Troy L Smith interviewed the Great Peso of the Fearless Four recently
Troy- So who were some of the d.j.s you rapped for?
Peso- 45 King.
Troy- Where at?
Peso- (Peso laughs.) At his house and in the store he worked at.
Troy- On 125th?
Peso- Yeah, I use to walk to his store and hang there all day.
Troy- The record shop between st. Nicholas and eighth avenue? Across from Randy’s Place?
Peso- Yeah he was there but then he moved further down 125th to another record shop.
Troy- So you use to get on the mic right there in the record shop while people were buying records?
Peso- Yeah he use to cut while I said my rhymes. He use to say, “Yo listen to this” and he use to play beats and he was good and he was fast. I know for a fact for me and Tito we had a love for d.j.s.. When I wasn’t a rapper I use to hang out with Tito, I use to walk with Tito everywhere and he use to get on everybody’s set. (Peso laughs.)
Troy- You weren’t m.c.ing yet, you were just hanging out with him on some graffiti thing and he use to get on the mic at different places like when he would go see Master Don uptown?.
Peso- Yeah go everywhere, up to Drew Hamilton projects everywhere. Tito get on the mic and burn s— up. They use to be like who the f—…. because they use to think he was a white boy. Who the f— is this white boy, then they would find out he was Spanish. He would get on that mic and tear their ass up and we never use to have to worry about anything he would be like if a mother f—– want to do something will whip his ass I don’t give a f—. so Tito would be on the mic rocking and girls is loving it and guys were upset but we didn’t care because we we’re ready to whip they ass. And there would be lines of rappers that want to get on and we would skip Tito up on the mic. We would walk all over the place to whoever was jamming in the park and this was before I was a rapper. I was just a graffiti artist but me and him use to hang out.Troy- So what year did you first start getting on the mic and what made you want to get on the mic?
Peso- Well we use to go to Oscars house after we use to hit the trains to listen to the music because he was a d.j. and Tito would rap. It use to be just him and Tito. I use to tell them I like that stuff but I really can’t do that because my brother was doing that and I felt that wouldn’t be right. Back then there was a respect law, you don’t really go behind your brother. If your brother is the man on something, he’s the man! so I wouldn’t f— with it. but then he started doing his thing on the streets making money and he left the mic alone he gave me the okay saying go ahead. This had to be either 1978 or 79! I was in the 12th grade at the time. once I got into it and started learning the skills of rapping. I use to record people rapping at the jams and listen to their flow. Not just in Harlem but the people in the Bronx too because I wrote graffiti. I hung out with Act 1 who was from the Bronx and he use to take me to see T.J. Swan up in Mitchell projects and that was when Mele Mel and them use to hit the mic up there. So I been around rap. Rap and Graffiti were like together.
Troy- (At this time Troy played for Peso a tape of D.J. Hollywood.) My question to you after playing this tape of Hollywood was that the first person you ever heard do hip hop?
Peso- Nah not from Hollywood. I first heard hip hop from Mel, when it was just Mel and his brother! I saw Mel and Creole up in Mitchell. We use to be under ground on 149th street, you know the writers corner. So in the summer time we would come up and we would walk to the park and they would be jamming in the hand ball part of the park. We also use to be up there by Tremont and Tony Tone of the Cold Crush use to live in Lambert projects and they use to jam there and we use to go there to hangout.
Troy- So your brother Mallory was the one that was telling you about Hollywood?
Peso- Yeah he use to tell me about Hollywood, Eddie Cheba and Reggie Wells.
Troy- So when you said you heard Creole and Mel that might have been 1977 because by 1978 I have a tape where Mel and Creole are rocking with Cowboy and Ness.
Peso- Right, I see what you’re getting at. I can’t nail down the year but they had super big afros! (we both laugh.) So we would come out the train station and go to the super market and get our soda’s, sandwich meat, mayonnaise and bread. We would sit in Mitchell park and make our sandwiches and watch them do their thing. Then after that get some beer and then we would attack the handball court walls. We even use to watch them break dance up there.
Troy- So when you heard Mel and Creole do what they were doing and Flash was d.j.ing it didn’t really hit you hard! it was just some music being played or did you say yo I’m digging this?
Peso- Yes I was definitely digging it because all the girls were coming to the park.
Troy- So it wasn’t anything magical or special at that time for you when you heard the hip hop up there at that moment?
Peso- Nah but Mel and his brother were good. Tito was a writer that use to rap but there was another writer name Act 1 he was a black kid from the Bronx and he use to rap. He was like a tag king. He use to take me, my man Derby, A.J. 161 and Kendo. Act 1 also use to get on the mic. Act 1 use to rap for T.J. Swann. There was another kid name RD La Rock and he too use to rap and write. He was more into the break dancing though. there were a bunch of graffiti artist that was also break dancers as well as rappers but we use to rap right in the subway station, we were really out there. We weren’t really taken it serious on the streets. The only one that was really taking it serious on the streets was Act 1 in the Bronx and Tito in Manhattan.
Troy- So whatever became of At 1 lyrically as an m.c.?
Peso- I don’t know because after a while we faded from each other. I have to ask Chain.
