This Movie is definitely where you start to learn Hip Hop history.

Fact 17:Now I would like to take you to some of the original venues from back in the inception days of Hip Hop. There was a club called the Fun House in Downtown Manhattan in NYC, not too far from the world famous Roxy. If any one was any one back then they performed at the Fun House. The Fearless Four, Dougie Fresh, UTFO, the battle of all Roxannes were at the fun house. The Fun House ran for years showcasing all of the people that were making any noise in the Hip Hop game. I remember a very young unsigned KRS 1 being there before. Makes you wanna go back. The Fun House was so big, it held around 3000 people and was always packed every weekend. No doubt, as around 1984 when Hip Hop started to get real violent and someone got killed there (and not just stomped out) that was the end of the club, never to opened again.

Fact 16: I have to school you on record labels and such. Let's start with the most loved and stable Hip Hop label ever (that's no eupherism either). Def Jam started out as a family label, Russlle Simmons and Run DMC taking what little money they had to make records and sell them through any means necessary. Run DMC, the Fat Boys (called the Disco 3 at the time), LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys made that label from a independent underground label to a corporate conglomorate that it is now. I remember the first single (that I still have in the basement) called Sucka MC's by Run DMC, the hottest rap record back in 1983 (whew damn I'm old). Def Jam went from the only real Hip Hop label to getting caught up with the spring of independents in the '80s to the west coast invasion of the early 90's and still striving through the dirty south (hey remember No Limit?) invasion and still growing strong. Now Def Jam is so big, they still have the best rappers from all over the US and the rest of the world through, Def Jam South, West, Soul and Jah!, let's not forget Phat Farm. Whoooo, that's a hot label, check what's up with them today at www.defjam.com.

Fact 15: NYC Hip Hop, this is only fitting for a time when I'm relocating back to NY.  I'll actually be in Long Island, Brentwood to be exact, home of the likes of Erik Sermon and Parrish.  Hip Hop has been going through phases, now I think we're in the Dirty South Phase.  Back in '94-'96 is when the West coast thang was going on, not too many years after the NWA explosion.  Don't forget Ice T paved the way for the West with Dj Afrika Islam back in '86 (just thought I'd let you know that).  There was also that mediocre stage '84-'86 when a lot of ho hummers came and went real fast.  The Human Beat Box stage '84-'85 (that didn't last to long huh?).  The big NY explosion happened real bad from '92-'94, there were too many peeps coming out.  Wu, NAS, Black Moon, Smif & Wesson, Tribe's Electric Relaxation Curious Jorge, dude from 3rd Bass, KRS1 with Loves Gonna Get 'Cha, Method Man, ODB, New Jersey Drives soundtrack, Jamal Ski (where's he at), Fugees on and on it went.  Even as the Dirty Dirty still strives (but slowly dying down a little) NY Hip Hop still strived and kept it's roots.  The unda still strived and kept it real, kids still be talkin' about that 3-6 Mafia Surp song while they sip on their Heinies and dance and act wild.  See the deal is, in NY there is no hatin', no I don't listen to this because it's West or Dirty Dirty.  We all listened to Ice Cube ('till his punk ass said to bow down), NWA, Dre all the way to now 3-6 Mafia and Goodie Mob (War Party was wack though).  Hip Hop is Hop Hop to us and always will, and we need lots of it.  You might hear Wu and 3-6 in the same few minutes (at the clubs, it's still Hip Hop and Reggae though, with a little house, that's usually when I leave and go somewhere else).  So all you that hate on NY, don't do that, those are the same people that buy your records.

Fact 14: I would like to clarify who the first group or person to bring money into the Hip Hop game.  Most people say it was NWA, close but no stuffed Optimo there, you're about 4 years off.  If you said Russell Simmons, you were only about 2 years off.  It was......Dunnn dunnn na duhhhhn.....it was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.  That's right, "the Message" was the first multi-platinum plate that sold for Hip Hop.  Now back then there was no category for Hip Hop, it was R&B.  Hip Hop wasn't classified as a form of music until '87, damn what took so f&^%ing long.  I guess it had to do with longevity, but yeah it wasn't NWA, that was a good guess though.  It went GM Flash, Russell Simmons and than NWA.  All that West coast gangsta rap wasn't going to last too long because every Cali/Southern rapper at the time was milking Dre's style too much.  Everyone wanted to be GFunk, but the southern Hip Hoppahs were smart, they came up with some new style.  The down south bounce sound is the new thing, but they're milking that too and when that goes out (beyond the south I mean, DC people still Go Go, but that's another fact) it'll be back to basic beat and ryhmes.  Like my brovah Tige says, "Beets and rhymes."  So in the next argument about who brought money into the Hip Hop game (like me, I said Russell Simmons at first, DSoul, who said NWA and Danny Divine, who said down south Hip Hop, damn Danny where you been?) just say GM flash and the Five and everyone will shut up.  Like Guru said, "NY n****s universal unique, ain't nothing sweet in these street we gotta eat.  NY n****s every borough is thorough......"

Fact 13: Let's chat about Gear, Hip Hop gear, let's just touch some of the original Hip Hop gear from Lee's to Fubu, from Original B-Boy to the modern Thug N*^%*s, naaaahmeen.  The source said the most used Hip Hop gear was a NY Yankee hat, even though that is the most longest used, maybe not the best represented item of Hip Hop.  www.Hiphope.com would like to say that the Kangol would be the item that represents Hip Hop the best since Kangols been rocked since '79 and still to this day.  The whole world wears Yankee's hats because the whole world is full of Yankee fans (I was in the Thailand chat room, and they were talking about go Yanks).  But, the Yankee hat is a good choice though, let me start from '77 and go through some of the items of Hip Hop, and end at Fubu. '77 Bell Bottom Lee Jeans, '78 Pro Keds, '79 Sixyniners (by Pro Keds), '79 Shell Top Adidas, '79 Mock Neck Shirts, '79 Madalions, '79 Pumas, '79 Plaids (remember the pants), '80 Designer Jeans (Jordace, Sasson, etc), '80 Old English 800, '80 The Song Over Like a Fat Rat and The Crash Crew, '81-Present Record a Tape of DJ Red Alert on the Weekends on 98.7 Kiss FM (Hot 97 now), '80 Golden and Pink Champale, '81 Nike and Pony's, '82 Real Hip Hoppers from NY didn't wear the Jeri Curl, '82 Kazals, '82 in December the Movie Wild Style played at one movie Theater at Time Square (we saw it on New Years Eve and the Movie was over at 11:30, that was my most off the hook day I had), '82 Cold Crush Fantastic Five battle tape, '83 Crew Shirts, '83 A Copy of Run/DMC live at the Fun House, '84 The first Hightop fade looked like a bowl cut, but still everybody rocked it, '85 Gats and Black on Black Crime (Black on Black Crime still goes on but hasn't slowed down till recently, like the last two or three years, yo keep that shiznit up, down actually) the original gun clappers were from Brooklyn.  I say that and I was from the Bronx, I have to admit that the best boxers were from the Bronx.  Them Brooklyn kids didn't play that.  I love Brooklyn, mad props to my peeps on East NY ave and Hertzl, Yo this is too long, I'm skipping to '91 Beepers, '94 Cell Phones, '98 and last but not least Fubu.

Fact 12: Sorry I haven't been schoolin' you youngsters for a minute (he he he :-) but I've been busy in the Hip Hop community doin' my thang.  Let me take you back to the day when the Hip Hop club seen was ill.  Roxy, Fun House, Latin Quaters, the Rooftop and Roseland.  Dj Juan Jellybean Benitez spun and Roxy, he was one of the illest dj's back then (for clubs that is).  But these were the days when Hip Hop was all that and still new.  Now everything was all good in the clubs up until about '84 when Brooklyn brovas made it officially gun clappers (the home of the original gun clappers).  There used to be a time when any club, concert, block party or any Hip Hop event was there was a person getting shot.  People in NY weren't going to many Hip Hop clubs and what a better time for Chicago style house music to hit.  House was for the clubs and Hip Hop was for the crib.  It wasn't until around '89 when Hip Hop was big in the clubs again and House music was totally dead in NY (I don't know why they're hanging on to it in the Chi for so long, I guess because it started here).  I would like to take the time to thank all the Hip Hop community for keeping guns out of the Hip Hop events over the last decade or so.  I bet you Dionne Warwick feels pretty dumb now, she was like tryin' to say Hip Hop was a bad influence and caused people to shoot people.  No, I think poverty had more to do with it.  Her music makes people want to shoot people because it's so boring.

Fact 11:  KRS 1 mos def has a spot in Hip Hop history.  Through all of his ups and downs, the death of his brother Scott La Rock over a beef between D Nice and some fool over a chick, being homeless and going through some crazy stuff with his xwife Melody. He always preached black and Hip Hop awareness, his groundbreaking album was Poetry.  Some of his classic singles include My Philosophy, South Bronx (sorry MC Shan), the Bridge is Over (sorry Shan, Marley and Shante), Love's Gonna Get 'Cha and many more.  But you can find all of his albums in any record store, because most of his albums are still in print.  I came to tell you about how he blessed the mic with wicked freestyles and battle tactics, it was majestic.  Not one MC in the world can take KRS1 out and many have failed, from Rass Kass (he's probably second, he's a ill lyricis).  But the one person who he ripped several times was MC Shan because he said Hip Hop started in Queens instead of the Bronx (that's the worst thing you can ever say to Kris, if you do he'll rip on you for an hour).  KRS1 snapped on him real bad, than Shan had the nerve to make a comeback record and got ripped again.  KRS1 said "Bronx created Hip Hop, Queens will only get dropped, but your still tellin' lies to me."  So check out the jam The Bridge is over and South Bronx to get a fuller understanding.  Than check out MC Shan's The Bridge to find out why KRS1 went off (by the way who is Mean Tim Tom and Jabby Jap?).

Fact 10:  Now you know I had to grace the history page with Public Enemy, they had one of the greatest positive influences on Hip Hop (along with the likes of KRS1, Just Ice, XClan etc).  There first LP Yo Bum Rush Show was their first album, it was phat as hell but didn't impact like there next album It takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us back.  Bring the Noise was released as a single after Yo Bum Rush the Show and everyone loved it.  When the LP came out people were loving the positive message, hardcore beats and the wild antics of the Flavor Flav.  Then they dropped Welcome to the Terrordome, Can't Truss It and Fight the Power, it was ill.  The whole country was reading Malcom X autobiography and getting into the black pride thing (even the drug dealing, murderous thugs).  PE made a couple of comebacks, they had Musick in Our Message and the soundtrack for Spike Lee's He Got Game.  Go to www.public-enemy.com to hear their latest album and download a free MP3 from PE, Swindlers Lust or you can watch a few cool videos.

Fact 9: Big Daddy Kane deserves to be on the history page, back in the day he was making waves, takin' out all MC's.  There was no MC who could fade him back in the day (except KRS1), not only did he have the phat jams like Smooth Operator, Warm it Up Kane (the house cut) and a mass of other songs, but he had this knack for freestyling.  Kane took out many MC's before, that's why when he fell off I couldn't believe all the failed comeback attempts he made.  An MC the great doesn't just fall off so bad.  Even Public Enemy made a cool comeback (through all the money and drug problems they had), Kane recently had an album and a couple of guess spots, but the rawness was gone.  It might have had something to do with Teddy Riley, when hardcore Hip Hop brovas and sistiz mess with them soft R&B peeps, that might rub off on you.  That's why it's important to keep it real, that phrase is over used and no one knows how to follow it.  MC and Dj's don't forget KEEP IT REAL.

Fact 8: Dj Red Alert vs Dj Marley Marl.  A little bit after WHBI went off the air with the Hip Hop shows, to make room for Hip Hop shows on mainstream radio.  Sorry for the loss of the World Famous Supreme Team Show etc but we still had to make way for the new.  In the early eighties there were only two Hip Hop radio shows on WBLS and 98.7 Kiss FM.  It was a total battle between crews, Red vs Marley, Bronx vs Queens, Juice Crew vs BDP etc.  Both shows were tight, I listened to both (probably a little bias towards Red Alert on Kiss being from the Bronx and all).  The only problem was they both started at 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights (house music at midnight).  My uncle Dr Grant would tape Marley in the living room and I would tape Red in the family room before we would hit Fun House, Roxy, Latin Quaters, Roseland or whatever.  No one really won the radio battle, but both still have shows presently on Hot 97 in NY and are doing well.

Fact 7: Long before the East Coast West Coast battle that was going on, there was ruthless band of MC and producers who just didn't give a f___.  Matter of fact Ruthless was the label name of NWA, which everyone know what it stands for (if not email me and I'll tell you).  Back in this day is when Hip Hop was new and we (New Yorkers) remember the time when the rest of the world would diss Hip Hop, (especially Cali) so when a Hip Hop representing group came from Cali we were buggin' out like, "How are they gonna diss us and then bite our stuff."  Whatever it was cool that the rest of the world was finally comin' around.  Most of us liked it, some of us didn't (it wasn't our style).  I was one of the ones who didn't like the style (still don't) but still had mad love for NWA.  Just because we can't feel the music doesn't mean we can feel the vibe, like "F___ the Police" (I've been jacked by a few cops in my hustling days).  What I loved about NWA wasn't there music but there f___ the world attitude we'll do what we want regardless of what you talk about.  That is exactly the point that Hip Hoppers have been making for the longest (that's why we survived the beginning stage of it won't last {mad love grandma and auntie} to the violence surrounding it {Fun House, Rooftop, Roxy, Latin Quaters} to the sales slump in '94 when everyone was like West coast started Rap {whatever man} and we will continue to strive on regardless of any mayors or Dionne Warwick or any ignorant suckas).  What's the deal?

Fact 6: The Audubon Ballroom has Hip Hop history in it also (in case you don't know, that's where Malcom X was murdered in Harlem 168th and St. Nicolas Ave).  It hasn't been open for a long time, but back in the early eighties was one of the jumpin' Hip Hop spots in NYC (back when the rest of the US was like f___ Hip Hop, yes I'm still salty).  Groups featured at the Ballroom was Busy B, the Cold Crush 4, Funky 4 plus 1 (Sha Rock Sha Roll with so much soul, one of the first female MC's, f___ what you heard), don't forget the Fantastic Romantic 5.  They didn't keep that spot open for too long, but quickly picking up the party was places like the T-Connection in the Bronx and the world famous Harlem World (Mase got his name from here).  Now Hip Hop is held in place more glamorous and bigger now but back in the day we would be on the underground and take what we had.  Did anybody hear about the possible reopening of the Audubon Ballroom.  Let me know, it's world famous.

Fact 5: Oooooh, I've been gone for a while.  Been busy with life and out of town, but I'm back.  The very first Hip Hop Radio show was the Mr Magic show on WHBI in NY way back in like '80 or so.  He was a radio personality though he also shared the Hip Hop show with the World Famous Supreme Team, two dj's who ripped break beats and Hip Hop jams with the illest scratches (at the time).  There was also Afrika Islam who also was a dj whos claim to fame was being "the son of Baambaata, non hotta."  Then there was Jazzy who played a lot of Hip Hop jams and break beats too.  This show went on for a few years but 98.7 Kiss FM blew them out the box by getting mix show on the weekend by Dj Red Alert (who is now on Hot 97 after Kiss changed formats), Dj Chuck Chillout and Dj Jazzy J.  These three Djs ripped the radio and paved the way for Hip Hop on mainstream radio.

Fact 4: Who invented the cross fader?  It's Mr. Grandmaster Flash in the history lesson again.  The story he told was he wanted a better way to cut the record in better after the scratchin' the beat.  We all know GM Flash was the best at this back in the day.  They didn't make mixers back then with the left to right fader, therefore you needed two hands to switch between records (for those who don't know, I'm not trying to insult nobody's intelligence or nothin, naaaaahmean).  So tired of the lack of control over mixer, off to radio shack he went.  In the end he would up with some diodes, a solder iron, a screw driver and wrench.  Poof, the cross fader was invented in the crib.  This took over as the new standard for Hip Hop mixers, it caught on quick and every Dj used it.  This the first Technological advance inspired by Hip Hop.  There are more to come, damn did he paten that?  He didn't mention anything about a paten though.

Fact 3:  1984 UTFO comes out with a song called "Roxanne Roxanne", the phatest beat you heard around this time.  The song was about a stuck up girl who this crew tried to kick it to and they didn't get none.  Everybody was waitin' for Roxanne to come out with a follow up.  Than came Roxanne Shante' (later changed to Shante'), everyone was like who the hell is this, she ain't even down with UTFO.  The Real Roxanne (later changed to Roxanne) came out with a vengeance on Shante'.  The bad part is, I don't know how Sparky D got in it, but it was the biggest battles (without guns, the guns didn't come until 1986/87 when the Rooftop, Latin Quaters, Fun House, Roxy {Beat Street}, and Roseland were the Hip Hop clubs to be at).  The battles were often fierce and very raw.  If I had to pick a winner it would be all of them because that was a great marketing sckeem.  Naaahmeen?

Fact 2:  1982 was a time in Hip Hop when you could be up on the stage against an MC or a crew of MC's or DJs or Breakers whatever was going on at the particular party.  The two best crews that everybody talked about was the Cold Crush Four (Chase, Tone, Caz, JDL, AD and KG in that order is always how they rhymed) and the Fantastic Five (Theodre, Kev, Whip, Ruby D, Dotarock) had to get it on.  It was a fierce battle, (I wish my Daddy would have let me go, he always said I acted to immature to hang in the streets in the Bronx.  Sorry I snuck out Dad) they both tore it up that night and had the crowd going.  Beats that we used to use a lot were "Rockit in the Pocket" and other beats, I have to check but I think if I gave the names of old break beats I'd be violating.  That's one thing no one did back in those days, just go for the "G".  Fantastic was sayin' "Dotarock are you ready to win the G the gusto is goin' home with me."  Cold Crush came back strong with Charlie Chase and Toni Tone on the wheels.  I wanted Cold Crush to win, but my vote might not count because CC was my favorite.  I will have an old school only mix and that battle will be the feature of the mix and you tell me who one.  Watch out for more info.

Fact 1:  Cool Herc, Afrika Baambaata, Grand Wizard Theodre and Grand Master Flash were the first to bring the concept of using two turntables and a mic to create music.  Back in those days we couldn't afford high tech midi and computer equipment.  Back in those days a computer would take up a whole room instead of a desk.  Na it wasn't that bad but you get the idea.  The good thing about Hip Hop is it grew right along side technology.  Back before beat machines that your average person could afford, all of the sudden there were high quality beat machines for about $300-$400 this was high (back in '80 this was very high).  There was a man MasterDon and the Def Committee that came out with "Funk Box", (Don't worry P I aint gonna say anything).  I think "Flash is on the Beat Box" came out first though but that was cool because that took some of the pressure off of the DJ because it was hard to practice with record with only a few seconds of a song before the words came in.  I know this because I was one these DJ's who was going through this.  I couldn't afford a beat box for a long time.