties.....I didnt want to...I felt that it would be long & drawn out ; and im a recording artist , not a lawyer - I said lets make records . Originally everyone

went with Flash , then after White Lines came out Scorp & Cowboy came back with me. JQ : Did you know the new members of Flashes clique ; and what did you think of them ? MM : I had seen them before , but I didnt personally know them...they were ok... kinda corny I thought. JQ : What was your favorite Furious 5 song on the Sugarhill label ? MM : Freedom JQ : I noticed that you and Scorp seem closer than any other group members...is that so ? MM : Yeah...it just came from our days B Boyin together...we just vibed . JQ : I always felt that Run Dmc was able to take off based on the fact that Furious 5 was in a drought ; and because they rapped over stripped down beats ; like what you did in the parks and clubs . Do you agree ? MM : Yes...while we were caught up in all that legal stuff a lot of groups moved in . It was the right time for them...they came right in time for Mtv and that crowd....we missed all that .Sugarhill wasn't into doing videos . They were a company from the 60s , and they were still operating like Motown....They were still using the old Linn drum and the Sugarhill band while other labels had Scratching and drum machines in their songs . After our split neither faction was the same . Even after we got back together it wasn't the same. JQ : Ive heard people say that you lost street credibility after White Lines - do you agree ?

MM : No.....we werent really after street credibility at that point . We were stars...we were doing shows all over .....Peppermint lounge...everywhere. Billy Ocean and everybody was comin to see us play . One thing that Sugarhill did right was that we had a white publicist - we were in all the magazines in the Uk , right up there with the Ramones the Clash & Mick Jagger ....we werent treated any less than them. Whitelines was a dance record...put any of our records on in the clubs and Whitelines gets the most response . All we cared about was love from the Bronx...and as far as the Bronx was concerned they were like " look at them Niggas go." JQ : How did the Zulu Kings come about ? MM : That was Afrika Islams thing...just a crew he put together...It was me , Bronx Style Bob , Ice T & Caz . JQ : You have done work with Bill Laswell , Material & the Last Poets....how did that come about ? MM : I don't remember how I met Bill , but he was always into real eccentric stuff so we started working , and it was good to work with the Last Poets ...those cats were doing an early version of rap . I have done stuff with Bootsy & Billy Bass Nelson from Funkadelic . JQ : How did the opportunity to do Beat Street come about ? MM : Harry Belafonte came to us...he was looking for rappers and we were hot at the time . JQ : You have worked with Chaka Khan , Rebbie Jackson & Quincy Jones - how did you hook up with them ? MM : Reggie Griffin was a

producer with Sugarhill Records and he produced " I Feel For You ". He needed an Emcee for it and he came to me . I didnt meet Chaka until the Grammys Thats where I met Quincy Jones . He was always experimenting with some eccentric stuff too...I did" Back On The Block " and " Qs Juke Joint " with him . I also wrote a chapter in his book. JQ : How did the Furious 5 reunite for " On The Strength " ? MM : Well Flash was already on Elektra ; and the label felt that his records werent doing well . They suggested that we reunite . The record just didnt take off . JQ : I thought that it was a good album....was it politics that killed it ? MM : Yes , the material was good but the project was doomed from the start...the manager was trying to manage the group from prison....it was a mess. JQ : What about the Piano Lp....it was on one of Sylvias label...did you sign with her again ? MM : It was just somethin we did - we didnt sign ; that project fell apart too . The group was still pissed at her and they only did like 4 songs....I had to finish the rest myself ; to try to salvage the project . JQ : Im gonna name some Emcees ; rate them from 1 - 10 . 10 being the best. Caz - 10 Rakim - 9 T La Rock - 7 Moe Dee - 10 LL Cool J - 7

Lil Rodney C - 6 Nas - 8 Kid Creole - 10 ( Im probably biased 'cuz he is my brother ; but he is a dime to me ) Rahiem - 10 Scorpio - 8 Cowboy - 10 Run - 7 Chuck D - 8 DLB (Fearless 4)- 7 Busy Bee - 5 (laughs....thats my Nigga , I Love him to death - he just wasnt lyrical ) Jay Z - 9 Ice Cube - 9.5 Ice T - 8 G.L.O.B.E - 8 Big Daddy Kane - 9 Kool G Rap - 11 (not a typo eleven) Mc Shan - 8 KRSOne - 8 Biggie - 10 Tupac - 9 Guru - 8

JQ : Ahhhh..you feel Kool G Rap too ? ! MM : He is sick....did you hear the Roots Of Evil cd ?

JQ : Yes....I have all his albums....G Rap is the truth . What do you think of the current thug imagery in rap ? MM : Let me tell you something...thugs and killers dont make records . If you got on the mic back in the days with all that " im a thug" shit ; the real thug Niggas in the crowd would have fucked you up . None of these Niggas are that hard ....no one is that hard . I remember when the Casanovas would stand in the bathroom of the club and rob everybody that came in the bathroom and dare anybody to call the police. Niggas would be high on angel dust and come in the club with a gun and make the Emcee say their name on the mic . Sometimes you would hear us shoutin out various Niggas on the mic....you might have been like who is that.....it was somebody that would put a hole in your head if you didnt say their name !! People thought that we were down with the Casanovas....we were scared of the Casanovas !!! JQ : I laugh at how BET has so called old school wensday, but they show videos by Biggie...young people today dont even know of the Run Dmc era ; not to mention the true school. What are your feelings on that ? MM : Its a smack in the face to even call it old school . They just throw Run and them in there with us , then they just label it all old school . Even Rakim and Big Daddy Kane ...its not fair to them or us . If its old they just lump it all together ....the original old school is cats likeFurious 5 , Herculords and Bam & the Zulus . Those were the first established groups . After that is Cold Crush , Fantastic 5 , Busy Bee , Funky 4 , Spoonie Gee , Treacherous 3 , Kurtis Blow , Luv Bug Starski , Fearless 4 and

a couple other groups . JQ : On the song " Scorpio " who does the computer voice ? MM : Me JQ : Is a reunion of the original remaining Furious 5 and Flash possible ? MM : Its not a question of whether we could get together or not ..... I just dont think that we could get a deal . The record company people just dont see a market for us . JQ : I have always maintained that you were as much a musical prophet as Bob Marley or Stevie Wonder...what made you talk about clones , not being a slave to computers , and all the other things that no one talked about in 1984 ? MM : Well I wouldnt say that I was deep or anything....I just always wanted to stay two steps ahead of other Emcees . JQ : Well I would say that you are deep...what is Melle Mel doing today ? MM : I just did a Lp with Rondo...our group is called Die Hard...the cd is called " On Lock " . I have some more projects coming also. JQ : Peace....thanks for your time.

2002 JayQuan Dot Com As told to JayQuan 2 / 15 / 02 No part may be copied without authors permission * Special thanks to Rondo & Kurtis Blow *

The MC
Master of Ceremonies to Mic Controller
by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers
MC - those two initials have always stood for Master of Ceremonies, the host or announcer. To us, the guys on the street, it meant the guy on the mic. Not singing, just talking on the mic. Today the role of the MC in hip-hop culture has grown far beyond its initial function of announcing what the next jam is going to be. In order to fully understand the role of the MC in hip-hop culture, we must examine the origin of the MC. Today, the MC can boast about being responsible for a multibillion-dollar industry. But how did the role of the MC come about? We will have to go back, way back. Let's call it 1974 - BR (before rap). When the cultural phenomenon we now know as hip-hop was in its infancy. DJs emerged at a rapid rate to supply music to the growing demand of b-boys and young eager "hip-hoppers." It was the DJ who supplied the sound system (usually plugged into a lamppost or donated electricity from an apartment) and decided when the first MCs would use their catchy phrases. The DJ decided when the name of the DJ and crew would be announced. The DJ was responsible for any break in the flow of music. The MC was there to put a little extra on it. The main job and function of the MCs were to blow up the DJ and big up the crew. By 1977 the MC had become a fixture in every hip-hop crew. Crews started to pop up like toast. There were many wannabes in the first crop of MCs. A better description would be that they were DJs with no equipment trying to stay close to the game. Some were cratecarrying hopefuls wanting to be down and trying to get girls. Whatever the motivation, the game was on. As the number of MCs continued to increase, competition rose. Just as the DJs had battled and raised the standards of excellence, turning their hobby into an art form, so began the MC craft. When you are an MC for a DJ or crew you represent everyone, you are the voice of the group. There is no way you are going to let anyone sound better than you are. The game was to be the best. Some MCs were naturally talented, like some people are born to sing. Other MCs studied, practiced and persevered. Another group of MCs were ham sandwiches that skated through the cracks and landed on winning teams. But, like it or not, the field was full, and the streets were the prize. MCs came in all shapes and sizes. There were solo MCs (one MC along with a DJ), groups (two or more MCs with a DJ) and girl MCs (Sha-Rockof the Funky 4, Lisa Lee, Cosmic Force's Lil Lee and Cool DJ A.J.). It was no longer enough to be "the man" in your own hood. This was the big time, and it felt like being in front of the audience at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York. Talk about a tough crowd. It was the job of the MC to act as ambassadors, bringing their signature brand of hip-hop to the different hoods and boroughs. It proved not to be a problem for some because heads were hungry for good hip-hop, no matter where it came from. Many crews tried to conquer new territory. Many were crushed and left by the wayside as is the balance of nature. Only the cream rose to the top.

MCs rhymed about how great they were and how big and bad their crew was. Some were writing stories that were either close to home or totally fictitious. One MC in particular was primarily a crowd rocker. He did not rhyme that much but his quick clever one-liners have echoed throughout the hallowed halls of hip-hop history, Chief Rocker Busy Bee. Busy Bee was the first MC to translate that disco MC style to hip-hop. He is the hip-hop master of audience call and response. Most MCs gathered into groups consisting of three or more individuals: Grandmaster Flash and three MCs (later billed as The Furious 4 then The Furious 5 with the addition of Scorpio and Rahiem, respectively), DJ Breakout, Baron and The Funky Four + 1 More, The L Brothers featuring Grand Wizard Theodore, Mean Gene, Cordio and the Three MCs (before adding Prince Whipper Whip and Dotarock, thus The Fantastic Five), Charlie Chase, Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Four MCs (featuring yours truly). Soon, the role of the MC catapulted to the next level. The MC was now a showman, the leader of a unit, a team. The MC's role as an artist grew as a result of the recording industry's interest in the hip-hop forum. Not only was the MC the new cultural icon, but the pillars upon which the rap industry was built. The MC represented hip-hop in every way. MCs represented through their rhyming skills, their style of dress, their walk and their attitude. While the DJ was delegated to background status, the MC came forward, and became "the man." The MCs became writers, composers and arrangers. The DJs became producers. Prior to the industry's involvement, competition on the street was fierce. There was no love lost between rival MC camps. The crew at the forefront of hip-hop prior to the "official" rap era was Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5. With their DJ marquee, tight routines and flashy leather outfits, they set the standards for all MC groups. Their leader was one of the most prolific rhymers of all time, Melle Mel. When they made the transition from tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) shows to touring with established artists, the battle was on for the number one status in New York. So began one of, if not the fiercest, rivalries in hip hop history: the Cold Crush Brothers versus The Fantastic 5. The two Bronx crews put the B in battle with one of the most anticipated showdowns of the era. July 4, 1981 at the Harlem World Disco, Cold Crush Brothers vs. The Fantastic Five. The Cold Crush Brothers went on first, wearing matching pinstriped gangster suits and brims, along with prop machine guns. The Fantastic 5 came out in their trademark white tuxedos, to the squeal of female fans. The audience chose the winner and the Fantastic 5 prevailed. However, the standards were set. Battles like this and MC conventions became the proving ground for rival MCs and up-and-coming crews. Now you have heard of the Furious 5 and you have heard of The Funky 4 + 1 More and I am sure you know The Fantastic 5 with D.J Grand Wizard Theodore and you are familiar with The Love Bug Starski and the Chief Rocker Busy Bee. But, ladies and gentlemen, there were the eighties and it was all about CC Cold Crush, Cold Crush Brothers 1980. By the 1980s, the era of the MC as a showman and entertainer was just about over and the art form was about to be simplified to its barest elements: no long hair, elaborate routines, flashy costumes or intricate rhyme patterns. The arrival and wild success of RunDMC made everyone want to become an MC. It was not hard anymore because beats and rhymes became a simple formula. All the glam and glitter became a thing of the past.

So where are MCs today? Look around, chances are you are listening to and watching them every day. You are watching them in music videos, perhaps wearing their new line of sportswear, or clothing endorsed by them. Maybe you have watched one of the sitcoms on television or even a motion picture starring an MC. Maybe you have attended one of their sold out concerts, or have seen one in a commercial. One way or another, people all over the world have been affected by the impact hip-hop has had on society. At the core of all the excitement the MC. At a closer look, the role of the MC has not changed much. They are still inventive, informative and entertaining. I remember back in 1982 shortly after the first hip-hop movie Wildstyle was released, several cast members and I were flown to Tokyo, Japan for a promotional tour. We made several appearances and performed on radio and TV. We were there for three weeks. By the time we left, the influence and impression we made on the people was overwhelming. DJs were attempting to scratch and kids were trying b-boy moves. Some even tried short rhymes in English and in their native tongue, Japanese. Our role back then was as ambassadors of hip-hop. This role increased as hip-hop grew out of the neighborhood into the mainstream. The MC's role was to introduce the hip-hop culture to the world. Now that hip-hop is accepted worldwide, the role of the MC today is to grow the art form, to be innovative and to continue to communicate with the masses. MCs must also continue to teach, entertain and set positive examples for our youth, and for the future.

This story was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and first appeared on this website in 1999: http://www.rockhall.com/exhibitions/past.asp?id=498
For more information on Grandmaster Caz and the Cold Crush Brothers check out his website http://www.coldcrushbrothers.com

HISTORY OF GRAFFITI Pt 1
by ERIC aka DEAL CIA and SPAR ONE TFP of At149st.com 1998 @149st Do not republish without permission.

GROUND WORK 1966-71 Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to mark territory. It wasn't till the late 1960s that writing's current identity started to form.The history of the underground art movement known by many names, most commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the mid to late '60s and is rooted in bombing. The writers who are credited with the first conscious bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL. They wrote their names all over the city gaining attention from the community and local press. It is unclear whether this concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous occurrence. PIONEERING 1971-74 Shortly after CORNBREAD, the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was giving

birth to writers. In 1971 The New York Times published an article on one of these writers. TAKI 183 was the alias of a kid from Washington Heights. TAKI was the nick name for his given name Demetrius and 183 was the number of the street where he lived. He was employed as a foot messenger, so he was on the subway frequently and took advantage of it, doing motion tags. The appearance of this unusual name and numeral sparked public curiosity prompting the Times article. He was by no means the first writer or even the first king. He was however the first to be recognized outside the newly formed subculture. Most widely credited as being one of the first writers of significance is JULIO 204. FRANK 207 and JOE 136 were also early writers. On the streets of Brooklyn a movement was growing as well. Scores of writers were active. FRIENDLY FREDDIE was an early Brooklyn writer to gain fame. The subway system proved to be a line of communication and a unifying element for all these separate movements. People in all the five boroughs became aware of each others efforts. This established the foundation of interborough competition. Writing started moving from the streets to the subways and quickly became competitive. At this point writing consisted of mostly tags and the goal was to have as many as possible. Writers would ride the trains hitting as many subway cars as possible. It wasn't long before writers discovered that in a train yard or lay up they could hit many more subway cars in much less time and with less chance of getting caught. The concept and method of bombing had been established. Tag Style After a while there were so many people writing so much that writers needed a new way to gain fame. The first way was to make your tag unique. Many script and calligraphic styles were developed. Writers enhanced their tags with flourishes, stars and other designs. Some designs were strictly for visual appeal while others had meaning. For instance, crowns were used by writers who proclaimed themselves king. Probably the most famous tag in the culture's history was STAY HIGH 149. He used a smoking joint as the cross bar for his "H" and a stick figure from the television series The Saint. Tag Scale The next development was scale. Writers started to render their tags in larger scale. The standard nozzle width of a spray paint can is narrow so these larger tags while drawing more attention than a standard tag, did not have much visual weight. Writers began to increase the thickness of the letters and would also outline them with an additional color. Writers discovered that caps from other aerosol products could provide a larger width of spray. This led to the development of the masterpiece. It is difficult to say who did the first masterpiece, but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223 of the Bronx and WAP of Brooklyn. The thicker letters provided the opportunity to further enhance the name. Writers decorated the interior of the letters with what are termed "designs." First with simple polka dots, later with crosshatches, stars, checkerboards. Designs were limited only by an artist's imagination. Writers eventually started to render these masterpieces the entire height of the subway car (A first also credited to SUPER KOOL 223.). These masterpieces were termed topto bottoms. The additions of color design and scale were dramatic advancements, but these works still strongly resembled the tags on which they were based. Some of the more accomplished writers of this time were HONDO 1, JAPAN 1, MOSES 147, SNAKE 131, LEE 163rd, STAR 3, PHASE 2, PRO-SOUL, TRACY 168, LIL

HAWK, BARBARA 62, EVA 62, CAY 161, JUNIOR 161 and STAY HIGH 149. The competitive atmosphere led to the development of actual styles which would depart from the tag styled pieces. Broadway style was introduced by Philadelphia's TOPCAT 126. These letters would evolve in to block letters, leaning letters, and block busters. PHASE 2 later developed Softie letters , more commonly referred to as Bubble letters. Bubble letters and Broadway style were the earliest forms of actual pieces and therefore the foundation of many styles. Soon arrows, curls, connections and twists adorned letters. These additions became increasing complex and would become the basis for Mechanical or Wild style lettering. The combination of PHASE's work and competition from other style masters like RIFF 140 and PEL furthered the development. RIFF is noted as being an early catalyst in what is termed style wars. RIFF would take ideas from other writers and improve upon them and take them to another level. Writers like FLINT 707 and PISTOL made major contributions in development of three dimensional lettering adding depth to the masterpiece, which became standards for generations to come. This early period of creativity did not go unrecognized. Hugo Martinez a sociology major at City College took notice of the legitimate artistic potential of this generation. Martinez went on to found United Graffiti Artists. UGA selected top subway artists from all around the city and presented their work in the formal context of an art gallery. UGA provided opportunities once inaccessible to these artists. The Razor Gallery was a successful effort of Mr. Martinez and the artists he represented. PHASE 2, MICO, COCO 144, PISTOL, FLINT 707, BAMA, SNAKE, and STICH have been represented by Martinez. A 1973 article in New York magazine by Richard Goldstein entitled "The Graffiti Hit Parade" was also early public recognition of the artistic potential of subway artists. Around 1974 writers like TRACY 168, CLIFF 159, BLADE ONE created works with scenery, illustrations and cartoon characters surrounding the masterpieces. This formed the basis for the mural whole car. Earlier ground breaking whole cars were produced by writers like AJ 161 and SILVER TIPS. THE PEAK 75-77 For the most part innovation in writing hit a plateau after 1974. All the standards had been set and a new school was about to reap the benefits of artistic foundations established by prior generations and a city in the midst of a fiscal crisis. New York City was broke and therefore the transit system was poorly maintained. This led to the heaviest bombing in history. At this time bombing and style began to further distinguish themselves. Whole cars became a standard practice rather than an event, and the definitive form of bombing became the throw up. The throw up is a piecing style derived from the bubble letter. Th e throw up is hastily rendered piece consisting of a simple outline and is barely filled in. Mostly two letter throw up names began appearing all over the system particularly on the INDs and BMTs. Crews like POG, 3yb, BYB TC, TOP, made major contributions. Throw up kings included TEE, IZ, DY 167, PI, IN, LE, TO, OI, FI aka VINNY, TI 149, CY, PEO. Writers became very competetive. Races broke out to see who could do the most throw ups. Throw ups peaked from '75 thru '77 as did whole cars. Writers like BUTCH, CASE, KINDO, BLADE, COMET, ALE 1, DOO2, JOHN 150, LEE,

MONO, SLAVE, SLUG, DOC 109 plastered the IRTs with magnificent whole cars, following in the foot steps of giants like TRACY and CLIFF. STYLE REVIVAL 1978-1981 A new wave of creativity bloomed in late 1977 with crews like TDS, TMT, UA, MAFIA, TS5, CIA, RTW, TMB, TFP, TC5 and TF5. Style wars were once again peaking. It was also the last wave of bombing before the Transit Authority made the elimination of writing a priority. On Broadway, CHAIN 3, KOOL 131, PADRE, NOC 167 and PART 1 were expanding upon styles established by writers like PHASE 2, RIFF 140 and PEL. CHAIN later went to the 2 and 5 lines with the TMT crew. In style war tradition TMT's works were countered by CIA. DONDI came out with POSE against CHAIN's DOSE. CASE 2, KEL 139, COMET, REPEL, COS 207, DURO, MIN, SHY 147, KADE 198, FED 2, REVOLT, RASTA, ZEPHYR, BOOTS 119, KIT 17, CRASH and DAZE were also active writers of the time. LEE, CAZ 2, IZ, SLAVE, REE, DONDI, BLADE and COMET became very competitive in the whole car arena. SEEN, MAD, PJ and DUST dominated the 6 line with elaborate whole cars. MITCH 77, BAN 2, BOO 2, PBODY, MAX 183, and KID 56 ruled the 4 line. FUZZ ONE was a major presence on all 7 IRTs. CIA, TB and TKA ensured that the BMTs were not deprived of style. In 1980 The real buff started up again pieces ran for shorter periods. Train yard fence repair was becoming more consistent. Writers slowly started to quit and consider other creative options. Many writers became distracted with thoughts about careers beyond painting subway cars. The established art world was once again becoming receptive to writing. There hadn't been much positive attention since the Razor Gallery in the early '70s. In 1979 LEE QUINONES and FAB 5 FREDDIE had an opening in Rome with the art dealer Claudio Bruni. Then in 1980 numerous writers flocked to places like ESSES studio, Stephan Eins' Fashion Moda and Patti Astor's Fun Gallery to expand their horizons. These and subsequent galleries would prove to be an important factors in expanding writing overseas. European art dealers became aware of the movement and were very receptive to the new art form. Shows featuring paintings by DONDI, LEE, ZEPHYR, LADY PINK, DAZE, FUTURA 2000 and others exposed the world to the once secret world of New York's youth. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 1982-1985 During the early to mid 1980s the writing culture deteriorated dramatically due to several factors. Some related directly to the graffiti culture itself and others to the greater society in general. The crack cocaine epidemic was taking its toll on the inner city. Due to the drug trade powerful firearms were readily available. The climate on the street became increasingly tense. Laws restricting the sale of paint to minors and requiring merchants to place spray paint in locked cages made shoplifting more difficult. Legislation was in the works to make penalties for graffiti more severe. The major change was the increase in the Metropolitan Transit Authority's anti-graffiti budget. Yards and layups were more closely guarded. Many favored painting areas became almost inaccessible. New more sophisticated fences were erected and were quickly repaired when damaged. Graffiti removal was stronger and more consistent than ever, making the life span of many paintings months if not days. This frustrated many

writers causing them to quit. Many others were not so easily discouraged, yet they were still affected. They perceived the new circumstances as a challenge, determined not to be defeated by the MTA. Due to the lack or resources they became extremely territorial and aggressive, claiming ownership to yards and layups. Claiming territory was nothing new in writing, but the difference at this time was that threats were enforced. If a writer went to layup unarmed he could almost be guaranteed to be beaten and robbed of his painting supplies. At this point physical strength and unity as in street gangs became a major part of the writing experience. The One Tunnel and the Ghost yard were the back drops many for legendary conflicts. In addition to the pressure from the MTA, cross out wars among writers broke out. The most famous war being CAP MPC vs the world. High profile writers during these years were: SKEME, DEZ, TRAP, DELTA, SHARP, SEEN TC5, SHY 147, BOE, WEST, KAZE, SPADE 127, SAK, VULCAN, SHAME, BIO, MIN, DURO, KEL, T KID, MACK, NICER, BRIM, BG 183, KENN, CEM, FLIGHT, AIRBORN, RIZE, JON 156, KYLE 156. THE DIE HARDS 1985-1989 On certain subway lines graffiti removal significantly decreased because the cars servicing those lines were headed for the scrap yards. This provided a last shot for writers. The last big surge on the 2 and 5 lines came from writers like WANE, WEN, DERO, WIPS, TKID, SENTO, CAVS, CLARK and M KAY who hit the white 5s with burners. These burners many times were blemished by marker tags that soaked through the paint. A trend had developed that was a definite step back for writing. Due to a lack of paint and courage to stay in a lay up for prolonged periods of time, many writers were tagging with markers on the outside of subway cars. These tags were generally poor artistic efforts. The days when writers took pride in their hand style (signature) were long gone. If it wasn't for the afore mentioned writers and a few others, the artform in New York City could have officially been deemed dead. By mid '86 the MTA was gaining the upper hand. Many writers quit and the violence subsided. Most lines were completely free of writing. The Ds, Bs, LLs, Js, Ms were among the last of the lines with running pieces. MAGOO, DOC TC5, DONDI, TRAK, DOME and DC were all highly visible writers. Security was high and the Transit Police's new vandal squad was in full force. What was left was a handful of diehards. GHOST, SENTO, CAVS, KET, JA, VEN, REAS, SANE, SMITH were prominent figures and would keep transit writing alive. To be continued.. part 2 This article was reprinted with permission from at149st.com.. Let them know what you think of this article by reaching out

Writing(HISTORY OF WRITTING)
by TRUE 222 (Formerly known as Phase 2)

The late 1960s and early 70s ... burn baby burn. It seems appropriate, that during a time
period of political debate, racially heated atmosphere and struggle, black and Latin power let their voices be heard. Writing [graf] became a voice of many of the youth in the inner cities of New York. Philadelphia had its Cool Earls, Philadelphia Phils, names of whichever rang a bell in New York City where the writer who made a name for himself like Comet, Ajax, or Mr. Clean, was a Greek kid named Demetreus who says he adapted the form after seeing the name Julio 224, on upper west sidestreets in his neighborhood. Adapting the moniker "Taki 183," and using a thick marker, "Taki," as he called himself, scribed his signature with a vengeance throughout New York City and the Tri-State making it part of his job as a messenger - thus becoming the culture's first official born icon and king. In time, through influences such as his, writers became somewhat of a sport ... calling themselves "writers" and their signatures hits, they eventually moved the practice to New York City's underground subway system. Spray paint was introduced, they say, by a writer named R.A. 184, also of Manhattan. While in the meantime, Brooklyn was also making its mark while creating (as was Manhattan) a distinctive style of its own. Brooklyn's scribe seemed precision-cut and ornamented, adorning arrows and calligraphic swirls and neatly rendered letters. Undertaker Ash, The Last Survivors, Flowers Dice, App super. The latter two combing the named of two writers. While names like King of Kools and Fuzz or Dead, incorporated images as well as drew marker rendered letters to impact their names visual esthetic. Manhattan's was a style - mixed with swerves and curves and traditional handwriting, its Js and Ts were often cropped by disconnected curls and combinations of letters that merged or force to represent underlines such as Cay and Spy 161's y's. The uniqueness of signatures or hits, as they called them, stood out amongst Frank 227, SJK177, Tan & 0202, 744, JOE 136, Jec Star and Junior 161 who were among the first kings of the first subway lines bombed (Manhattan 1, 3, A Lines). While Barbara and Eve 62 became the first female superstars, the ever-evident influence of mentors like Joe 182 and Babyface 86 was clear with its adorning crown still shown as more and more names appeared at a rapid pace. Bombing the system did indeed seem to be the inner city youth's battle cry and with that, last but not least, the fever caught on. Amongst its very early writers, who combined their own styles were SLU II and El CID, followed by LEE 163d!, the Bronx first king, who along with Phase 2, set another unprecedented stage for bombing, where writers like Super Kool would catch on an take the trend to heights as yet to be known. Its early influences were Uncle Rich, Johnny 800, Pior 168, Lionel 168, Tracy 168, M&M 177,

and a DJ known in the Bronx as Kool Herc who's face in the letters K-O-O-L changed about as much as his beats in a Jam. Super Kool's summer of '72 brainstorm, forever changed the writers approach to writing. By placing his name on the side of the train in thick extra letters, the master piece was born and adapted by the entire writing movement, as was his next venture - a masterpiece that started at the top of the car to its bottom practically from one end to the other. He also introduced a spray cap which enabled one to fill in their pieces with more efficiency and also write their signatures large with less effort. With the culture ever evolving and adapting different paths to "Get Up," (have ones name in as many places as possible), the transformation of the letter as it was known, was taking place, bombing had to reckon with the style factor and concepts such as 3ds. At the same time while cars and scenic backgrounds came into the picture to compliment its most important element - the name which in the light of respect, one seemed to cherish as they did life. Indeed. To go over one's name was indeed as if to break a law, which could result in the harshest of penalties. The name was one's honor, one's claim to existence, thus an area where violation was virtually intolerable. From the early to mid 70s, writing now with a basic foundation, had more or less a blue print for up-and-comers seeking to fill its ranks. As time past into the later 70s and 80s, those picking up and taking on its trade continued metamorphosing the letter, defining style and continuing the evolution that's been a trademark of aerosol writing. Hence forth in the 90s, the science of the letter and the sport of getting up/around remains as a forum for youth worldwide to adhere to and become practitioners in, which in itself, is a testament to its longevity and the strength of its existence, as a force to be recognized and reckoned with.

This article was commissioned by the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame and originally appeared on this website in 1999: http://www.rockhall.com/exhibitions/past.asp?id=495