I am loving these little shorts. Props to Ed Piskor!

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

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Recorded at the Kool Herc tribute and Mele Mel 50th birthday bash a few weeks ago. Big ups to Big Jeff for putting the event together.

Below, bonus video of General Mele Mel sounding off.

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Panel discussion went down last night before the KRS-One show at SOBs. From the looks of the picture above, Hip-Hop pioneers everywhere. Can you name all the people in that photo? Peace to Joe Conzo for the pic.

The Universal Federation for the Preservation of Hip Hop Culture put “The Establishment” on notice tonight! WE started this Culture and WE are taking it BACK! The Pioneers came out in full force tonight to show UNITY with The Federation and let the world know that WE are the keeper of this warehouse, WE are The founding Fathers of this Culture, WE are The Gate Keepers of The Hip Hop Culture! We are tired of being used and abuse and discarded to the side like trash! We are putting on notices The BETs, VH1s, Radio Stations, Corporate Giants and whoever keeps raping the Culture that WE are UNITED and coming after you! BIG shout outs go out to The Federation, KRS ONE and The Temple of Hip Hop and ALL The Pioneers that came out tonight.

Link

SUNDAY NOV 15 DOORS 7PM SHOW 8PM
ADMISSION $25 in adv/$30 day of
$10.00 off with Zulu Nation or Moorish Nationality Card)

Nubian Productions Presents:
35th Anniversary Of Hip-Hop Culture/36th Anniversary Of The Universal Zulu Nation

Naughty By: Nature -Headliner
Positive K
Grand Master Melle Mel
Chill Rob G
Large Professor
Craig G
Shaheim
Dana Dane

DJ DP One
DJ Chuck Chillout

SOBS
204 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014

Mele Mel Salutes Mr. Magic on WBLS

via vibe.com, spotted @ Spine.

Previously: Can Grandmaster Mele Mel Rap?

Updated: Video Response by Mele Mel

“You know I heard the little controversy with Joe Budden thinking that he should be higher on the list. But he has to understand that once you go down chronologically, every MC had some type of influence that made them who they are. Yet everything Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, and MCs in our era, did was self-influenced. And that makes it harder to achieve that greatness status. Yet we stand today as legends, not just pioneers.

“When a lot of cats try to come up with Well, what did Cowboy do?it’s like what didn’t he do? Cowboy was definitely one of the most important MCs because of the fact that his natural talent and presence onstage was huge. He was one of the first cats to rhyme off the top of the head; he was the first to master the crowd response; [he] came up with a lot of the lines that rappers say now onstage. Cowboy came up with the phrase hip hop! He did it all. It just so happened that he passed at a young age and that’s what really put a void in Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. He was the spark of the group. When we would step onstage it was all about his presence and aura which were so big that if I had gotten one girl after the show he would have five [laughs].

“When you hear someone say When was the last time you heard Melle Mel?Well, when the first time you heard Melle Mel? You heard him in 1977. That’s sick for me to still be around when I helped start the genre that we perform in 2009. I don’t even believe that there are truly 50 great rappers. There are probably less than 20 for the sake of being real. After Rakim and a few others, you don’t really have one rapper that was an influence on the entire art form. To this day I don’t think there is a more important hip hop record than Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5’s ‘The Message.’ We took hip hop out of the party age with just one record.

“People today look back at pictures of us and they think that we were these weird guys who dressed funny. But what we were trying to do was break into the business on a rock ’n’ roll level. Forget about the rap and hip hop thing, because we conquered that. So a lot of the things we did went off the charts, just like a lot of things Cowboy did. He is pretty hard to sum up in one verse. Just like how 2Pac is not to be described by one verse—but by who he was, the impact he made and the life he lived—Cowboy, in his own way, is on that level. He is beyond what any other MC did that you could put on a list. He’s a legend amongst legends. When you ask what’s the story of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 and they think that Flash or Melle Mel is the story, but we are not. Cowboy is the story. If Joe Budden is No. 32, he probably deserved to be No. 32. If you don’t understand it, that’s not my fault that you didn’t have a better career. It is what it is. Sometimes destiny trumps the talent of youth.”

Joe Budden pretty much answers his own question when he says: “…this is not about who has the most hits, who has the most money…sells the most, this is about rappin”.

Art that lacks historical perspective is still art, I guess.

Here’s a reminder anyway.

Grandmaster Melle Mel And Grandmaster Caz – The Battle Is On
Taken from Top Shelf 8/8/88

Mele Mel popped his head on stage to say happy birthday to Flavor Flav and ended up kicking some rhymes.

Massive update to our youtube channel over the weekend, totaling 26 videos from the Public Enemy + Flavor Flav 50th birthday celebration that went down a week or two ago. Not only was it a PE show but the group decided beforehand that they were performing the entire “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back” album in its entirety. Add on guest appearances AND performances by legendary artists Ice-T, Mele Mel and The Kangol Kid. Peace to Kool Herc, Chuck Chillout, Easy Mo Bee and Psycho Les in the building.

More videos after the jump.

Kind of a weird event for Mele Mel and Grandmaster Caz to perform at but I think I’m going to this despite the hefty price of the tickets. I’ve always been a fan of freestyle music. buy tickets

103.5 KTU’s Freestyle Free For All
with Expose, Judy Torres, Safire, Joyce Simms, Nayobe, Mele Mel & Grandmaster Caz, Trinere, Alisha, and Lizette Melendez

Date: Fri, Apr 17, 2009
Showtime: 8:00 PM
Doors open: 7:00 PM

Ages: 16 & Over

Ticket Prices*: $50.00-$60.00

Last night at BB Kings in NYC, Flavor Flav brought in his 50th birthday with Chuck D and a bunch of their friends. And when I say friends, it includes legendary Hip-Hop figures such as Kool Herc, Easy Mo Bee, Ice-T, Kangol Kid, Eric B, Mele Mel, Chuck Chillout and more. Even before Flavor Flav even got in the building, everyone knew it was going to be a great show just because it was Public Enemy. So when Chuck D announced they would be performing the entire “It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back” album front to back, the crowd went crazy.

The performance itself was amazing. Public Enemy rocked for a solid two hours and, not surprisingly, the energy level brought by Chuck D and Flavor Flav was high throughout as they were constantly on the move either rhyming, juggling the mic, doing jump kicks or just running around having fun. In addition to performing the album, PE also did their classics such as Public Enemy #1, Shut Em Down and Fight The Power.

When Chuck and Flav weren’t running around kicking rhymes, they brought out their friends. Earlier in the night, Kangol Kid came out and did Roxanne, Roxanne. Kool Herc and Chuck Chillout made a brief appearance to show Flav some love. Eric B and Easy Mo Bee came out and did the same. Then one of the oddest (and coolest) moments of the night was when Flav brought out his good friend and legendary boxing trainer Emanuel Steward to announce an upcoming one-time only boxing match between Flav and an unnamed opponent. I guess that’s Flav just being Flav. Chuck also brought out Mele Mel, which prompted Flav to start The Message so that Muscles Simmons could finish it off with a bang. But the most memorable guest appearance of night was made by none other than Ice-T. After Ice came out on stage and said a few words, Flav put him on the spot and made a special birthday request. Flav wanted to play the drums while Ice kicked some rhymes. If that doesn’t sound amazing to you, trust me, it definitely was. It was the dopest part of a night chock full of great moments.

As always, I recorded video of most of the performance. Check back soon for that.

Recorded last year @ Jackie Robinson Park in NYC. Link

More videos over at youtube.com/grandgood

That “who the fuck is Craig G” post got to me. I decided to start a thread where I’ll be posting some old tapes. EVERYONE HERE SHOULD HEAR THESE. If you’re familiar with these tapes, you already know the importance. If not, TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.

The Video Music Box 25th Anniversary Show was a historic event. The artists either performing or in attendance was a virtual who’s who of Hip-Hop aristocracy (partial list below). The whole concert lasted about three hours with 10-15 minute sets for each act, which meant a steady stream of classic material. If you couldn’t make it to the show and want to get a sense of what tracks were performed, just throw on your best of 80s and 90s hip-hop mixtapes.

I gotta give props to Ralph McDaniels and crew for a few things that added to the show’s success. One is keeping the event so organized. Even with the hustle and bustle of artists continuously going on and off stage, everything ran smoothly. Also, the set lengths. There was always enough entertainment throughout the night to keep the crowd involved and on their toes. Of course, major props are due for the line up. Honestly, when was the last time you heard Spoonie Gee, Schoolly D or Milk Dee rock the mic? Let alone at the same free event! Throw on the fact that none of the artists who hit the stage got paid a cent. They all did it out of love and respect for Uncle Ralph and Video Music Box. Hip-Hop unity at its finest.

Obviously, there are plenty of highlights I could run through like Ralph showing off his DJ Clark Kent designed Air Force One’s made specifically for the anniversary. Or July 18th being officially declared Video Music Box Day by Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson. However, the livest part of the whole show was when the Sugar Hill Gang hit the stage to the tune of Rapper’s Delight. By now, most of us should know the back story behind Big Hank’s verse. After Wonder Mike finished up, I wondered how the crowd would react to Hank’s part of the song. The answer was that they didn’t get a chance to because Grandmaster Caz suddenly ran onto the stage and started spitting the rhymes! The icing on the cake was when Rahiem and Mele Mel of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five joined everybody up there. Amazing.

Big ups to Ralph for being the first and putting in 25 years of hard work. And here’s to another 25+! I got video footage for most of the sets but until those are edited and uploaded onto our youtube channel, check out some pictures I snapped in between recordings (after the jump).

Sugar Hill Gang
Grandmaster Caz
Rahiem
Mele Mel
Lovebug Starski
Crash Crew
Chubb Rock
Naughty By Nature
Nice & Smooth
Special Ed
Milk Dee
Spoonie Gee
Schoolly D
Dana Dane
DJ Jazzy Joyce
O.C.
A.G.
Fab 5 Freddy
Kool Herc
Awesome 2
Mr. Cheeks
Kool DJ Red Alert
Large Professor
Dres
Hakim (of Channel Live)

Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Caz, Rahiem and Mele Mel

Special K

Smooth B

Ralph McDaniels and Kool Herc

Ralph McDaniels

Rahiem

Naughty By Nature

Mele Mel

Kool DJ Red Alert

Greg Nice

Greg Nice

Grandmaster Caz and Rahiem

DJ Jazzy Joyce

Dana Dane

Chubb Rock

Not sure what to make of this release but it screams bootleg. And I didn’t even mention the misleading title. You don’t actually get a DVD filled with videos from these shows. Rather, you’re paying for a data disc containing mp3s of these performances. Still nice to have depending on the quality of the audio. Wonder who these cats are. Link

Over 1 full day (33 live performances) of vintage and official live throwdowns, spanning from 1979 to 1985. New York City’s original school together in one complete set. This collector’s set includes one data DVD containing 3.5 GB of high quality (320 Bit Rate) mp3s (26 hours of music – all 25 volumes). Each show is ID’d and sequenced, resulting in convenient use and enjoyment, as opposed to each show being one thirty to ninety minute-long continuous track. No collection is complete without the infamous Kool Moe Dee / Busy Bee scuffle, or the notorious routines of the Force MCs, Treacherous Three, and Cold Crush 4 MCs. The list of essentials on this disc is endless. Includes a 24 page full color booklet of vintage NYC show flyers and artwork.

Track Listings
01. Flash On The Beat Box
02. Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force – Funhouse 6-18-1982 (Live)
03. Christmas Rappers Convention – 1981 (Live)
04. Cold Crush Battle The Fantastic Five – Harlem World 1981 (Live)
05. Cold Crush vs. Force MCs – Paterson, NJ 1983 (Live)
06. Cosmic Force, Afrika Bambaataa, Devastating 4, Soulsonic Force, Original Jazzy Five – T-Connection 1980 (Live)
07. Cosmic Force, Devastating 4, Original Jazzy Five, Afrika Bambaataa, Red Alert, Whiz Kid – T-Connection 1980 (Live)
08. Devastating 3 MCs: Kid West, Magic Dee & Barry Bee – House Tape 1983 (Live)
09. DJ Breakout, DJ Barren, Funky 4+1, DJ Whiz Kid, Harmonizing 4 – T-Connection 1980 (Live)
10. DJ Jazzy Jay & The Jazzy Five MCs – Paterson NJ 1981 (Live)
11. The Fantastic 5, Jazzy 5 – Dota Rock’s Birthday Party (Live)
12. Doug E. Fresh, Barry Bee, Chuck A Luck, Sweet Slick & Sly, Tranquilizing 3 – Unknown Date & Location (Live)
13. Ecstasy Garage All Stars: Grandmaster Caz, JDL, Whipper Whip, K-Gee, Ruby Dee, Theodore, Soul Sonic Force, Nice & Nasty Four – Ecstasy Garage 1980 (Live)
14. Fantastic Five, Grandmaster Caz, Busy Bee, Whiz kid, Treacherous Three, Spoonie Gee – T-Connection 1981 (Live)
15. Force MCs – Broadway International 1983 (Live)
16. Funky 4 + 1 – Unknown Date & Location (Live)
17. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 – T-Connection 1980 (Live)
18. Grandmixer DST & The Cold Crush Brothers – Unknown Date & Location (Live)
19. Imperial JayCee, Grand Wizard Theodore, Fantastic Five, Touch Of Class – T-Connection 1980 (Live)
20. Busy Bee & The Cold Crush Brothers – Kevie Kev & Rubie Dee’s Birthday Party, Ecstasy Garage 1980 (Live)
21. Grandmaster Flash, Disco Bee, Busy Bee, Melle Mel, E-Man – Live Convention (Live)
22. L-Brothers, Treacherous 3, Busy Bee, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Flash, Theodore, E-man, Smiley – Live Convention, Celebrity Club 1980 (Live)
23. Phase 3, Cool AJ, Rapper Wise, Ultimate 3 MCs, DJ Disco, Quick, Sweet Slick and Sly – MC Battle, Harlem World 1982 (Live)
24. Rodney C’s Birthday Party – Zulu Nation 1980 (Live)
25. Super Sonic 4 MCs, DJ Cisco, Cool Clyde – Ecstasy Garage 12-26-80 (Live)
26. Rat Ski, DJ Kevin Kanyeah, Emcee SPUD – Sweet G’s Birthday Party (Live)
27. T La Rock & The Treacherous Three – Hempstead, Long Island 1985 (Live)
28. The Incredible 3 MCs: Tech Ski, Destiny, Chucky Chuck & DJ Lil Chase – Unknown Date & Location (Live)
29. Lovebug Starski, Treacherous Three, Spoonie Gee – Treacherous 3 First Anniversary, Disco Fever 1981 (Live)
30. Treacherous 3 – Club Negril 2-18-82 (Live)
31. Jazzy Jay, Smitty Dee, Kid Vicious, Tricky Tee, Malibu, Pow Wow, Nae Nae – Troy Troy’s Birthday, T-Connection 1980 (Live)
32. Cosmic Force, Sha Rock Lisa Lee, L-Brothers – Zulu Nation 6th Anniversary, Unknown Date & Location (Live)
33. Zulu Nation, Jazzy Jay, Hutch Hutch, Pow Wow – 123 Park 1979 (Live)