Top 50 Moments

These are listed in no particular chronological order, but they are categorized as either location-based, personal interactions, cultural significance, or hip-hop shows. One thing that is apparent is that some good memories were formed during my time living in Atlanta and Chicago.

Location-Based

  • Being born 1975 in Brooklyn NY, 667 MacDonough Street.

  • When I was a kid my older cousin Michael could do no wrong. He was a great dancer, drew graffiti and 16 wheeler trucks, had a boombox and a belt buckle with STAN on it. He was living the b-boy lifestyle in a small town called Summerton in South Carolina

  • Visiting Guadalajara was my first time in Mexico. I knew very little about the city, but loved it instantly. The first thing I remembered seeing on the way to my spot was a mile-long mural filled with a plethora of beautiful graffiti pieces (pictured above). I made sure to walk back  there later to take it all in. Not only that there were b-boys practicing dance moves by day and then by night that same crew performed explaining to the crowd what hip-hop is. I definitely shed a thug tear.

  • Seeing The Source Magazine for the first time with Heavy D on the cover at a rim shop in West Charlotte.

  • Hearing Cypress Hill’s album Black Sunday for the first time at my cousin’s apartment building in the Bronx NY, how hip-hop is that!

  • As a high school senior in Charlotte, North Carolina, I often felt like I was the only one in my city jamming to Souls of Mischief. Cruising around in my Mazda 323, “93’ til Infinity” was a permanent fixture in my tape deck. I vividly recall watching their music video for That’s When Ya Lost and trying to determine their place of origin. Amidst all those trees, I jokingly thought they’d hail from the South – LOL. Fast forward to college, witnessing their performance at Metro in Chicago during the Hieroglyphics 3rd Eye Vision tour left an indelible impression on me. Then, to think that I’d move to Oakland 20 years later, find an incredible community, and eventually have the opportunity to interview them at the de Young Museum in San Francisco – it was something I could never have envisioned. Interestingly, this year (2023) also marks the 30th anniversary of their debut album. 

  • Even though I was born in Brooklyn, I’m a southern through and through. So anytime I’m in NYC making my way around the MTA (and not getting lost) always gives me a sense of pride.

  • Performing my rap at an open mic poetry event in the south side of Chicago for the first time. It was COLD that day and a good friend of mine was visiting, she definitely put the battery in my back to hop on the CTA bus and get there. I loved her for that.

  • Peanut Butter Wolf, founder of Stones Throw Records, DJing with his personal record collection at some random place in LA.

  • Hosting a hip-hop talk show in Oakland on August 12, 2023

Personal Interactions

  • Bumping into Dres of Black Sheep 2 times; 1) in Hornets Nest Park in Charlotte NC and then in Philly’s Chinatown when he asked me and my girlfriend at the time directions to the Trocadero 

  • I found out about MAVI from his feature on Earl Sweatshirt’s album. Upon further research I learned he’s from my hometown of Charlotte. He did a show literally I block away from my art studio. I invited him over and we were just vibing with his homies (included in that group were Pink Siifu, Ovrkast and Peruviandurags). To be honest, I wasn’t used to having such young energy around me LOL. But MAVI definitely made me feel like I must be pretty cool to have the next generation of hip-hop in my space sharing his unreleased music. 

  • Meeting Pete Rock outside of Yoshi’s in Oakland. He was DJing for Kareem Riggins (Detroit-based jazz drummer and producer) that night.

  • From watching the film Slam to interviewing Saul Williams: Around the time I began participating in open mic poetry during my time in Philadelphia, there was a lot of buzz surrounding the film, in which Saul starred. It was such a visceral movie, and the scene that stood out the most was the prison sequence when he broke into a poem just before two rival gangs surrounded him, demanding he pick a side. From that moment on, I became a fan of his. Now, more than 20 years later, I find myself interviewing him in Oakland. What made the experience great was Saul’s willingness to share his journey, from being a battle emcee in upstate New York to getting involved in theater in high school and then transitioning to slam poetry. His story felt oddly familiar to me, almost as if it existed in a parallel universe to my own.

  • Seeing Crazy Legs from the Rock Steady Crew, up close in person at the B-Boy Barbeque in Philly was surreal, this had to be around 2004-05. The only other time I saw him was at a distance on stage at the Rock Steady Crew Anniversary event in NYC. To see him command the cipher like a general was so dope. There were a cypher of young b-boys and b-girls getting it in and he was like, “nah, dance on the asphalt, no linoleum!” And right there I saw him leading by example and joining in.

  • At this point I was at the tail end of my open mic poetry journey. My go to spot to perform was at October Gallery’s Panoramic Poetry in Philly. On this night Jill Scott came with one of her homegirls. It was a quiet night so it was great to interact with her in such an intimate setting. I pulled out my best poem, in my mind I think I impressed her.

Cultural Significance

  • I just remembered it was night time and we were leaving my cousin’s house in Columbia SC, but distinctly was hearing the songs Jam On It and White Lines (Don’t Do It) for the first time. I think it was one of those hip-hop cassette mixes you could buy at discount department stores.

  • In junior high around 1988, my homie Deion told me that nobody was breakdancing anymore; (MC) Hammer was the new thing. So, out went my Puma sneakers and tracksuits, and in came the hammer pants and patent leather shoes with the embroidery. As it turns out, this shift was happening not only in my local area but also nationwide. Interestingly, in other countries around the world, b-boying and hip-hop culture was just starting to thrive. Fast forward to high school it was all about New Balances, Timberland boots and army fatigues pants.

  • It was all a dream: I had to have been about 19 or 20 years old. I remember having this vivid dream of Guru from Gangstarr calling me at my mom’s house in Summerton, South Carolina to work on a song. Premier was on the line too. I remembered being shocked, nervous and happy all at the same time.

  • It was all a dream: I've always had incredibly detailed dreams; the ones involving Jay-Z felt like we were genuine friends. In the first dream, we were casually hanging out on a sidewalk, most likely in Brooklyn, sitting in lawn chairs. It almost had the vibe of a music video shoot. In the second dream, our offices were situated side by side in a massive skyscraper. Both of us enjoyed breathtaking views of the city, although his office was more extensive than mine, given that he’s Jay-Z, right? We would visit each other's offices regularly, but even in my dream, visiting Jay-Z always carried a layer of self-doubt – “Am I worthy enough?” Yet, he always reassured me, saying, “Mike, don’t think like that. Come on, bro.” Let’s just say, in both dreams, he treated me as if we were equals, and in a way, we are... kinda :).

  • VIBE magazine was different when it hit the shelves in 1993. In my senior year of high school seeing Snoop Dogg on the cover with, in bold condensed all caps, words saying BOW WOW WOW superimposed on his face was thrilling. My love for print media was cemented that day.

  • A friend of mine designed a box set for all four of Eric B. & Rakim’s albums. I kept it sealed for almost a year. When I felt like my son was old enough I played it for him. Even at his young age I can see that Rakim’s lyrics and style resonated to him.

  • I could never get enough of Kid N’ Play growing up and they were everywhere from films like House Party to their own cartoons. However, competing with my cousin Kenny to see who can memorize Kid N' Play’s album 2 Hype tops it all. I don’t think any of us won, lol.

  • I’m not sure why, but prior to college my handwriting was small and diminutive. But once I got to art school I remember making a concerted effort to change the way I wrote to be more like graffiti and tagging.

  • Looking forward to our b-boy cyphers in 4th grade at Oakhurst Elementary (Charlotte NC).

  • In 1997 I bought my first Ensonic EPS sampling keyboard (before that a Dr. Boss drum machine) when I lived in Atlanta, that was the time I felt I could actually be a part of hip-hop. I still have all of those beat tapes.

  • The time my mom found my Ice-T “Power” cassette and made me record over it after seeing the picture of Darlene wearing a tiny v-shaped bikini holding a shotgun.

  • Designing and selling Freak Nik t-shirts in 1997 with my homie Joe. This was a pivotal moment for me that started my entrepreneurial hustle you always hear in hip-hop, ‘selling shit out of your trunk.’ 

  • My then girlfriend told me to focus on making money with my design career, not doing hip-hop music. Feeling disgruntled, I got rid of all my equipment. (pictured above)

  • In 2007, with encouragement from my brother from another mother, Eddou XL, I moved to the West coast. Getting here and seeing how Eddou and his homies were consummate crate diggers and beatmakers was all the encouragement I needed to get back to making beats. I bought my MPC 1000, which I still used to this day.

  • Realizing that the film Beat Street is the hollywood version of Wildstyle. And let’s not forget their predecessors Style Wars (1983) and Breakin’ ‘N’ Enterin’ (1983)

  • I tried so hard to be a DJ as a kid. So much so I ruined my mom’s James Brown (Hot Pants) record trying to scratch and inadvertently broke her record player too. Also my mom’s 45 record of Funkadelic’s Knee Deep got it too. I kinda blame De La Soul’s song ‘Me Myself and Eye’ for that.

  • In my senior year of high school, my speech therapist told me to talk with a rhythm to help with my stuttering. “Tap your feet everytime you speak. It may sound funny but you’ll get your words out.” She had know idea I’ve been writing raps since I was 10. I had no idea rap could give me that type of resource.

  • Reading Jeff Chang’s book Can’t Stop Won’t Stop was the first time I felt like I was actually studying hip-hop as if I was an outsider. Then to follow up with the book he edited Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop was eye opener in how hip-hop wasn’t just for folks practicing one of the four elements, but it also influenced other forms of media like theater and even journalism. Which I kinda knew, but to read about it was a whole other perspective.

  • Teaching my son how to make beats was something I actually planned to do. He was just curious about what I was doing so I decided to show him. He was already fully aware of records. Because since he was really young that’s all I played, even to the point I would take him digging with me.

  • Energetically feeling the death of Combat Jack, (Reggie Ossé was a ground-breaking hip-hop podcaster, who was a former music attorney) when he passed away in 2017.

  • Hearing DJ Shadow’s album Endtroducing for the first time in Tower Records near Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta and then this random person encouraged me to buy it. So I did.

  • DJing with vinyl an all Black woman set at my friends art gallery in Oakland. I couldn’t get my mixer to pump out the sounds loud enough, but it was fun nonetheless. 

  • From my time doing a lot of open mic poetry in Philly I was well aware of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC. Especially after seeing the film Piñero and hearing about Lyricist Lounge. So to perform a rap song I wrote called “Yo” at the cafe was everything. For some reason I thought a lot about MF DOOM.

  • The first time I truly realized that white people (who don’t necessarily spend intimate time with Black people on a consistent basis) like hip-hop was when I saw Digable Planets and Jeru da Damaja perform at the Garage in Atlanta. The audience was at least 40% white.

Hip-Hop Shows

  • My first official hip-hop concert was seeing the Fresh Fest IV tour at the Charlotte Coliseum. There were a lot of folks rocking 80’s bicycle gear, flip hats and biking shorts (men and women). The artists I specifically remember seeing perform were Salt N’ Pepa, Heavy D and Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew. 

  • The night Tupac died: Me and my homie Joe were in line to see KRS-One perform at The Atrium in Stone Mountain, GA. It definitely was a sober moment, but it was dope to hear KRS give Tupac his respect with a moment of silence before he performed that night.

  • I’ve heard of the term beat juggling and was aware of the NYC-based DJ collective The Executioners (formerly the X-Men) but to witness The Beat Junkies (from Los Angeles) performing live at the Metro in Chicago was historic. It was the first I saw turntablism replicating a funk band.

  • Going to the Rock Steady Anniversary Festival with my good friend Alicia in NYC and seeing Cannibal Ox, Company Flow, Guru and Thirstin’ Howl the Third perform was definitely the highlight.

  • Watching Guru perform with Jazzmatazz in Paris was surreal. This had to have been about a year before he passed away, to be honest he didn’t look well. Every five minutes he would take a five minute break. I was so stoked to see him, but was really sad to see a shell of the emcee who meant so much to me.

  • Seeing A Tribe Called Quest perform at the Warehouse in Atlanta and hearing gunshots after the show. That show was PACKED and they rocked it, that was my only time seeing them live.

  • Dilated Peoples were known to give good live performances. So I made sure I saw them at the Metro in Chicago. What stood out the most is right after their performance Evidence rushes off the stage. Literally I’m walking out to go home and I see him waiting outside to battle anyone who wants some.

  • I learned about DJ Shadow and DJ Krush around the same time when I lived in Atlanta. So a few years later in Chicago I had to decide if I should see Shadow or Krush when they were DJing the same night in the same venue, one upstairs the other downstairs. I decided to see Shadow upstairs, but kinda wished I saw Krush instead. I mean he came here all the way from Japan. Come to think of it, I could've seen both. HA

  • Rest in Peace to Trugoy the Dove (Dave Jolicoeur). I’ve seen De La Soul perform 3 times in 3 different cities: Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco. All three times they ripped, but the one in SF was the most memorable. Dave duct taped the mic to his hand. What else is there to say?

  • Seeing Nas perform in Atlanta was like looking for Waldo, my cousin Kenny and I went. This was just after his album Illmatic had dropped and there were SO MANY people on the stage. You can tell he wasn’t comfortable up there. Biz Markie (RIP) was DJing for him, he called him over for a chat and then something just clicked. Once he performed his song Represent Nas just locked in after that.