Man it REALLY went down this past week in NYC! Firstly I went out there last Friday with my wife Melissa and we mostly walked around and drank and shopped for the kids and sat on Astra's roof (more on said roof in a sec) drinking. It was pretty much what we neeeeeeded. For real.
Then Sunday I went to Jersey for Hot 97 Summer Jam but they were trippin' on my camera so I just kind of milled around the area talking with "industry peeps" and such. Working on SXSW '09 already and such. It's bout to go down.
Anyway, seen here is DJ Ready Red, myself and Prince Johnny C. Crazy thing is, this is the "best" photo we took together. Oh well, my camera is quite complicated. And such.
For those who don't know. Johnny C and Ready Red both moved to Houston from New Jersey and worked with Rap-A-Lot Records when it was just starting out. The two of them along with a few other folks became the original Ghetto Boys, and if you know your history you know that the Ghetto (nee Geto) Boys were pretty much put together like a boy band from the hood. Only instead of being some slick, polished pretty boys, these fools broke boundaries and changed the whole rap game. Especially the independent rap industry.
Anyway, there were a lot of "Ghetto/Geto Boys" to be real with you. But check the album Making Trouble and the early 12"'s and you'll see these dudes. Johnny C even put out a highly slept on solo record on Rap-A-Lot. I moved to Houston full time in 1989 and pretty much after a month or two of hearing extremely hype commercials on the radio for big rap shows and clubs in neighborhoods people wouldn't go with me to, I started setting off on my own to see groups like the Ghetto Boys, Too Much Trouble, King Tee, Monie Love, Redhead Kingpin, Too Short, Spice One, um Brand Nubian up in that Palladium, um, Shabba Ranks, a whole lot of folks were coming thru the hood clubs in Houston back then. Even my "black friends" (not that I had many friends of any race at that point) would not go with me to these shows, they'd tell me I was trippin'. But fuck that, I went all the time. Sometimes I'd go for an early punk rock show at the Axiom and head out to the north side to see some rap. The um, "urban" clubs back then - like today - never started their shows before 2 a.m. So it was generally not a problem. I'd go to all this shit by myself, and would generally just stand around and see if I could talk to one of the artists or DJ's or whatever and assault them with a barrage of nerdy questions like all good 17 year old boys who like music too much tend to do.
Anyway, my point is, I used to see the Ghetto Boys all the time. Like 20 times. And I met them on a few occasions. This was post Johnny C Ghetto Boys, but I saw his solo shows and whenever I'd see Ready Red or Johnny C someplace I'd say hello to them and they'd always be cordial and stop to talk to the lil white nerd in an army jacket. Or bad shorts.
Anyway, Face and Willie D would just look at me funny, and Bushwick Bill would say hello and be nice about 40% of the time. But Red and Johnny C were always real cool. So imagine how excited I was to see that Ready Red was back in Trenton and willing to not only come to my party at Sway (first one in over a year!) and not solo, but with Johnny C. That shit had me AMPED!
Red has two broken fingers so he didn't get on the decks, but he will sometime later this summer when he is healed and he and Johnny C promise to unleash some new music on the people! This is all very important.
Anyway here is Astra on her roof.
Where we spent quite a lot of time.
Queen Majesty joined us on said roof for an hour or so Sunday.
Then I left the roof Monday night and met said Queen at her
East Village Radio Show. Every Monday night from 6 - 8 p.m.
Anyhow, the party went the fuck down. Great turn out, lots of good peeps, and well, we are gonna have to do this again.
DJ READY RED AND PRINCE JOHNNY C!
J-Zone came out to show some respect to the legends and get some autographs.
Rapid Ric of course killed it, as did Kunal M!
I fuckin' killed it too. I mean them bowling pin shaped Budwesiers is what I killed.
Ready Red and Peter Beste.
Scavone needs help. Help him.
My boy Seth and his duuuuudes.
Super Promoter Roxy Cottontail and First Lady of Sabbath in the Park MAGGI HORN!
Crystal Lee's aunt died so she had to come to NYC for the funeral. Quite somber and such, not the normal C-Lee. Anyway was good to have you thurr Crystal. RIP to yo aunt. Also please don't punch anyone at anymore of my events (she hit two people, oops).
LIN YEE!
Me and recent Houston to NYC transplant Spring.
Alex Richter and Josh Brockhausen
Tierney aka Beerney just moved to NYC on Monday! Somebody give her a job. I co-sign her on all accounts and such.
Crystal Lee and Lance Walker
Peter Beste
Sometimes I think I'm a good photographer, mostly when I am drunk and looking out a window. But I'm not, I'm just drunk and out of focus, which can be fun, but isn't gonna make me any monies. But whatever, I got love for that New York City Town.
Shit actually I thought I took more of these. Well here's one more, sort of, featuring my boy Mark Lowyns of Frank 151 and such. Up in Casa de Scavone.
O.K. So that was NYC. I'm now back in Austin, gonna head to Houston a couple times this month and possibly the DFW urrea. Come out June 25th for the next
Red Bull Big Tune Producers Battle. More info to come but here's the flyers.
Deadline for producers to enter is Wednesday June 18. DO IT! Last year was off the fuckin' chain. Producers can enter and YOU can RSVP for FREE admission at
www.redbullbigtune.com.
Also it's Holy Hip Hop Awards Time Again! Always a wonderful event. Turn yourself on to some new music you probably haven't heard yet cuz commercial radio hates God.
Anyway, what's next?
