Yesterday, I had a chance pre-feast pow-wow with my man Harlem Boog and (Brooklyn) Migz. One cat came through to my lab…then another one made the impromptu stop-in…and boom…we’re in a 3-cornered circle talking about days long passed: our first tapes, buying albums for one song and hating the rest of it (yet still listening through the whole shit since missing somethin’ or poppin’ your tape with rigorous fast-forward/rewind work would have been a much greater tragedy), off-the-radio mixtapes (how we used keep the system on mega low volume, head next to the speaker and finger on “pause”…all to stay under the parental radar since rap music was racy and full of the wrong messages (to them)), $5 limo bags, memos your school would send to pop/ma dukes about certain fly pieces that would put his/her/their child at risk, the first time we heard a Kool G Rap joint, how Ready To Die may have been modeled after Live And Let Die, Evil Dee on HOT97 Monday nights, etc. I love that type of shit.
In today’s featured clip, we see a (similar, yet larger…and perhaps more document-worthy) gathering of the minds at the legendary “Fever” in the Boogie Down. It’s gotta be ’93 or so, and a young Fat Joe celebrates the completion of his debut album with the rest of the BDP/Diggin’ In The Crates crew, Uncle Ralph McDaniels (who more appropriate to host…plus it IS “Nervous Thursday” after all), KRS, Dres, Red Alert, Special K, Teddy Ted, Sadat-X, Primo, Willie D, and then some. The air is thick with grand mutual respect and genuine comradery amongst the artists…something seldom felt in this day and age of pre-packaged egos, Internet beef, and all-pseudo-everything.
So on this day…enjoy the familial vibe of this clip, remember the good times, and embrace the moments you get with your loved ones. Eat well.
…can you fit on the “Impeach The President” break? Okay, maybe this isn’t breaking any world records…but it’s a great archival snapshot of an unexpected mix of MC’s (LONS, Smooth B, the aforementioned Nikki D, and Biz Markie) sharing the stage to do damage to one of the most recognized breakbeats in history, as rocked by none other than a pre-Lugz Funkmaster Flex. Smiles all around.
Coincidentally, but completely appropriate, this footage is straight from a classic episode of Video Music Box (the show that coined “Nervous Thursday’s”). A prime example as to why Video Music Box straight crushed the comp…Ralph and his team not only seemed to be at every party, show, BBQ, block cipher going on during the show’s prime…but he was nice enough to share much of the footage with his audience.
Also, please note that this shows precisely why Biz is a beast…he gets the mic and starts yelling some wild mumbles. What happens? The crowd goes ballistic off of his deluge of retarded energy, strictly. Enjoy.
One of my favorites from the mighty PRC aka Powerule Crew…or quite simply, Powerule.
These cats survived the test of changing time and era. You want that late 80′s stee? Go check “Smooth” and even “Brick In The Wall” (came out in ’90…but still). You want that ’97 stee? It’s all about “Bright Lights, Big City”. A catalog reflecting more than a decade of street corner hits.
…there was Uncle Ralph McDaniels at 3:30pm. Every day I’d run home after school to witness this glorious hour of music television. Video Music Box was precisely how I found myself entrenched in music, Hip Hop really…way before the MTV’s and BET’s embraced it (with grubby hands). Fond memories of playing with the analog clicker-dials on the TV, channels 31, 3, 25, Whodini’s “Five Minutes Of Funk”, the infamous bassy voice-over from Ralph and live-situation antics from co-hosts like Vidal, Tuffy, and Crazy Sam (nervous!).
PTP highlight: KRS lookin’ wild traumed, fully enjoying the moment and the classic Kane in the background.
…and if you didn’t know, this show is where the term “Nervous Thursday” comes from.
Anyways…this shit is remains mega hard. I shouldn’t have to sell you on why Common is dead nice. If you had not heard Common (Sense) until the whole Badu period, I can understand perhaps getting thrown off due to the Muslim spaceship hippie steez he was on…and I’m sorry. Honestly, you missed a boatload of classic material…the 3 albums that helped solidify things not only for him, but for Chicago as a city to pay attention to (at that moment, and from a NYC perspective, the only other cat putting in that much work as an MC was Twista…and No I.D. as a producer…at least).
“Hungry” (Produced by NO I.D.)
And as a sidenote for you youngins…as a producer, No I.D. is the father to your Kanye…as well as the guy behind Jay-Z’s “Death Of Autotune”.
PTP peoples. Pardon my absence. I’ve been creating new material to post…but a very shoddy Internet connection (thank you Time Warner Cable) has slowed things up a good bit around here. I promise to get the handful of this week’s updates on their correct days (i.e. “Brutal Tuesday”) by tomorrow, if not earlier (I definitely have some shit on deck).
I now bring to you a special treat. Listen carefully…very carefully (esp. around the 0:37 mark). I told you Thursday was going to epitomize all things Golden Age. I think this goes a long way with that sentiment.
