MAGIC/FAKIN/WAY

ORIGINAL AND SAMPLES

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL

And Battling me is

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL'S 

"Lyrics from the oldskool"

 Big Daddy Kane "The Symphony"

Settin' it off, lettin' it off, beginnin'

Rough to the endin', you never been in

To move the groove with the smooth rap lord;

Like a bottle of juice, rhymes are being poured

Down your ear, crisp and clear

As I prepare to wear, tear and smear -- then I'm outta here

With a mark left that you can all cling

Cause rockin' a party? Yo, it's a small thing

I rip many places on regular basis, and broken down mics were the only traces

That I'd been there and there at the party

The mic had my prints, and on it was a body

So take caution. I'm not horsin' around in a throwdown, clown

I'm takin' yours son

So just acknowledge the way that I kicked it

Cause if rap was a house, you'd be evicted

And dismissed from the microphone, chokin' on a bone, cause Daddy's home

And battlin' me is hazardous to your health

So put a quarter in your ass, cause ya played yourself

Like a game in the arcade. You need a far aid

I'm walkin' the path that Allah made

I'll attend and then begin to send a speech to reach and teach

So just say when

So I can let lyrics blast like a bullet

My mouth is the gun; on suckers I pull it

The trigger, ya figure, my pockets gettin' bigger

Cause when it comes to money, yo, Grant's my nigga!

You've got the groove, emcees, freeze, stand still, nobody move

It's a sabotage, as I take charge. Don't barge, cause goddamn, I'm livin' large

Like a giant. You're nothin' but a midget, a small digit

You ain't hit it, forget it, quit it

I reign superior, always takin' care o'ya

No-frill rappers, you will evaporate, disintegrate, deflate to your fate

As the great will dominate straight to the state

Of reignin', gainin'. So put Kane in, that category. Period. End of story

Cant You See

VIDEOS OF THE DAY  ORIGINAL AND SAMPLE 

" I dont eat spaghetti without the meat sauce"

Video of the Day 

DANCERS !

 As hard as it is to believe now in the late 80s most rap acts had dancers. Everyone knows or should know that Whodini was the first rap group to fully integrate dancers into their stage shows (Using Dr Ice and Kango Kid in their pre-UTFO days) From the Fresh Prince and Dj Jazzy Jeff to Heavy D and the Boyz etc the dancers were part of the act. Even some of the hardest acts out like Kool G Rap whom no one would confuse with a "dancing type"  of MC had dancers. Here is a roll call of a few MCs/Groups that had dancers and some visual aid in the form of videos

Dj Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince   

Big Daddy Kane

Kool G Rap                                                            

Heavy D & The Boyz

Masta Ace 

Queen Latifah 

MC Lyte 

Now Half of these rappers today jeans are too tight to dance in. KEEP IT OLDSKOOL REMEMBERS THE DANCERS

 

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL MOVIE OF THE WEEK

 

Across 110^th Street was released 1972. The movie that was directed by Barry Shear was released early in the Blaxploitation era. The movie starred Anthony Quinn (who also produced the movie and Yaphet Kotto. The movie also included a great Bobby Womack song from the soundtrack which was titled Across 110^TH Street

 

 

The movie’s title reflects the unofficial boundary line of Uptown aka Harlem in New York City. At the time the numbers racket was controlled by the Italian Mafia with their dirty work being farmed out to the African American gangsters in Harlem. Three down on they luck men decide to rob the “count house” for the money and in the process kill 7 which includes 2 police officers and get away with $300,00. In the hunt that ensues shady, racist cop Captain Mattelli (Quinn) has been told that he will be second in command to African American Lt Pope (Kotto). Also in pursuit is Mob capo Nicky D’Salvio. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that the cards are stacked against the 3 robbers all whom meet their reckoning.

 

 

 

 

 

Also a character in the movie is the neighborhoods that the movie is filmed in. They show the despair and deplorable conditions that can create 3 men all who know that they there are on a suicide mission but feel anything is better than how they are currently living. This movie differed from many of the Blaxploitation genre there is no “brother sticking it to whitey” ending. However Across 110^th Street is still a very good movie.

 

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL

 

 

wheeling dealing gotta funny feeling

Video of the day

I LIKE MY POCKETS

VIDEO OF THE DAY

 

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL INTERVIEW

 

Steady B and Tat Money  “Whats my Name”  album

 

Dj Tat Money has been a mainstay in the Philadelphia Hip Hop scene since the beginning. From being a member of the Hilltop Hustlers (Cool C, Steady B) and  then being the Dj for Kwame.  Keep It  Oldskool’s Chuck Da Original Oldhead  spoke to the producer/ DJ about what else? Oldskool

 

 

What is the first record that you ever bought?

“The first record , depending on what genre your speaking of since  I was buying records when I was 8.  My first one was 45 record by Parliament Funkadelic. “Aqua boogie”. My first Hip Hop record was Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five-  Freedom”

 

Why do you think Oldskool is now coming back in a big way?

“Honest opinion  is because the new artists haven't embraced the artists before them.  So you have a generation of artists that are disconnected from the people who paved the way. Very different from when we put out records because we hoped our forefathers approved.  Needless to say , this is causing most to steer clear from radio and seek their own music. Preferably something they can feel” 

 

 

What was Hip Hop like in the 80s compared to now?

“In the 80's it was more pure, more organic.  And the fact that we could sample  alone has changed the sound of Hip Hop.  Today there's what I call keyboard beats.  I feel if one is going to make this kind of stuff,  they should study the older artists. R&B, Hip Hop,  Funk and Soul to educated themselves  then find a person you like and you can't go wrong.  The other difference is it's all about the money and what you can buy today. It wasn't that way in the 80's.the songs were party oriented  and having a good time etc.  

 

Kwame and A New Beginning

 

Do you think the DJ has become forgotten?

“Of course the Dj has been removed from the picture by design.  Listen to the songs today.  I've heard there are no hit records with scratching in it.    So the labels purposely got rid of the Dj.  And the  Mc is out for the money. So that leaves he DJ out with the exception of the real Hip hop heads that still get down with a DJ”

 

In those days Philly had a lot of acts (3xdope, Fresh Prince and Jeff, Cash and Marvelous, Schooly D Steady B and Cool C) was it all rivalries?

“That was a special time  we were getting our shot and we did our thing.   I would say it was friendly competition.  And that made us all better.   At the same one we were rooting for one another.  The thought was if one made it then Philly would be on the map. That was the race  Again it was so young and organic.  Cats were innocent and weren't corrupted.  It was a fun time we had the attention of everyone.  Being out at that time remember companies didn't have dozens of artists out at the same time.  So if u have a  LP out the focus was on you.   It was the beginning of the video era so again it was like reading a book when you got into the LP. Not cheating and watching the video.  Although the video gives u that extra insight on the artists now.  Without it, you used your imagination more” 

 

What are you up to now.

“Now I'm still doing what I did. I spin for The Alumni Kwame Special Ed Chubb Rock Dana Dane and Monie Love.   And I'm co-producing a documentary based in this same topic. The essence of Hip Hop  It's titled Check the Rhyme. We hope it will be out next year”

 

Thanks for your Time Tat

 

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL MOVIE OF THE WEEK

 

 

 

“They Killed Conrbread”

 

Cornbread, Earl and Me was released in 1975 The movie that was directed by Joseph Manduke. The movie starred a very young Laurence Fishburne, NBA player Jamal Wilkes, Moses Gunn, Bernie Casey and Rosalind Cash. This movie maybe one of the saddest movies of the “Blaxploitation” era

 

 

 

The movies centers on Cornbread (Wilkes)  a promising young basketball star  who is about to enter college on a scholarship. His cousin Wilfred (Fishburne)  and his cousin’s friend Earl  idolize Cornbread like much of the neighborhood. Wilfred lives with his mother Sarah (Cash) as they navigate the rough urban life that surrounds them. A tragedy happens that affects Wilfred, Cornbread and their family and no one seems to want to help. It seems the police in the form of patrolman Atkins (Casey) and his partner may have made a terrible mistake. The neighborhood erupts yet no one wants to say what they saw. Wilfred is the only one brave enough with the help of attorney Benjamin Blackwell (Gunn) to face down the police who threaten to take “the welfare” from his mother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There movie showed that getting justice doesn’t mean there will be a happy ending. This author did not find out about this movie until he was in his teen years (1980s) Cornbread, Earl and Me is a movie that is all too familiar in some areas of this country. This is a very sad but thought provoking movie that relates to self-hatred, upward mobility and police cover-ups. If you have not seen it please do so.

 

 

 

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL