"you been praying"

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL VIDEO OF THE DAY

24 KARAT LOVE

"I want a girl with extensions in her hair BAMBOO EARRINGS at least 2 pair" is a verse from a LL Cool J 1990 song "Around the way girl" which spoke about his love for the girls with the big earrings. Keep It Oldskool is going to speak about the original BLING BLING era.

 

 People watch the music stars of today and the rings and jewelry that they wear and marvel at some of the rings and chains that are being worn. In the 80s it was no different whether you were a rap star or a bus driver or even in high school it was about having that "stuff on"  Lets first talk about the men. Nothing made a man feel more cooler than having a ring on every finger or having a 3 or 4 finger ring with your name on it. The chains well let’s just say the bigger the better. In Philadelphia we went down to Chestnut St and went into a "heybuddy" a "heybuddy" is a store that sold gold. When they spotted you look at something they would say "hey buddy how much u looking to spend"   There was the "fat rope chain", The "Gucci link" the Herringbone aka "Hambone chain" to choose from. For a while it was all about SIZE MATTERS so the bigger the chain the more respect and notices you received. At some point it changed and a person could have a small rope chain but all he needed to say was "It solid and heavy" and instantly there were be "ohhhs and ahhhs"

Now for the ladies it was on. There was some much to choose from in the form of rings, earrings, chains  etc There were the sisters who wore the big "Stop Sign" earrings or the "Door Knockers", Then the "Onyx earrings" now they were called onyx but they were not in fact onyx. Real onyx would have torn most of the young ladies who was wearing them ear lobes off.  They even took it further there was red and green onyx. Some girls went just as hard as the guys with the big chains and rings on every finger. In the 80s you would see women with earrings that went from the bottom of their ears to their shoulders

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL

OLDKSOOL VIDEO OF THE DAY

SHE WAS NICE WIT IT

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL VIDEO OF THE DAY

HIGHER LEARNING

GET A DEGREE IN OLDSKOOL

With colleges doing "online courses" to get a degree I have decided to also give online classes on obtaining a degree in OLDSKOOL. It will not be easy and it will take a lot of studying but with a little help you too can have MDOS (Master’s Degree in Oldskool) First I will provide some viewing material. At the end of summer session there will be a test.

 Your first assignment would be to find and watch some of the iconic movies of Oldskool.  A list of some  of those movies are  below. Many of them are not superbly acted in fact a lot of the lines or terrible. However that doesn’t take away the fact that to get a degree in Oldskool you must know about, have seen or can quote lines from these movies. Included is the year it was made, who starred in the movie, movie facts and some of the iconic lines/scenes of the movie. There will be guest professors who will also be providing information this summer session.





   Wild Style -Released in 1983 this movie directed by Charlie Ahern and starred graffiti writer George "Lee" Quinones and Hip Hop icon Fab Five Freddy. This movie had cameos by Cold Crush Brothers, Rock Steady Crew, Grandmaster Flash and Busy Bee. Some of the memorable scenes in the movie is Double Trouble (Rodney C, KK Rockwell) "Heres a little story that must be told" on the steps and Grandmaster Flash doing his thing in the kitchen. But for many it must be the Fantastic 5 versus the Cold Crush Brothers on the basketball court with the memorable line "Eat ya ass up like a steak an take"




   Beat Street - Released in 1984 is more widely known the Wild Style mainly because of a larger release. This movie starred a young Rae Dawn Chong and Guy Davis (son of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee) is also not as improvised as Wild Style. There is also a plot. These movies made sure that they had cameos and this one was no exception. The Hip Hop Icons  that appeared in this movie included:

Clive "Kool Herc" Campbell     Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force
Jazzy Jay                                      Treacherous Three
Doug E. Fresh                              New York City Breakers
Rock Steady Crew                     Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five

Some of the more memorable scenes included the battles between Bronx Rockers (Rock Steady Crew) and Beat Street (NYC Breakers) 


   Krush Groove- Released in 1985 is widely considered the best of the "Hip Hop Movies"  The movie gives a loosely based account of the start of the Def Jam label. This movie is also known for the LL Cool J impromptu "Radio" performance. This movie did not need cameos as the stars of the movie RUNDMC, Kurtis Blow,The Fat Boys were the main characters.This movie provided us with the legendary Run statement "We had a whole of superstars on this stage to tonight but this is my M****** house" or the Fat Boys eating everything that wasnt nailed down in Sbarros while performing "All you can eat" This movie also gave us Sheila E rapping (still don’t understand that)

    Breakin and Breakin 2 Electric Boogaloo- These movies were both released in 1984 now neither of these movies would win any awards for acting. And for the movies to have "breakin" in the name there is not much of it. The movie starred Lucinda Dickey who couldn’t "break" an egg, Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers and Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quuinones Most of the dancing is more "poppin" then "breakin". Shabba Doo or "Ozone" as he is known in the movie doesn’t even attempt to "break" The obligatory cameo is by none other but Mr. "Law & Order SVU" himself Ice T although someone would need to explain all the chains and spikes he was wearing. The memorable scenes include "Turbo's" solo dance numbers (with a broom and string attached in "Breakin" and on the ceiling in "Breakin 2")
                                 
 
This course will not be as easy as you think. But If you study hard and pass the tests and quizzes you will have a Master’s Degree of Oldskool

Code 007

Originally Posted in Suavv Magazaine

Here is the scene you are a young man/woman and meet someone out. You decide that you want to get to know each other better. The conversation goes like this (from the point of view of male)

“Hey my name is Chuck what is your name?”

 “Nice to meet you Donna”

 “Here is my pager number”

 “Did you say this is your pager number?”

That is right my young readers in the days before Smart Phones, Facebook and Twitter the most cutting edge equipment to contact someone were a Pager. This article is dedicated to a bygone era of the Pager/Beeper.

 Now for my younger readers the scenario described actually happened. For a man there was nothing more disappointing then having a female not give you her number but offer her beeper number. Don’t think that because they were not phones that pagers lead to fewer arguments. Like cell phones the pager would always go off at the wrong time. Unlike cell phones there were some excuses that could somewhat get you out of a jam. They were:

“There was no pay phone around to call you back”

“Nobody had a quarter”

“My beeper wasn’t on vibrate and I never heard it’

“I don’t know whose number that is”

 

There were a million Pager companies such as Page Mart, 1^st Page, Chickenwing Communications (not real one but it could have been). Like today’s cell phones “Beepers” came in different colors and sizes. A bill would range from $15-$20s a month which if you were not paying attention could turn into $100 quickly. The places to pay your pager bills varied but mostly you paid at those places that sold speakers and stereo equipment. Like all things there was a “Gucci/Prada” (Insert any high priced product name here) of pagers. They were called Sky Pagers and the most important feature was the network. You could be in East Jiblip and get a page from anywhere. Most Rappers had them (A Tribe called Quest did an entire song singing the praises of Sky Page)

Another aspect of the Pager was the individual codes that would be assigned to friends and family. Everyone wanted to use the code 007 as if that actually meant you were a spy or something. Initially putting in a number and adding 911 would get an immediate return call. This slowly also began to change and “911” pages began to get ignored also. The beginning of the end for pagers being the most dominant form of communications was when some pager companies decided that they would use operators that you could call and give them the message that would be typed and sent to your pager. Not much later the cell phone which had previously been the size of a VCR or were connected to a bag became more affordable and everyone started getting one. Pagers suddenly became obsolete. So if you are older then 35 chances are you probably owe 1^st Page $15 for your last pager bill in 1992.

This article is in memory of the Pagers.

I am Chuck Da Oldhead.

Page me

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL'S LYRIC OF THE DAY



Big Daddy Kane

"Its hard being the kane"

This is the proper way man should use ink
But you're at your brink and your rhymes are extinct
Just like a dinosaur, but you never find a more
cause mine'll keep sellin on wax like some kind of whore
Let me inject this, flow of electric currency
for all the party people preferrin me
and spectatin like a tourist, cause you never
saw this style of rap kickin like Chuck Norris
But this ain't Kung-Fu, no I just brung you
a style, that phony MC's were too young to
digest, when I manifest, you adolescent
So sit back, relax, be glad you had a lesson
And this one's for your listenin pleasure


KEEP IT OLDSKOOL

ILLADEL LOVE REMIX

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL pays homage  to some of the greatest Oldskool Philly Hip Hop Albums. Although there have been many new and recent artist who have released albums(The Roots, Bahamadia, RAM Squad, State Property,Meek Mills,Cassidy etc) we are shinning the light on the artist and the album that paved the way for the above mentioned artist.



Released 1986 and is widely considered the first "Gangsta Rap" album ever made. with songs  like "PSK" ,"Put Ya Fila's on" and "Gucci Time" The album was produced by Schoolly D and DJ Code Money. Saturday Night The Album  also released in 1986 featured title track "Saturday Night","Do It Do It" and "B-Boy Rhyme and Riddle"

Later legal  troubles not withstanding Steady B was a force in Philly Hip Hop What's My Name was released in 1987 Songs on the album included "Believe Me Das Bad","Use Me" and "Dont Disturb this Groove". In 1988 Steady B released the Let the Hustlers Play album which featured tracks "Let The Hustlers Play"  and "Serious"  As the leader of the "Hilltop Hustlers" collective (Cool C, Tat Money Da Youngstas etc ) Steady B proved that not only live DJs came out of Philly

This album released in 1988 featured EST,Chuck Nice and DJ Woody Wood and featured songs "From Da Giddy UP" , "Funky Dividends"," Straight Up" and "Greatest Man Alive" Est has always been considered one of the best rappers to come out of Philly.  

 This album released initially by Word Up Records in 1986 and then Jive/RCA in 1987 introduced the world to a then unknown Fresh Prince. The album displayed to the turntable artistry of DJ Jazzy Jeff widely known as the greatest DJ ever from the city of Philadelphia. From the comical "Girls of the world aint nothing but trouble" and the ode to Jazzy himself "The Magnificent" this album surely goes in the Philadelphia Hip Hop Hall of fame

Hip Hop's first double LP He's The DJ I'm the Rapper  was released in 1988 by Jive/RCA picked up where Rock The House left off. The Fresh Prince began to come into his own and the album which has now reached triple platinum status(1995) has some of the most iconic Philadelphia Hip Hop songs like "Rhythm Trax-House Party Style" ,"Brand New Funk" and the comical "Parents Just Don't Understand" This album proved to be the launching point for mega stardom for Will Smith aka Fresh Prince

Tuff Crew in 1988 released Danger Zone which featured one of the most iconic intros for a Hip Hop song. As soon as you hear the beginning cords of the banjo you are instantly aware that "My Part of Town" is now playing.The album also included "Smooth Momentum and "Open Field Attack"  The next LP Back to Wreck Shop showed  the crew consisting of Ice Dog, LA Kid, Tone Luv and Dj Too Tuff  were back with BASS bangers like "What you don't know”, “Show 'Em Hell" "Nut" The Tuff Crew never gets the acclaim that they should partly due to a smaller label and never really getting the push they should have.

There were countless other releases from Philadelphia artists in that period (86-89) and after (90s and beyond) But the above albums have a special place with those of us who fondly remember that period.- Chuck Da Original Oldhead




KEEP IT OLD SKOOL 

THE OUTSIDERS

THE KEEP IT OLDSKOOL MOVIE OF THE WEEK



 The OUTSIDERS is a 1983 movie of the S.E Hinton novel of the same name. The novel written by the author (Hinton) when she was just 15 years old and still in high school. The book was published in 1967 when Hinton was 18. The movie tells a familiar tale of the poor "Greasers" and their well off rivals the "Socs" The motion picture which was directed by the Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) told the story of class warfare in a sense that most teens ( I was 12 when the movie came out) could understand.

 The plot centers on a non traditional family of 3 brothers Darel, Ponyboy and Sodapop Curtis and the struggles of trying to keep it together. From the manic Dallas and the damaged Johnny the characters of the movie make you care about what happens to them. Some of todays youth should watch this movie and they will see the problems that believe only affects them have affected teens in the 1960s and before. The  actors whose careers that were launched or in some cases given more visability reads as:

 C.Thomas Howell as "Ponyboy"        

Ralph Macchio as "Johnny"

Matt Dillon as "Dallas"

Rob Lowe as "Sodapop"

Patrick Swayze as "Darrel"

Emilio Estevez as "Two-Bit" 

Diane Lane as "Cherry"

Leif Garrett as "Bob"

Tom Cruise as "Steve"

 

This movie didn't put a nice little happen ending bow on its climax. This movie showed how easy it is to let our anger get the best of us (Dallas) and the consequences of doing so. For anyone who may have never read the book or seen the movie please do so. If you have seen the movie please show to the next generation as I had my 15 and 12 year old sons watch this movie

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL




 

KEEP IT OLDSKOOL VIDEO OF THE DAY

SERIOUS -Steady B 1988