The Big Bad Wu

This was another interview that almost didn't happen. The Wu-Tang Clan left the Phono Booth, our surrogate TV studio and neighborhood record store before I arrived for our scheduled interview. Imagine my disappointment. I called the label and spoke to a woman named named Charm. She shared my frustration.

Charm called their road manger right then and I stepped away from the phone. When I got back, she was laying into him something fierce. She apologized for her strong language and asked me if I could meet them at Ivory's Uptown Lounge. After seeing how she handled business, I couldn't say no.

When we walked in the VIP at Ivory's, the group recognized my partner Dre from the record store, where he worked. Dre had put then in touch with a gentleman who distributed organic pharmaceuticals independently and they indicated their pleasure with the transaction. The road manager was apologetic and invited us to film the performance.

Cash didn't rule that night. The clan were on a promotional tour with label mates the Alkaholics and performed for free. The Wu-Tang Clan was in full effect, minus at least three members. Ol' Dirty Bastard was missing in action. Ghostface was chilling with his newborn twins and RZA was producing some next shillznit.

In this interview, Method Man makes some weird noises, GZA admits to some career missteps and Raekwon predicts the future.

The Flight Director

I didn’t do Wavelength all by myself. There were many people who supported and encouraged my efforts. Pookie, Kia, Lance, Carlos, Adrian, Derek, Paul, Lorna, Sir Lance ... But none more directly than Arthur F.D. Johnson, Jr. My director, producer, mentor, and friend. For a long time, before I made a move, I talked A.J. first

We met volunteering at the community access station on a long-running public affairs show. We both quit after the host was involved in a domestic dispute. A spot on the schedule opened soon afterwards and we decided to alternate. Wavelength one week, and A.J.’s show Points of Interest the next. P.O.I. was a retread of the other talk show we bounced from, minus the ego and drama.

A.J. didn’t know rap. But he knew how to work the equipment at the studio and he had his own video camera. He also had a hook-up on the postage, and I never had to pay for the countless cassettes and cds I sent out to contest winners. I could've made it without him, but it would've been hard.

Even his mistakes inspired me. His hesitation to cut to the next video usually led to some of my best ad-libs and one liners, aimed at Mr. Johnson. I was only kidding, A.J. Really.

When our live shows ended, we began shooting Wavelength entirely on location. By then, I had my own camera and luckily my job at the university afforded me access to editing equipment. I missed the fun of the live shows, but I enjoyed my newfound independence. A.J. and I didn’t speak as often and we seemed to be heading in different directions.

While Wavelength moved from cable to broadcast, and back again, A.J. stayed at the public access studio. Last time I checked, someone had put him in charge of the place.

Queens Get the Money

There was barely a buzz on Mobb Deep when they appeared on Wavelength. It was more like a hum. The group was known for their DJ Premier-produced single "Peer Pressure," off their first album. It was known that they were now producing themselves and everybody was waiting to see what they could do. Their second album, "The Infamous," was worth the wait. The duo established themselves as a benchmark for "keeping it real," and were the first to use the phrase on Wavelength.

As soon as the Queensbridge duo stepped into the Phono Booth, everybody wanted to know if what they had heard for years was true. Was Prodigy really the cousin of a local music producer? The producer's name kept coming up, the duo met each mention with implicit denials. It was explained later that they weren't exactly sure who everybody was talking about, and they weren't about to align themselves with someone whom they might not know. "Shook Ones" they weren't about to be. (Later, the claims were proven when Prodigy guested on a demo he produced.)

Prodigy's cousin, Diallo is still waitin' for a shot a remix.

Half Pint Pt. 2: Not the Average Chick

Rapper turnt school teacher Cassandra Jackson talks about being the only female in a group that sometimes spit misogynist lyrics, the state of hip hop and why Half Pint is for the children.

Do you ever think of picking up the mic again?
I thought of getting back in the game several times but I'm not sure people want to hear what I have to say. I'm not about capitalism, I'm about revolution. I think my stage is my classroom now. I can educate and nurture the souls and minds of young brothas and sistas with relevant information. We are reflections of each other they get what I saying, even if they don't at that moment, they know my heart and soul goes into my teaching like a performance. When they see me in the streets I can hear and see the spark I helped ignite that started in the classroom.
We are now corrupted with corporate hip hop and the essence of what it was all about got lost when the infiltrators started flashing cash for the young brothas and sistas to sell their souls. Again, I ain't tryin' to knock nobody's hustle but hip hop is supposed to be about diversity, unity, community and commentary, not capitalism, oversaturation of one form or destruction of oneself.
As consumers, we have the power to say this is what we want to hear this is hip hop. Unfortunately, its like "The Matrix," or something when someone else tells you what's hot and what's not. (say it enough people will believe) and we become the pawn in a game we once controlled because it was once pure now it's tainted. Hip hop was about braggin' and boastin' (on what we wanted not had) with ideas of improvement and upward mobility because of the conditions in which we lived in were not fit for humans and we needed to let others know we do exist we are humans.
Now that hip hop has given the opportunity to keep up with the Joneses it has become an individualistic culture. We are tryin' to take the top man down instead of standing beside them, growing and helping the community grow. The old schoolers know and understand that concept the youngsters don't. They have been brainwashed into believing that thuggin' makes you man and that sexin' makes you a woman and that money makes you better than the next person. (Let me get off my soap box.)

Have there been any attempts to reunite the group?
We never really talked about a reunion but I think that would be real fun to do after all this time. Daddy Raw does a lot of demo work with people from the area tryin' to break into business he is also working on his own project. I still have some of the outfits from those days (can't really fit them, not yet anyway) but I can't let them go, I love them.

Talk about what it was like in the studio, and the meaning of the song title "N-41."
The studio vibe was crazy. It was some long hours but is fun. I remember recording N-41 which was our last song to record and the concept as I said before was about steppin' into a different dimension ridin', rhymin' and doin' all the stuff you use to do back in the day. I thought it would be ill if when I started I did it like the twilight zone, then end up rowdy like I wanted to get things movin'. During the makin' of the album I wanted to rhyme on the mic but most of the stuff had been done before hand so I didn't have a chance to display my skills, so I thought it would be funny If I kept tryin' on this song the last song to rhyme( with hopes of more rhyming on the next album) When it was finally my turn I started out rhymin' but Bazerk threw me off because he was like, "Yo let's go this our stop (or something like that) and they were actin like they were leaving the booth while I was rhyming so that's when I said YOU DON'T KNOW ME, SO DON'T SWEAT IT ... and by the time I finished so was the reel. It was so hot it was the first and only take done, even though I had completely skipped almost an entire verse I thought that what I did fit the entire mood, craziness and fun we use to have in the studio. Keith Shocklee said "Yo, that's hot leave it just like that," and we did. We did a lot of snapping and playing jokes but it was not all fun and games. Work was first and foremost.
Anyway, N-41 was the name of the bus line that went through Freeport. If you had to ride the bus you usually took that one. We were trying to create a mental picture of gettin' on the bus entering another dimension, riding on the back of the bus rhyming like they use to do back in the days.

At the end of Honesty, there is an interlude where a club owner informs his customers, that" if they ain't buyin' nothin', don't hang around ..." I think it's the same voice at the end of "Trapped inside the Rage of Jahwell." Was this a sample? Where is it from?
The talking is actual events taking place at a bar called Fleetwood's. The
voice is the bar owner on the mic at the club one night. The guys frequented the place, I was too young to go into there.

Do you ever see any of your labelmates, the YBT?
I saw Kam about two years ago I think he still lives out here, I don't know. I believe Skribble is the only one still out there. I see everybody from time to time (not at the same time) I don't really go out, my students take up all my time and when not at work, I'm at home trying to relax. I think being on the road and touring and the fun stuff I did wore me out. I don't think I'm old, it's just going out can be hazardous to ones' health, ya know. It ain't hip hop like it use to be. I still LOVE hip hop 4 life it's just has become more of a reflection of society with no release of tension in sight.
Remember when label wouldn't even sign someone with a [criminal] record now it's a prerequisite. I am glad brothas and sistas are getting paid to do what they love but sometimes I think the cost may be too high when some are not keeping it real. And impressionable people think that's what Hip Hop is.

How did you find out that the second album wasn't going to be released?
Once we finished about 7 songs we found out SOUL was folding. We heard Rick Rubin was interested but I don't know what happened with that.

Did it bother you when Bazerk talked about pimps, ho's and bitches?
At first I had a problem with it because I thought it was disrespectful to me and other women. Unfortunately, I realized the targeted audience (men) used these terms to describe a certain kind of female I did not become familiar with until I went on the road. I still did not condone the language but I began to understand it. As usual my job was to keep the guys in check and educate the females about the issue but the females didn't buy it. The type of female they were referring to liked that they were being noticed no matter how disrespectful the message was.
Some seem to think that if your were offended then they are talking to you, but the reality is that the ones who should be offended are so lost they don't even know they are being disrespected. That is why I was a proud member of the hip hop community, where I could be apart of a group that at times could have been disrespectful to females but I was that strong minded independent woman who says straighten up and I took no sh*t.
Being the only women in the group gave me the edge to put sistas on to a brothas game but I can only lead 'em to the water I can't make 'em drink it. That's why the cut I did for the 2nd album was entitled "No Fair Ones" I was tryin to let 'em know, I ain't the average chick.
Just for reading the end of this interview, here's an unreleased Son of Bazerk track. Half Pint is all over this one. Here's Can't You See?

The Doobie U Be

Funkdoobiest was like Cypress Hill lite. They both had latin lead rappers, talked about getting high and shared the production talents of DJ Muggs. But while Cypress was known for their rhymes of violence and revenge, Funkdoobiest seemed to focus on the lighter side of things. Which made them cool to hang out with, as we found out in the Phono Booth in 1995.

Tomahawk Funk left the group after their second album. Funkdoobiest is still around and released a single last year.

It's a Jungle out there

Opening for the rapper-of-the-moment at a hollowed-out former restaurant, The Jungle Brothers weren't at the height of their career when they appeared on Wavelength. After three albums, the pioneering rap group seemed to have its best days behind them. The days when they created an urban music hybrid, hip-house. The days when they made black medallions as popular as gold chains. The days when they made being yourself cool.

Those were the days.

It was January of 1997 when we met them. The Jungle Brothers were promoting their new album "Raw Deluxe," on Gee Street Records. The album would be poorly received and I still haven't gotten around to listening to it. Years later, the brothers have carved out niche in dance music scene and seems to be doing well with their record sales in the european market.

There's still some rumble in the jungle, however, as Afrika has recorded a track dissing some of the more prominent members of the defunct Native Tongue movement. Mike G can be heard on the Nas "Where Are They Now?" remix.

CRAIG: Yo, what's up, my name is Craig and I'm here with – the Jungle, the Jungle, the Brothers, the Brothers.

JBS: Yo, yo. What's up?

CRAIG: Let's get everybody's name real quick.

MIKE G: Mike G in the House

CRAIG: Dready Bear.

AFRIKA: Afrika, right here, What' goin on? People in Vee Ayy whatchadoin'?

CRAIG: Who's that layin' in the cut right there?

AFRIKA: Ah .. That's Sweet Daddy.

SAMMY B: Sweet Daddy, Sammy B from the Boogie Down, Jungle Brothers.

CRAIG: It's been a while since you guys have been on tour or had a record out. Whatchu you guys been doin'?

AFRIKA: Right now, we got a single out called "How You Want It, I Got It." We were just travelin' to Vee Ayy area, talkin' to people through the radio, goin' to record stores, signin' autographs ... Lettin' the people that's been showin' us love all these years meet us in person and givin' 'em back that love.

CRAIG: You talk about years. How many years has it been?

AFRIKA: It's been ten years, man.

CRAIG: Ten years. And now you're on your fourth album on your third record label ...

AFRIKA: Yeah.

CRAIG: Explain to me what happened with the record labels.

AFRIKA: Actually, our first record was one the same label that this fourth one is on. So it's really been like ....

CRAIG: So you've come full circle?

AFRIKA: Full circle, yeah.

CRAIG: Mike, what is a Jungle Brothers show like? What do you do on-stage?

MIKE G: We just give the basics of hip hop. We got Sweet Daddy rockin' the one and two's, the turntables. Afrika and myself, we are the MCs, masters of the ceremony, keep the party amped and everbody swayin' and feelin' the good vibe. Runnin' through the hits ... JBs Comin' Through, Straight out the Jungle, I'll House You, I got it like that, I'm a Do Ya.

CRAIG: How have you changed over the years? A lot of rappers stay out for too long and try to catch up too quick and it doesn't work. So what have you guys done.

MIKE G: The mental is still the same. We just upgraded the production. The brothers be family men, now. We just keepin' it live.

CRAIG: Yeah. So what's up with the Native Tongue, I hear it's back in effect.

AFRIKA: Yeah, we try to bring the people's that Native Tongue flavor. We remixed the first single and put De La and Tribe on it, so we could get that Native Tongue flavor back out there let people know we still together as a unit.

CRAIG: So Afrika, on the new album, y'all gonna talk about Versace, watches, gold chains and mafioso stuff, huh?

AFRIKA: Nah. The mentality's still the same like on the first album. Positive messages. The brothers is comin' back more mature this album. It's more like groove oriented. Buy ya tape, put it in your car and have a nice little free ride with the Jungle Brothers, you know what I'm sayin'? Laid back beats, nice lyrics.

CRAIG: Who did the production?

AFRIKA: Jungle Brothers did production. Mike, Sam, Afrika, we all chipped in and put beats together. Another brother by the name of Gingy Brown did two songs. He's comin' up. He did some stuff for Supanatural, for all the underground heads out there that know him. D.J. Roc Raider he did the first single.

CRAIG: You said you did a cut with The Roots also?

AFRIKA: Yeah, we just put the icin' on the cake with The Roots. They blessed us.

Son of Bazerk's Half Pint Speaks

Known as Half Pint, she was 1/5 of the underrated rap group Son of Bazerk. Her high-pitched interjections brought urgency to the Bomb Squad produced tracks, similar to what her former babysitter, Flavor Flav did for Public Enemy.

Years later, she now answers to Ms. Jackson, as a teacher at Roosevelt High School in Long Island. Half-Pint shares memories from her colorful past as a member of a cutting-edge hip hop group.

How was the concept for Son of Bazerk brought to you?
The core of the group was already formed and a lot of the material done. It was Hank from the bomb squad who approached me one day when I was in the park playing basketball with my friends We were beating the guys as usual) He heard me talking loud (cracking jokes and so forth) and asked me if I wanted to be in a group I was like yeah whatever brushing him off cause I thought he was crazy. Then he told me who he was and what he did, still brushing him off when I looked it up from my music collection of PE and I just laughed. He contacted me the next day met my grandparents and told them his intentions and the rest is history.

Characterize your role in the group.
I was the Lynn Collins of the group to Bazerk's was James Brown .I thought our shows were the bomb as we all played off each other. Being on stage is the greatest high you can get. When we went overseas to Germany and France, we headlined our one show that was crazy we would do the entire album and then some. In Holland, we were apart of a weekend extravaganza, it was off the hook. The only thing I regret is not having any of our shows on tape. I also wish i had kept some other memorabilia.
On tour all the groups would stay and watch each other perform and then hang out afterwards. I remember sitting with Ice T off to the side watching Naughty By Nature (who was definitely hot) perform and he was explaining to me the excitement he got from watching the crowd get hype during each groups performance and how to read a crowd to give them want they want and make a show hot.

What was your first concert as a member of SOB like?
My first concert with SOB I believe we did the Apollo with PE, Rakim, we split time with Young Black Teenagers. It was crazy I never knew how a stage could impact a performance I loved it!! It was a little raw because it was like 7 of us 3 mikes. We all was supposed to dance but the guys really did get in to it so I danced with two dancers we had. One of them used to dance for LL cool J. The next time we performed I was ready and we had a nice routine set up. Overseas, we headlined several venues and it was hot to def I wish I had some footage from that.

What did you learn from touring with SOB and other hip hop groups?
Being on tour was fun. I got homesick because other than being at college an hour and a half away, I never really been away from home for an extended period of time. We had to rough it, with 17 in a van and no air conditioning in the summertime. Winnebagos [filled] with equipment, 11 people and no idea where we were going but it was fun. The tour with PE was the best I learned so much from them and the other groups (Fear of a Black Planet Tour) I think? It was us Leaders of the new school, Queen Latifah, M.C. Lyte Naughty by Nature, Kid N'Play, Fresh Prince, Geto Boys and Ice T.
It was nothin' but love on tour from day one they all treated me like a little sister and gave me much respect as I have much love and respect for them That was a pivotal moment in life.
When we came home that tour we began work on the 2nd album It was supposed to be titled "So many Tricks ..." We actually completed several songs including what was supposed to be my solo single "No Fair Ones."

Do your students know about your rap past?
I teach a history of hip hop class and yes, I tell the students about the small contribution to hip hop my group has made. They always wanna battle but the teacher remains the master even if the content has changed.

More to come ...

I've been Tagged

I'm usually not the one for internet and email games. But since a supporter of this blog asked me to participate, I'm playing this one. So, I think I'm supposed to post 7 songs I'm digging right now ask 7 other bloggers to do the same.

Here are my songs. Fellow bloggers, don't worry about getting called out in this post. The tag stops here.

Classic/Kanye West, Rakim, Nas and KRS-One.
Watch How It Go Down/Termanology
You Can't Turn Me Away/Slyvia Striplin
No More Dating DJs/Nick Holder
Gabrielle/re:Jazz feat. Alice Russell
Morning Child/4 Hero
Tears Dry On Their Own/Amy Winehouse

Now I can get back to prepping a very special post for later this week.

Sayin' Nothin'

Getting a national recording artist to appear on a local TV show usually took days of negotiation with record label, road managers and video promoters. Despite our honest attempts to do things the right way, sometimes we got left holding the mic. This is about some of those times.

The following artists never appeared on Wavelength. The majority of these rappers or their representatives neglected to fulfill prearranged agreements, for various reasons. At the D.B. Center, I have learned the relevance of forgiveness in a successful rehabilitation. So as soon as these people or their former representatives ask for it, they'll get it.

We never played with a Yo-Yo
Her road manager explained that the president of I.B.W. had laryngitis after putting on a lackluster show at Ivory's Uptown Lounge. I would have believed him is she hadn't been chatting it up with her girlfriend in the background. What up with that, Yo?

Ya Bad, Chubbs
The Chubbster put us off. After setting things up with his road manager, the rotound rapper kept me at bay with, "In a minute, G. In a minute," for about half an hour, as he chatted with a police officer. The vice-president of his record label apologized and sent a box of t-shirts. I'm still a fan ... of his music.

Apache really ain't sht
While I may not remember more than the title of his one hit, I'll never forget what went down with Apache. Mr. "Gangsta Bitch" hollered "No!" and left us standing on the curb as his van sped off. Other people may have forgotten Apache, but we won't.

Who missed the shoot? Grand Puba
Puba Maxwell was reportedly several hours late to shoot photographs for the cover of his album, so why should he show up for an interview or a concert on time? But this time, Puba wasn't late enough. As his van pulled in front of the nightclub where he was scheduled to perform several hours prior, gunfire erupted. Nobody got shot and nobody performed.

What What?
I cut out of my girlfriend's graduation party to go interview one half of the rap group CNN, Noreaga. His people never called back. Someone thoughtful at Tommy Boy apologized and sent me a jacket with their upside down dancer logo. It never fit quite right, but I still have it.

Saturday Nite Wavelength

Masta Ace and Lord Digga and subjected to the interview techniques of Dre and a critical review of his latest release. This interview was filmed in 1993 at the Phono Booth Record Store, which is now a laundromat.

The Redman Interview

I was concerned about our interview with Redman. The funk doctor was unlike any other rapper on the scene. He didn't fit the mold of conscious rappers, gangster rappers or just-a-regular-guy rappers. Plainly put, Redman just didn't give a fck. "Whut? thee Album," his debut, was a funkfest of hedonism, criminality and drug abuse. It was hilarious.

So I didn't know what to expect from Reggie Noble. I consulted a video promoter I trusted, who suggested I ask him about his hairstyle and phrase the other questions around his lyric content. I took her advice and hoped to survive the interview. Which I did, despite something unexpected happening. (Two points to anyone who can tell me what R&B artist caused Redman to react in this clip.)

Redman would appear on our show three times, bringing an new reason for us to be concerned with each visit.

Steady Decline

Every time I came across Warren McGlone, aka Steady B. things weren't going his way. The first time I saw him was at the Richmond Colesium in 1992. Steady B. was part of group called CEB, comprised of a couple of other past-their-prime rappers. (The name was comprised of their initials and also stood for the prophetic phrase "Count Endless Bank.") It would be a failed attempt at reinvention.

Steady B. wasn't recognizable, the baseball cap and glasses that were his hallmark were out. Now, his distinguishing features were a bald head and missing teeth. Alternate cameraman DJ Reese spotted him backstage and set up a quick interview, talking me into letting him do it in the process. Steady B. had time on his hands, as the promoter had just informed him that their would be no show and no paycheck for CEB.

The next time I saw Steady B., he was the opening act at the long gone Richmond night spot, The Flood Zone. The odds were against him, he hadn't been out for awhile and times had changed. I was hoping he could pull something off, he still had some hits. I was looking forward to hearing "Serious" again. That wasn't happening. Steady B came on stage and lit a blunt.

I looked over at a cop standing along the wall of the club. He looked offended, but just watched as Steady began a piteous performance that failed to keep the crowd's attention. He left the stage after a short set and I caught a glimpse of him behind the curtain. He was leaning against the wall with his hands over his head. I couldn't see his face, but he looked upset. Someone tried to console him, but he wouldn't budge from that spot for awhile.

Hip hop heads know how this story ends, and it ain't good. Steady B. had one more time become front page news . He was convicted of second degree murder on October 30, 1996 and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The Kings and I

Whenever I'm asked, "So, what kind of guests did you have on your little show?" The first group I name is Run DMC. It wasn't my best or favorite interview, but it lets people know what level we were operating on. The Kings of Rock were the verge of a major comeback when we interviewed them in the meeting room of the Holiday Inn back in 1993.

The video for "Down with King," was scorching television screens with more cameos than "Who's The Man?" and beats and lyrics from Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth. It wasn't just a new sound that was clearly evident. The band hand changed. DMC had sworn off alcohol, Run was rumored to be taking religon very seriously. Gone were the gold chains, the Gazelles and the godfather hats that exemplified their image. With their shaved heads, dark clothing and wooden crosses, they looked like rap monks. If only today's acts had half of their conviction.

Jam Master Jay was at soundcheck during the interview. He and the Hollis crew put on a stunning show that night. JMJ R.I.P

The Uptown's Lounge

They don't make nightclubs in Richmond like this one anymore, it lasted long enough to become a legend. Nightspots in the city now suffer short lifespans, shutting down and opening up within a few months. Most eventually fail, leaving empty husks that drag down the city's landscape.

Ivory's Uptown Lounge was the place to be in the late 1980s. I recall riding four deep in a Chevette with my high school friends, looking at the line of beautiful people that stretched down the block, counting the years until we could stand among them. Hell, Prince ate breakfast their once.

Once I started getting into Ivory's, I wasn't there for fun. It was always business. In the early '90's the club started to book rap artists for concerts and its dark basement became a second studio for our show. We talked to groups like The Pharcyde, Wu-Tang Clan, MC Lyte, Pete Rock and many more. About half of our trips to the club were fruitless, with lazy artists and their duplicitious road managers leaving us hanging at the last moment. (They'll get their own post.)

My best time at Ivory's was on a Wednesday evening, right after the show. We walked in the club to interview a slew of rappers set to perform that night. After a few minutes, I noticed something strange, they all acted like the knew me. I was really thrown off by the sudden recognition and I kept thinking it was an elaborate joke. Somebody told me later that they had been watching our show during sound check and enjoyed it.

This confirmed what Dre and I already knew. We were doing something right.

Word to the 3rd

3rd Bass had just split when MC Serch hopped on The Source Magazine's concert tour. Serch's stay on the tour, like his solo career, was brief. During his performance in Richmond, Va., he reportedly remarked that one of the members of The Almighty RSO looked like Humpty Hump. After his set, members of RSO (a group that included future Source publisher Benzino) allegedly chased Serch from the second floor to the door of the club, where he got off with a warning.

Since then, Serch has been an employee of Wild Pitch Records, the president of a marketing company and now a reality television host. Rumors of a reunion with Pete and Daddy Rich linger but they haven't brought 3rd bass home.

Forgot about Dre

When I think about the failure of Wavelength, I'm comforted by the thought that it wasn't all my fault. There were others to share the blame. One of those people is Andre. He appeared at the studio after the third program and quickly became part of the show. Dre was a music producer, a record store worker, and a self-described "hip-hop junkie" who wasn't shy about expressing himself. Yeah, he was a problem.

He brought constant chaos, interjecting and interrupting my scripted wit with extraneous comment and opinion. Some days, it was hard to cast a complete thought. It was a odd chemistry that was combustible at times, but kept things interesting.

In an effort to contain him, I gave him a quarter of the show to do with as he pleased. He dubbed it "The Breaks" and brought on a parade of local rappers, producers and artists for interviews. It was integral part of Wavelength, but it didn't keep him in check. He never seemed to run out of things to say.

Dre drifted away from the show after our public access run ended in '96. How much did I miss him? When Wavelength debuted on broadcast television a year later, I brought in someone to pretend to interrupt me.

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.