5. Chief Rocker Busy B interview
6. Kool Moe Dee Interview
7. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 induction to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame
TLS- What made you get on the mic from day one?
I knew I could do that. I saw Mele Mel and Creole do a routine on the microphone while Flash was playing the music.
TLS- So the Three emcees were already formed before you got on the mic?
Right, they were already known to the neighborhood before I got on the mic.
TLS- after the Three emcees was it the Funky 4 or was it the L- Brothers?
The Funky Four didn’t come nowhere near until later, they weren’t even thought of. Let me tell you something I used to go over by The Bruckner Boulevard part of town and see D.J Disco King Mario. But Bambaataa was the ruler over there. It was Bam and the Zulu Nation and they had just formed. I used to hang out over there by Bronx River also. I did all this by myself. I didn’t have no n------ going with me, or have a crew; I just went as I was. I let them know I do this; I can get on the mic and rock. Bam was free; Bam was always the guy that let you do what ever you wanted to do just as long as you could do it. He was like if you can D.J no problem “come on and spin some records, you want to talk on the mic, hold up let me get the mic together.” “Here's Star Ski.” And I made the people happy with whatever I said. Troy you got what I said on tape, I made the people happy. So I was always welcome to the Zulu Nation. Now to be welcomed to the Zulu Nation at that time you really had to be a person with some character, because when y you went to Bronx River and you were a nobody, you got robbed.ou went to Bronx River and you were a nobody, you got robbed.
http://www.thafoundation.com/busy_bee.htm
6. Kool Moe Dee Interview
JQ : At the point between the Treacherous 3 forming and Sugarhill / Enjoy releasing records who did the T 3 see as a threat lyrically - specifically you , did anyone pose a threat to you ?
Kool Moe Dee: Nah , we didn’t look at it as a threat at the time . A lot of that energy came from the Furious 5, in fact they weren't even the Furious 5 yet. T3 didnt become a group until ' 78 and originally it was me L.A. & Spoonie G. Spoonie left because he made a record in ' 79 and I replaced him with Special K. K went to my school, I had already met him through the fast rhymes. So there was no atmosphere of threat, more trying to fit in & get a handle of what was going on. It really wasn’t until ' 78 that Flash & The Furious 4 formed - Rahiem wasnt down yet. I remember when it was just the three Emcees and then Flash put Mr Ness down. I remember the night Flash premiered the backspin. That was when I knew that I was gonna take this seriously & do it for the rest of my life. Until that time I wrote rhymes , but it was more like Hollywood & Starski with the crowd participation and call & response. I wasn’t really taking it seriously....they would bring music & set up in the park & I would get on and do a little something . But that night at the Audobon I went to see Starski...but they would double bill it - they had Flash from 10 - 12 and Starski from 12 - 2; then Flash from 2- 4 and Starski from 4 - 6.
At that time Starski was the headliner at the Audobon ; and the hottest thing as far as the club was concerned . He & Hollywood were the # 1 & 2 at the time. Until Flash came to Manhattan (this is some more friction between Manhattan & the Bronx) it wasn't that Flash wasnt valid; but when he came it opened him up to the domination of the whole situation ' cuz we were still lookin at Starski & Hollywood as the top dogs . We heard about Flash and Herc but as far as New York went we didnt see them we didnt know what they were doing; and nobody is rockin parties like Luvbug - so he is the top dog.
The Audobon was the first time you had the fusion of Manhattan comin to see Luvbug & Bronx comin to see Flash . I'll never forget Starski was about to get off and Creole was telling him to turn his music off - like arrogantly. He was like " its time for Grandmaster!! " . I was annoyed like who is this kid tellin Starski to get off - he’s got a lot of nerve !! Finally Starski said arrogantly " we gonna take a break now, but we will be right back" - basically like we're just killin time 'cuz they're on the bill - makin a lil slap at them . I was in the front row and they turned the lights out. Creole starts this long intro over this echo chamber ...it was the first time I'd ever heard that . I call Creole the original hype man. Flavor Flav is the Grandson of him (I do the blood line on Hip Hop ) . But he did the greatest show on Earth type of intro like aaaaarrrrreeee yyyooouuu rrreeaaddyyyyyy , and Flash dropped the bells - Mardis Gras .
And in Manhattan we listened to Michael Jackson and whatever club record was out, and the Dj would rhyme over that . We didn’t get into a lot of breaks besides Jam On The Groove, stuff like that. Starski had just finished doing a routine over a Michael Jackson beat, and when Flash threw on the bells ; the Bronx crowd knew what was up ; they went crazy , and the Manhattan crowd couldn’t deny that somethin was happening that was different. I was shocked 'cuz not only did they intro Flash and he came in on beat, the spotlight hits Cowboy who was sittin in a chair , he just started spellin his name out....it was the hottest shit that I'd heard at that point. " The C-O-W-B-O-Y the man is bad, that you cant deny". As simple as that was, nobody was doin it that way . Then he passed the mic to Mele Mel and it was the first time I heard metaphor. Mel did a metaphor & I said this is how I want to do this. Thats why I say that Melle Mel is the prototype of what everybody is doin today.
http://www.thafoundation.com/moedee.htm
7. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 induction to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame
