Typically grouchy Rev. Run, a silent Darryl Mac and the always articulate Jam-Master Jay try their best to tolerate the moronic questions and blatant abuse of the term “keep it real” from the bubble-head hosts of The Big Breakfast. Hopefully the Son of Kurtis Blow got some bacon or at least a hummer after the…
Author: Robbie Ettelson
Chinese Food Scares The Mess Outta Singing MC Breeze
MC Breeze aka Joey B Ellis, Sage (Stallones son), Sylvester Stallone and Tynetta Hare at the premiere of Rocky V If only every local legend 80’s rapper was considerate enough to have a website with a decent bio, I’d never have to do more than recording some vinyl and cut ‘n paste some text… “How…
Three Times Dope – Something For Your Bonkey
Original Stylin’ stands as one of the great forgotten albums of it’s era…actually forget that – it’s not forgotten, but it’s fair to say that EST was one of the most original and under-appreciated MC’s of his day. Remember how they had a falling out with Steady B and Cool C after the first album?…
Steady B – The Pop Art Era
To begin the Hilltop Hustlers story, you need to go back to Steady B. After his uncle Lawrence “LG” Goodman lost his New York talent thanks to most of the Juice Crew signing with Cold Chillin’, he set out to form his own local all-star team to keep his Pop Art label buzzing, and MC…
V.I.C. Responds to T-Ray
Way back in August, 2007 I published a three part interview with T-Ray, which included numerous references to V.I.C., a number of which weren’t exactly flattering. So when I finally got the chance to speak with Vic it was only right that allow him the opportunity to respond. Here are the highlights: Robbie: What was…
The 90’s Files: The Mighty V.I.C.
Name: The Mighty V.I.C. Affiliations: A member of The Beatnuts until the Stone Crazy album, worked with Godfather Don as the Groove Merchantz and later formed Ghetto Pros with Mike Heron. Claim to Fame: “G Rap used to live around my block, and I gave him the loop for ‘Truly Yours’. I remember playing the…
Why Kool G Rap Is The Undisputed
When 4,5,6 collaborator T-Ray declared that, “G Rap is the realest. Nas, Pun, Raekwon – all of them owe their styles to him. He’s like the Muddy Waters of hip-hop” – he summarized exactly why the Kool Genius of Rap continues to influence the style and technique of today’s finest rappers. By combining a wicked…
Lord Finesse Live In Tokyo + Vintage Press Kit
Sure, I’m a Finesse fan. He’s the only rapper I ever asked to sign anything, so when I had a chance to get my hands on the original press kit for his seminal Return of the Funkyman, best believe I went in.
The 90’s Files – Kool Kim of UMC’s
“We used to all work at the Statue Of Liberty – it was me, U-God, Method Man, Deck and Hass – and that’s where I met Hass. Me and Meth used to go to public school together, back when he was just Clifford Smith and I was just Kim Sharpton. Me and him used to…
Dante Ross – The Unkut Interview Part 3: The SD-50’s
The other aspect of Dante Ross’ career that’s noteworthy to rap fiends are the classic tracks he produced with John Gamble under the Stimulated Dummies banner. Providing beats for acts such as 3rd Bass, Hard 2 Obtain, Shazzy, Del, Grand Puba, KMD, Casual and Kurious Jorge to name a few, producing provided yet another outlet…
Dante Ross – The Unkut Interview Part 2: The Elektra Era
Following on from Part One, we move onto Dante’s time at Elektra Records, where assembled an all-star cast of artists, including Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Brand Nubian, KMD and Busta Rhymes. Robbie: What was your process for finding groups to sign? Dante Ross: I met every group I ever knew from…
Dante Ross – The Unkut Interview Part 1: The Tommy Boy Era
There was a time when being an A&R in rap music actually meant something more than the guy who’s trying to find out what records you’re sampling so he can become a producer. Dante Ross actually gave a fuck about the projects he worked on, which is why he was involved in hip-hop milestones such…