Employee of the Month

I have wavered off course lately. Posting up the least embarrassing moments from my ill-fated television show has been very cathartic, but that's not all this project is about. (Read the subtitle.) So, back to program.

It may have been around the end of '92 when things started to work. The show was hot. We had the newest videos from all the majors, hung with coolest rappers when they came through, free music and t-shirts, a ridiculous nickname for myself (Dr.'s Note: Patient referred to himself as The Fly Pilot of the Airwaves.) and some street cred. People knew us when we went out. My ego started to swell, but not enough that I could actually notice. But it was there, I am told.

One day I was picking up my mail from this check cashing joint, when I heard someone speak behind me.

"Hey, man. I know you."

I looked at him dead-on. I wasn't going to tell him my name, he was. I waited for him to get it together.

"I know you from somewhere ..."

C'mon, you can do it.

"I know where I know you from! You work at Burlington Coat Factory!"

Damn. My night job had come back to haunt me in the afternoon.

Freestyle File: Skillz

Years before he would be known as the guy who sums up the year's events in a song, Skillz made a name for himself as a battle rapper. Here, caught between takes on a Wavelength shoot, he effortlessly shows why his freestyle is still feared. This was shot at Lonnie B.'s old crib just before the release of "From Where."

Lonnie's old home was notable because his mother had let him turn the living room into a warehouse for his records and a makeshift recording studio. They also had a phone that didn't ring, but spoke the inspiring words "You have a telephone call."

The revolution will be live

As you may have read elsewhere, The Coup were involved in a serious bus accident recently. The group and its band survived, but most of their equipment and other essential items didn't. Boots says the band is without a way to generate income presently and doesn't expect an insurance pay out for another year. There's a donation box on his myspace site.

The Coup was one of only two national rap groups to make it to the cable studio for a live interview. They were supposed to perform, but someone in our crew forgot to bring the turntables. Pam, their DJ, was ready, she came in with a mixer and records. That would have been nice.

The Coup were one of the most political groups on the undergroud scene at the time. Their music laid out political agendas and revolutionary philosohpy over west coast beats. They did two albums with Wild Pitch before parting with the label. Since then, Boots and Pam have carved out a niche in the hip hop scene with a notable releases like Pick a Bigger Weapon on Epitath Records.

For now, here's The Coup on Wavelength. Who said the revolution couldn't be televised?

Craig: Yo, what's up, we got The Coup in the house. What's up?

E-Roc: What up homie?

Pam: What's up?

Boots: What's up man?

Craig: Did y'all have any trouble gettin' down here?

E-Roc: Yeah, we got lost! We just kept payin' that toll, man. Thirty-five cent.

Boots: You get lost here, you end up broke!

Craig: You guys come from Oakland. I guess the biggest rapper to come out of Oakland is Too Short. But y'all have a totally different sound then what's come out of Oakland so far. How did that sound develop?

Boots: Well you know, if you listen to it, it's not totally different, cause that's what we grew up around. Like, we still got the heavy 808 up in there, but the difference is in the live instruments stuff like that. We don't just sample, we'll redo the music with the original instruments, cause we want to get that phat mix to it, you know, the highs, the mids and the lows real clear. And you know that's what we like in our music.

Craig: I like the imagery on the CD. It's an African woman with a gun on her back. On the cover, you have like a fryin' pan. Why did y'all come up with these kind of images, this like revolutionary thing?

E-Roc: As far as the cover, you know, the album is entitled Kill My Landlord, so you now we try to make it like we were in the kitchen an' we down on our landlord cause our rent gots to be paid. Sometimes you ain't got the mil to pay it off, but the landlord always on your back. Basically, that's what we was tryin' to come through on the album.

Craig: This group boats a female DJ. What's the reception you get when you perform with other rappers? Do they take you seriously?

Pam: Know one really knows that I'm a DJ until I perform. I'm sure when I get on stage, some people say, you go girl, and some people look at me like okay, what is she gettin' ready to do. I am not Spindarella at all, because all my cuts, you will know. I cut very hard, I cut crisp, I transform I do all of that. And I practice ..

Boots: In other words, she's raw.

Pam: when I get off the stage, everybody respects me then. Because like, when they see a girl on the stage, Tch! (sigh) What she gettin' ready to do? Bugga Bugga? (gestures like she's scratching) I don't do none of that. I do tricks and stuff like that. So you know ...

Craig: Any female djs inspire you?

Pam: No.

(laughter)

P: There aren't any. The only one that inspired me, I gonna tell you, you may laugh, was Joe Cooley. That's when I started back in the day with Joe Cooley. And Jazzy Jeff and Q bert. I know everybody's heard of Qbert. But Qbert taught me a little somethin', so you know. That's how I got into djin'. So I'll be in that New York Seminar battle.

Craig: Oh okay. For world supremacy.

Pam: So I'll be there in July, next month.

Boots: If we coulda hooked it up, we woulda display somethin' for ya.

Craig: I wanted that to happen too. We might be at the seminar too. You wanna take a call?

Boots: Sure!

Craig: You got a question?

Caller: I wanna know how they got the name The Coup.

E-Roc: The Coup basically means to takeover and overthrow. And that's what we talk about in our music.

Boots: You know, we tell everyday stories that happen to brothers and sisters, but they got a message behind it. When people first listen to it, like, "Not Yet Free," some people sayin' it was gangsta. What it is is one step up, 'cause gangsta is talkin' about your surroundings, what we're talking about is how it got that way in the first place. So that's going to lead you to solve the problem at the source. So that's why we talk about takin' over.

Craig: That answer your question, man?

Caller: Yeah.

Craig: Thanks for calling. Tell us about the video we're about to look at, "Dig It."

Boots: Well, it's our second single, you know uh .. did y'all play "Not yet Free?"

Craig: Yeah.

Boots: Okay. Basically, if you listen to the lyrics, we're talkin' about things that the government does to go against movement that we might have in the community and all that, you know. The rest of it you can get from the lyrics.

Craig: What is the Mau Mau?

B: The whole name is the Mau Mau rhythm collective. What it is is a bunch of rap groups, Point Blank Range is one of the groups we're puttin' out, Tenth Planet is another group we're puttin' out. We all talk consciousness at different levels. And we also work in the community. We have study groups and all that type of stuff.

Craig: What's some of the things you've done?

B: We've done some struggles in the past involving police brutality. We led a march that involved 600 people when we went over and took over city hall at the city council meeting and had these 10 cops fired that were well known for terrorizing the community. We're involved in the this other case that had to do with the BART police, which is the subway there, the office shot a young man in the back as he was walking away, because he thought that this young black man was going to come back and shoot him at a later date. We're involved in a lot of different things. We're growin' and we're tryin' to get out there. We don't want to be just be talking about conscious in our music and then we'd be hypocrites cause we're not really doin' nothing except for makin' music and makin' money off of it. We want to, you know, go back and bring something back to the community.

Freestyle Files: Redman

Redman and Method man were invited guests at a Free Slick Rick party we hosted at the Phono Booth in 1995. Only Redman showed up, making his second appearance on Wavelength. After a particularly amped interview, a cipher formed in the record store. These verses contains adult language and terms that are not allowed at the Laugh Factory.

Handle the truth

The first time I met D'angelo was in a nightclub in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom. A promoter was showcasing several local rap acts, among them a group called "Dirty Souls," a rap duo that included Marlon C., who was known around town as D'angelo's cousin. Dirty Souls were heads and shoulders above the average plain brown rapper that night and proved it with a song about masturbation that was based on The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Me and My Bitch." I remember one of Richmond's brighter talents, Danja Mowf, telling me that he wished he had thought of that.

After the show, Marlon talked about his record deal and sitting across the table from Sylvia Rhone as promises were made. Despite his cousin's popularity and pull with the label, the group was dropped without even releasing a single. I kept in touch with Marlon for awhile after the show and I remember him being a little bitter about how things went down.

The next time I heard Marlon C. was on a song called "Talk S**t to Ya," and which was almost good enough to redeem the ill-conceived coming of age movie it supported. It was bluesy and soulful with a hip hop edge, without being contrite or predictable, like that song Nas made with his pops. Despite help from his famous cousin on the track, labels didn't take notice. I didn't hear much about Marlon for awhile, until a friend told me he was opening for national acts at a local concert series ... with a guitar. What?

Three weeks ago, I notice a poster for a Marlon C. release as I was leaving my friendly neighborhood record store. I went back and and picked up the last copy of Ain't That Da' Truth Listening to the CD I was reminded of the rumors that Marlon was often an unattributed contributor to D'angelo's sound. Unpolished and raw, maybe this what Richmond's infamous recluse would sound like without a hefty production budget and "help" from seasoned songwriters.

On "Ain't That Da' Truth," Marlon C. manages to establish his own identity with unique phrasing, solid songwriting and a reverence for the spirits of soul music. Despite the tired skits that fill the CD, it's clear he's not just talking sh** anymore.

The Disciple

Shabazz the Disciple was the first voice in "Diary of Madman," the debut album from The Gravediggas. In one verse, Shabazz killed you, stomped on your corpse and threatened to buck you down if you tried to haunt him. It wasn't one of those rhymes you easily forget.

Shabazz built on his notoriety and released two singles on Penalty Recordings. He was promoting his first track,"Death be the Penalty," when he came to the Phono Booth Record Store in 1993.

Shabazz explains his opening verse on the Gravediggas single along with the religious imagery and symbolism in his debut clip.

Moments of Truth Pt. 1

It was rare that we would shoot Wavelength outside of Richmond, Va. But when I got a call from an EMI rep about Gangstarr being available at Georgetown hotel, we got on the road quick. My usual cameramen were unavailable, so I snatched up D.J. Reese from his Mom's house and explained how a video camera works on the way. (D.J. Reese woud later come up with an idea for what would become "Are You That Somebody? remix, but that's another post.)

This was before the days of mobile phones, which turned out to be a blessing. The label attempted to cancel the interview while we were enroute. There is something to be said for being out of reach. Anyway, we got to the Hyatt and and Guru was in the lounge with his road manager and couple of guys in suits, who were trying to interest the rapper in a business deal.

His partner, Premier was nowhere to be found. Guru left the hotel restaurant several times to phone his room. Each time, he'd come back with the same news.

"He'll be down in a minute. He's on the phone."

While we waited, Guru talked about his days a starving artist on Wild Pitch records, listening to Queen Latifah's "Wrath of My Madness," on repeat for days and working part-time in a lawyer's office.

After almost an hour, the hip hop duo reunited for a interview in the rear of the hotel's restaurant. When this inteview was done, Primo hadn't given many interviews and had a mystique about him. But for some reason, he felt like talking, so we let him.

Gangstarr remains one of the most consistent, solid and prolific rap duos in history. Guru's confident montone, Primo's scratches and drum kicks are essential elements of any hip hop collection. While the group's reign may have ended, their legacy remains untouchable.

CRAIG: What's up fellas?

GURU: Ay yo, we're just doin' this promotional tour, we stopping through.

DJ PREMIER: I'm coolin'. Jus' loungin' with you right here in the "HI" in G-town on Wisconsin.

CRAIG: Alright. Premier, what we're you doing before this happened? (Holds up a picture of Gangstarr's first LP, "No More Mr. Nice Guy."

PRIMO: Oh wow. I was, you know, djing all the parties and whatnot. I was into hip-hop like crazy already 'cause my brother was still in New York and he would send all the records to Texas and everything. While I was doin' that, a friend of mine named Top Ski, who was from Boston, he motivated me too take it to a music level and actually be in the business. I was for bein' in the business, but as a producer, not really as an artist. After constantly doin' little things together, with him rhyming, he motivated me to wanting to get a record deal. But things didn't work out too well with me and him and I ended up being on my own.

And this man over here (nods toward GURU) had a few singles out, and he was having some problems with the members of his group so we were both two lost souls tryin' to find the right niche. I sent a demo to the label that he was on at that time, and he liked my demo. He used to listen to all the demos that came to the office. The owner of the label called me and we started vibin' with each over the phone. I was always making beats and stuff, but actually not for anybody, just for my own enjoyment.

Once I heard this brother ... he had a song called "Bust A Move," he had a song called "To be a Champion." I actually saw one of his shows on the dl, but we didn't get to meet. I just saw him do a performance and everything and I liked his style. Once we hooked up, I already knew a little bit about his background, as an artist at least. Not as a person but as an artist. He liked my style, I like his, we hooked up. We're still Gangstarr.

CRAIG: Keith E, What were you doin' before you first LP?

GURU: Well, Before that [gestures towards first LP] happened, like he said, I had a couple of singles. Really how it all started, I moved from Boston to New York in '82 and I started shoppin' my demo all around. That's my advice to the young people out there that want to get into this rap game, you know, it's not about jus' battling. It's not about goin' up to someone and sayin' I wanna battle you. That's not going to get you a record deal. That's not going to get you nothing. It might get you a little respect on your block for a day or two, that' about it . What I was doin', goin' into record stores lookin' on the labels, the different rap labels gettin the address, or even gettin the address of the management company. A lot of times, labels won't even accept any demo material, unless its through a middle person. They call that unsolicited material, they'll send that back to you, without even listenin' to it.

So I went through all that for like four years. Then finally in 1986, I got signed to Wild Pitch. It was a good move as a far gettin' out there in the market, but we paid a lot of dues, on the financial tip. You know what I'm sayin'? Now things are gettin better, but it's all about looking at it as a business. It's not fun and games all the time.

CRAIG: You said you moved from Boston to New York. Do you think its possible for a hip hop act to break out of an area like Boston?

GURU: Ed O.G. is from Boston, he's one of the best rappers out today. He like myself, had to make connections in New York in order to get busy on the national tip. There's a lot of talent there. There's a new group called RSO from Boston on Tommy Boy, they got one called "One in the Chamba."

CRAIG: You were among the first rap acts signed to Chrysalis Records. Did you encounter any difficulties as they had never handled a rap act before?

GURU: For us it was cool, at least we got to be with some people that were takin' more of an interest in us. There were some ... you know little, minor problems during the course of "Step into the Arena" last year. That's probably why it didn't do as well as it should have. Now EMI bought Chrysalis, and EMI is like slammin'. Their black music staff is very dedicated. They respect us, they work with us, so things are fine right now.

I'll post Part 2 upon request.

Rappers from the Basement

It's hard to remember a time when a rapper could admit to enjoying role playing games and not expect complete humiliation. But once upon a time in 1993, we met A rap duo that wasn't afraid to talk about the dragons and dungeons,the Cella Dwellas.

Like many artists on Loud during this era, the Cella Dwellas (Phantasm the Tall Man & Augide the Imagination) found it hard to thrive in the shadow of the giant W mark of The Wu-Tang Clan. You would think with a name like Cella Dwellas, there would nowhere to go but up.

Phono Booth Record Store 1983-1999

If this were a film instead of a blog, this would be an establishing shot. Pictured above is the Phono Booth record store, a integral part of the hip-hop scene in Richmond in the '90s and the setting for many a Wavelength episode.

The Phono Booth was owned by Artie Jefferson. His sole employee was my co-host, Dre. Artie had been in the record game for years and he knew how to play it. Some of the biggest names in black music made appearances at his cramped store.
This place was essential to our achievements. Since our access to the television studio was limited, the record store became our favorite location for interviews. Masta Ace. Redman. Lady Apache. Jeru. Mobb Deep. Big Shug. We did a lot of work in there.

The music didn’t stop at the Phono Booth. Artie coordinated an annual showcase of local talent for three years at a nearby parked. For three years, people listened to music and partied until sundown without incident.

Things weren’t the same after a gunshot victim staggered into the store and collapsed one day. It may have been a harbinger of harder times to come. The Internal Revenue Service put locks on the store in 1999 and sold the contents at an auction. The store came back under different ownership and a new name, but with Artie still calling the shots. It lasted for awhile. Then the landlord bought out the store and turned it into a laundromat.

This picture is from a photo essay on the store I did for one of my college classes.

The Return of Jo Doja

My co-host brought a kid to my attention one day outside of the Phono Booth, our unofficial headquarters. The kid started to freestyle and I was a little leery. But after the first couple of lines, I realized that he was performing a tribute to our video show. I was almost humbled. He threw in a dis to a rival video programmer and I've been a fan of his ever since.

Yesterday, on a day pass, I stopped by of the few remaining independent record stores left in my area. I noticed a flyer for a new CD from Jo Doja. This is was what Lil Fats took to calling himself several years ago. Smart move. You can't be "Lil" or "Yung" forever. After a deal with Priority Records dissolved a few years back, Joe seemed to be stuck in label limbo. He's back now.

The existence of this CD ("More Than Music") proves that patience,loyalty and hard work can pay off. Jo stuck by the small label he's associated with and the production team (I think they're the same person) that supported him and now he's poised to reap the benefits. I haven't made it through the whole disc, but it sounds professional and radio friendly. Jo shows some maturity with this release with a variety of subject matter and a degree of introspection amid the club bangers.

Someone call Nokia. Mr. Doja is ready for his ringtone.

Change the Style

The Son of Bazerk were a rap band far ahead of their contemporaries. Unfortunately for them, they were also way ahead of their intended audience. The beats, the look, the style were borrowed from the future and stolen from the past. A silk-suited rapper whose style went from reggae to hardcore mid-song was "too much for the mental." Bazerk was joined by bandmates with names like "No Self Control," "Sandman" and "Half Pint." It was 1991 when I interviewed Son of Bazerk and the music industry still hasn't caught up with them.

Life at the Barnes Center

They say rehab is for quitters, but that doesn't mean it's not hard work. Things have been very busy at the Dee Barnes Center for Recovering Video Show Hosts. We recently received two arrivals fresh from a stint on some BET show. One of them has having such hard time adjusting, he apparently cut off all of his air. I think we'll be meeting with him twice a week.

Good news, I have obtained access to some video equipment and I plan to post some video from the archive soon. So, be prepared for some glorious VHS footage that's been compressed and squeezed and looks much older than it really is.

Love and Hell

My second interview almost didn't happen. Arrangements with the record label (Elektra) fell through. The more I got involved in the video game, the less this would happen, but it wasn’t uncommon. Luckily, I was armed with a copy of music video trade magazine that I wrote for and I was able to convince them of my legitimacy when I told them about my video show, which hadn’t really started yet.

I think I ticked group memeber Charlie Brown off as I went about setting up the interview, I went to Busta first. Apparently, Mr. Brown was the leader of the leaders. Sorry, Charlie.

No group out today touches what the Leaders of the New School were about: teamwork. They performed as unit, setting off verbal exchanges between themselves and punctuating their punchlines with gestures and movement. Compare them to today’s rap lords, pacing the stage like caged beasts, stepping on each other’s lyrics and sneakers. Nobody rocked it like LONS did, and nobody has since.

The group disbanded after their second album in 1994. Busta Rhymes ran with respect he gathered as the centerpiece of the group and began a successful solo career. Brown has made occasional guest appearances on other rapper’s songs. Dinco D posted a dis record aimed at Busta on his myspace site recently. If anyone knows what became of the group's DJ, hit me up.

CRAIG: Yo, what's up I'm here with Leaders of the New School.

BUSTA RHYMES: What's goin' on, What's goin' on?

CHARLIE BROWN: Charlie Brown in the house.

BUSTA: Busta Rhymes, lyrical monster!

DINCO D: Dinco D!

BUSTA: You know what I'm sayin'? Yes, Yes, Yes!

CRAIG: You guys have an old school flavor. What were some of your influences?

BUSTA: I mean, definitely influences and examples have to be set, you know. You got a start from a foundation.

CHARLIE BROWN: Cold Crush Brothers, Flash is in there, Afrika Bambaataa –

DINCO D: Chuck D.

CHARLIE BROWN: Chuck D, Run-DMC. There's a lot of people that influenced us. As far as that old school sound, it's only because we work as a unit and as a team, together an that's what the old school was about. Not just one person coming out there by themselves.

CRAIG: Speakin' of teams, a lot of new rappers have come out this year, but one of them has already self-destructed, Brand Nubian. What's going to keep the Leaders of the New School from doin' the same thing?

BUSTA: Well we can't speak on the situation with the Brand Nubians, 'cause we don't know nothin' about it. I mean, sometimes things happen, you got to go through love and hell to come out right. Whatever happened, happened. I just want all of those brothers to still prosper do and do what they got to do.

CRAIG: Have you been approached by any R&B artists to perform on their records?

BUSTA: No.

CRAIG: If you were, would you do it?

BUSTA: We don't know, it depends.

CRAIG: What was it like working with A Tribe Called Quest?

DINCO D: It was cool working with them. They got the same vibe we have. We met up through the business, in New York.

BUSTA: It was lovely.

CRAIG: What do you think about the editor of Billboard asking retailers not to sell Ice Cube's new tape?

BUSTA: I don't agree with it, I don't appreciate it. Because, a man should always have the opportunity to express what they feel. You know what I'm sayin'? If you feel somethin', you should have the opportunity to express it–

CHARLIE BROWN: They tryin' to limit it!

BUSTA: What you feel is for real, you know what I'm sayin'? Bein' that what you feel is for real, and you're real, and you exist in reality, you should have the opportunity to express what you feel.

Friend of the Enemy

You’ve got to understand, there wasn’t a bigger Public Enemy fan than me. I memorized the music on their first two albums. Not just the lyrics, but the beats, the samples and sound effects. I had the UPC code from their first two records written on the tounge of my sneakers. If you didn’t like Public Enemy, well, let’s just say that deep down, I believed that something was wrong with you.

So imagine my reaction when my director, A.J. called and asked me if I would like to interview Public Enemy. Once I floated down to earth, I got in the Camaro and headed to the Richmond Coliseum. I had to share the interview with another host of a different show, (I think her name was Monica.) but I didn’t care. This was something I hadn’t dared to dream.

I think the interview went on for about 30 minutes. I was new at the job, and didn’t know how to wrap things up smoothly, so I just kept going. Chuck left after about 10 minutes and Monica and I kept talking to Flav until he had to go. It was surreal.

Chuck was gracious and attentive and Flav was .... Flav. I got Chuck to speak on the group’s eventual irrelevance and his least favorite music video (Shut ‘em Down). Flav gave us a hundred doowahs as he departed. It was a good night.

It was unusual place to start my career as a tv show host, interviewing one of the top bands of the time as they headlined a big tour. Could anything eclipse this? I needed to know, so I just kept going.

Fun with A Big Foot

I was really prepared for my first show. I wrote out all the questions, follow-ups and a couple of adlibs. I attempted to script everything. I wanted it to be the perfect show. My quest for perfection was cut short when the producer ran the wrong intro at the top of the show. Damn.

The sole guest on my first show was Parliament-Funkadelic expatriate Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey. My P-Funk obsession was in its early stages back then. I had just discovered their greatest hits and was starting to dig deeper into their catalog, when I heard that a guy from my hometown had played in the band. I wondered what had become of him.

As luck would have it, the next week, I was standing by my security desk at Burlington Coat Factory. A girl I worked with at danced by my desk and said she was going to a party at Jerome's. I didn't make the party, but she hooked me up with Jerome later.

The show is hard for me to watch now, with the weight of all the years and styles that have passed since '91. But it is a factual, informative document that I was glad to be a part of and Jerome's story is one that deserves to be told.

Jerome’s involvement with the show didn’t end there. I used a track from his 1996 album Aftershock 2005, “The Growl,” as the Wavelength theme song for several years. He appeared on the show a second time and we've maintained a good friendship.

The W File

This blog is an attempt to document and reconcile a part of my past. It is hoped that by retelling my triumphs, failures and bittersweet memories, some healing will occur. This exercise is sponsored by the Dee Barnes Center for Recovering Video Show Hosts, and my participation is compulsory, so this story will be told. But I’ll be telling it my way.

My involvement in the music industry started in 1990. I opened the case of my Young Black Teenagers cassette and found the phone number to SOUL Records. I stared at the number in disbelief. Could it be the def,dope and dangerous world of rap music was this close to a suburban kid who lived on a street named after a field of corn? I called the number and someone said “Soul Records.” I hung up. Damn, I thought, it really was the record label.

I gathered my nerve and called back later and spoke to a man named Simon Ajose. I told him that I needed some music videos for a show I helped produced for public access television in Richmond, Va. I suspected there might be a process or form to fill out, but all he asked for was my address. In few days, the clips for “Loud and Hard to Hit,” (Young Black Teenagers) “Change The Style” and “The Band Gets Swivey On The Wheels” (Son of Bazerk) were in my mailbox.

Despite my efforts to infiltrate the rap business, the television show I worked on fell apart. There was an empty time slot where our show had been and I was a young producer eager to make my mark. I joined forces with another guy at the studio and we decided to do a few shows, just to prove we could do it. I called mine Wavelength.

It was only supposed to be a few episodes, but I quickly discovered something about doing the show. I liked it and I never wanted it to stop.

So, thus begins my mandatory journey into the past. There's no telling what I might dig up.