Dope series of interviews by House of Hip-Hop. Props.
Wild Style Special 1: Kool Moe Dee
Wild Style Special 2: Crazy Legs
Wild Style Special 3: Fab 5 Freddy
Kool Moe Dee: Every three and six years there is a transition within hiphop. I know I get a little over-analytical with it. And scientifical. And mathematical. Let me explain. The very first paradime shift happened in 1982, with Planet Rock and The Message. This means that everything before Planet Rock and The Message feels totally different than anything you ever heard, up untill them. I’ve noticed that this occurs very systematically within hiphop. Every three years there is a small paradime shift, every six or seven years a huge paradime shift. So in 1982, hiphop was going in a different way than in the three years before. Planet Rock and The Message were the first things that sounded different from Sugar Hill Gang. In the next couple of years, you see LL Cool J and Run DMC appearing on the scene. They were influenced by Planet Rock and Grandmaster Flash. So in 1985 the second paradime shift happens. Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh step on the scene with The Show and La Di Da Di. This is were two important elements became huge for hiphop: beatboxing and storytelling. That made me write a couple of storysongs, see what I mean? In 1988 I would say the whole Public Enemy movement, plus the birth of gangsterrap with N.W.A. Then you see 1991, which completely killed everything that happened before that: Naughty by Nature and Das EFX. They completely changed the way everyone was rhyming back then. Three years later in 1994, you know this one right? Biggie, Snoop, Pac, Nas, the whole lot of ‘em. “Muthafucking right/ My pocket’s looking kinda tight!”. Laid back storytelling, it was amazing. Then in 1997, you get Diddy. He slows the gangsterinfluences down with glitters and partyhiphop. Then in 2000 there’s Eminem and Nelly, artist like that. Dirty South gets bigger and bigger. The year 2003 belongs to 50. Ain’t no arguing with that. He completely shifts it back to gangster, maffia shit. In the following period of time you see artist like Kanye becoming huge. The next paradime shift happens in 2006, the Dirty South takes over. Artists like T.I. bring hiphop to unkown levels. He alone completely changed the way hiphop was going after the 2003-2006 paradime.
Crazy Legs: I created The Windmill accidentally. I was practicing to go from a Backspin into a Chair Freeze, but I overrotated, so I went into a Backspin again. I created another move accidentally, the 1990. But I didn’t even call it the 1990. People started to call it that, because Ken Swift did a similar move in 1990. I called it the Handspin, because you spin on one hand on the ground. I also evolved the Backspin, also by mistake, haha! I was trying to go into a Chair Freeze while in a small hallway. While spinning, I didn’t want to get hurt, so I kinda jumped up with my hand. That’s how I evolved the Backspin.
Fab 5 Freddy: One time me and Charlie [Ahearn] were at this party in the Bronx. There used to be a drug that guys would smoke back then, called Angel Dust. So at this party, there was this BIG black guy, right? You could tell he was superhigh, just walking around looking fucking mean, man. Everyone at the party would get out of his way. There was a lot of tough guys at the party, but if you’d see this dude right here, nobody was touching him. Charlie and I would see this guy, and I would be like ‘oh shit, I hope he don’t come this way’. But jolly ol’ Charlie was out here taking pictures, you know, being the happy white guy. ‘HI! What’s going on? I’m Charlie!’. I was standing next to him, just fucking scared of this big black dude, man. Next thing I know, I suddenly see that big dude from across the club looking at Charlie. I started fearing for everyting I had and had ever known. This guy started walking, walked all the way right up to Charlie. I was standing there going ‘oh fuck this is it, this guy is the fucking monster that’s going to eat us’. So the guy is standing in front of Charlie, looking at him, and I don’t have any idea of what the fuck is about to happen. All of a sudden, Charlie looks at me and says ‘HEY FRED!’ ‘HEY FRED! I THINK THIS GUY WANTS ME TO TAKE HIS PICTURE!’ Then the big dude just walked off! I nearly pissed myself right there. It was like a fucking movie!
