Interview with Nas/Fugees/Amy Whinehouse/Ini Kamoze producer Salaam Remi by Remix Mag. Also check out this old post via Can I Bring My Gat?
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Remi actually played keyboards for Kurtis Blow on 1986’s “Kingdom Blow,” a record his father produced. “I wouldn’t even call myself a keyboard player to a keyboard player,” Remi insists. “I actually played drums first. Elvin Jones, the jazz drummer, made me a drum set. I had a full drum set when I was three years old.” Childhood included jam sessions with his dad and uncles, who were musicians and urged him to play along. Much like his son would become, Van Gibbs was broad in his musical outreach. Remi’s father was the first person to work with Doug E. Fresh in the studio. “He put together a contest that the Fat Boys won to get their deal, and [he also produced] Kurtis Blow’s album,” Remi recalls. “That’s how I was introduced to those situations.