Reason Interview: 5 Grand

[5th Letter]

5th Letter- How did you discover the IC?

5 Grand- I probably discovered through a simple google search.

5th Letter- How long have you been on the IC?

5 Grand- I've been a member of the IC since 2013 but I lurked for a few months before I actually joined. I'd been away from the internet for a couple of years. I didn't have a computer or an internet connection so I'd go to the library about once a week to use their computers and check my email. When I finally got back online all of the Hip Hop sites I used to frequent were defunct (oldschoolhiphop.com and sohh.com). So I looked for a message board that had a large community of people that knew what they were talking about and I came across The Reason. I remember the first thing I had to do was get 300 posts so I could make my own threads. That took a while. I'm on some Facebook groups with people in my generation but I miss having long drawn out discussions about the stuff in my generation (late 80s/early 90s). I know I sound old and bitter but I genuinely think Hip Hop was in a better place when I was younger. There was less corporate involvement and less people doing it. I mean, if you go to datpiff.com right now there's thousands upon thousands of mix tapes from unknown rappers. When I was coming up you had Mr Magic and Red Alert tapes coming out of New York plus whatever was coming out of your own city. In my case we had the college radio stations in Boston. By the time the 90s rolled around people started making mix tapes but it was DJs making the mix tapes. All the good NYC DJs had connections so there would be two or three exclusive tracks on a mixtape. Nowadays the word "mixtape" has changed meaning. People talking about rappers that are known for their mix tapes (i.e. Lil Wayne). The game has changed. Rappers of this generation have much ore material than the rappers in the 90s or 80s. Also, file sharing has changed. I used to frequent Kazaa, Kazaa++ and Limewire but I don't think they're around any more. I use mp3juices but you have to be careful. A lot of their files have viruses attached to them.

5th Letter- You mentioned corporate involvement besides that what are your other issues with hip hop?

5 Grand- Hip Hop just doesn't sound the same. Rappers don't spit like they used to. Producers don't sample like they used to. It seemed like rap got better and better and just kept getting better until it reached a point (circa 2005) where everybody had the same sound. I guess it would be considered Trap. When I was in high school you had De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, NWA, Geto Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Rakim, Poor Righteous Teachers, Brand Nubian, X Clan, EPMD, 2 Live Crew. Those groups were all different. There was variety. If you made a mixtape in 1991 you'd get a little bit of everything. Nowadays, I don't think you could name 10 groups that all have a different style, or 10 rappers that all have a different style. I don't care for Drake. Kendrick's GKMC was cool but I haven't heard his new album TPAB. I haven't heard Kanye's new album either. I haven't heard J Cole's new stuff but he seems ok. So I really shouldn't be talking because I haven't heard the newer albums, but from my perspective and from what I have heard, I don't like it. When I listen to rap I listen to older stuff. Every once in a while somebody posts something on the IC and I check it out but otherwise I'm in my pre-2005 bubble.

5th Letter- Why did you think r&b was on its way out?

5 Grand- As far as R&B, I thought Rap was the new thing. It just seemed like it was this new culture. Considering my age when it started popping off, I was six years old when Rappers Delight came out and 10 when Run DMC hit the scene. Michael Jackson and Prince were hot around that time too. But if you look at Michael Jackson and Prince's image with the greasy hair and the sequence and then you looked at how the rappers dressed (post Grandmaster Flash and Bambaattaa) It just seemed like Hip Hop was the new style and R&B was kinda fake. I mean, who's gonna walk around with an earring, jheri curls and sequence pants? Look at Eric B and Rakim's first album cover and then look at Prince and Michael Jackson's album covers. If you were around back then and you had to pick a role model, would you choose Prince or Eric B and Rakim? It just seemed like Rakim, KRS, Big Daddy Kane, Chuck D, Kool G Rap (we're talking late 80s now) were cooler than the hot R&B singers of that era. Also, the R&B singers weren't really saying anything. It was the same lyrics over and over again. The rappers had a way with words and they'd twist words around and come up with these punchlines and metaphors and similes. I thought rap lyrics were 100X more advanced than R&B lyrics. But what I didn't understand was that rap lyrics were so complicated that most people couldn't follow what the rappers were saying and they just liked the beat.

 

[5th Letter]

5th Letter- Who are your favorite rappers and what are your favorite albums by them?

5 Grand- Too many to name. I love 80s rap because I grew up on it. If I had to choose one album I'd say Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. I used to listen to that album every day for about 3 or 4 months. Lately I've been listening to Doo Wop mix tapes from the mid 90s. He used to release a mixtape every couple of months and I've downloaded most of them from the following websitehttp://www.f-yourmixtape.com/dj-doo-wop/ Every once in a while the east/west beef comes up and people compare Death Row to Bad Boy. But thats an arbitrary comparison. Death Row may have been the #1 label on the West Coast, but Bad Boy was just another label. There were tons of labels outside of Bad Boy in New York. In fact, if you removed Bad Boy from the picture you'd still have a decent east/west dichotomy. I think a better comparison would be Death Row vs Doo Wop. Realistically if you lived in the 5 boroughs you were buying mix tapes. People in the other 49 states don't understand that. People don't understand how important mix tapes were in the mid 90s. And out of all of the mid 90s DJs, Doo Wop was the best imo. So yeah, as far as my favorite rappers and my favorite albums by them, lately I've been bumping nothing but mid 90s Doo Wop mix tapes.

5th Letter- Who are some of your least favorite rappers?

5 Grand- As far as my least favorite rappers, I don't like to antagonize people. Its been said that if you have something negative to say about somebody then don't say it at all. Or don't talk about people behind their back. But I've never been a fan of Eminem. He's good lyrically (or he used to be) but I never dug his actual music. It's not just his beats but his production never grabbed me. Nowadays I guess I'm not a fan of Drake. I bought his Take Care album and wasn't feeling it at all. So thats two rappers who are/were really popular that I was never feeling.

5th Letter- As an old school hip hop head what are your thoughts on the Afrika Bambaataa situation?

5 Grand- As far as Bambaattaa goes, I believe it. I had some things suppressed from my memory for years before it resurfaced. Now, 20 years later it seems kinda weird to make certain allegations but thats how the memory works. You need a catalyst to jog those memories and then you can't stop thinking about it. I always thought the Zulu Nation was a strange cult anyway. I never joined.

5th Letter- What made you get into DJing?

5 Grand- Well I used to go to parties at a young age. There would be a DJ and there was always that one song that the DJ threw on that made everybody get out of their seats and rush the dance floor. One of the earliest songs I can remember was Celebration by Kool and the Gang. That was when I was a little kid. But as I got older it was Eric B is President and The Bridge is Over. And then Poison by Bell Biv Devoe.

I liked the power that the DJ had. A good DJ knows when to warm up the crowd and then when there's enough people he plays that one song that makes everybody rush the floor. I wanted that power, but I wasn't that good at it.

Its funny that you asked me to do this interview because I'm unemployed so I've been writing my memoirs. I've got over a hundred pages written.

 

[5th Letter]

5th Letter- What are things you'd like to see changed about the IC?

5 Grand- One thing you could do is recruit more older members. People in my generation (40-50). There's plenty of Facebook groups with people in my generation (one in particular is called Classic Hip Hop Nation). The problem is that Facebook isn't a message board so its difficult to have a back and forth discussion. You can't really type out paragraphs and cosign and nosign people like you can on the IC. Another thing that bothers me, my pet peeve is when people type KYS (Kill yourself). I always flag people when they type that. I've heard stories of people being cyber-bullied on the internet and committing suicide. I don't think there's anything funny about telling somebody to commit suicide, even if its in jest. I also don't like the Ad Hominem attacks. You could be making your point and the other person says, "fuck you, you're a piece of shit". Those types of posts should be flagged and buried.

5th Letter-How would you go about recruiting older hip hop fans to this site?

5 Grand- I guess one thing you could do is create a forum for 80s Hip Hop or Old School and Golden Era or whatever you wanna call it. Then go to the Classic Hip Hop Nation group on Facebook and send everybody a private message. There used to be a website called oldschoolhiphop.com. It was kinda like the IC as far as the amount of traffic. There seemed to be 20+ logged on at any given moment. But that message board is a ghost town now. I don't know how much money Allhiphop.com has or your budget but there's tons of things you could do to attract an older crowd; print ads in magazines, commercials on TV, radio advertising, t-shirts (clothing line). The list goes on.

5th Letter- Who are some of your favorite and least favorite posters?

5 Grand- I don't really keep up with who posts what. I just stick to the topic at hand and say what I have to say.

5th Letter- What are some crazy things you've seen since you've been on the IC?

5 Grand- This, along with Facebook, is how I was introduced to memes and .gifs. Every once in a while somebody will put up a meme or .gif that makes me laugh out loud, literally. Especially the Michael Jordan meme.

5th Letter- I like the fact that you try and put younger fans onto to old school hip hop, why do you think it's important, despite people giving you a hard time about it?

5 Grand- For one, I genuinely believe that some of the earlier rap songs are better and more creative than some of the more recent stuff. There weren't as many rap songs back then so I might be able to make two or three CD-Rs of stuff from 1979-1982 when they first started making rap records and record labels were using live bands, before drum machines and synthesizers. But you could probably make 10-15 CD-Rs of stuff that came out in the three years of 94/95/96. So there's more stuff from the late 80s and 90s, I get that.But one thing people say is that the lyricism has gotten better over the years which I halfway agree with. Truthfully if you go back and listen to Melle Mel's greatest hits, his style and delivery sounds like 2Pac. In other words, Pac wasn't a spitter like Black Thought or, well, Biggie. But they both (Melle Mel and Pac) put a lot of emotion into what they were saying. Melle Mel and 2Pac didn't use double entendres, metaphors and alliteration in the same manner as more complicated rappers, but they got their point across regardless. I just wish Melle Mel made more music in his prime.

If you listen to how a lot of those early rap records were composed, they were composed like R&B songs, there was melody and musical progression (with the exception of Spoonie G's Love Rap). The music would crescendo and decrescendo. Then sometime in the mid 80s (it started with Sucker MCs in 1983) rappers started rapping over drum machines. Sucker MCs was just Run DMC spitting over a drumbeat then if you follow the progression from 1983 the way rap was produced changed every few years. If you were there and witnessed it happening you could remember the subtle differences and nuances between 1985-1988 when people started sampling heavy. But a lot of people in the younger generation don't hear the difference because they weren't there. In 1999 a book was released called Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists. They made a lot of lists but in particular, they made a list of the best songs from every year up until 1998. They listed the top 15 rap songs from 1979 (presumably there were only 15 rap records released that year) and then they listed the top 40 rap songs from every year from 1980-1998. I got ahold of the entire mp3/data file back about 10-15 years ago. I guess somebody found all the records and put them on a data disc and it circulated the internet for a while. Anyway, I have it and I think every Hip Hop head should have it.
http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/ego_trip_page1.htm

 

[5th Letter]

5th Letter- How do you feel when people make fun of you for talking about the past as much as you do?

5 Grand- I get it. Some of what I'm saying sounds foreign because I'm from a different generation. But the reverse is also true. Some of the posters don't know how stupid they sound when they post. Sometimes people say things that are so ridiculous that I can't respond because I wouldn't know where to start. Like when people compare Death Row to Bad Boy. Its such an asinine comparison that its difficult to explain to the person making the comparison how stupid it is. Comparing Death Row to Bad Boy and then concluding that "The West was better" is as much of a non sequitur as using sales to determine who's better at rapping.

5th Letter- In that Migos thread you made an interesting comment, were you joking or were you being serious?

5 Grand- No joke

5th Letter- Was that something you've witnessed?

5 Grand- Not witnessed per se because I would be unconscious. I can remember waking up in strange places when it was obvious that a period of time had gone by. People told me things and everything added up. I can clearly remember castrating people. The funny thing is, it happens to more people than you'd think. I don't know if the people on the IC are being serious, playing dumb or if they are just naive. When you hear people talk about the "Illuminati" its real. There is really, truly a class of people that have knowledge about things that an ordinary person might not know. People either dismiss the illuminati as nonsense or they're a part of it. There's no in between. I went to a special school for gifted students. We all had a gift. I could try to explain it in detail but it wouldn't make sense over the internet. There's certain things that you'd have to see in person to believe. And depending on the person, you might not "see" anything.

5th Letter- What were you doing before you were unconscious, if you mind answering?

5 Grand- Standing up straight with my eyes open. And then I'd blink and wake up somewhere else.

5th Letter - So you're saying you have first hand knowledge of things that the regular people won't understand? If you don't mind sharing, what are they?

5 Grand- Certain people have senses that other people don't have. A small minority of people can see and hear things that the majority of people can't see or hear. If you've heard of E.S.P. or Extra Sensory Perception, some people are born with it and some people aren't. There's also a concept called bioluminescence. Its basically a biochemical emission of light due to a person's biochemistry. Different people have different biochemistry so different people give off light in different ways, under certain circumstances. There's no way I could explain it all to you over the internet because some things are truly unexplainable. Some things can't be explained with words (e.g. a rainbow or a firefly). You have to see it to believe it, and even then some people wouldn't see anything. Also, I'm limited by my vocabulary...and time. If you really want to know the secrets, join the Masons. They have a chapter in every city and state. The Masons know stuff they don't teach in college. But if you really, really, really, really, really, really want to know the secrets, go to Newton, Massachusetts and join the Masons.

5th Letter- I'm guessing you're a mason?

5 Grand- Thats how I was raised but I haven't been to a meeting in over 25 years.

5th Letter- What was your reaction to the communities reaction to that comment

5 Grand- At first I tried to debate and explain my position, but then I realized that people were either being serious, playing dumb or just naive. In either case it would be a waste of time arguing so I left it alone.

5th Letter- What made you stop going to meetings?

5 Grand- I'm cut from a different cloth than the people I grew up with.

5th Letter- Lets play word association 2 words or less

5th Letter- Melle Mel

5 Grand- The Message

5th Letter- Dr Dre

5 Grand- NWA

5th Letter- Eminem

5 Grand- White Hype

5th Letter- Any last words before we wrap up?

5 Grand- By the way, here's my sound cloud page. We didn't really get into it but I started making beats after I graduated High School. Here's my most recent stuff;
https://soundcloud.com/dj-37exclusive

 

[LcnsdbyROYALTY]

Oh shit!! *grabs drink and popcorn*

 

[HerbalVaporCapers]

Shout out to @"5 Grand"

Believe it or not I actually got respect for you homie. You believe/espouse some wild shit, but you're always consistent and vocal about it

Plus you gave a cat probably the only classic thread I will ever make

Next time I see someone blinking too much I'm a tell them to slow their roll

 

[_Goldie_]

5th Letter- As an old school hip hop head what are your thoughts on the Afrika Bambaataa situation?

5 Grand- As far as Bambaattaa goes, I believe it. I had some things suppressed from my memory for years before it resurfaced.

This nigga was Afrika's first victim.

 

[x the unknown]

5th Letter- As an old school hip hop head what are your thoughts on the Afrika Bambaataa situation?

5 Grand- As far as Bambaattaa goes, I believe it. I had some things suppressed from my memory for years before it resurfaced.

This nigga was Afrika's first victim.

lmao dumb funny

 

[Stew]

Oh boy. Unfortunately the best parts of this interview will go untouched. Respect @"5 Grand"

 

[CashmoneyDux]

Dope interview. 5 Grand a real one.

 

[genocidecutter]

Whoop Whoop

 

[Beta]

"So I looked for a message board that had a large community of people that knew what they were talking about and I came across The Reason."

 

[Ghostdenithegawd]

Oh god no didn't even read yet smfh

 

[smp4life]

This is missing a few questions:

Why do you hate the west coast?

How do you compartmentalize your brain to exclude the triumphs of west coast artists in an almost Orwellian fashion?

 

[Built 4 cuban linx]

About damn time 5th letter asked some good questions... It was Nearly time for y'all to replace that nigga

 

[Ghostdenithegawd]

Shout out to @"5 Grand"

Believe it or not I actually got respect for you homie. You believe/espouse some wild shit, but you're always consistent and vocal about it

Plus you gave a cat probably the only classic thread I will ever make

Next time I see someone blinking too much I'm a tell them to slow their roll

It's would of been over 3x times already tho

 

[smp4life]

More word association:

Bambatta

KRS

2 Pac

East Coast Bias

Bad Boy

Death Row

Puffy

 

[Ibex]

I thought for sure there would be more jokes about the OG's in this guys hood Bambaatta'n niggas back in the day...y'all slipping smh

 

[lordstanley]

Writing his memoirs..."dont blink: the 5 grand story"

 

[RickyRich]

5th Letter- How do you feel when people make fun of you for talking about the past as much as you do?

5 Grand- I get it. Some of what I'm saying sounds foreign because I'm from a different generation. But the reverse is also true. Some of the posters don't know how stupid they sound when they post. Sometimes people say things that are so ridiculous that I can't respond because I wouldn't know where to start. Like when people compare Death Row to Bad Boy. Its such an asinine comparison that its difficult to explain to the person making the comparison how stupid it is. Comparing Death Row to Bad Boy and then concluding that "The West was better" is as much of a non sequitur as using sales to determine who's better at rapping.

5th Letter- In that Migos thread you made an interesting comment, were you joking or were you being serious?

5 Grand- No joke

5th Letter- Was that something you've witnessed?

5 Grand- Not witnessed per se because I would be unconscious. I can remember waking up in strange places when it was obvious that a period of time had gone by. People told me things and everything added up. I can clearly remember castrating people. The funny thing is, it happens to more people than you'd think. I don't know if the people on the IC are being serious, playing dumb or if they are just naive. When you hear people talk about the "Illuminati" its real. There is really, truly a class of people that have knowledge about things that an ordinary person might not know. People either dismiss the illuminati as nonsense or they're a part of it. There's no in between. I went to a special school for gifted students. We all had a gift. I could try to explain it in detail but it wouldn't make sense over the internet. There's certain things that you'd have to see in person to believe. And depending on the person, you might not "see" anything.

5th Letter- What were you doing before you were unconscious, if you mind answering?

5 Grand- Standing up straight with my eyes open. And then I'd blink and wake up somewhere else.

5th Letter - So you're saying you have first hand knowledge of things that the regular people won't understand? If you don't mind sharing, what are they?

5 Grand- Certain people have senses that other people don't have. A small minority of people can see and hear things that the majority of people can't see or hear. If you've heard of E.S.P. or Extra Sensory Perception, some people are born with it and some people aren't. There's also a concept called bioluminescence. Its basically a biochemical emission of light due to a person's biochemistry. Different people have different biochemistry so different people give off light in different ways, under certain circumstances. There's no way I could explain it all to you over the internet because some things are truly unexplainable. Some things can't be explained with words (e.g. a rainbow or a firefly). You have to see it to believe it, and even then some people wouldn't see anything. Also, I'm limited by my vocabulary...and time. If you really want to know the secrets, join the Masons. They have a chapter in every city and state. The Masons know stuff they don't teach in college. But if you really, really, really, really, really, really want to know the secrets, go to Newton, Massachusetts and join the Masons.

5th Letter- I'm guessing you're a mason?

5 Grand- Thats how I was raised but I haven't been to a meeting in over 25 years.

5th Letter- What was your reaction to the communities reaction to that comment

5 Grand- At first I tried to debate and explain my position, but then I realized that people were either being serious, playing dumb or just naive. In either case it would be a waste of time arguing so I left it alone.

5th Letter- What made you stop going to meetings?

5 Grand- I'm cut from a different cloth than the people I grew up with.

5th Letter- Lets play word association 2 words or less

5th Letter- Melle Mel

5 Grand- The Message

5th Letter- Dr Dre

5 Grand- NWA

5th Letter- Eminem

5 Grand- White Hype

5th Letter- Any last words before we wrap up?

5 Grand- By the way, here's my sound cloud page. We didn't really get into it but I started making beats after I graduated High School. Here's my most recent stuff;
https://soundcloud.com/dj-37exclusive

Get a job u bum