[July 8th, 2010 will officially go down in history as one of the most epic nights in NYC hip-hop. I mean, isn’t it obvious? It’s 10:00 am and I’m still wired from the energy I felt on stage at Brooklyn Bodega’s “Salute The DJ” event.
Wajeed, DJ Spinna and Bobbito Garcia aka Cumberslice kicked off the event on the perfect note. Their love for music of all kinds was evident in their selection. They played a variety of genres and kept the dance floor rocking from the time I walked in, to the time I hit the stage at 11:45 pm! People, I saw vinyl being played at a HIP HOP show! This is a huge deal for me cause in my travels across the globe this year it started to feel as if the DJs I encountered here and abroad have lost touch with feel of wax under their fingertips. In short, Wajeed, DJ Spinna and Bob showcased the art of true DJing and did HIP HOP justice!
At about 11:20 pm Rhettmatic took to the turntables and proceeded to take us back to a time where Hip Hop was about clever lyrics and hard hitting BOOM BAP beats. Rhettmatic completely raised the energy level. The minute he executed his first scratch you could feel the vibe in the room was ramped up yet another notch. Rhettmatic held it down strong till I joined him on stage 20 minutes later for tag team of cuttin’ and scratchin’. Rhett’s classic BEAT JUNKIE style of rocking the decks meshed perfectly with my X-ECUTIONERS style of attacking the wheels! Considering we only practiced for about 2 hours the day before, the chemistry between Rhett and I only emphasized when the smoke clears, true skill and experience triumphs over the “make shift” DJs we’ve seen popping up in the scene lately. None of them fools want it with us!
At approximately 11:45 pm, Rhett passed the scratch baton over to me and I took off running like there was no tomorrow.
Words cannot describe how it felt to perform my routine “Nobody Beats The Biz” in front of the actual producer of the actual song, Marley Marl! After my performance, I was humbled when Marley walked on stage and said “Rob, I was waiting for you to pull that one out”. Words cannot describe how it felt to give a copy of THE ARCHITECT to Large Professor, the man who taught me how to produce a song from scratch (Haha, excuse the pun). Words cannot describe how nostalgic it felt to see Bobbito Garcia backstage, it was Bob and Stretch Armstrong who introduced the X-men and I to New York radio on their classic “Stretch and Bobbito Show” from back in the day. Words cannot describe how it felt being photographed by Joe “the man who took Hip Hop’s baby pictures” Conzo. I was in front of mentors, teachers and legends like Grand Wizard Theodore (the man who invented scratching) and Pop Master Fabel (member of Rock Steady Crew)!
But just as important, being in front of all of those beautiful yellow, brown, white and black people in the audience really hit home for me. All of those that came out last night serve as a reminder that HIP HOP LIVES. You just gotta know where to look!
Photos: Joe Conzo
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