Aside from a Fat Boys tape and some mixes I made recording songs off the radio including Newcleus, Lisa Lisa, and UTFO; I didn't know what was up. My mom would blast Kenny Loggins while she cleaned the house and my dad would try to learn me in the discography of the Beatles, but I wasn't really having it.
But I started hanging with some older kids once skating became a big part of my life who listened to Van Halen, Judas Priest & Rush- that kind of kid metal. I'd spend my days with Bill & Scott both of whom had mini ramps at their house. Bill was the man bec he could pull 5ft tables on his Haro Master & still do Smith Grinds on his Roskopp. But the guys were cool & would always come through to pick me up for skate missions while I was still pre-license legal.
While trying to find a dry spot on a rainy day, Bill started talking about some new hip hop records that came out recently. "Yo Al, let's go to the flea market, pick up these two records & some Maxell Metal tapes. We can go to my Mom's house use her stereo and record the vinyl onto both sides of a tape and for a sweet mix." That mix became the soundtrack for years after.
They also exposed me to bands like Joy Division & the Cure. They started to wear black, their hair started to rise, and we drifted apart. I couldn't really relate. Around this time I swore against any music that revolved around guitars and developed a life long affair with some beats. Then one fateful day, I was handed a yellow tape called Three Feet High & Rising and the rest, as they say, was history.
De La Soul Mix
A Tribe Called Quest Mix
Jazzy Jeff Best Of Mix
100 Fridays later and we still keepin' it funky.
