Troy (2004)

Troy (2004)

It is the year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age. Two emerging nations begin to clash after Paris, the Trojan prince, convinces Helen, Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband Menelaus, and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnom to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. So they set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy. With the help of Achilles, the Greeks are able to fight the never before defeated Trojans. But they come to a stop by Hector, Prince of Troy. The whole movie shows their battle struggles, and the foreshadowing of fate in this remake by Wolfgang Petersen of Homer's "The Iliad."

Troy (2004) - Torrent

More about → Troy (2004)

Just For Kicks (2005)

Found this the other day. It's a documentary all about kicks, sneakers, trainers, pumps or whatever you call your b-boy footwear.
Some interesting facts are given throughout and talking heads include Run,DMC, Bonz Malone, Fab 5 Freddy, Damon Dash, Grandmaster Caz to name just a few.
Now, I know that the real hard-knocks like to have more than a few trainers box-fresh in multiple quantities stacked in the crib but some examples here are truly astounding.

The Sneaker Riots when Nike released a limited run of 150 pairs of Nike NYC Pigeon Dunks to certain stores in New York City is quite something espicially to those not deep into the whole sneaker collecting sub-culture.

I especially enjoyed hearing DMC's confession as to the real reason why 'My Adidas' came about. Blame it on Russell Rush!

More about → Just For Kicks (2005)

Sweet P From The SL Troopers Interview

"Cold chillin, I'm moving about for fun. I'll take you suckas out, each and every one"

I recently had the good fortune to communicate with one of the UK's most eloquent and humble microphone masters, Fabian Stephenson AKA Sweet Pea from London's SL Troopers.

The late 80's were an exciting time for UK rap, almost a golden age, and there were a lot of great records coming out regularly with a creative buzz previously unseen for this genre.
The two heavyweight record labels of the time, Music Of Life and Kold Sweat put out some of the most memorable tunes and were home to some of the UK's most legendary acts such as Hijack, Hardnoise, She Rockers, Derek B, MC Duke, Krispy 3, Katch 22, Daddy Freddy, Demon Boyz and so many more.

Both of these labels at one time or another managed to sign the SL Troopers , such was their status at the time.
Beginning with DJ Woodhouse and DJ Crime, Sweet Pea arrived soon after where the first single Debut (Unarmed, Yet Dangerous) was released in 1988 on Global Rhythm Records. With a simple break loop, scratched horns and a Lord Finesse-esque rap flow this signaled the arrival of the Troopers.

1989 saw the release of the still-firing 12" single, Movement on the Music Of Life label. Moving with a fast style and furious scratching, this track boosted the group's status further and got the attention of Kold Sweat who signed them the following year where they would release the single Knowledge / Put Your Brain In Gear and the Systematic Terror EP both making waves on the UK scene.

Since the disbanding of the group Fabian went on to record with the Acid Jazz band Quiet Boyz, Chris Bangs for the Mr Electric Triangle project, Kosmosis Of The Heart and subsequently in 1996 worked with The Herbaliser on Ninja Tune. It was here where his friendship with Ollie Teeba would grow while he featured on the albums Blow Your Headphones and Remedies.

The late 1990's would see the birth of an alter-ego, Travis Blaque who Fabian would use as a mouthpiece to relieve his vent and fury on the industry.
Travis has since worked alongside Ollie again as well as producers RJD2 and East Coast crew, Ugly Duckling.
His album, The Many Facets Of Travis Blaque was released in 2006 and Fabian is still very much busy recording to this day.

Ageing B-Boys Unite!: What was the first record to interest you in music?

Fabian Stephenson: There are so many records that have interested me in music, but if there is one it is Max Romeo's War Inna Babylon.

ABBU: Can you remember the first record that you purchased?

The first record I purchased with my own money was the Slave album Visions of Lite.

ABBU: You were a keen dancer in your youth. Which crews were you in?

I used to hang out with Anthony Duncan (DJ ADEE), Mark B, Ollie Teeba, Baby K/DJ Afro Puff (ex-Choice FM/DJ 279's mix DJ) Regal from The Wise Guys, Malachi (The Herbaliser) Julian from The Creators and others from Kingston and surrounding areas. We all shared ideas and developed styles and would go uptown to Covent Garden to showcase our styles. The main influence for me was Poppin' Pete from L.A. the master of locking. I was a big fan of Live To Break and Francisco Diaz from Epsom was a good friend of mine.

ABBU: How did you make the transition from body-popping to holding the mic?

I was listening to Tim Westwood when he was a presenter on LWR and he was a judge at a Rap competition with Tom Silverman from Tommy Boy Records. The Cookie Crew won best group performance and I could say that they were my main influence to start writing rhymes.

ABBU: Who were your peers when emceeing? Which crews did you roll with?

Other MC's at that time were Sergeant Rock, MC Mello, Blade, Uncle B Nice, Demon Boyz, London Posse, Huntkillberry Finn, Kamanchi Sly who all influenced me in one way or another.

ABBU: Grooverider was a heavy presence in your earlier days. Did you ever feel like going down the hardcore/drum & bass route?

Grooverider was and still is a good DJ. An old soulboy at heart who embraced house music and techno to drum and bass and was instrumental in guiding me in the early days of Global Rhythm Sound System which the S.L. Troopers were part of. I have no problem with drum & base as an MC you ride the rhythm and I would love to work with German group N.O.H.A. and the diverse British producer Manifest.

ABBU: What kind of emcee were you? Did you actively battle?

As a young upstart living in suburbia, The Royal Borough of Kingston I had to get myself together and battle other MC's whenever or wherever. Going into London with the guys and the S.L.'s gave me confidence. As you get older or as you mature you still keep the battle principles, but life is much more than that now. There's much more to talk about from a spiritual and humanitarian perspective.

ABBU: Which of the 4 elements of hip hop have you participated in, however successfully?

B-Boying - I was good.  
Graf - I tried it and was caught tagging in '86 in Feltham shopping centre by the police!
DJing - Well I used to mix well, but didn't master the scratch mix.  
MCing - Well that's my chosen field and I'm content.

ABBU: Would you have liked to released an album on either Music Of Life and Kold Sweat?

I would have been happy for an album on Music Of Life as I was The S.L. Troopers' first MC, Sweet Pea. Unarmed, Yet Dangerous was the first 12", then Movement/There It Is came. I left the S.L.'s due to creative differences. The other MC's they worked with. That's another story!

There was a track called Ready To Run recorded in Kingston with The S.L.'s in '86. I don't have a copy, but it was OK.

As Fabian I have 8 tracks recorded with The UYD's on DAT. As Travis Blaque I recorded Ego Trippin' Pt 3 in 97' with Ollie Teeba from The Herbaliser. Killer Tune!!

Travis Blaque and Misty Oldland - You Can Be The One. I love the tune and it will probably be on the 2nd Travis album.

There is also a nice Soul cut I recorded with Marsha Ambrose (Floetry) before Floetry blew up. One day, perhaps when I die these tracks will see the light of day!

ABBU: What was the difference between Music Of Life and Kold Sweat?

With Music Of Life you were happy to get a tune out. It wasn't about the money, that's me being naive! I heard that Kold Sweat actually paid royalties. To be honest I actually earned money working with British labels such as Acid Jazz, Delancey St. and Ninja Tune. German labels Unique and Buro 9 have also been good to work with.

ABBU: How involved were you in the production?

I tried to steer the S.L.'s in a P-Funk, Jazz influenced way before the genres were big in Rap Music. This resulted in me leaving.

However as Travis I have to be in the thick of it and add some creativity here and there.

ABBU: What do you think of the current UK rappers compared to the golden age of the late 80's/early 90's?

In the 80's there were MC's who were influenced by the American sound and rapped as if they were from the US, I was one of them. MC's that have heavily influenced the way the UK sound has developed in my opinion and no particular order are Blade, Rodney P, HKB, Roots Manuva, MC Mello, Demon Boyz, Blak Twang, MCD, Chester P.

I like some of the current crop, however some of those who come from the grime arena, well that's another story!

ABBU: You're marooned on a desert island. You are allowed one of each of the following items. An album, a single, a book, a dvd, and one type of food. What do you take?

The album would be Gil Scott-Heron - Pieces Of A Man. The single would be The Roots feat. Common UNI verse. The Book would be Can't Stop Won't Stop by Jeff Chang. The DVD would be Roman Polanskis' Chinatown. The food would be fresh veg and salad.

ABBU: Is there any one person or persons that have influenced your musical path in life?

My father and my mother's cousin Uncle Boogs for introducing me to Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Ska, Rocksteady, Calypso and Reggae. Chris Bangs for helping me to find my Jazz chops and understanding the need to experiment.

ABBU: What are your musical aspirations for the future? Who would you love to work with?

I would like to release a 2nd Travis Blaque album in which I have 4 tracks which are ready to record.

I would like to work with Nomadic Poet of The Planets, the legendary HKB, my friend, time permitting Mark B, Gael Blondeu from France, Shareholder Tom from Germany. The Beat Barbers from Sweden, legendary UK Soul Vocalists Misty Oldland, Noel McCoy, Paul Johnson & Leee John. Steve Spacek, David Mitchell. German Jazz vocalist Alison Degbe, Primo and Pete Rock.

Last year I worked with Shareholder Tom, a multi talented German musician/producer and featured on two tracks on his 1st album. I didn't meet him until a few weeks ago when he asked me to repeat the process, but record in Cologne as supposed to the UK. The music is Reggae-influenced and Mambo which I am happy to work with. There will be a 7" before winter 2010.

Many thanks for Fabian for the time and respect to DJ ADEE for the hook-up.


Link-a-rama

Travis Blaque Myspace
Travis Blaque on Discogs
SL Troopers on Discogs

SL Troopers article at Heroes Of UK Hip Hop

More about → Sweet P From The SL Troopers Interview

Hush Hip Hop Tour Flicks

12 

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All pictures are the property of J Glover. Please do not reproduce without permission.


Hush Hip Hop Tours are based in New York City and take the form of a busride through the city stopping at famous landmarks along the way with luminaries such as GrandMaster Caz from The Cold Crush Brothers, Kurtis Blow, Rahiem of The Furious Five or even Reggie Reg from The Crash Crew stepping onboard.

One ABU! member, Jim, has had the lucky fortune of going on one of the tours and has very kindly sent in all of these fantastic shots. In his own words this is his description of each picture.



1, 2 & 3 - The Bronx Walk Of Fame



4 - A b-boy demonstrating one of the elements on the hip hop tour.



5 - Grandmaster Caz with his reply to 'Rapper's Delight'. He was left out of a bigger place in history by his then manager who stole his rhymes in a audition for the Sugarhill Gang, so he'd written a slightly scathing attack on the track, describing what happened.



6 - Caz demonstrating the look and attitude.



7 - This was once Harlem World, in Harlem, where people came from all over the 5 Boroughs in the late 70's to check out what was going down in the Bronx.



8 & 9 - It looks very different now, now that most of it has been demolished, but this is the amphitheatre used in Wild Style.  Shame really, but at least some of it remains.



10 - Random photo of a gateway to the Bronx.



11 - Kool Herc DJ'd his first party here in 1973. There were so many people trying to get in that it eventually moved outside and became the first block party.



12 - Two members of the Disco Four who were just walking along the street as we passed them by. The girl that runs the tour gave them each a t-shirt of the tour.



13 - Caz outside the Graffiti Hall Of Fame, East Harlem. It was closed for a while when we got there (June 2008) when these photos were taken.



14 - Caz and his helpful tour guide assistant show us how to get ''..power from a street light, made the place dark'' - I love that track DJ Scott La Rock, Blastmaster KRS. One & D-Nice - 'South Bronx'.


Thanks so much to Jim for this. I don't know know about you but this has made me feel just a bit closer to our heritage and has now fueled my desire to eventually reach the birthplace of hip hop at least before I'm 50 (I'm giving myself plenty of scope here, y'understand!)


Edit: Looking at the shots of the ampitheatre - it seems to have shrunk since 1982! Look at the pictures of the Wild Style jam with all the artists on stage and audience watching and it seemed massive. The awe I felt when LEE climbed over the main arch seems to have dampened a little as I see that it wasn't that high up after all.






Link-a-rama:

Hush Hip Hop Tours



Me after seeing the Ampitheatre shots

More about → Hush Hip Hop Tour Flicks

BBC 6 Music Street Sounds Special

Especially of interest to the European b-boys and possibly the more open-eared US counterparts is news that Street Sounds' mogul Morgan Khan will be taking part in a special 2-hour special on the radio.

Yes, on 20th June tune into BBC Radio 6 Music at 8pm and we'll hear the man elaborate on a few stories from the once-great British record label from the 80's.
Maybe we'll hear tales of how he watched in awe of the legendary Mastermind in a blur around his precious GLI as he mixed Electro 9? Or maybe how he guffawed to himself as he coined the immortal 'Electro is aural sex' tagline?

However, I feel my 'Hat Of Scorn' calling to be placed atop my noggin whilst listening in.
Why?
Well, for a start it's being hosted by Dave Pearce.
A lot of you reading this will already be feeling a sharp jab in your sides at the mere mention of his name which is a shame as this man was responsible for a lot of people getting into hip hop in the late 1980's via his A Fresh Start To The Week show on Radio London.
Unfortunately he dropped hip hop faster than a fat man discovering that he's inadvertently picked up a salad stuffed-crust pizza before it's descent.
Dave employed the prefix 'Dangerous' and jumped on the Techno bandwagon, not forgetting to add 'Eating Pies' to his list of hobbies on his CV along the way whereby playing as much rap in his sets as Steve Wright currently does in the afternoons.

Another reason I have my doubts is that a few years ago there was a much pant-wettingly, anticipated special on BBC's 'yoof' (that's the first time I've ever spelled it like that. Does that mean I'm officially an old git?) station BBC 1Xtra which featured the Grand Daddy of Electro and Hip Hop on UK radio, Mike Allen.
It ended up being a rather tame affair in which nothing new was learned about the man. And he didn't even spin the tunes himself. He'd sold his collection. And the choice of music was mediocre to say the least - no obscure classics that we remembered from days of yore. More like Our Price Presents Some Right Hip Hop Stonkers and presented by Timmy Mallet.

But I can't help thinking like this. Hip Hop has hurt me in the past and my defences are already up ready to shield me to the upcoming knowledge that maybe Morgan Khan wasn't always the smiliest and nicest man in Electro after all I'd read in The Street Scene back in my bedroom in 1985.
Fingers crossed, eh?

Link-a-rama:

BBC Radio 6

More about → BBC 6 Music Street Sounds Special

Looking For The Perfect Beat - A Hip Hop History

I've ripped this documentary from my own D-120 cassette. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while as it's a really good piece of history.
Hosted by Jeff Young, this hour-long documentary features some interesting chats with people such as Grandmaster Flash, Russell Simmons,  Run DMC, Marley Marl, Ice T, Flavor Flav, Prince Paul and others!
It was broadcast originally on 14/07/1990 on BBC Radio 1 and as far as I'm aware is as rare as rocking horse poo.
It begins in the 1970's and features the "Hunter S. Thompson of Hip Hop", Bonz Malone with some wild tales of the old school. Bam and Arthur Baker talk about Planet Rock and Hip hop historian and ex-Head of Publicity at Def Jam, Bill Adler speaks about Run DMC.

Looking For The Perfect Beat - A Hip Hop History. Grab this one as it's a great bit of history.

More about → Looking For The Perfect Beat - A Hip Hop History

ABBU! Live in conversation

Make a date in your diary folks. This Thursday (22nd) April at 9pm I will be chatting to the one and only Waxer on Disco Scratch Radio.
Last week in case you missed it was a special guest, namely Blade. So who would be the obvious choice to follow such a UK legend of the hip hop scene......?
Yep. Westwood is 'busy' so you'll have to make do with yours truly.
It's guaranteed to be off the hook, off the chain and more, so tune in at Freestyle FM.
Make sure you join in the fun in the chatroom, too.
As Mike used to say (well for a couple of weeks in 1985 at least) it's gonna be laaaarrrge!

More about → ABBU! Live in conversation

Hip Hop Docs

It's time for a history lesson.
Look around on the internet and you'll find a treasure chest full of classic hip hop material for your peepers.

Lesson 1.

Big Fun In The Big Town

This is a Dutch documentary from 1986 featuring a bit of a fashion victim who has somehow managed to snag the best acts in New York to interview Schoolly D, LL Cool J, Russell Simmons and then the last 20 minutes moves up to 1993 and meets Ice T in his L.A. mansion.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6180649181264600371#


Lesson 2.

80 Blocks From Tiffany

Remember how you always hear about Bam originating from the tough New York gangs to create the the Zulu Nation? Well this hour-long doc features The Savage Skulls and The Savage Nomads, two prominent gangs at the time (this was made in 1979). This is interesting especially if you are a fan of Walter Hill's The Warriors.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6331096992189304175&ei=fctkS4SBOIye-AaM8Jm-CA&q=80+Blocks+From+Tiffanys#



Lesson 3.

Rapping - Lowdown.

Shown during kids tv in 1988, this UK documentary featured a variety of different hip hop fans from around Britain; some inner city, some not.
If you've already seen this you know how classic it is (although not always intentionally). If you haven't then you're in for a treat.
Sample line, "One day in Maths I was about to sneeze and what came out was this snare drum sound!"

Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2mEYGLm7l8
Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIpUTPnJDrU&feature=related
Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKFMH8qlqzU&feature=related
Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XmBffoq43Y&feature=related
Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFKWoByEaX4&feature=related

Big shout to Alex for starting the ball rolling on this one.

More about → Hip Hop Docs

Mike Allen Show & UK Fresh mp3's

A massive thanks to Mr Bobby Dazzler who has very kindly been ripping some old cassettes of Mike Allen shows.
Check these out, the links are below as are the performing acts.


Mike Allen - The Best Of 1985 Part 1
http://rapidshare.com/files/174609505/Mike_Allen_1985_The_Best_of_PT1.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174609509/Mike_Allen_1985_The_Best_of_PT1.mp3.html



Mike Allen - The Best Of 1985 Part 2
http://rapidshare.com/files/174621758/Mike_Allen_1985_The_Best_of_PT2.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174621760/Mike_Allen_1985_The_Best_of_PT2.mp3.html





UK Fresh At Wembley Arena, London, Saturday July 19th, 1986

Mike Allen UK Fresh 1986 Part 1
http://rapidshare.com/files/174673068/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT1.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174673071/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT1.mp3.html


Mike Allen UK Fresh 1986 Part 2
http://rapidshare.com/files/174811137/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT2.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174811139/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT2.mp3.html


Mike Allen UK Fresh 1986 Part 3
http://rapidshare.com/files/174895518/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT3.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174895522/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT3.mp3.html


Mike Allen UK Fresh 1986 Part 4
http://rapidshare.com/files/174910339/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT4.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174910342/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT4.mp3.html




Acts performing at UK Fresh

Part 1

Word Of Mouth & DJ Cheese

Steady B

The Cosmic Crew
Captain Rock

Sir Mixalot

Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde

Lovebug Starski



Part 2

Captain Rock

Grandmaster Flash

Just Ice

World Class Wreckin Kru

The Real Roxanne

Mantronix



Part 3

Sir Mixalot

Word Of Mouth & DJ Cheese

Grandmaster Flash

World Class Wreckin Kru

The Real Roxanne



Part 4

Sir Mixalot

Afrika Bambaataa

More about → Mike Allen Show & UK Fresh mp3's

Streetsounds Electro 3 (1984)

So here we go at last with Electro 3!

Divine Sounds' Dollar Bill kicks off the album and is cut up by Mastermind just a little in the intro. In fact the refrain, "what people do for money" is what I've always known this song as rather than its other title. It's a cautionary tale of what a little cash can make ordinary citizens do with such stories as Hollywood, hard times and robbery, Green Card issues.
A sampler was used for the 'fresh' scratch which is quite impressive as this is still 1984 and it must've cost about half a million quid. Or something.

A synth line comes in just before the 8-minute mark to denote the start of The Imperial Brothers. Now this is electro. I love this track with its classic 808 beats and those handclaps. There's some nice scratching using many of the hooks and bits that were around at the time. And Herbie gets into the mix, too with some brilliant editing introducing Jam On It. The production on Newcleus' track is so good that you can't dismiss it with its use of the 'chipmunk' voices that may have had a detrimental effect in the hands of anyone other than the founder of Jam-On Productions, Cozmo D.
Cozmo is still around and can be heard on Global Funk Radio on a Friday Night.

Side 2 begins with an ode to the Zodiac signs courtesy of the Boogie Boys. I personally would have been happier with Break Dancer which was also on the Zodiac 12" as this is a real b-boy jam.
Soon enough we hear the intro of King Of The Beat from Pumpkin which is actually a really simple song; drum, scratch, minimal vocals and snatches of synth. Not to detract at all from it but its a real testament to Pumpkin that he was able to create such a great record with it's simplicity.

Davy DMX's One For The Treble (Fresh) is the sort of song that doesn't ever get old. There's a lot of good ideas here from the nice, moving bassline to the filtered scratches and clever drum programming. The Rap Mix I was never a fan of as the track didn't need anything other what Davy had already done.

Herbie cuts in the Fresh 3 MC's Fresh just as Davy is cutting up Fab 5 Freddy and further proves his prowess on the GLI. The Fresh 3 MC's; whatever happened to them? We need more backwards rap!

And so ends Streetsounds Electro Volume 3. The Electro age is still young but growing more confident. The names still suggest a dawning, more futuristic space age with Newcleus and Zodiac that will always be ever-present with the Electro tag. Drum machines and synths still punctuate the air with only slight touches of 'real' sounds from Davy DMX's snatches of Bob James.

Electro 4 will soon come with yet more forays into space. Watch this.......space


Download Electro 3

More about → Streetsounds Electro 3 (1984)

Rocking The City

I just want to spread the news of a website I've been scouring extensively recently by the name of http://www.rockingthecity.com/ It's a British site full of articles, stories, and rare photos of the London graffiti scene from the mid 80's and beyond.

Anyone with a even a passing interest in graf should have a look. I've been enjoying reading the stories from many of the original UK writers of a time when the scene was in it's infancy. And the photos are possibly the only artifacts you'll see of a long-gone age of creative UK writing energy.

The only downside is that due to the sheer amount of pictures, Rocking The City warn "Don't try looking at these pages without broadband coz it'll take you ages".

More about → Rocking The City

Rap Concert Series // Smithsonian

Just came across this at AllHipHop:

Easy A.D. of the influential Cold Crush Brothers has announced the launch of the Classic Hip-Hop Concert Series, a collection of concert events set to run from November 2008 through September 2009.

LINK // Rap Pioneers Launch Concert Series At The Smithsonian

I need to get out to DC, stat.

More about → Rap Concert Series // Smithsonian

Chevy Chase - graffiti artist?

I'm currently reading Chevy Chase's biography and it mentions some highly interesting facts concerning the early 1970's graffiti art scene.
Did you know that his half-brother, John Cederquist, used to belong in two major crews; RTW (Rolling Thunder Writers) along with (Eric)HAZE, MIN ONE, REVOLT & ZEPHYR; and The Soul Artists.
He used to write CRUNCH - and here's a factoid for y'all, go and check your copy of SUBWAY ART, flip to the back cover and there it is, second one down, in the middle.

Tickled me, anyway.
 

More about → Chevy Chase - graffiti artist?

Bad Meaning Good (1987)

I've managed to get the whole 31 minutes of the classic Tim Westwood-produced Bad Meaning Good from that ugly step-child that is Google Video.
Now it's been a (bad meaning) good 16 or so years since I last saw this programme and whilst watching it again I was amazed at how much I could remember, word for word.
The scene (02:07) when the camera not-very-Steadi-cam's its way in the biblical Groove Records a tear was shed from Mr Benzini's eyes. And I think I got a boner.

Also look out for:

02:39.....Woah, Darryl McDaniels, you've let yourself go a bit!


05:43.....Rev Run Forgets Own Lyrics Shocker! Err, taxi cab? No, it's 'car' you fool. You know it. You wrote it. Holy Jebus.


05:52.....This is THE scene for me. DJ Fingers cutting up Isaac Hayes is the one bit I have been looking forward to seeing again. But why 'It's Not Unusual', Fingers? Why? Did Tim make you?


15:08.....The start of the Graf section. Rebel Without A Pause, here we go.


22:28.....Westwood at LWR. And a pre-pubescent Trevor Nelson, too. Note the shot of the Big Mac casually lying amongst the studio equipment. Yeah, they know it, it's anti-establishment, it's edgy, it might raise a few eyebrows, even rustle a few feathers. Radio 1 couldn't get away with that type of behaviour. They're pirates. And they damn well know it.


25:16.....Sipho freestyle. Sadly no longer with us, but who remembers him back in Electro Rock? And what about that rumour about him and Bambaataa?


And looking at the end credits I see a Richard Reyes as Stills Photographer. I'm sure I used to see his name in HHC in the early 1990's.

This is I think, the UK's best hip hop documentary and like Style Wars, was made in a time that seemed so full of excitement, potential and rawness in hip hop's formative years.








*** There appears to be a problem viewing embedded Google Videos at the moment so click here to see it directly from source ***

More about → Bad Meaning Good (1987)

Some old bits of hip hop history

I've just come back after a stay at my folks' place and came away with a car full of crap as always. Some gems were found after going through my various files as you can see.

I was always a bit geeky/obsessive in my youth about collecting various pieces of information be it from newspaper or magazine cuttings or recording a quick piece of hip hop-related features off the tv.

I'm currently converting some old hip hop documentaries to dvd which I recorded in the early 1990's such as Bombin', Beat This!-A Hip Hop History, Looking For The Perfect Beat (a South Bank Show special), The Hip Hop Years (a Channel 4 three-parter) as well as little bits and doodads.

I haven't the means to upload video via my pc so they'll stay on dvd for the time being. I will however be putting them on ebay when I'm done - probably £5/$10 for a 4-hour dvd.

Tell you what I would love to see again and that's Bad Meaning Good, the Westwood-produced documentary which was shown on BBC around 1987. I used to have it until some skank never returned it. Blood wars baby, blood wars!

As regards to the images above; the first one is an official Westwood N-Sign Radio beatbox sticker (see previous Westwood post); the second is a cutting from Radio Times magazine about Roger Johnson, inaugural winner of DMC 1985 and -ex dj to pot-bellied, soap-dodging, baseball cap-wearing-to-cover-bald-spot, failed hip hop dj, Dave Pearce; the third is a cutting from Echoes (I think?) for a Sindecut event; and the last one is a treat. It's a typical scaremongering feature from the never-unpredictable UK tabloid The Daily Mail about the scourge of graffiti writers in England (who are all black, apparently). The reporting here is worthy of the Nobel Prize.Just click on the pics to view them in lovely large-o-vision. Unless you can already view them, Superman.

More about → Some old bits of hip hop history