This Is How It Should Be Done: DJ Clark Kent, In Control WBLS

The first dj I ever met (and when I say dj, I mean ANYONE who ever played two records through a mixer) was Clark Kent, who, for me, will go down as dj idol, mentor and real friend. I'll drop some Clark Kent anecdotes in a later post, but in the meantime, I just had to drop this show for you super listeners. The tape that this file comes from used to sound a whole lot better, but it got played to death. This is 1989 and Clark sounds divine on the cut. And it wouldn't be a Clark Kent tape without Wrecks-N-Effect in the mix (I still wonder what that was about...) In the late 80's and heading into the early 90's, it was abundantly clear to me that THE dj that really mattered was Clark, the only other dj to bring it on that level being Kid Capri. To this day, no night has ever come close to what would go down at Mars on Tuesday nights at a party called Trip, where Clark would guest dj frequently and would have a packed second floor in the meat-packing dirstrict comkpletely and utterly mesmerized. I'll get into that later. For the record, if you are not Clark Kent from Brooklyn, who used to dj for Dana Dane, and later Biggie and Jay-Z, 1. you can't use the name Clark Kent and 2. you must stop using the word "Super" in from of your name... Oh, look how bored Clark looks playing with CD-Js in this picture. Haa!

WBLS, In Control with Super DJ Clark Kent

Looney X vs. Bugged X

I just got back from Winter Music Conference, where I had no access to the files. I wanted to put together a post on demos that were better than the records they turned into. What stands out in my memory are: Souls of Mischief and Simply II Positive, who, upon siging their deal with Hollywood Basic, dropped the old-school name and went with Organized Konfusion. Unfortunately, the SOM demo isn't where it's supposed to be, so give me a minute to find it. That demo and STP's are, to me, bonafide hip-hop classics, with songs that never made the album and re-recorded versions that were re-worked to avoid sample issues. If I can track down Nasty Nas's demo, which disappeared ages ago, or Biggie Smalls's (ditto), you'll have a piece of that soon.

In digging through the files, I did come across around twenty five MF Doom demos which he recorded at my house while resting there for a week or two in the mid to late 90's. Only one of these tracks, "The Elite Scooby Doo Shit" ever saw the light of day, and got a little burn on KCR, years before MF became one of the only real remaining dudes left in hip-hop. Listening to MF (formerly Zev Love X) made me think of my man Rhythm X, also known, amongst other names, as Kool Keith. So additonally, enjoy this Rhythm X promo from Chuck Chillout on KISS-FM, NYC circa 1987.

MF Doom "The Elite Scooby Doo Shit"
Kool Keith "Rhthm X Promo", Chuck Chillout, 1987

Reunited (Stretch & Kool Bob Love on the radio, briefly)

Here it is, fresh off Eclipse's 9 Year Anniversary on WNYU. Come to think of it, what's so particularly special about the 9 year mark? Isn't 10 the real jump-off?

Anyway, this was a lot of fun. It was a bit strange, feeling like I had stepped into the past a good 10 years or so, but bugging with Bob, and Serch, is something that doesn't happen every day.

Congrats E! I hope I behaved, and will be invited to the 18 Year Anniversary.

Stretch

DJ Eclipse's WNYU 9 Year Anniversary Intro

Thanks SERCH!!!

So I was just on the radio in New York City again for DJ Eclipse's 9 Year Anniversary show on WNYU. In addition to Kool Bob Love showing up, to my surprise, my man MC Serch did as well. I have to get on a plane in a few minutes, so I'll keep ths brief for now, but let me just say that with these two chaps, it felt like it was 1990- the timing, the jokes, the fun. Safe to say, we could have taken up the whole show just talking smack, but there were beats and rhymes to be had kids!!! So we dipped, though I think Serch did spark the mic a bit. Thankfully, Bobbito did not. Incidentally, Serch was our guest on our second show ever on November 8, 1990! Additionally, Two Kings In A Cipher, fresh out of Howard University, showed up (do I have to explain?- just google it) and a live rhyme session ensued over old school break beats provided by yours truly (I wasn't even Stretch yet, haha!...DJ Adrian, Skinny Bonz, what's it gonna be???!!...whoa). Some very entertaining lines were spit and the energy was trumungous. The next day, as I sat at Def Jam, I played the tape over and over, just loud enough for anyone walking by to hear so I could explain that yes, finally, we were on the air. This tape will be posted...hmmm, just looked through the files...I take that back. I will have to find it, but I know it's here somewhere. In the meantime, get down with this- Serch a la 1986 doing his best Slick Rick/Dana Dane impression (but the flow is already impeccable). Shout to pioneer Tony D.

MC Serch "Melissa"

Aha! I found the freestyle (not the entire show unfortunately). I warned you about Bob's engineering prowess. This tape is mad distorted, the levels are bonkers, but it still sounds milk.

Two Kings In A Cipher & MC Serch on KCR, 1990

Kid Capri In The Building, Literally

I would say almost none of you know about Powerhouse at The Building. Kid Capri owned this club (not literally) and had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hands. This is from a cassette recorded in 1991. Funny, some time in the late 90's, I saw Kid, and he told me he was going to buy the building that The Building was in, to re-open the club; and I can always get down with the idea of djs owning clubs. Coincidentally, I drove by the Building the next day and it was, ah, a pile of rubble. So much for that.

Kid Capri at The Powerhouse, '91 Side A
Kid Capri at The Powerhouse, '91 Side B

Percee-P & Ekim

As mentioned in the previous post, here's is the first and only Percee-P & Ekim 12", which came out on Big Beat in '91.
Enjoy.


Now They Wanna See Me
Puttin' Heads To Bed
Lung-collapsing Lyrics