Drink Champs - Episode 435 w/ Ralph McDaniels (Video Music Box)

Episode Date: November 8, 2024

N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode we chop it up with the legend himself, Ralph McDaniels!Ralph McDaniels co-creator and co-host of the iconic show Video Music Box joins us to share his journey!Ralph shares stories of the history of Video Music Box, its impact on Hip-Hop and much much more!Lots of great stories that you don’t want to miss!Make some noise for Ralph McDaniels!!! 💐💐💐🏆🏆🏆 *Subscribe to Patreon NOW for exclusive content, discount codes, M&G’s + more:  🏆* https://www.patreon.com/drinkchamps *Listen and subscribe at https://www.drinkchamps.com Follow Drink Champs: https://www.instagram.com/drinkchamps https://www.twitter.com/drinkchamps https://www.facebook.com/drinkchamps https://www.youtube.com/drinkchamps DJ EFN https://www.crazyhood.com https://www.instagram.com/whoscrazy https://www.twitter.com/djefn https://www.facebook.com/crazyhoodproductions N.O.R.E. https://www.instagram.com/therealnoreaga https://www.twitter.com/noreagaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. legendary queens rapper hey hey segre this your boy n-o-r-e he's a miami hip-hop pioneer one of his dj efn together they drink it up with some of the biggest players in the most professional unprofessional podcast and your number one source for drunk It's time for Drink Champs. Drink up, motherfucker. What a good week. Hope you're doing good. It's your boy, N-O-R-E. What up? It's DJ E-F-N. And it's Drink Champs, motherfucker.

And Yappy Hour. Make some noise! And right now, we have a legend, legend. Long overdue. Long overdue. This man's show has changed. He has raised. It's the predecessor of the predecessor.

He has so many children in hip hop. Easy, easy. You know, you kill. He's like 330. This man controlled everyone's life. He's a pioneer. If it wasn't for him, there wouldn't be so much

things that happen. This show, particularly. Podcast, people controlling radio. He's been doing it, entrepreneur from back then to now, still doing it. His story is so beautiful.

You got to see the show, the documentary on Showtime. You got to see that. So beautiful. He's the motherf the documents we're on Showtime. You got to see that. So beautiful. He's motherfucking very first that I've seen that look like me. That I got to see every day.

Motherfucker. In case you don't know what we're talking about. Motherfucking impeccable Ralph Bigman! Thank you! Thank you. Thank you. I've been waiting a long time. I've been waiting a long time. Yes, okay. I'm not going to stop.

Yeah, we've been waiting a long time. Yeah. So let's talk about the documentary real quick. Yes, sir. You know what I love about the documentary is it was put together so well. Big O's and Masterpill and Oz were just put together so well that even if a person didn't know that, because I always say like it was it was that feeling at that time like you know what i mean like like even with the cassettes and like

you know going home but but let me ask you i was i was doing so much research right and at the time when you started this show there wasn't even rap videos no hip-hop artists didn't get a rap video. When you first came out, I don't think they did the first single. Maybe you, but... No, no.

War Report didn't. War Report, no, no, no. That's before. What I'm saying is when you first started the show, you was playing like Chaka Khan. Yeah. It really wasn't just hip-hop.

How did... You started doing videos. Is that how you started having the content created? That's what he's saying. Yeah. Well, look, to go back to the hip-hop videos, there was only a few made. Okay. Yeah.

Run DMC. Right, right. Houdini, Fat Boys. Fat Boys, right. You know, Grandmaster Flash. You know, that was about it. If you wasn't on that level, at that point, you wasn't getting no video. Right. Right. Only the pop boys. You know, Bruce that point, you wasn't getting no video. Right.

Right. Only the pop boys, you know, Bruce Springsteen. It was too expensive. You know, Cindy Lauper, they was getting the video. Right. So we was playing some of them, Cindy Lauper and Bruce Springsteen. Right. Because, you know, look, I grew up in Queens. It's very diverse. I went to Bayside High

School. Queens Village, right? Right. I lived in Queens Village. Yep. And I used to be going to, you know, when I went to Bayside, I played football. Right. And was playing all of the, you know, the cool rock and roll shit. Right.

So I knew all of that. Boy Diego, he from Bayside. He was hype. He was hype. Yeah. Mendoza, right? Yeah, yeah. And so, yeah, so I knew all of that.

So I said, we're not just trying to get the rap people. We're going to get everybody. Right. But the cool shit. Right. Like the Hall of Notes. That was your goal rap people. We're going to get everybody. Right. But the cool shit, like the Hall & Oates. That was your goal originally. That was the goal from day one. Right. Hall & Oates, what's the joint?

David Byrne, you know, all of the cool that I would hear downtown. Right. You know, so that's where we mixed it up, and everybody came to the table. Then we held New York City Hostage from 3.30 to 4.30. Right. So now, at this time, there wasn't a lot of... I want to be more accurate. When you say this time, what is that time? What year is this that you launched?

83 is when we launched. 1983. Wow. Some people watching this was like, what? Wow. How is it possible? 1983. Right.

But 1983 is a good year because myself, cool DJ Red Alert, gets on, what? Wow. How is it possible? 1983. Right. But 1983 is a good year because myself, cool DJ Red Alert gets on the radio. Wow. Molly Marr and Mr. Magic are on BLS

around that time. No, maybe they come in a year or two later, but they was already on the radio on another level. And so it was,

the music was opening up. Hip hop was starting to get. It was evolving now. It was growing. People, let's try this hip-hop thing out. Right. Because, you know, it's not like now where there's 24-hour hip-hop stations.

Right, no. For this drink channel. It wasn't like that. Right. 100%. You had to go find the hip-hop. Right. Yeah.

So, what... Okay, okay. Keep, keep, keep, because we're saying, yeah, right? Yeah, he said 83. 83. Yeah. And hold up, sorry, because sometimes I'll get backlash because I'll say, I'm in Miami, we didn't get it.

Right, you didn't get it. But being a hip-hop head, we knew about it. We would get recorded stuff. The VHS. Yeah, we would get that. Y'all would get the VHS. It was pre-internet. Right.

So it's crazy when, is it crazy when you hear somebody like him in Miami say that they hit the VHS? It happened to me in Japan too. Oh wow. The Japanese was getting it over there from cats being in the service here going over there. Just like they would take the mixtapes. They did the same thing. With the VHS. I'm like how y'all know

about me? They got the VHS. Boom. You know them VHS could hold like eight hours. Yep. Long play. Those are like, another version of mixtapes

is a visual, you know? And it was the first time we saw you. Right. We saw the artists. We saw the DJs. Changed everything.

We saw the, you know, the people that was in the magazines. Right. You know, because, you know,

like Biggie said, I used to have the pictures on the wall. Right. Everybody had them, but you never saw them in person. You heard their music. Now you're watching my show and I'm in the club.

In real time. Yo, what's up? Give a shout out. And you know, whoever, they there. And you're like, oh, that's him. I hear how he really talks. He's not rapping now. He's just talking.

Right. It's like, that's priceless. But sorry, but I just want to put it so people can kind of understand. Yes, please. It was how scarce it all was to see it. Like even like The Source, we take it for granted now. Magazine, people don't even care about magazines. But back then, again, a kid in Miami who's a hip hop head, we couldn't get The Source.

Someone had to hand me down, hand me down in school that we let you borrow it for the day. I thought The Source was like a national thing. But it took a while to become a national thing. They weren't getting distribution like that. Okay. They started locally. First, they started as a newsletter. Then it became a magazine. become a national thing they weren't getting distribution like that okay they started locally first they started a newsletter then it became a magazine then they started locally then it grew but it took a while the same thing with with with the videos and same thing with mixtapes in general and and music everything was slower back then yeah the

spread and the military did have a big thing with that because people were doing that that's how you that's how you feel like your show got around? Yeah. Mainly people from the military, or maybe people moving in New York in general, right? Right. Because it was only in New York? College, too, yeah. College kids. Going to college, okay, wow. You know, because they was going to school down south from New York, and then they was

bringing that New York vibe. It was damn near like a rapper was there when them girls was talking about, you know about this Roxanne Shante, and they was like, you know her? She ain't know her, but she look and sounded like her. Right, right. That was like damn near the know, you know about this Roxanne Shante and they was like, you know her? You know, she ain't know her, but she looked and sounded like her. That was like damn near the same, the real thing. You did Roxanne's first video? I did Roxanne Shante's first video.

I did it. We did it. Roxanne Shante is being honored by the Peyton Fool Foundation, which I'm on the board. And so that's Ben Horowitz, Felicia Horowitz, Steve Stout, Nas, and QD3, and myself, and Fab Five Freddy. Wow. And she's going to get $500,000.

Oh, wow. Well-deserved. Yeah. Well-deserved. So is Kumo D. Okay. And Grandmaster Kaz. Yes. So big up to them. So that'so D. Okay. And Grandmaster Kaz. Yes.

So big up to them. So that's all happening. Where's that happening? That's going to be happening in Vegas. We did it last year. We honored Rakim and Scarface. Get better, Scarface. Is that open to the public for people to attend that?

Not really. It's like $100,000 a table or something. A thousand? A hundred thousand. Whoa. Because all it is, you know, Ben Horowitz loves hip-hop, but he also is like the dude that funds all of these big companies that, you know, like, you know, any kind of tech company, he gets them started.

Like, he's friends with Zuckerberg. Like all the startups. These are the dudes that show up at that, you know, and they just love him, you love him and they love him because he loves hip-hop and you can't help it. He knows about this. He knows all your music. He knows everything. He's not a dude that you would look at

and you would pick that up. But he knows it. That's dope that he's tapping into his network to come in and help. And he's not on some super, like, I'm this dude. I mean, he is that dude. You got to respect it. Right. But he's a, you know, he's a real cat.

I brought him to Queens. I brought him to Jamaica, Queens. Really? I brought him to Jamaica, Queens. You know what I mean? Wow, wow, wow. He had a book. I said, yo, I want you to come to the library.

He was like, yeah, let's do it. Wow. Fab, he called Fab up. He said, Fab, I want you to come to the library. He was like, yeah, let's do it. He called Fab up. He said, Fab, come with me. I said, you better off than Fab out here. Come on now, let's go. Fab from Harlem, you Queens cats, we hate you. Now,

chill out, relax over there. Relax over there. Now, I'm going to bounce around a little bit. The first time you ever got called or even heard the word nigga was from a white person? Yeah, yeah. For real? I moved to, originally from Brooklyn. Right, right, yep, yep.

Born in Bed-Stuy. Moved to Queens. And, you know, my parents, the whole idea was, you know, we're going to have a house now. We don't live in my grandmother's building. And we're going to move to have a house and everything. You can ride your bike. I got one of them orange, you know, them joints, the big wheels. I can't remember the name of it.

But it was hot at the time. I'm riding around. We like the third black family on the block. Wow. And this kid is sitting on the stoop. And he goes, look, my nigga, I never heard that word in my life. Wow. So I'm riding, but something felt, it wasn't nice.

Right. Whatever he, when he said it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It didn't feel good. You know, so I was like, I kept riding. So I ran around the corner, go back to the crib. The mom, the kid down the block called me a nigga. I'm just being, I'm a young kid.

Right. She's like, oh, okay. So this is not why we moved here. Right. She said, look, don't worry about it. You know, you know what they say, sticks and stones,

all that kind of stuff. And I'm like, all right. So I never thought nothing of it. I became friends with that dude. Became friends with him. Wow. So, never thought nothing of it. I became friends with that dude. Wow. Became friends with him. Wow. So, you know, later on I heard the word, you know,

and now I'm starting to understand what the word meant. But by that time we was already friends, so it really didn't mean nothing. Wow. Could you ever tell him later, like, hey, man. I don't even think I ever told him. I think, you know, this was in a time when dudes were smoking dust. I think he was smoking dust. Oh, shit.

He got it. That would explain a lot of dudes were smoking dust. I think he was smoking dust. Oh, shit. And he got it. That would explain a lot of things maybe for him. Yeah. Dust was a big thing in heroin when I was a kid. Yeah. You also worked on Juice. Yeah.

That's the first film I ever worked on. I was the associate producer. Well, I wasn't. I was a consultant first. Right. You made like that title or something. Right. Well, I wasn't. I was a consultant first. Right. You ain't like that title or something. Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I went home and I started watching movies, the titles at the end.

And I said, I don't see nothing that says consultant. You mean consultants don't get mentioned at all. So I see producer, executive producer. I said, maybe I can't push it if I'm going to say I'm a producer. Right. I said, how about associate producer? He said, yeah, no problem. Right. producer. I said, how about associate producer? He said, yeah, no problem. So my job was to rewrite

some of the script because it was written in the 80s. So it was like certain words we just didn't use by 92. 92 is when we're shooting the film. So that was my job.

Tupac was the only actor attached to it, right? I know where you're going with this now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not asking. I'm asking my man, guys. So Tupac was the only person, and he knew me, because I played Digital Underground on Video Music Box. He's like, Ralph, take me to the spots.

You know all the spots. So I took him to Brooklyn. To this day, legendary. People still, yo, I remember when you brought Tupac to the party, Ralph. That was crazy. And he wasn't even Tupac like he's not Tupac yet he's he's you know he's just he's in Digital Underground but did he have that song they had the one that you had one song maybe oh you know same song yeah same song that was out but right he yeah but that one didn't ring

off like the other Digital Underground right no no sure. But for him, that feature did. Yeah, because he was on some X-Clan type vibe in there. Yeah. And that was Brooklyn. Brooklyn is on some X-Clan vibe, big up X-Clan. I did all their videos too. Oh, wow. Yeah. And so people dug him.

And, you know, he came out, he did his thing. And he was the one guy out of everybody in that cast, and all of them have had successful careers, that was serious, though. Because he came from California and moved to New York to do that. So he was in New York for whatever, a month and a half, two months. And he was like, yo, this is my shot. Like, I'm in New York.

And that's the thing, too. It's like everybody wanted to come to New York because that's where a lot of the media was at. Hollywood was fronting on us, but you could get like a little Spike Lee movie or something else that felt like it had credibility. Tupac was serious about the credibility part, and he was like, look, I'm not playing. I'm not joking around. I'm here to make this movie, and it's going to be dope, and that's it.

Yeah, he was on some thespian shit for sure. And I heard you was even the one who brung Latifah because Latifah wasn't down with it at first. Yeah, Latifah wasn't's it. Yeah, he was on some thespian shit for sure. And I heard you was even the one who brung Latifah. Latifah wasn't down with him at first. Yeah, Latifah wasn't with it. Nobody, because Hollywood was front. Hollywood was, some of the movies after Beach Street and those type of movies, they was whack. It was corny, you know.

And everybody was like, nah, we don't want to get caught up in that. So nobody wanted to do no hip hop movies coming from Hollywood. So Juice was kind of like that because the producers were from Hollywood. Ernest Dickerson, though, was the director. He's Spike Lee's man. So it was a little different. And then when I showed up, they were like, okay, we got credibility now. I called up the

Bomb Squad. I called up, because I did Public Enemy videos, too. I did a lot of those videos. I did a bunch of videos. You did a lot of those videos. Night of the Living Bay says I did a bunch of videos. You did that video? Yeah. And so I called up, called up. I love how he be saying shit.

I know. I'm just like, yo, can you slow it down a little bit? I want to get it all in. I'm in the fourth quarter, bro. And so, so, so yeah. So all of those things came to the table. Amazing soundtrack. The soundtrack's amazing.

That soundtrack was the juice. We took our juice. Yeah. Uptown Anthem from Nadi was wild. Like, that's... What? Eric B. and Rakim? Yeah, no, everything.

Cypress is on there. Like, it's crazy. It's a crazy song. See, that felt like a real authentic hip-hop movie. It all came together. You know, like, you want to get everything to come together. Right. Sometimes it don't. You try your best, but this one movie. It all came together. You know, like you want to get everything to come together. Right. Sometimes it don't.

You try your best, but this one did. It worked. Yeah, it inspired me as a DJ just seeing the DJ scenes in there. Yeah. They did a great job on that. The marketing of it and everything.

And so should I tell you the story about Diddy and... Hey man, we ready for it. Let's go. Okay. We didn't even know it was coming, but... So, at the time we're shooting Juice,

there's another movie being shot called Unfinished Business. What's it called? Halle Berry. Strictly Business. Strictly Business. Strictly Business. So, Strictly Business is, you know, a cool Andre Harrell production.

Right. R&B, crony sexy. Puff gets fired from off the set. Okay. So Puff gets kicked off. So Puff calls me and is like, yo, I seen the script for Juice. He wanted Tupac role, right? I wanted to play Tupac.

Wow. So I said, that's the one. I mean, I want to play Bishop. Bishop, yeah. Bishop. I said, that's the one person that we've cast already. He Bishop. I said, that's the one person that we've cast already. He's like, nah, that's me. I'm Harlem Ralph.

Come on, stop playing. So I'm like, I'm dead ass, man. I've never heard this. This is the real story. Because I'm the only person. It was me and him and the producer. Eventually, I told him. But he's, you know, he went on to do Harry Potter.

Oh, shit. He's out of here. He's not thinking about you. He's out of here. He's like, I'll never look him back. He's not going to tell you about juice. So I said, it ain't going to happen. So I said, just for the sake of me, let me go and tell him that this is what's going on. So they were like, nah, he punched the teamster. It can't happen.

Can't happen. Even if we wanted him. We couldn't bring him here. I said, all right, no problem. So I called the pluff. Can't happen. So that was the end of that. And that was it. They didn't

know each other at the time. You're talking about Puck and Puff. He just was like, I don't care if it's Christopher Williams. I don't care if it's Michael Jordan. That's me. He just wanted the role. I wanted the role. That's crazy. Wow.

So Puck never found this out you don't think uh uh Pac didn't know that because the only person I told was the producer unless the producer went Pac would have came and told me

what who who but Pac Pac probably knew who Puff was right well 92

he might have yeah yeah because they became probably friends shortly after that or at least acquaintances or something. He might have.

Yeah. So before we get to Cream, because you directed that too, right? Yes. Jesus. Yeah. Yeah. You went platinum on video. Yeah, he's platinum on videos before platinum was platinum.

Wizard comes to you, right? Yes. Wizard gives you this protect your neck tape. VHS. VHS. Not even the big professional tape. It was like a VHS. Like something you put in your house.

The numbers are still running on. Numbers that got the... That's the original video. I saw that version. Yeah, yeah. And the skateboard, did it have the skaters in it? Right. They're not signed to Loud Records.

There is no Loud Records. Right. Right. There's no Steve Rifkin. skaters in it? Right. They're not signed to Loud Records. There is no Loud Records. Right. Right. There's no Steve Rifkin. That doesn't exist. Right. Right. Well, it exists, but he's a promotional guy.

Yep. He's not a record label guy. Well, RZA comes. And is he doing this professional? Or, because, you know, by having the numbers on there, it's like, this is a rough draft, clearly. Yeah, nah. You didn't mix the record.

Bro. You didn't mix the video. And you already knew him from his other- I'm talking about, nah. You didn't mix the record. You didn't mix the video. And you already knew him from his other... He didn't mix the... People want to get on the show so bad, they don't give a damn what they give me. Right. That's real. That's real, yo.

And that was one of those instances. That's the way I took it. Right. So I was like, all right, you want to go and fix it and finish it? Right. Because all you got to do is just switch it for the one without the numbers on it.

Right. So he was like, you can play that one. You know, he got like a little nervous laugh. So I'm looking at him like, I'm looking at the video. I never seen nothing like this before, Wu-Tang Clan. Plus the name. You got to think about it. That name sounded crazy too at the time.

Wu-Tang Clan. The fact that it almost looked like a home video, I've like always thought that was genius, but I never knew if it was on purpose or not. It was black and white, I believe that video, was it? Yeah, it was kind of, it was just, it was just dusty. It might as well have been black. And, but the music was there. The raps was there. And so I just looked at it and I said, yeah, I could play it. and I started playing it and people were like yo what is that man

you got the you know the the kung fu movie sound effects in it and it's just it's mad dudes they all one group

like what's going on and so I'm like I don't know but I feel some energy when I play this I feel some energy because you know why it was so weird because RZA was Prince Rahim right that's what I'm saying you knew him so when he came I'm thinking it's that yeah that he's coming which is polished more polished of a sound right but it's way happy it's right it's not even

it was pop yeah right he's very happy and so when he gave it to me I was like oh this is something different you know it's We love you out here. It was pop. Yeah, right, right. He was very happy. We love you, right? He was very happy. And so when he gave it to me, I was like, oh, this is something different. You know, it was like totally different. And I kept playing it. And then Steve Rifkin calls me. I knew Steve Rifkin because he was a guy that would give you like promo vinyl. Mm-hmm.

Right. And Steve Rifkin took me to Ice-T's house when I went to L.A. Oh, sure. He's like, you want to go to Ice-T's house? So I was like, yeah. And he went to Ice-T's house when I went to L.A. Oh, shit. He's like, you want to go to Ice-T's house? So I was like, yeah. We went to Ice-T's house. I was like, oh, shit.

Is that the house with the roof? Yeah. The roof opened up? Well, this is when he was with Darlene. Yeah, yeah. I know Coco. Love Coco. This is back in the days.

And so we early. And he's like, and I meet Ice-T. And I'm like, okay. So this dude is cool, Steve Rifkin. What are we doing, Steve? What's going on? He calls you for Wu-Tang. tea. And I'm like, okay. So this dude is cool, Steve Rifkin. Right. What are we doing, Steve? What's going on? He calls you for Wu-Tang. He calls me for Wu-Tang.

I'm trying to get in contact with RZA. Right. We have beepers, maybe. Right. We don't have no cell phones, I don't think. You said beepers? Yeah. Yeah.

So. Send the codes. Yeah, yeah. Fire. So I'm like, you know, he shows up. When he shows up, I don't know.

So then some weeks go by and then I get another copy of the video and it says Loud Records on it now. So I said, oh, he got signed. He got signed now. The same version

with the numbers on it. But it's just they cased it in their own box and sent it out. And that was it. And RZA just, they cased it in their own box and sent it out. And that was it. And RZA said, yo, RZA was grateful that I played Protect Your Neck

the way I did. Right, right. You know, let me tell you, Mick Sholes played it, but when it's on that TV, it's a little different. Right.

It's a little different. And I said, yo, man, you know, I'm glad that y'all got a deal. Because I went from doing X, and that was the end of X-Clan. And then came Wu-Tang Clan. Right behind each other.

So he said, yo, I got another record. I want you to do the video. I said, which one? What's the name of the song? He said, Cream. So I gave me the cassette. I'm riding in the car like, what? Cash rules.

I'm like, oh, this is way different from Protect Your Neck. So you wrote that treatment for the video? Yeah, I wrote the whole treatment. Right. And my idea was- That's your first time working with them? Yeah, with Wu-Tang. Okay, continue.

All of the videos that they did before that were shot in Staten Island because they wanted to show like, you know, Staten Island. We from Staten Island. Right. We right here. Y'all come to us. And I was like, y'all got to come out of Staten Island. So I shot in front of

Willy Burgers in Harlem. Right. So let Harlem niggas know, look, see? They up here, too. Right. You know? We shot Times Square, because that was international. You know, you get that big, all the lights. You expanded the horizon. People get excited, yeah. And so Ray Kwan said, oh, you got a plan.

I said, yeah, yeah, we're gonna take it outside of Staten Island, we shoot some parts in Staten Island, we shot in the projects, and then we shot, you know, in Manhattan, because I wanted to let everybody know, they're not just from Staten Island, this is New York, so, yeah. How tough was that back then, like, when you say locations now, people have these little cameras and they can just go and just go anywhere. But back then,

everything was cranes and, yeah, like big... Big trucks. Yeah, big trucks and stuff like that. So how... Was that hard? Yeah.

Did you have to pull permits? Yeah. You did? Well, in the beginning, we didn't. Right. We just was, you know... Gorilla style.

Oh, no, no, no. We college students. We just doing the college film, you know. And you get away with that for, no, no. We college students. We just doing the college film, you know. And you get away with that for a little while. Right, right. But when Cats Like Nori

and them start showing up, you're like, nah. Too many. It don't look like a college film. I think everybody's used college. I've done that too.

Shooting a college project right now. You got a white beard, man. So once we got past that, me, especially my partner, me and my partner Alano the vid kid he's a vid kid vid kid was doing

you know Belle Biv DeVoe right the whole album Boyz II Men the whole album shooting the whole album the whole video

all the videos off the album TLC every video off of the incredible deals from wow

we was on the roll man we did look at least four or five hundred videos. Wow. And then my intern picked up where

we left off. Hype Williams. Right. Hype Williams is my intern. That's right, Hype Williams. Yeah. He's my,

he's my, he's my, he's my guy. I go pick him up on Linden Boulevard. It's where he lived at around where Conn's and Tip and everybody right in that area, St. Albans. And I go pick him up on Linden Boulevard. It was where he lived at, around where Conn's and Tip and everybody,

right in that area, St. Albans. And I'd go pick him up in a car. Come on, let's go. 7 in the morning. We got to beat the set by 9. Let's go. Boom, get the set. He would be like the dude who would like, okay, I want to,

let's paint the whole room purple. And he would come in and paint the room purple. But he would add a little flair to it. I was like, I like that. That was different was different you can just put in the purple you know so he always had something creative with him and then he started asking me could he do videos and i said all right and um and i gave him a video um my man just passed away um strictly roots um my man dion broadway from the bronx. And he did that video. And he did a great job with it.

And then another guy we had, I gave him Positive K. What's the Positive K? I got a plan? I got a man. He said, I got a plan? That's the remix. He was in the crib. He was in the crib watching it on TV.

He was happy. Look, he's happy. He's going back to that moment. Yeah, yeah. But a lot of guys came through, and we gave them opportunities. You know, clearly hype was most successful. That makes so much sense. Yeah.

That makes so much sense. I don't even know how I didn't put two or two together and know that already like i i think i did but yeah so so you knew like you know how you can you said like when you heard wolf you you can look and see if there's some stars can you do that with a video director like can you did you know hype will be this big i knew he was creative he wasn't scared right and you know that's the thing about, you know, telling,

working with people and creating a scene. Don't be afraid to try something different. Right. You know, like, you know, when you're making video,

artists, you know, like, they want, I want some different angles, man. I need some different, you know, give me some fly shit. Change the lens or something,

you know, like, do that kind of shit. Right. Yeah. And you see Hype, Hype in that, what Hype, you saying? Oh, yeah me some fly shit. Change the lens or something, you know, like do that kind of shit. Right. Yeah. And you see Hype in that, what Hype, you saying? Oh, yeah, nah, he was putting Vaseline on the lens. I'm like, yo, what you doing, bro? Pops.

That sounds so different nowadays. Why did Hype get his name Hype? Oh, graffiti. Oh, yeah, that was his tag Hype? Oh, graffiti. Oh, that was his tag? Yeah. Oh, okay. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck.

This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian, Dr. Randall Williams, and bestselling author and meat eater founder, Stephen Ranella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's go, let's go back. You start the show. You start to create your own videos, right? Is that like, not like, like I, I see videos, right? Mm-hmm. Is that like not, like, I see Oprah, right? Oprah has this magazine. Every month,

you know who's on the front cover of Oprah magazine? Oprah. Oprah. Right. Every month. Right. So is that something,

like, was that a type of mentality? Like, yo, let me try to control the atmosphere, or how did that work? Nah. Maybe I should have. I wasn't like that at all because I didn or how did that work? Nah. Maybe I should have. I wasn't like that at all, because I didn't want all that attention.

Right. I never even got into this. When I first started the show, you never saw me. Right. You just didn't hear my voice. Heard your voice, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So the people at the station was like, people want to see you. You can't even request. They want to know who's the guy behind the voice.

So then I started. First place I showed my face was at the Roxy. It was Melly Mel. It was, everybody was at the Roxy. I never even met these dudes. I'm from Queens. They from the Bronx. I never met these guys, but they all there. I'm like, wow, this is real hip hop. You know, this is it. You know who they are? I know who they are. Okay, okay. But they didn't know you.

Not, well, they did. Actually, they did. And that was the crazy part because they knew my name. Let's put it that way. They might not have seen me before, but they knew my name. I remember Mr. Magic came to where I was doing the show. Right. But he just wanted to see who the fuck is Ralph McDaniels. Right, right. I'm Mr. Magic.

Did you think he thought as your platform as a competitive thing to what... Yeah, anything. If you was on that, you had people's attention and people was talking about you, who is that?

Because Mr. Magic was the guy. Molly, Magic. Magic, yeah. Right. Molly wasn't there, but Magic was there and Fly Tide, bigger Fly Tide

from Cold Chilling Records. Yeah, Cold Chilling Records. He really gave us our first start with doing the videos. Yeah. Shante. Yep. Biz Markie. Yep. us our first start with doing the videos. Yeah. Shante. Yep.

Biz Markie. Yep. Coogee Rap. Yep. Kane. Kane. We did all those videos. Right.

That was our first. That's crazy, man. We didn't, I wanted to do Def Jam stuff. Right. Russell was frontin', really, and I'm from Queens Village, Hollis. I'm from right there. Right. And I'm like, Russ, yo, let us do a couple videos, man.

Not even Curtis Blow videos? Well, by that time, Kurt's kind of slowing down. Okay. That's after the breaks and Christmas rapping and all that. But Kurt's our man. Right. But I don't even think, oh, they did have a video, right. They had basketball and a couple other videos.

Right. But yeah, that was a great time for us to develop ourselves, do business with these guys who are the new hip-hop entrepreneurs, Russell Simmons, Tyrone Williams, Andre Harrell. Right. These are the new guys. There's a couple of guys from uptown, some old gangster dudes that got labels. Right.

But we don't need to fuck with them. Right. Because they on some other time. But these are dudes that are really at the party in the culture. Okay, we with it. We with it. We going to mess with y'all.

Hip hop was always not a nice thing. Right. It was always not a nice thing. Always had one leg in the street for sure. Yeah. That part is, you know, like from back in the parks days. Right. You know, the dreads will come and take your equipment

and all that. You know, or just some dude that just, he's just going to take your stuff. Or the gangs with the Zulu and everything. When you see them,

you're like, oh damn. Right. They're going to take our shit. We ain't nothing we can do about it. Ain't a damn thing we can do. Let me ask you, the box.

Hmm. Which was out here. Yeah, Miami. That was out here. That was, yeah, it was a big deal for us was out here. Yeah, Miami. That was out here. That was, yeah, it was a big deal for us too out here. But did that affect the show at one point? Nah, it didn't affect us in any way.

So The Box, you know, they used to call us The Box. Right. For short. Right. It's streets. Yeah, yeah. We called it video. Name of the show was called Video Music Box.

Right. But they were going home to watch The Box. All right, I'll see you later. Boom. So when The Box came out, you know, you pay money to get to see the video. And a list would come up and you pick this video. Right. Luke, you know, whatever it was.

I want to rock. Uh-huh. So now these videos are coming on. People think that it's us. Right. But that's's us. Why? But that's not me. Did they jack the name, though? Is that clear?

I didn't know it at the time. I didn't even know that MTV created the box. Oh, I didn't know that either. Yes. Really? MTV created the box. But there was no, it didn't say MTV production, didn't say Viacom or nothing on it.

That's crazy. MTV created the box. The box was a money grab. The whole idea was record labels were spending $20,000. It was payola, 100%. It was payola straight. And they would have a dude, I knew there was one of the dudes. One of my homies, a DJ, was one of the program directors there.

Yeah. I didn't realize that then. I was a fan, so I didn't know. You know how you knew? If you keep paying, that is payable. No, but this is how you knew. When you bought, you ordered a video, you see a million videos before your video ever came out. That's because, and then you see the same video.

Right, same videos. And it's because they would run, they would pay it off. That was payable. It was a guy sitting in his house, and he was just spending record companies' money. And it worked, though. That was his job It worked because you would get programmed by seeing that video over and over again It broke a lot of artists though

Rico Suave I feel like he got broke Nah nah come on Why does he keep coming up here What was his name Rico Suave's name Ricardo He became an executive And he championed

real hip hop shit though. What's my man from Texas that used to play a lot? Oh man, damn, what's that guy's name? Mexican guy. He was hot.

Oh, straight gangster. I can't remember his name. It sounds like a lot of people. Damn, I forgot, I forgot. South Park,

Mexico? South Park, Mexico. Yeah. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, I know my shit, I know my shit, I know my shit. I know my South Park, Mexico. South Park, Mexico. Yeah. Come on, come on, come on, come on,

come on. I know my shit. I know my shit. I know my shit. I know my shit. And can't forget Kim Frost. Kim Frost,

yes. All that. Hispanic heritage, man. Yeah, that's right. Barico Aquano. So,

my wife is Puerto Rican. Oh, I'm a big big of your wife. Make some noise for her. But, um, have you ever been wrong about a video? Like someone sending you a video and you not play it? And you're like, damn.

Or you play it and it was not. Oh. And it ended up not being that great either. Yeah. I've missed a couple. Yeah. I mean, I'm trying to think of like a good example. It probably was some, like, some, I mean, there were records that were hit records, but not in New York.

Right. And I didn't play it. And then when I went somewhere else, it was like, what? Right. People were going crazy to the records. Right. You know, like. You tell Nori about that all the time.

Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know I was throwing that at you. Because me and him were arguing about that all the time not arguing but we debate it's like

back then it almost felt like your records had to sound like New York to get because you know obviously you was controlling

we had the thing and it almost seemed like people wanted to have their records sound like New York the business of hip hop was centralized in New York.

Yeah, at the time. So everybody- Like when we first seen Cypress Hills. I first seen Cypress Hills. Because I thought they was from Brooklyn, Cypress Hills. Yeah, everybody thought- Remember, Cypress Hills and Brooklyn. Right.

Like, yeah. And I told B-Real that, he's like, I know. Everybody's like- It's like everybody had to go in through the back door and pause. What did you guys do? Yeah. Going to New York. Yeah.

Yeah. Like to make a sound that was relatable to New York. Yeah, like to make a sound that was relatable to New York sound to kind of get in the door. But like when I played NWA, it wasn't playing on the radio in New York. And I just felt like whatever.

Now I'm going to LA now because I'm working. I'm doing videos out there. So I'm seeing there's a whole scene in LA. So I'm aware of it. New York people not really aware of it. New York people not really aware of it because they haven't seen it.

Right. You know, but NWA, I'm like, this is hard. Right. This is like West Coast Public Enemy.

Yeah, that's exactly right. That's the way I took it. That's the way I looked at it too back then. We gonna play this and people are like, man, what? This dude, he got Jerry Curls.

I'm playing Eazy-E too. We want Eazy. Yeah, he came out first his album was first right it was an album I thought it was just a single no no no

his whole album came out first yeah oh shit Jim Jones said man when you played that Eazy-E I felt like I was him when he bust out of the jail I was like

right with those graphics and they used it right green screen right it was hard you know like it was it was something that was Right. With those graphics and they used it. Right, right. Green screen. Right. It was hard. You know, like,

it was something that was, and New York wasn't playing those records on the radio. Right. You know, you didn't hear those records. You know, you might have heard, you know, once in a while,

a couple, but it definitely wasn't a New York sound. It didn't go in the mix. Right. Because it was basically a mix show, basically, at that point in New York.

It wasn't like Hot 97, you know, Power 105, or anything like that. It wasn't go in the mix because it was basically a mix show, basically, at that point in New York. It wasn't like Hot 97, you know, Power 105 or anything like that. It wasn't a rotation. It wasn't a rotation. Yeah, it wasn't that. So we broke a lot of records, Luke. Luke told me that we played his song more in New York than in Miami. Which record? 2 Live Crew or Luke?

2 Live Crew. I played 2 Live Crew first.? 2 Live Crew. Go ahead. I played 2 Live Crew first. I Wanna Rock clearly was a big hit. We played that a lot. That was Luke, actually, I Wanna Rock.

But he played, but he said that. Move Something, I can imagine you guys played a lot. We played Move Something, yeah. But he said that his records wasn't

on the radio in Miami. I believe it, yeah. He said they were in the clubs, Miami-Base. I mean, I was a kid around there, but yeah, said they were in the clubs, Miami-based. I mean, I was a kid around there, but yeah, but it was definitely the clubs,

the entire radio. I was playing it on the, playing the videos because it was all the girls in bathing suits. You know, it's Miami. It looked good.

And you could get away with that at that time from 3.30 to 4.30. Yeah. Okay. Crazy, man. Wow. Yeah. It was lit. So did y' Okay. Crazy, man. Wow. Yeah.

Lit. So did y'all ever get video music box out here? No, we would get it by, we would get recorded tapes. Recorded tapes. Okay. Yeah, man.

Like people would make like their own version of a mixtape, like a VHS mixtape and they would have snippets from video music box in it. Wow. I'm going to make it available.

Wow, yeah. Because I've seen in a documentary you got all these archives. Wow. I'm going to make it available. Wow, yeah. I seen in a documentary you got all these archives. Yeah, 20,000 hours. We started a non-profit video music box collection because it takes real time. These are all tapes,

analog tapes. You got to play it out in real time and digitize it. And so I'll be here until I'm 90 years old doing this. So we had to get some money big up to people that contributed, Ben Horowitz, some others. It's history, man.

It has to be. It's preserving it. It's archiving it. It's like making sure that when we're all along and gone, even if you didn't keep a personal history, we have something. It might not be the whole story, but we have something that we say, yeah, this is what this person did. This is what EFN did. This is what, you know, so that it exists. And not overproduced.

Like, raw. Like, I want to get, you know, CNN in the sweaty club in Queens or in Brooklyn and, you know, fights about to jump off. I want that footage. Right, right, right, right.

I want that energy. It exists. Right, not overly produced. That's the purest organic form of it. Fat Joe said, man, you know how many times, Ralph, you were right in the middle of some shit that's about to jump off

and you're just there and the only reason I hasn't jumped off is because you're there. Right, right. I said, is that good? Is that bad? And he's like, no, it's good. It's fantastic. about to jump off and you're just there and the only reason I hasn't jumped off is because you're there. Right. I said, is that good? Is that bad? And he's like,

no, it's good. It's fantastic. He just edited himself right now. He says, it's about to jump off. You know he's been doing that a long time. Like,

when we used to see like you guys in the club, what was that, taped the night before? Yeah. Oh was that? Taped the night before? Yeah. Oh, it could have been the week before. It could have been the week before. Yeah, it could have been the week before.

We tried to get it out as quickly as we could. One of the fastest I got out was the Fresh Fest back in 85. Okay. That was the first hip-hop concert. Yeah. First big hip-hop concert. Who's on that? Is Beasties on there? No it's run dmc is the

headline houdini fat boys fat boys for sure grandmaster flash furious 5 lo got like one record i need a beat he does one record on maybe two okay and so um oh and and Dynamic Rockers. They was a breakdancing group. And they did a whole routine, but like a stage routine. It's dope. And you got the footage out like six days or something like that, right? Right. Immediately, because I said, somebody going, but nobody had it.

There was one other camera. I'd never seen that angle, but nobody else had it. And that was like the changing of the guards because there's a scene in there where Grandmaster Kaz and Run DMC are crossing each other. One's going in to the dressing room, one's coming out. And you look at Grandmaster Kaz. Grandmaster Kaz looks like Rick James.

Right. That was his style. His outfit. Right. Spikes and all that. Run DMC is... The leather? No.

Lees. Okay. Black. The B-boy. Adidas. Right. Spikes and all that. Run DMC is... The leather? No. Lees. Okay. Black. The B-Boy. Adidas. Right. What's up? Like, they was straight off the block, straight off of Hollis Avenue.

Right. We just jumped in and we go into the arena. We're going to get on stage and rock it out. I was like, damn, look at the difference in hip-hop right there. Look at this. So you saw it in real time? I saw it in real time. I got this...

I made a still and I'm just going to put it out of that moment. So you saw it in real time. I saw it in real time. I got this. I made a still. I'm just going to put it out of that moment because that was a big moment to me because I saw it. And, you know, Jermaine Dupri is the dancer. For Houdini. For Houdini. Yeah.

That's from that footage. That's my footage from that. All the footage that they keep showing of him as a kid, right? That's me, yeah. It's crazy because that's how, to be watching hip-hop that long is pretty amazing. Thank God I'm still here

to talk about it. And that's why it was important for me to come on here. Right. Because everybody... Before you keep going, we got to give them a shout out. Oh, yeah, yes, yes, please.

Our show is about giving people their flowers when they're alive, when they're here, tell you how great you are, face-to-face, man-to to man. If it wasn't for you, it wouldn't be a lot of us, so we wouldn't be your flowers. Nice.

Yes, yes, yes. Oh, man. It's like 007. You know, I'll tell you one thing, though. You know, when I came in here I was definitely A little high Because

Nori is blowing Some good shit Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes How was it back then

Because people was going To jail for joints Back then How was it At the Q clubs And things like that When you was filming Was they allowed

To smoke back then He wasn't allowed to But you know At Q club get away with it because that was a Jamaican spot. Right. But I always say, damn, man, you know how many people are still locked up for some bullshit? Yeah. It's illegal now? You know, like, I remember the first time I saw a Jamaican in Queens. Right.

Like, with some clerks. A Jamaican? A Jamaican. You saw him? Right. You saw Queens. Right. Like with some Clarks. A Jamaican? A Jamaican. You saw. Right. Right. He walked down the block. You walked down that block.

Rude boy. Rude boy. Yeah, that's it. You a time traveler. And we was sitting on the stoop. Like, you know, I'm like young. And I'm like, what is this dude? Who is this guy?

My family is, my family's from Trinidad. But Jamaican is different. Jamaicans is different, bro. And Dreds, and I was like, and we were looking at him, and we were like, who is this guy? And, you know, right, it was like Bob Marley. And I was like, okay. And so that was the introduction.

Then, you know, because I'm in Brooklyn at the same time, so I'm seeing Dreds now all the time. When I move back, I graduate from college. I move back, I'm in the middle of it. That's why I play a lot of reggae music on the show, too. Right. And, you know, because I hear all, I know all the tunes. Right.

As soon as I come out my door, I hear everything, you know, so. In the neighborhood. In the neighborhood, yeah. Flatbush. Flatbush. I just think of a motherfucking roti. Making patty With cocoa bread

Cocoa bread God damn it Nori is So let's talk about the Brothership Connection Whoa Whoa Let's talk about that

The Brothership Connection That's me and my man Lionel My boy You know he was the vid kid on TV That was our original DJ crew. Oh, wow. Yeah. So it was called the Brothership Connection.

And that went away real quick. You know, it was like for a quick hot minute. Then I was DJ Ralph McDaniel. I never had a, you know, like Flash. I never had like Grand Wizard Theater. I never had one of them names. I just was like, nah, I'm just going to be me, my regular name. Just Ralph McDaniels.

Just Ralph McDaniels. What did they say the other day? They had DJ D. Everybody DJ D at one point. Everything was D or E. My original name was Funk E. Funk E. Or E Funk.

That was my first two original names. Let's go talk about original names. Okay. Let's go talk about Classic Concept. Yeah. Classic Concept was when we started doing Video Music Box, we were watching the videos, and we were like, you know, like they would say, you know, I was on 125th Street walking down the block.

I'm like, that's not 125th Street they're walking. I don't know where they're at right now. They're like, who did this video? Insulting to us. So I'm like, we got to do our own videos. And that's why we started Classic Concepts. So it was a classic concept. We would come up with something that would stand the test of time.

That's your production company. That's the name of our production company, yes. The video. Yeah, all the videos we did. Self-destruction. You did self Yeah, all the videos we did. Self-Destruction. You did Self-Destruction? Yeah, incredible. Yeah.

We want to come up with something that's, you can't ever forget this. You know, KRS-One and the Schomburg. Wait, hold on. Let me ask you, when you talk about Self-Destruction, was you a part of making the record too or just filming the video? I was around when I wasn't part of it. I can't say that. There's a whole stop the violence movement.

It happened because there was a concert. Some kids got stabbed. One kid might have got killed. This is when they changed from gold chains to the medallions, the leather medallion. Wow. So let's stop the, you know, KRS was the first probably,

well, he just had a big one. And so everybody's like, okay, no more gold chains, leather medallion. Wow. So let's stop the, you know, KRS was the first probably, well, he just had a big one. And so everybody's like, okay, no more gold chains, leather medallions. And, and that's when that came about. And,

but KRS, one already had, what was it? The Stop the Violence Movement? Stop the Violence Movement. Right. Right. Not self-destruction.

Right. Stop the violence. Stop the violence in hip hop. Yeah. You know? And so that was just a build up off of that. And then they gave the, D-Nice produced that track. D-Nice produced self-destruction.

I didn't know he actually produced it. Yeah. Self-destruction. Yeah, because I remember when they were like, D-Nice is working on the record. He was just making the record. Then before the artists, we were. I mean, it makes sense. It makes sense.

He was a young guy at the time. But he was nobody... Everybody at that time was like, why D-Nice? Right. Really? They had D-Nice on here. Because D-Nice was... There was a lot of producers out at that time.

Right. People you didn't even know. When I first said it, you were like, hmm. Right. That's the way everybody else felt. Did he really? But D-Nice was... Yeah.

D-Nice was doing his thing back then. Well, I mean, that record is dope i can't and that record to to do the video how hard was it to get all those people in line for that video that was hard he shot it on a sunday because that's that's the top tier of hip-hop at that time yeah and and not everybody was you you know, playing along. Wow. Even for that righteous cause. It was like, you know, what time they going to be there? But I think it was a combination of Ann Carley from Job Records, myself, KRS-One, Nelson George, and people, and what had just happened.

Like, it was a big concert, and it was like, yo, we're not going to be able to do no more concerts no more if we continue to be doing this craziness at the show. And I think everybody took it seriously. And I think, oh, my man's brother had got cut. I saw you walking in the rain. Oh, shit.

Right. Orange Juice Jones. Yeah. His brother, his younger brother was one of the guys who got cut. So he's in the doc. There's a little documentary on it. He's in that talking. So it was kind of close to home.

He was on Def Jam. You know, Orange Juice Jones was kind of hot at that time. Right. And so, yeah Orange Juice Jones was kind of hot at that time. And so, yeah, so people came together. I remember Slick Rick, he looked like he just came from the castle. Castle was in the Bronx. Castle was the spot in the Bronx. That's where, you know, all the drug boys was there.

Kid Capri was the DJ. Open till 7 in the morning. And Rick came down the block with two bottles in the coat like it was an album cover. And I was like, damn, this nigga's for real right here. This is a real deal. This is before he went to jail. You know? And so with the jewelry on. Boom.

89. Shit is real in 89. Who was your, and you don't necessarily have to answer this, but who was your favorite scene in that self-destruction video? I can tell you mine was MC Lyte and Public Enemy. Okay. Lionel, who directed that, my partner, Lionel Martin, he loved that. He loved Kane. He was like, he loved, because he did all the Kane videos.

He did the early ones. And so, and MC Lyte. We did MC Lyte's videos, too. We did Paper Thin, One on Train. So those are his two favorite artists. Right. For that project, let's say. So he, and they rhymes right behind each other.

Right. And so he loved that part. So I can understand why you, and that was in front of the, what you call them, the club in Times Square, big club back then, Union Square. I mean, not Union Square. Latin Quarters?

Latin Quarters. Okay. Latin Quarters. You're talking about Public Enemy? That's where that scene was at, not Public Enemy. MC Lights. Yeah, MC Lights.

Public Enemy, Chuck wasn't there. Chuck was, he was in a studio. He was in Long Island. I don't know what Chuck was on, but he wasn't there. You have to ask Chuck. And so he wasn't there, but Flavor was there. He's at the scene that morning, Sunday morning in Harlem,

but Flavor was there. So they got that done, But Chuck wasn't there. So Chuck's never in the video? He's in it, but he's not at that location. I'm confused because I'm like, that's my favorite scene. Yeah, he's in a studio in Roosevelt.

Oh, you're saying his part is in the studio. Right, in Roosevelt. Okay, I'm lost. So what's your favorite scenes in that video? I think I like the whole beginning with KR in the Schomburg library. You know, anytime you got a fight, like I'm a producer. In that case, I'm a producer. You fighting for a location. This is the Schomburg.

They could care less about hip hop. This is like a, you know, whatever, educational situation. And I'm like, this is a positive song for the community. Y'all are serving the community. I'm putting it on. I'm leaning on them. And they were like, yeah, we don't really care about hip-hop, though. And I'm like, it's going to help. And eventually, we got

it done. And we probably gave them some money, donated some money to the situation. So whenever you got to go through all that, and then you get it done, you're like, that's my favorite scene right there. Right. I think that song had a huge impact at that time.

Yeah. And then we had the West Coast All-Stars do the same. Some of the structure was first. Yeah, yeah, clearly. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, I think those two movements did do a lot of positive at that time. Do you think it could do it again now? We need something like that.

I got, that was a two-part question. One is, what did you think of when you heard the West Coast version of All In The Same Gang and then...

It was cool. You know, I thought it was cool. I thought it was, especially because they had everybody that was important in it. Right.

Hammer was in it at the time. N.W.A. N.W.A. Digital Underground. Yeah, everybody was in it and they used the songs the track changed

yeah every time they went to the artist yeah that part with Above the Law was up right yeah so they used

a sample of their music their own music yeah I don't know who produced that but that was that was good that was a good vibe but I always say

people always ask me why don't they do Self Destruction now Ralph people have tried I mean like like who though not I mean like like if like right now we were to google it right now you'd see a million versions of no real legit yeah I think Karis one did a couple but I think there needs to be a movement to do it the way it was done then because because wasn't like self-destruction a version of We Are The World? Yeah.

You know what I mean? That was a vibe, too. You know, like those type of records. Right. You know, like self-destruction, We Are The World. There was another one we used to play on the show, Sun City.

It was against apartheid in South Africa. I used to play that all the time. We're not going to do Sun City. You know, all of those types of songs. I think now, more than ever, we need, because the world is separated right now. Polarized like a motherfucker. Yeah. And one thing about hip hop is I don't care if you're black, white, Asian, wherever you came from, if you like hip hop, we with you.

We all together. And we need that to come back. You know, I think that people are scared to go and say it and do certain things because it's not the cool thing to say right now, you know. Everybody's on their side of the fence. But that's a bad thing.

We need to bring... And if hip-hop... That's what hip-hop did. I remember when I worked at Hot 97. It used to be just black and Latino crowd. And then one night I went out on the stage and it was all white. And, you know, I'm ready to do my, you know, Brooklyn. And I'm like, what am I supposed to say? They from Brooklyn too.

I said the same shit. Right. And they responded the same way. I said, oh, okay. They hip hop. Yeah. And that's it.'s what hip-hop has been and that's why it's number one now you know the number one genre and people go like well you know it doesn't do it it doesn't hasn't done anything for for the world i'm like a lot of people together that's not true right you go i've been in countries where they

don't even i'm the only one speaking English. Right. And they know hip hop. They know me. And we all good as long as I go, get on stage and start jumping. Don't have to say nothing. They get it. So. It's changed the world. Hip hop has definitely changed the world.

You know, but we're in a time, a tough time, you know, and I'm glad that, you know, I'm not trying to preach or nothing like that, but we need to come together. You know, like just on some like, come on, man, relax. We're not going to be here forever, man. Right. You know, like. Let's leave something positive behind. It's over.

Look, I'm like this, like, what? I can't believe, you know, I'm this old now. I'm like, what? Can't be. Can't. Where did it all go? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else.

Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser-known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best-selling author and meat-eater founder Stephen Rinella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say, when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We love the documentary. You ever think about making a full-fledged movie? Yeah. Acting like The Wire about... Yeah. Yeah. We could do that.

We could do easily 36 episodes. Easily. I already was worked on 24. Wow. Close to 24. Maybe 16, 17. Hmm. And the idea was when I first did the documentary was to do a movie first.

Because I was like, the streets want to see a movie, man. The movies, because, you know, the movies thing was hot. You know, DVDs, all kinds of movies was out. I'm like, nah, I think they don't give a damn about no documentary. They want to see the movie. And, so before I did the deal with Mass Appeal,

I did it with Mark Wahlberg. Wow. Wow. So Mark Wahlberg's, like one of his homies, his main dudes, grew up in Long Island watching video music.

He calls me one day, he's like, yo man, I want to do a documentary on video music. I work with Mark Wahlberg. Mark Wahlberg? He said, what? He's like, yeah. Say that.

Let's get him on the phone. Were you playing Marky Mark on? I played him. OK. And so I played New Kids on the Block, too. Donnie. So were they getting that in Boston? They was getting it on?

Maybe, I don't know. Okay, cool. And so I get on the phone. It wasn't Mark, but it was his documentary company. Right. And we're talking and they're like, yeah. And then the pandemic hits. So we're like, we got to do a sizzle reel.

So we made the sizzle reel on Zoom. I'm talking, answering the questions. I got all the on Zoom I'm talking answering the questions I got all the content I'm sending it to them they cutting it up the sizzle's tight we sign you know when you do these

you sign like a little agreement don't shop don't go nowhere else with this for 18 months exclusivity right

so we sat we met with HBO which Mark Wahlberg does a lot of stuff with hbo so i'm assuming that this is it right we getting ready to go the main lady nancy something she's on the call i'm like this is the ladies on every back every documentary right we with the official lady right here right see i'm sorry guys i love the idea but we already got a bunch of documentaries on music because we can't do nothing. I'm like, oh, OK.

All right. So then, OK, we're going to meet with Netflix. Met with Netflix. Nothing's happening. Two young kids. I knew they didn't get it at all. So I'm like. You produced Rock Sand on Netflix, though.

No, well, it wasn't. Netflix bought it. Well, another production company bought it and put it on Netflix. So they're like, well, let's go to BET. Hold up. Wait, let's not go to BET yet. Let's move around. Let's move around.

Nothing against BET, but let's move around. It's hip hop. It's international. Let's move around. I understand. And so nothing's happening. So we sit. And we sat for a while.

And people, this isn't on the pandemic. People was dying. You know, oh, such and such died. This one died. It's scary. Right, scary. I'm like, hold on, man. We got to do something here.

We're not just going to sit here and let this play out. So the time the contract ran out. Oh, also, the main part of it was Sasha Jenkins jenkins sasha jenkins who did the wu-tang documentary right every time sasha would do a documentary you call me yo ralph i'm doing bismarck key what you got i hit him with some footage okay sasha i'm like sasha i need that back yeah you were his secret weapon right come on man let's I need you to direct the video music box joint so he's like alright he went

to the meeting with the with HBO and all that but it didn't work out he calls me he says look man I'm gonna take it to Showtime I got a meeting with Showtime you okay with that so yeah same shit HBO Showtime let's do it he doesn't tell me that Nas is going with him right Showtime, you okay with that? He said, yeah, same shit. HBO, Showtime. Let's do it.

He doesn't tell me that Nas is going with him. Right. He says, yo, Nas, right before they go, we going there now. Nas is with me. I said, Nas? Hmm. Where did Nas come at? That's Mass Appeal.

Okay. All right, no problem. Yo, they loved it. They loved it. That's the only thing they loved. They showed the trailer? The trailer. The trailer. No, no, no, no, they loved it that's the only thing they loved they showed the trailer the trailer the trailer

no no no no not that okay we had some other shit that we did for Massive Bill well it wasn't Massive Bill

at the time it was just me and Sasha right and so went took it to them they love it they ready to do it

so you know Peter Bittenbender hey hey I mean I know Peter but I don't know him so come do it so you know peter bitten bender hey hey i mean i know peter but i don't know i'm like so come on down ralph you know i need to talk to you we're gonna get this check moving whoa whoa whoa who are you i'm not i'm only joking peter i'm only joking so but we that was the deal that you know naz came in and just clicked it and made it happen. Nas is in the room.

I was like, yo, you know, Nas is like my little big brother. So I'm like, bro, I said the same shit you said, and they act like they didn't hear me. You said it, and they were like, yeah, this is great. Some kind of bullshit is this? But big up to Nas. That's the way it's supposed to be though man oh yeah yeah

and you know I did Nas' first video I did it on the tell that makes sense it was crazy and didn't you didn't you put his EPK

which is really what got it popping that in the streets like that because I mean he had a buzz right but when that EPK came out

nobody ever did that before right like a video epk yeah that's what yeah right basically like uh behind the scenes whole thing of the album all the producers are in it premiere large les pete rock q-tip versus the you know it's everybody's in the creme of the creme of the time at the time right and we and we and all five of them produced the album. Yeah. And we in the projects, we in the building, you know, we walking around talking, you know, and that was another changing moment in hip hop.

Because that was, you know, a new era of different types of artists. Yep. You know. That was a changing of a guard as well, yeah. That time, yeah. And then, and then that, that's how you wound up doing it. Ain't hard to tell. Um, no, we were already doing, um, yeah, you're right. Yes. Yeah. They said, Oh, he did a great job. Can you do, we got a video.

This ain't hard to tell. There's another case of, it's not a big budget cause they, they not quite sure yet. Right. Columbia records. Oh, really? Weird shakiness with his brother. Yeah. You know, big up Faith Newman. And. Columbia Records. Oh, really? There was a weird shakiness with his property. Yeah. You know, big up Faith Newman. And she's like,

yo, you know, we got, you know, a little bit of money. Can you do this? I'm like, nah, I'm already sold. This is classic hip hop. Because he's buzzing

crazy already in hip hop. I seen it with my own eyes in the clubs. Niggas is fighting. It's working. Right. It's happening, you know?

Right. And so I'm like all right and so we did we did that and um and then i wanted to do the the world is yours that was the video that i that was like cream to me i'm not saying that you know ain't all telling a big record but when i heard i liked the you know the pianos so wait so you did cream before that um no we didn't know after that Cream after that. Yeah, okay.

But I mean, I'm just saying like, that was the next single, The World Is Yours. Right. It ain't hard to say, I believe. And so yeah,

it was just step by step. Mind you also, I get that because I'm also dealing with Third Base. We did all the Third Base videos. MC Search. So then back to the grill again,

I already came out with, well yeah, I mean, Dirt Basin and then Search had his own project. Search is the one who told me... Back to the Grill again has Nas in it. Yeah. But he's the one who said, I got this artist that I'm working with, Nasty Nas. Yeah, he was shopping. And he was pumping it up

and I'm like, okay, okay. And that's how the relationship becomes... I know Faith Newman, she used to be at Def Jam. She's at Columbia now at the time. So it was a Def Jam kind of connection thing. And then, you know, that's how it happened. Seems like a lot of people were fighting for Nas to make sure he got across the finish line.

Yeah, yeah. How was your relationship with Biggie? Biggie was a funny dude, man. This dude is a comedian, man. What's the first interaction ever? Okay, first interaction, me and my man Beast. We used to be at Tower Records back in the day. It was a record store.

Yep. And we on Broadway. No. Yeah, on Broadway and 8th Street. There's a Carvel. Mr. Softee. Mr. Softee. We getting some ice creams.

Hi. So this girl comes up to us. She's like, hi, Ralph. I want to introduce you to Notorious B.I.G. Wow. So I said, like, that's what she said. Like, Notorious B.I.G. Like, that's a hell of a name.

Right. I want to see this guy. Right. And so he's standing behind me, like, Notorious B.I.G. Like, that's a hell of a name. Right. I want to see this guy. Right. And so he's standing behind me, and it's Fat Chris. Right. And I'm like, there's nothing that looks notorious about him to me. So they were calling him Notorious, like, even when people were calling him Biggie Smalls? That's what she said.

Yeah, she said Notorious B.I.G. Okay, so he already had that name. So maybe it existed, and maybe that's what he wanted. Right. And so... Thank you. I'm'm looking at him and he's like, what's up, man? Yo, you know, I watch you on TV. He's a nice guy. I'm like, alright, so we

said what's up, and I turned around, I went to my man Beast, I said, you look like Notorious. He's not that Notorious. So, six months later, I see him. It's Brooklyn now. It's like he's an incredible Hulk now.

He's a different dude. I'm like, oh, he has the notorious VIG. He turned into that guy. He morphed into that guy. Yeah, he morphed into that guy. But he was a funny-ass dude, man. You go to clubs and buying drinks with girls. He's ass dude, man. You know, you go to clubs and, you know, buying drinks with girls. He's just,

he's a comedian, man. I know, you know, many people miss him, man, because of just the jokes, man. And the lyricism, you know, and the way he could tell, paint a picture of it. And he'll tell a story

like he does records. You know, he like, yo, this dude is hilarious, man. He can't but he's but it's really but this shit really happened right it's like dark comedy right um um did you have didn't y'all have something set up in the tunnel like as soon as you walk like a booth yeah it wasn't, that wasn't us. Maybe Flex. Yeah, Flex. Yeah. Yeah, just the excitement and Flex. What was one of the best clubs for you to film in? Wow, that's a good question.

I would say, damn, best clubs. So many. The Ark. The Ark. clubs. So many. The Ark. The Ark. Wow. In Brooklyn. Okay. So, you know, only Brooklyn, well, I shouldn't say only Brooklyn, but mostly Brooklyn people

know about The Ark. Right. And that was another club that on any other night, it was Caribbean night. But when we did, it was mixed. It was more hip hop than Caribbean. And I brought Mary J. Blige there. First time she ever came to Brooklyn. But when we did, it was mixed. It was more hip-hop than Caribbean. And I brought Mary J. Blige there. First time she ever came to Brooklyn.

I bought, I remember Lil' Kim used to be there before she had records out. And when she had a record out, we brought her on stage. What? What you talking about? With Big Ear by herself. By herself. And, you know, all of these big name artists you know like shabba supercat would come you know that was that era that was like the hip-hop reggae era shaggy shaggy used to be there with us all the time like i feel like in fact i did shaggy's first video because he was there all

the time which one the carolina carolina oh carolina you did that joint that was a that's a classic. And because he was there with us all the time. Like we hung out, you know, went to the diner afterwards. He had just come home from the service. He was a Marine. Yeah, Marine. Yeah.

And then he, you know, he's hanging out with us. So and then, you know, he sold 10 million records. And, you know, he was I was like, what? It just happened. But yeah. But but yeah, all those artists, all those DJs. I think about some of the DJs that we lost, Lance and all these other guys that were just amazing guys. And Bismarck, he would DJ. He came out to DJ in some of those clubs.

He would kill it. And he would kill it, you know? Peace. It was a good time. It was a good time in that space. And then you could get robbed on the way home. As a matter of factly. So sorry.

Yeah, it wasn't bad. How did you deal with, I'm sure, being the platform that you had that was one of the few platforms at that time for hip hop. When people had beef and wanted to have a video that was a beef, like, let's just say, let's go with KRS. Like, how did that era, like, how did you deal with that? Queensbridge hated me. Oh. Because you had to play it. You had to play it, right?

I had to play it. So how do you manage those situations? And how did you manage that situation? I was like, it was hip hop. Come on, stop playing. You're like, it's kind of dope. Yo. Every time I played it, they was like, you're rough hop. Come on, stop playing. You're like, it's kind of dope. Yo.

Every time I played it, they was like, you're rough when we see you on site. Was it real pressure on you, for real? Nah. I didn't take it like that. But, you know, because they knew Karras was doing his thing. Right. You know, there was no getting around it. It was it.

But after a while, they're like, yo, you're playing it too much. Stop. Do you think is that what Drake and Kendrick is going through right now? Right, it's too much. It's too much. I don't think he expected it to still be going.

Yeah, it's still going. Who do you think doesn't expect it? Drake or Kendrick? Drake, probably. Probably Drake. Right. Maybe, learn. Who do you think doesn't expect it? Drake or Kendrick? Drake, probably. Probably Drake. Right. Maybe even,

I don't even know. I don't know, man. This dude really thought about it when he did because he's, it's still going. Right. People taking it

like they anthem, you know. Yeah, Kendrick did some art of worship. That was a pretty, because I wasn't, and when it was happening, I wasn't really,

I'm not really paying attention to it. It was a little bit after, I'm like, what's going on here? What's what? So I started listening, going back and listening to the first song, the response, the first song. So I was like, okay, this is kind of serious. They're not playing, right? I think the Kendrick Drake thing is definitely the modern day version

of KRS-Chan. Yeah, that's why I said that. It's that impactful to hip hop. And like, I remember being that, I was on Twitter that the moment that those records started coming out and it's like, my wife was like, yo, it's late. You're not going to, no, no, it's just going down right now. Like they dropping records right now. See, and that's the thing too, is that you knew it was streaming. Yeah. You know, like, I wasn't paying attention.

Like, I know those guys that stream and stuff, but I was like, no, hold on. Well, I just happened to be awake. Oh, okay. Had I gone to sleep, it would have passed me by, and I would have been a little lost. Right. But I just happened to catch a tweet. I said, oh, something's going on here right now. Something's bubbling, and they just started, these these records started coming out and it was meticulous

it was crazy and then the next day I'm locked in now the next day I'm following it the next day the next day I'm locked in that's the way you gotta be that's why y'all are who y'all are do you see how crazy it is that you can do something like that right now

like right now just with this right it's everything that you can do something like that right now. Like right now, just with this. Right. It's everything that you were doing that took hours, hundreds of man hours. Right. It's crazy. It's crazy. Just like that, you know, and we'd be like, catch us at 3.30. Right. You know, catching nothing. We're doing it right

now. In three minutes. Three seconds. Do you think that that access to technology and to the audience hurt hip hop? Like the fact that everybody now could be an artist, everybody could be a producer, everybody could be a director in real time. And they're not really artists. They're not really directors, not really producers. Do you think that that hurt the art form?

I don't think it hurts it. I think it's the process. We went through a process. And just like we've gone through processes before, from my VHS tapes to whatever, DVDs, to streaming now, to whatever. Everything is a process. And we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Right.

You know? Somebody could pop up with some new fly shit and all the kids go, this is it! And we all be like, oh, what they doing over there? Right. And that's be the next thing. Because hip-hop always been young. Not saying that we can't participate in our own way. Right.

Because I still, you know, I'm trying to pay attention to what kids is doing. But I'm not living like them. I'm not out there. But, you know, I want to hear the hot shit. You know, what's the hot shit? Them kids, 41, that came out and they, you know, drill music.

As soon as I heard it, I was like, this shit is hot. I don't know what the fuck they're talking about. This is some hot shit. When are we fucking again? I was like this. That's right. But, you know, not everything I don't feel the same. I felt about that.

I called the dude up. I was like, he's from Brooklyn. I said, yeah, you know, it's Ralph McDaniels from Brooklyn. He's like, Uncle Ralph? I said, yeah, that shit is official, man. I just want to let you know that. Then after he was talking, I was like, okay, that's enough. I'm way out of my lane.

Let me get back. Would you ever do a new version of Mr. Box where it's a whole new, these young people, right? And it's all about the new music? Would you do something like that? That's what the movie was based on. Okay, wow. Yeah.

Wow. And I never thought about doing it in real life. Right. But I think it could be dope. But why would it have to be just about current and now? I'm saying the show,

his original show, because right now he can do that same show and hire somebody, like, you know, to be him and be there and you can really put that out

in real time maybe on an app or something like that I might pass through the room every once in a while and go like that and these little niggas doing whatever they're doing

yeah yeah cause you could really have somebody really do that in real time sounds like a a N-O-R-E-N yeah

a drink chat presents look it's all these people Sounds like a N-O-R-E-N-G-J-F-E-N-S. Let's think about it. A drink chance presents. Look, it's all these people who submit videos right now, and it's watered down because it's not a fly show. Because if it's on the show, you know that this is tasteful. This is official. And there's no filter. Like I'm saying, there's nobody saying,

I'm not talking about gatekeepers. I'm saying, there's nobody saying, I'm talking about gatekeepers. I'm saying people of the culture saying, all right, we got to put some parameters on this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I think that's right because right now anybody could just upload to Spotify, upload to there, upload to there. But now this is a flyer platform.

But if you make a platform. It has its own history, video music. Right. I have no filter. With integrity. I have no filter. Yeah. When I first time I said,

yo, sexy red is hot and everybody's like what are you crazy I'm like I'm telling you man watch watch what happens I know that girl

I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl

I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl

I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl

I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl

I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl

I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl

I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that girl I know that. I know a girl just like that. You know that girl. I know that girl. Sally, that girl. You know that girl. Stop playing. And she knows he's that girl. That was hilarious.

That was hilarious. My daughter is over here. Stop playing. My daughter. She don't want to hear none of us talking about sexy red nines. Sorry about that. That's all good.

That's all good. But did you know, like literally, I know we touched on this earlier, but did you know like literally i know i'll be touching this earlier but did you know he was making history while you was making history not till maybe like 10 years in like when we started getting like bigger names coming to the show like i when will smith well that was early in the game but when will smith and Jazzy Jeff came off the elevator, because we used to have an elevator right as soon as you walk in. You went out of office.

And I was like, what? Will Smith and, you know, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince? Okay. Then Dame and Jay-Z. Right. I'm like, okay. These dudes is coming to us. We in there minding our business.

Okay. You know, bringing, you know bringing you know bottles and stuff I'm like they all have bottles they all have bottles that's a thing

that's when we and then it used to be difficult to get artists now it's not as difficult right what do you mean difficult

like because artists wouldn't be in New York? Or do you think people didn't want to be on? There were camera shots. No, no, no. We were asking for a free show. We're playing a video. You don't want to do the free show shit, Ralph. Even back then they were saying that?

Sometimes. That's crazy. Yeah. So, you know, we just, you know, okay. But the biggest party I had was Big and Jay-Z were hosting it. My birthday. Wow. This is right, ready to die is out.

Wow. It's already a hit. But, you know, Big ain't really get to check yet. You can tell. Right. It was coming. He was still a little humble. Right.

Right. And Puff goes, I'm like, Puff, man, I need him to come to the birthday. He's the hottest dude out and Puff goes oh that's a lot I said come on man I seen him at the

Mr. Softee truck like just a couple of months back we cool and and he came and he stayed the whole time

and you know and then we played Get Money we played Junior Mafia And he came. And he stayed the whole time. Right. And then we played Get Money. We played Junior Mafia. Which was helping him. Right. Because he's launching that, right? And then he starts performing. It's online.

You can look it up. Jay-Z and Biggie perform. One of the only times you'll see them perform. And Jay came on stage at the time. Because anywhere where Big went, Jay was there first, actually. And Jay came because Fox at the time because anywhere where Big went, Jay was, you know, well, Jay was there first, actually. And Jay came because Foxy was there, too. It was a crazy night. It was my birthday.

Mr. Biggs is there. Ron Isley. Wow. Biggs is here. Ice-T's over here. Big and Jay's on stage. Foxy. Joe, The singer Joe

Wow It was a crazy night And you know And so that's when we knew We was good People were coming It took you for that to happen To know that you was doing

Something special I mean I'm talking about The industry I never cared about The industry To be honest That's a separate entity I always tell people

That's separate from hip hop Only thing I care about Is the street Right Because be honest. Right, because that's a separate entity. I always tell people that's separate from hip-hop. Only thing I care about is the street. Right. Because if the streets is not fucking with me, then I got to fix my shit because I'm not doing it right. Right. And I always got love from the street. I don't care where I was at. I was in Left Frack.

Right. If I was in Harlem. Right. If I'm in Newark, East Orange, Trenton, New Jersey, Camden. I don't give a damn where I was at. We was like, yo, shit, Ralph McDaniels. Yo, my nigga. Start talking. They get happy.

And I'm like, all right, so shout outs. Can I get a shout out? Let me write it down. And then you do it. And then you see you like months later. Yo. Yo, you gave me a shout out. You gave me a shout out. I forgot. I didn't get to see you like months later Yo That was like the first follow You know, if you follow somebody

That's the first follow It meant a whole lot to them You could see it in their face They'll never forget There's a story when this dude stole my car I don't know if you ever heard that one stole your car?

yeah stole my jeep I had a like a Wrangler jeep and I went to to dinner when my wife came back the car was gone

came back to my house and I drove her car came back my car was gone yeah I know I parked the car boom

but I see on the ground I see glass I said oh shit they just stole my shit go upstairs sitting there we trying to figure it out

my phone rings dude's like yo man this Ralph McDaniels I said yes he said yo we got your we got your Jeep

I said okay so he's like you know you can come get it this is in Brooklyn we in such and such and such in Brownsville oh shit anything in Brownsville I said, okay. So he's like, you know, you can come get it. This is in Brooklyn. We in such and such and such and such.

In Brownsville. Oh, shit. Anything in Brownsville. It's tricky. So I said, all right. I'm not trying to punk out. Yeah, all right. I'm coming over there right now.

Don't bring no cops. I ain't bring no cops. We coming over there right now. All right. So I call my man, Beast, rest in peace, my friend, Handsome. We go over there, right? I get out. My wife is like, you ain't leaving me in the house.

I'm going with you. I said, you can't go. Supposedly, this shit goes wrong. He's like, no, well, I'd rather be there than over here. So I said, all right. So she's with me. I'm Puerto Rico. Yeah.

She's in the car. I get out the car. I'm standing in the middle of the street. This is one of the darkest blocks I ever seen. I forgot about this block in Brooklyn. I'm like, okay, I'm standing there. I don't see nothing. It's quiet.

It's like a movie. There's a dude sitting on the step, on the stoop. Sounds like Warriors right now. Right. I'm looking at him. He don't look at me. I'm just in, I'm out there for at least 10 minutes. Then he goes, yo, Ralph.

But 10 minutes, he sat there. He didn't say nothing. I said, yeah. He said, that was me who called you. I said, all right, yo, what's up? He said, yeah, my boys took your shit and I got it back for you. So I said, yeah, my boys took your shit, and I got it back for you. So I said, all right. So he's like, yo, man, you know my man, such and such and such and such.

You know, we be at the parties, man, you know. He said, I'm going to tell you how this shit works, because these dudes, they buy, they steal cars, and then they bring it to me, and I give them money for it. So I said, okay. He said, but I seen your name in business cards and all kinds of stuff coming up. Ralph McDaniels.

Ralph McDaniels. Flyers. Must be your shit. So I said, nah, we can't take Ralph's shit. We got to give it back to him. So I said, all right. So I'm waiting on what's coming. Are you giving it back or not?

Right. Come on around the block. Now, this is a dark. Now, there's no lights on this block. So I said, here's where it gets tricky. We're going to be tasseling in the street because I'm not, I'm going, I'm not punking out. I'm going to get my shit and get in

and keep it moving. Went around the corner and said, here's my car. Sitting there, they had taken the speakers out and everything. They ripped everything out. Oh shit. Oh damn. And the dude gave it back to me. Still to this day, I see my man at, you know, some of the spots in Brooklyn. And, um,

and he, me and him became friends, and we good people. You become friends with everybody you got beef with. I don't, you know, it's the easy way to go. Right. Better friends than not. Right.

I'm done. I got it. Let me go take a pee-pee, man. I'll wait for you to come back. No, it's fine. This is good. So what is one of your favorite moments in video music box history? Oh, man.

Biggest or best favorite moments. Yeah. I think, you know, probably Fresh Fest was a big deal. And that was early. Okay. In 85. Okay. You know, I taped all of the Summer Jams.

Woo. Because I was working there at the time. The only one I didn't tape. And... You mean all of the Summer Jams? Yeah. Summer Jam up until now? Yeah, from like, at least, okay, maybe they have 25. I got at least 17 of them.

Wow. And I just knew it was important to tape these things. I wasn't thinking about content. I was thinking about, I mean, I'm not even thinking about content on my show at that time, but I was also thinking about this is a history. Right. And it needs to be documented.

And so I taped all of those. All of the stuff I did. All of them. Like the Kanye and Jay and, you know, all of y'all, you know, everything that was important. So I'm glad that I have documented that, that we can look at that and do whatever for future. And then there's the other stuff like, you know, the fashion, you know, Benny the Jewelers and those kind of things. We go into little spots and when Cats was making the jewelry and, you know,

we got to meet them and FUBU, first time you ever heard of FUBU was on Video Music Box. Right. Wow. Never heard of that before. Wow.

Damon came and my man, Keith, and Keith worked with my mother and said, yo, there's this kid that works with me. He got a clothing line called FUBU. Wow. So I said, all right. I didn't know what it meant. Right. So he said, yo, there's this kid that works with me. He got a clothing line called Fool.

So I said, all right. I didn't know what it meant. So I said, what does that mean? It was like for us, by us. I was like, what? Fire. Fire. That's the most incredible thing I ever heard.

Come on, we're going to put it on the show. Put it on the show. I said, where y'all got these clothes at? They were like everywhere. They were like, nah, just on the half. On Jamaica half, in the Coliseum. I said, alright, well, y'all better get some more because once we put it on video, music box is going to be

popping. So they was looking at me like, hmm. And then Damon said, yo, you wasn't lying. People calling from all over the place. We want to get our shirts. I said, I told you. Booboo? Yeah. So that was a breakthrough because then we started creating fashion shows

for people like damon john in them so you know april walker she's putting clothes on too far yeah you know she's doing you know big um you know all these different people, Sean John or Rockwell. Remember, everybody had a clothing line. Yeah, Foojies had the refugee line. Biggie had Brooklyn Mint. Right. Yeah. Everybody had a clothing line after a while. Everybody, yeah.

It kind of got stupid after a while. That's enough. You know, but we gave them a lane to do something. And we created this show because Fashion Week was fronting on all of those clothing lines only one that could buy their way in was russell simmons because he had def jam money for fat farm right platform right but everybody else was getting fronted on it and so we said i'm gonna say i'm gonna we're gonna create our own fashion show just for the hip-hop at

the same time they do fashion week that's smart same time so we at the same time they do Fashion Week. That's smart. Same time. So we get the same models. Tyson. I didn't realize that. So wait a minute. You just said that you would do your fashion shows the same time Fashion Week. That's smart. That was smart. I remember seeing that, but I didn't realize because I didn't know what Fashion Week was.

Because you wasn't supposed to know. They wasn't inviting you. And that's perfect because it would look like it's synonymous with Fashion Week. So if you knew or you didn't know, it worked either way. If you knew, you know, it worked.

But, you know, that's, we figure out ways, that's hip hop. Yep. We figure out ways to be creative and do something that's going to be, you know, helpful for us because that's my job to helpful for us. Because that's my job. Whatever I did,

y'all don't have to go through. Drink Champs don't have to go through. What Drink Champs does, the next nigga don't have to go through. We already did it, my fam. So you should be here. Just think about this. Hey, man. Amen. Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation

by guests such as Western historian, Dr. Randall Williams, and bestselling author and meat eater founder, Stephen Ranella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You used to have way more bottles up here before, right?

We did. We're getting older and we're... Alright, so this is the game. This is our drinking game. We're going to give you two choices. If you pick one, nobody drinks. Okay. If you pick one, nobody drinks.

Okay. Easy. If I pick one, nobody drinks. If you pick one of the two choices, if you say neither of them or both of them, which would be the PC answer, we're all drinking. Okay. We all take a shot. You can take a sip, whatever you want. If you want a shot, up to you. No Hennessy today.

No Hennessy. Okay, so you want him to be your designated drinker? Yeah, he can be my designated drinker. There you go. I've been waiting to drink, and I'm drinking with you. Cool. So ready? Yep.

All right, first one. Damn. Ed Lover or Fab Five Freddy? Crazy. Ed Lover, that's my man from Queens. He lives around the corner from me. Fab is my man too, but Ed Lover or Fab Five Freddy? That's crazy. Ed Lover, that's my man from Queens. He lived around the corner from me. Fab is my man too, but Ed Lover. And any stories with anybody we've mentioned, please,

because this is all about just jogging your memory. Fab Five Freddy is one of the most amazing type dudes that ever you could ever meet. I say he's like the ambassador of hip hop to the world. When you go and hang with Freddy, because he's going to introduce you to some intellectual type people, right? Right. That you don't know.

Right. But you should know. And that's what I appreciate about Fab, man, is that this guy is just like a hip hop statesman. You know, he's worldly. He knows his shit. He knows about the music. He knows about the quality, you know, the cloth. You know, he's that type of dude.

We need a documentary on him. Yeah. No, it's going to happen. It's going to happen. Because he's such an interesting individual. Man, but Eddie's my man from around the world. We just had him, and it's perfect that you're here right after him. Ed used to be the security guard at the high school.

Well, he didn't tell us that part. He left out security guard. He left out that part. Andrew Jackson High School. LQJ or Big Daddy Kane? Wow. I gotta get my shots ready in case you say something.

Can you get it? Jamie, you got his shots? Nori's shots? Yeah, I'll try. Come on, Jamie. I'll do. I'm going to go with Big Daddy Kane on that one. You know.

And that's, you know. Yeah, I do. Clearly, LL Cool J's catalog is amazing. G for everybody. Okay. My bad. But, you know, I've been in them Brooklyn clubs when that Kane comes on and a whole ruckus starts with the

wrath of cane comes on and niggas start fighting like, yeah, it's hot now. So you're picking cane, right? I'm picking cane just because I'm aggressive. Okay. Run DMC or the Beastie Boys? Run DMC. Oh, yeah, I mean.

Roxanne did on 2-5th, shooting the gift., I mean. Roxanne did on 2-5th. Okay. Shooting the gift. That's right. Roxanne Shante or Moni Love? Shante. Shante's my girl. Man, you are terrible at these questions.

Moni is dope. Shut up, Moni. I love Moni. Obviously, he's going to say Roxanne. Moni's in my video, my documentary. She was one of the last edits that we put in there, and it was something we did on Instagram. So, big up, Moni. Obviously, he's going to say Roxanne. Moni's in my video, my documentary. He was one of the last edits that we put in there, and it was something we did on Instagram. So big up, Moni.

Yeah. Got it? Nah, you carry on. Guru or Scarface? Rest in peace, Guru. You know, Scarface is an amazing dude. I hope he's well right now, because I know he was going through some health issues.

I hope he's well, man. He's going through some health issues. We need Scarface in this one. Yeah, yeah. He's just... You know, when I realized how good Scarface was, and I saw him and Rakim interacting, and, you know, hip-hop thing is Rakim is, you know, like, I'm not

sleeping on you, fam. I'm paying attention to you, Scarface. Like, I could see that like early years no like recently like last year okay and i'm like this because you they were both the recipients right so i like rakim is respectfully keep an eye on you bro because i know that you can do i know what you're capable of doing scarface face is is one of the illest, man. But I'm going to go with Guru. DMX or Jay-Z? Jay-Z.

Swizz Beatz or Timbaland? Swizz Beatz. Yeah. I should have went with DMX, right? Queen Latifah or MC Lyte? Oh, Lyte. Swiss Beats. Yeah. Yeah, very. Queen Latifah or MC Lyte? Oh, Lyte. She's off the block. Mobb Deep or M.O.P.? I can't make a decision on this.

So you can make Sonny drink. Ticket shots. I'll drink with you, Sonny. Cheers, brother. Cheers. Yeah, can't make a decisionny. Cheers. Cheers, brother. Cheers. Yeah. Can't make a decision. Brooklyn, Queens.

Jadakiss or Nas? Nas. Biggie Smalls or Big L? Biggie. Did you ever interact with Big L? Mm-hmm. Rest in peace to Big L. Digging D-I-T-C.

Yeah, man. Yeah. He was the, you know, I mean, Lord Finesse is a beast. Oh, a beast. A beast. Back in the days. We need Lord Finesse on Drink Chance, bro. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Man. I got some. Big L. And that's who Big L was looking at. Yep. Lord Finesse. Big pun or ODB? I got some Big L and that's what Big L was looking at yeah or Finesse Big Pun

or ODB wow rest in peace Pun Pun okay Wu-Tang or NWA Wu-Tang

Radio or Podcast Radio because I'm a radio yeah I grew up on radio radio or podcast? Radio, because I'm a radio, yeah, I grew up on radio, yeah, good, you can do that,

MTV Raps, your MTV Raps, or BET The Basement, Rap City The Basement? BET The Basement, Big Ticket was hard, that was, that was official,

Ticket don't get enough credit for, you know, you're picking that over your MTV Raps? Yeah credit for, you know. You're picking that over your MTV rap? Yeah. For, you know, curating that. Because he did so many amazing freestyles. And artists really wanted to do it. I felt like when they came on that show.

I don't know if it was BET putting that together. But I feel like Tigger started off as a dancer really? I didn't know that Tigger's in Tigger is in from where?

Tigger's from the Bronx really? yeah Tigger's in a video I directed called Sally by Stetsasonic

not Sally that girl from right was it MC Shady? no who did Sally? thinking of a girl named Sally Gucci Crew?

no I don't know that's a Sonic Sally is the name yeah no no okay yeah it's a different Sally they're in a barbershop if you look in the barbershop

they're all sitting in the chair getting their hair cut and there's some guys this is when Dancers was in videos right right in all videos that's Tigger cause

the girl Cheryl that worked with me at the time producing she knew him from the Bronx and she was like he wants to he wants to be in the video and I was like I didn't he wasn't Tigger yet you know but he was a cool guy you know he was like you know like dancers you know they they knew how to talk and I'm like all right and he knew how to dance so I said all right we're gonna put him in the video and that's how that's how I first met him. Wow. Fun fact, I was the first Florida DJ on Rap City. Oh, really?

Yeah. You know how they had the DJ always with them? Yes. I was the first Floridian DJ to be. I didn't realize they had guest DJs. Yeah. And you know who put me on? Justo.

Oh, man. Rest in peace, Justo. He's the one who connected me to get that opportunity. I got a lot of those award shows. And I won an award. Do you remember the one with K-Slay? Yeah.

Fighting? Wasn't it Mike? I think it was. From Far Rockaway? Was it the year that I... I won an award the year that 50 Cent won his mixtape award. The dude said,

K-Slay, he said, you're not a real DJ to K Slay. Wow. And K Slay was like, what? And I'm interviewing him

at the same time. So the dude comes out, Far Rockaway Harlem. Right. So next thing I know, K is like trying to get his body around. I know he's about to do it.

He's going to snuff him because I'm in the way. Right. So he's trying to get himself around around. I know he's about to do it. He's going to snuff him because I'm in the way. Right. So he's trying to get himself around so he can. But his man, oh, no, it wasn't even K. His man comes up, punches the dude. And the next thing you know, everybody's flying around, falling on the floor and stuff.

K Slade was a super legend, man. Yeah. K Slade. From Wild Style? He's in Wild Style, man. Right, yeah. That's wild. K Slade would be like,

anytime Ralph come, these niggas get too excited, man, because they see that camera and shit. Soul Train. You didn't even put anything after that, Mr. Lee. You just left it blank, so we're supposed to Soul Train or blank? Soul Train or American Bandstand?

American Bandstand? Mr. Lee, you are terrible at this. Soul Train or Sonny D.B.T.? Soul Train. Soul Train or Netflix? Soul Train. The Great Don Cornelius. You see this?

You see Mr. Lee now? The Great Don Cornelius. Whoever. I'll go with The great Don Cornelius, whoever. I'll go with the great Don Cornelius. I mean, Soul Train, probably the first time a lot of people saw hip-hop, too. Yeah. And Don really wasn't a fan of no hip-hop. He was like...

Nobody was at that time. He was like... Really? This hip-hop shit. Why? Niggas take that shit back to New York. It was in L.A. where they shot that show. Really?

Yeah, Soul Train. I didn't know it was in L.A. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. It was in L.A. where they shot that show. Really? Yeah, Soul Train. I didn't know it was in L.A. It was in L.A. It was like, no, we not feeling... Big Lou, the dude who used to be the big light-skinned dude

he used to be in the front, he's the one who brought all the hip-hop to Don Cornelius. Was it 80s or 90s hip-hop? 90s. Boombat, Street Corner,

it was the most authentic time. It was the best. I could listen to... Nori said something that actually really happened. Sometimes. So you feel like 90s hip-hop reflected

the reality of what was going on. I feel like it. Yeah. 80s was, you know, it was fun. Some of it was made up. A lot of it was made up. But 90s was like...

I feel like that late 80s going into the mid 90s was the best ever. B Street vs. Wildstyle. Wildstyle. Michael Jackson or Prince? Michael Jackson. Did you ever meet any of them?

No. Oh, Prince. You met Prince? Yeah, Oh, Prince. Yes, Prince. You met Prince? Yeah, I met Prince. At Nell's. There's a spot in New York called Nell's. Remember Nell's?

Yeah, Nell's. On 14th Street. Wasn't that Prince spot? I think that was Prince spot. I don't think he owned it, but he would just show up. Or Dame Dashboard or something like that. Maybe. Okay.

So he would just show up there like 2 o'clock in the morning with his guitar. He does that. People would start because i'll be getting ready to go home it's like i'm going don't go princess getting ready to come prince yeah and you just come in there floating yeah floating on the apple yeah all the women go crazy met the man or red man nothing man i love red man brick city clips or epmd Nothing, man. I love Redman. Brick City. Clips or EPMD? Ooh, EPMD.

You answer everything. Come on. I mean, like. Rakim or KRS-One? Rakim is my favorite artist, so I got to go with Rakim. Okay. Kid Capri or Red Alert? Red Alert.

I love Kid Capri, but Red Alert. I mean, the amount of work that Red put on that radio, and that's not an easy thing to do. He broke a lot of ground. It's different from playing in the clubs. Right. You know, but on that radio, you fitting them records into that little hour or whatever time you got, that rush hour mix.

He changed a lot. Yeah. He changed a lot. Yeah. He changed a lot. And keeping it funky at the same time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Drake or Kendrick?

I'm a Drake fan. Yeah. I like Drake. I went to see Drake in concert. Really? Did his thing. I ain't mad at him. He got shit flying around the arena.

Oh, this is like funkadelic up in here. The baby versus the little baby. The baby. Okay. Funky. Loyalty or respect? Respect. I'm good with the respect.

Okay. You can go over there and talk. Cheers to the last one. Salute. Nigs. Thank you for your service. Back then when you was playing videos,

was there censorship? Everything. You couldn't say the N-word. Okay. That's for sure. Okay. Could you curse? No, not on TV.

Right. Because we were under FCC rules. So you can't curse. Certain things, you're not supposed to do sexual you know things and so yeah so you basically that was it I mean we now compared to now it's much more

strict now to me the rules of what you can see on TV oh really? yeah regular TV not cable because sometimes you might be watching cable everybody confuses it now because you're so used to it Yeah, regular TV. I thought they got it. Not cable. Okay. Because sometimes you might be watching cable. Everybody confuses it now because you're so used to it. Or you're watching streaming of it. Right, right.

And it's not the edited version of it like NBC live coming on TV. It's not like you're watching Super Bowl or some shit like that where it's a live show. You can't say a lot of things. I mean, in commentary, you can't talk about it. It would be politically incorrect. But I feel like they're loose with the cursing now. No, I think you're talking about when you're watching on the streams. Nah, I don't know.

Not on regular. Really? Even on regular? No, you ain't going to hear that fuck shit. No, not that. I'm not saying that. Looser was some innuendos than they would have been before. Before it would seem way more strict.

What's it? Look at Fred Sanford. They were wildin' back then. Sanford and Sons? Yeah, Sanford and Sons. They were wildin' back then. I look at that shit and Al Sons? Yeah, Sanford and Sons. Oh, that was, it was violent back then. I look at that shit and Al Bundy,

something like that, not Al Bundy, what's his name, Al Bundy. No, not Al Bundy, man. All in the family.

All in the family. What's his name though? Archie Bunker. Archie Bunker was wild. He was like, yo. Wild. Right,

and that show was groundbreaking. And it was, in a positive way, actually. No show like that, right. It was actually, people think it's bad, but it was actually breaking ground. You started addressing, because I lived on a block where the dude right next to me was Archie Bunker. Yeah.

Only time we ever talked was about the Mets. Right. Wow. And I'd be like, he'd be having to transist the radio outside. He would look at me like, fucking nigga, he hated me. Right. But if I go, yo, what's the score? He'd be, oh, they the radio outside. He would look at me like, this fucking nigga. He hated me. Right. But if I go, yo, what's the score?

He'd be, oh, they're winning, seven to three. No, no, no, no. Swoboda just hit a base hit. You know, he obviously, he'd talk about sports.

Yeah. But other than that, Wow. Keep it moving, my negro. Mets or the Yankees? I'm Mets. Yeah, I'm Mets. You say you Mets?

Yeah, I'm Mets. Mets from 1969. Who, Who laughs like that right now? I just threw out the first Jesus Sound like your hands were wet bro I just threw out the first pitch At City Field Wow

I wore number 21 Which is Don I mean Cleon Jones Which is when I was a kid Cleon Jones was the outfielder I think played left field He was a rookie. Cleon Jones was the outfielder, I think, played left field. He was a rookie of the year.

And I threw out the first pitch. I never, and they called me. It wasn't like I was promoting, trying to get it. They were like, would you be interested in throwing out the first pitch? Yeah, well deserved. Hell yeah. I was like, what? I said, yeah, I'm coming.

What day? What time? And so, yeah, so big up to the Mets. The source or Vibe magazine? Source. What do you think about hip-hop media in general, coming from where you come from? Like, where do you think they took it or mistook it?

I think that the Source early days was dope. It was all about the music. I think, if I can remember, it was all about the music. It wasn't someone's opinion. Right. It was like just... on something, you know? Like I was a DJ first, so I just wanted to learn about the music. Like who produced it?

Where did they record it at? What would you mean when you said this? What do you mean the Dunn language? The source was doing that early on. Right. What is the Dunn language? What are they talking about? The Dunn language.

You know what I mean? I want to language. You know, like, I want to know. You know, I think I know, but I don't really know. So I wanted to know that type of information. But when, you know, sometimes it became, I mean, it had to go somewhere. I guess they had to keep people picking

up the magazine. So it becomes controversial, you know. Right. And somebody comes up with a story and and we and it's not a positive story it's all negative now we're looking for the negative right the clickbait right before this clicking was it was happening in magazines first right you put whoever on the cover oh shit snoop dogg didn't he kill somebody yeah let's go pick it up they got people a lot of people blame the vibe magazine

for the east coast west coast which was not really east coast west coast right I've heard that before yeah because I was going

back and forth I had an office in LA I didn't have no problem I mean not that I'm an artist but you know I didn't see that but I'm not you know

it's not like I was you know on Crenshaw either. I was staying where I was. He was in a good spot. I was over here. But, you know, it wasn't like I was in Brooklyn and I didn't hear nobody saying, oh, I hate Snoop Dogg or I hate Dr. Dre. Nobody was saying that.

Right. Nobody was saying that. Like, no, we fuck with everybody. You know, that's the thing, you know. And I think people start to read. One person says it, and then they think that the whole city thinks like that. Right. I'm like, no, that's not true.

And says it on a loudspeaker. Right. Like a radio or whatever. Right. Even like Outkast. You know, when Andre 3000 said, you know, the South got something to say. Like, bro, we've been playing your records in New York. Maybe one of the radio stations didn't play it.

That's not the city. We've been messing with you, man. I'm like, bro, I thought you was from Brooklyn when y'all first came out. You look at the first record, Southern Playalistic. I was like, y'all sat on St. John's jerseys and all kinds. I'm like this, like, where are they from? Went until they started talking that I was like, well, maybe

they're not from New York, but they felt like New York. Right. So when he said that, I was, come on, it's not true. No, but I mean, that was the sentiment. That's what we talk about all the time here. Is that, yeah, go ahead. That was the sentiment that's what we talk about all the time here yeah

go ahead that was the sentiment like for people in the south or from other parts of not being New York New York was gatekeeping

a lot of things that's how they felt that's the way we felt that's the way we felt I understand I understand meanwhile we was trying to show love right

it wasn't it wasn't no but don't... Maybe not everybody, but... Not everybody. I think the average person was showing love. Everybody in hip-hop was like, oh, we're all hip-hop. But if the people

in the industry, the ones that were gatekeeping that, were saying, no, you don't sound like us. Oh, you don't sound like that. You're not from here. You're not from that. And they were suppressing certain things. I agree. The people in the industry. In the industry.

I'm not saying hip hop didn't. But the industry that was monetizing hip hop was doing that. Yeah, because we, you know, like I say, we go back to, I don't give a damn what the industry say about me. Many times I wasn't invited to shit or, you know, I wasn't down or whatever.

I never got no whatever award, this and this and that. I could care less. Meet me in Brooklyn on Fulton Street and we'll see who get the love. Right. I don't give a, you got platinum records, nigga. Come on, meet me outside. And so that was it, you know. And once I, you know, I was comfortable with that, I'm good. I'm okay.

I'm alright. What did you think about the celebration of Hip Hop 50? I was part of it. I was part of it from the beginning. The original idea was to have that concert in Central Park. And we couldn't do it because

Central Park, you couldn't do a concert at that particular date in Central Park. And so we couldn't do it because Central Park you couldn't do a concert at that particular date in Central Park and so we weren't allowed to do it and so Live Nation took over it and

and and that was it we went and Live Nation took over once Live Nation takes over you know they got the relationships

to do what they do you know so that was it yeah and what did y'all wind up doing they do. You know, so that was it. And where did that wind up doing that? Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium, yeah.

That was Bassenfield's joint. Yeah. So Yankee Stadium, you know, Peter was there the whole time. We were having to meet

Peter Bittenbender and we were talking about Central Park and then it didn't happen. And then Peter called me and said, yo, I'm going to do it

at Yankee Stadium. And I was like, when? Who told? When did this happen? He said, today. I said, does everybody know? Because it was a committee. Right.

He was, I don't think so. It was a whole committee. Wow. And Peter said, I'm going to do it at Yankee Stadium. I'm like, does everybody know that? You know what I'm saying? He was like, yeah, they'll know tomorrow. That's tomorrow.

Peter, I love you. Yeah, but that's the way it went, and that was it. So, you know, I think Peter did a great job in holding it together because it could have went left. He did a good job in holding it together, and the fact that Nas is there. Nobody's going front. Run DMC was there, right?

Run DMC. Together for the first time. They don't even do shows like that. And you had Lil Wayne there. You had Snoop. Cam'ron was there. Right. So it was in the Bronx.

That was the best part of it. You can't put the weight of the whole culture or the anniversary of 50th on that. Everybody has to be a part of it. They did their part. KRS-One said, I don't want to do it because it should be free for everybody, for the Bronx. And I'm not mad at that either. Right. That's what KRS-One said.

Oh, so KRS-One didn't want to do it? I'm not mad at that. He did. He came out withS-One said. Oh, so KRS didn't want to do it? I'm not mad at that. He did. He came out with Fat Joe. Okay. But he didn't want to be billed. Okay. He said, I'll come out with Joe, but it should be free route for the community. I said, right, but how are we going to pay for this?

Yeah. Where's the money coming from? And did he have an answer to that or no? He felt like he probably could come together with it, but I don't think the timing of it, we didn't have enough time to start figuring out then. Clearly, Yankee Stadium's got sponsors. Live Nation's got sponsors.

Nobody made no money off of it. It was just to pay for the event and to get everybody there and have a nice production. Right. Yeah. Man, so let's big you up Rob man I brought you all to the culture we want to give you your flowers man face to face

man to man tell you how great you are man we know what you did for us for the culture for everybody man if it wasn't for you it wouldn't be us man so we want you to salute you man face to face man to man they told me you got a flight to catch. You know what I'm saying? Militant.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's take a couple pictures. Drink Champs is a Drink Champs LLC production, hosts and executive producers, N-O-R-E and DJ E-F-N. Listen to Drink Champs on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Noriega on IG, at Noriega on Twitter. Mine is at Who's Crazy on IG, at DJ EFN on Twitter. And most importantly, stay up to date with the latest releases, news, and merch by going to drinkchamps.com.

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