Confident You NETWORK with Marion Swingler

CELEBRATING HALF A CENTURY OF HIP-HOP: Honoring the Genre's Pioneers, Style, and Evolution with A.J. Throwback

March 23, 2024 • Marion Swingler • Episode 30

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Happy 50th Anniversary HIP-HOP!

Confident You Fam, guess who's back? Hip-Hop aficionado A.J. Throwback joins us on a vibrant journey through the genre's 50-year legacy, leaving no stone unturned as we pay respects to the trailblazers and trendsetters who've shaped its course. Let's rewind the tape to DJ Kool Herc's block parties, where the breakbeat became the heartbeat of an emerging culture. From the iconic fashion statements like Kangol hats to the streetwise threads that voiced a community's narrative, we examine the symbiosis of style and self-expression that defined an era.

Our discussion with A.J. Throwback takes a deep dive into the genre's evolution, highlighting artists who've mastered the fusion of rap and song—think Queen Latifah's vocal prowess and Pharrell Williams' lyrical ingenuity. Hip-hop's educational strides echo through the conversation, as we nod to pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa, who infused their music with messages of unity and empowerment. The unfiltered introspection of Jay-Z's "Moment of Clarity" and Rakim's groundbreaking flow remind us of the art form's power to confront life's complexities with raw honesty.

To cap off our show, we spotlight the unforgettable collaborations that have left an indelible mark on the soundscape of hip-hop. From the emotional depth of "This Can't Be Life" to the empowerment anthem "Ladies First," these tracks underscore the genre's capacity for collaboration and innovation. As we toast to 50 years of rhythm, rhyme, and revolution, A.J. Throwback shares social media handles for further connection, and drops some wisdom on maintaining authenticity in hip-hop. Join us for this episode to uncover the pulse of a culture that continues to reinvent itself while honoring its roots.

CONNECT WITH A.J. THROWBACK:
Founder/CEO, Balancing Act Music & Media (BAMM!) LLC
BAMM! Official Website:
https://www.bammllc.net/

Email:
info@BAMMLLC.net

Instagram:
@A.J.THROWBACK
https://www.instagram.com/a.j.throwback/

TikTok:
@A.J.THROWBACK
https://www.tiktok.com/@a.j.throwback

Facebook:
@AJTHROWBACK
https://www.facebook.com/ajthrowback

Twitter:
@AJTHROWBACK
https://twitter.com/ajthrowback

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/ajthrowback928
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Speaker 1:

Yo, confident you, Mary Swingler, in the house, in the place to be Listen. So excited to have you here back on Confident you podcast Today, right now, in this moment, in this time, whether you are watching this day night, evening, midday, this is going to be absolutely epic. Listen, it is the 50th anniversary of something that started in a rec room at a birthday party and now it's celebrated, 50 years later, all around the globe. Are you listening to me? Happy 50th anniversary hip hop, come on, come on, come on, come on. So excited to be doing this, listen. So I couldn't do this by myself. I had to bring someone who was, shall I say, a hip hop guru, so excited that he was available to do this with me, because I definitely need someone to walk me through the evolution of hip hop. Happy anniversary, hip hop, 50 years in the making. And now, without further ado, we have with us our guest, aj Throwback.

Speaker 2:

Hey, hey, hey, hey, glad to be back.

Speaker 1:

How are you? I'm awake, I'm so excited. Look at that.

Speaker 2:

Wrong button. All my energy pushed you off the road. Did you see that?

Speaker 1:

what's up sir?

Speaker 2:

hey, what's good what she says. I'm glad to be back once again.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for having me again on this joint who else would I celebrate 50 years of hip hop with? But the hip hop guru himself. Come on now.

Speaker 2:

I don't know about a guru. I know a little something hip-hop with, but the hip-hop guru himself. Come on now.

Speaker 1:

Come on I don't know about a guru. I know a little something though you know a little something, just a little bit.

Speaker 2:

Un poquito.

Speaker 1:

Okay, you know a little bit, let's see. Can you tell me? I'm just going to test to see what you know. Can you tell me? I'm just going to test to see what you know. Can you tell me what hip hop artist or if there are more than one hip hop artist that was known for sporting K-Nga?

Speaker 2:

Well, you know, I mean you got Run DMC, you got LL Cool J. You know I mean you got Run DMC, you got LL Cool J. I mean, darn, anybody, you know, like that was of that particular era. That was like and what's interesting about you asking that question was the transition from one bit of fashion to the next era of fashion. Because, like, if you think like earlier, like when you think about Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, when you think about Grandmaster Kaz and the Cold Crush Brothers you know what I'm saying like, when you think about people like that they were kind of sort of mimicking a lot of their style after the funk groups of the 70s, you know what I'm saying. Like they were trying to be like big time, you know.

Speaker 2:

But then when you get to like the run DMCs and you get to the LL Cool J's, like they kind of stripped it down, you know what I'm saying. Like they stripped a lot of things down. Not only was the fashion that became a little bit more stripped down, if you will, but it also was representative of the streets, because you didn't have people dressing like you know. You didn't have people dressing like you know, you didn't have people dressing like the Isley Brothers or dressing like Earth, wind, fire just walking around in the street. You know what I'm saying. Like they was wearing Kangos it depends on where you were walking.

Speaker 1:

It depends on where you were walking.

Speaker 2:

Right, right. But in the hood, in the Bronx, you know what I'm saying Like where you know where hip-hop was founded and started, like nah, you ain't had that going on like that.

Speaker 1:

I ain't had that going on like that. Let me see. Let me see, I'm trying to show everyone that you actually are a guru, but I'm also giving them ones that they know, to make sure that they understand Okay, so yeah, I got that one. I got that one. So a clock Is understand.

Speaker 2:

Okay, so yeah, I got that one, I got that one, so a clock. Is there anyone that you think?

Speaker 1:

is associated with a clock. Oh, that's.

Speaker 2:

That's easy. Flavor flay, you know, flavor flavor, oh, one of my favorite groups, all time public enemy, you know. And the cool thing about flavor flay that a lot of people don't realize, you know, like I think people see the personality and they automatically assume you know what I'm saying. He's just like the like just that guy.

Speaker 2:

You know what I'm saying but this guy, like is a musician, like a trained musician, like he can play multiple instruments, you know, and well, like, not just like he can play a little bit, like he puts me to shame. You know like I need to practice some more. You know what I mean. Like Flavor. Flav was like that, you know. Like that dude, you know so like his presence in Public Enemy it was really necessary Because it's like you have Chuck D who's like more of like the serious one, you know what I'm saying. But like he serious one, you know I'm saying, but like he gives you the energy, but then you have flavor flay was like just really like that personality, you know, that kind of sort of just takes it over the top and and flavor, you know I'm saying like he was very conscious in a lot of ways, but I think it kind of sort of gets overshadowed by like you know his look, you know I mean. But like you needed flavor flay in that group, you needed that you needed that, which iav in that group.

Speaker 1:

You needed that, you needed that which I think that this is so interesting that we're here already off of the second o'clock that the yin and yang of them two, you know Flavor, flav gave it, he literally gave it. Yeah, absolutely he literally gave it, because the message and the um, everything public enemy, I, I just okay, okay, okay, look, let me go, let me go, let me go, let me go. I want to do my next one. I want to do my next okay okay, afro puffs, oh, that's rage.

Speaker 2:

That's rage, lady of rage. You know, I'm saying like somebody from you know, representing farmville virginia, you know. So I had never heard of farmville virginia until like lady of rage, you know, I mean, but like she was somebody who I feel like she didn't get enough shine, as she should have, in terms of when her project actually came out, um, or when her music came out. I just felt like she didn't have enough push because I mean, like everybody that you talk to who loves hip-hop, who's a hip-hop head, will sing her praises in terms of how well, of how much of a lyricist she is, you know, I'm saying, and so like lady rage is one of those unsung heroes of hip-hop, you know, I'm saying that like I felt like she just really, if she had the right push, she'd have taken off.

Speaker 1:

She'd have really taken off my goodness, give me your top five. Top five rap singers.

Speaker 2:

Rap singers. When you say rap singers, they rap.

Speaker 1:

When they sang, they sang their own hook. In the beginning they weren't doing it that?

Speaker 2:

ooh, Wow, I already got to sit here. I know I'm literally thinking of people who I would put in this category. It's just a matter of figuring out the order. So most death is definitely in there.

Speaker 2:

Um say is the song for most def well, most people know you know him with umi says like now, granted, he's not rapping and singing, and umi says, but like you hear his vocals, and umi says, you know, like his ability, so I would say most def. Um, I would say, of course, lauren hill. Lauren hill is definitely, you know, she's definitely, cause I mean, she's probably one of the best at doing both, like she's the most lyrically adept and like in terms of her vocals she's, you know, definitely one of the best at that. Um, missy is one of my personal faves of all time. Like when I say harmony, you're not going to find too many people better at harmonizing, better at vocal arrangements. I don't care, like how well they sing, how well you know, whatever. You're not going to find too many people better at harmony, whether she's is her song or whether she's arranging it for someone else, because literally all I'm thinking about is what she did on Free Yourself for Fantasia. You know what I'm saying. Like that that's a masterclass in vocal arrangements, but then she'll turn around and give you something like super duper hip hop. Like she is really of the culture. When you really think about, like what made the culture what it is? Missy really took that and represented it to the fullest. You know, I mean so, I mean missy's like one of my faves like period, like rap entertainment, singing, you know whatever. Like she's, I mean she's like a goat for me.

Speaker 2:

You know, um, I'd have to think of like two others, because I'm trying to think like, who really can sing and rap, like can do both really well? Absolutely, queen Latifah. Oh, yes, yes, yes, absolutely. I don't know how I overlook Queen Latifah, because you know what it is. I overlook how well she can sing. You know I'm saying like, but she can sing, she can sing very well. You know I'm saying so, yeah, she would definitely be. She'd be actually be pretty high on the list for me. Um, and then I'm trying to think who else would I put in that category?

Speaker 1:

for real, are you else?

Speaker 2:

would I put in that category For real.

Speaker 1:

Are you actually saying the word for real?

Speaker 2:

No, I thought you were saying for real, I thought you were like throwing, for real. Yes, you know what's interesting about for real. And this is why I can't be mad at that answer, because Pharrell's vocal arrangements are very underrated, very underrated, like I think about. Like what he did on a song like Come Close for Common when he worked with Mary J Blige. I also think about just some of his other songs where it's like he's working with other people and he arranges vocals very well. It's like he's working with other people and he arranges vocals very well.

Speaker 2:

But I was just telling I was just telling my wife this, maybe like over the weekend or sometime last week Pharrell is an underrated rapper. Pharrell be having bars, you know I'm saying people focus so much on you know Pharrell is a producer. Pharrell is, you know, the hook singer. You know I'm saying a lot of the other stuff that he's done, but Pharrell be having bars legit. You know I'm saying a lot of the other stuff that he's done, but pharrell be having bars legit, you know, and like sneaky bars, like I think.

Speaker 2:

And it's funny that we mentioned missy, because I thought about, uh, the song he did with missy a couple of years ago. Uh where they, where they from that song right there. Oh my gosh, like that's so hip-hop like that, that throwback, almost like planet rock type of hip hop. You know what I mean. Like stripped down, it's not a whole lot of music going on with it. You know what I mean. And like he's spitting and like spitting some like low key knowledge on that joint. You know what I mean Talking that, talk on it. So yeah, I would put Pharrell in that category.

Speaker 1:

All right, sir, I will say that, yes, for me a guru knows how to give the answer and then give the background to the answer. That is what you just did in our first round of hip hop. Do you know that was round one.

Speaker 2:

I didn't know we was doing rounds, but I'm glad I did well in round one.

Speaker 1:

So I want to. Now that you said no, I say yes. I will let the people decide for themselves. We are about to start at the beginning, the beginning of hip hop.

Speaker 2:

Sir, if you could just give us a quick cliff note tutorial on how hip hop began well, I mean, as many folks know, 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, in the rec room, dj Cool Herc, who is actually from he was originally born in Kingston, jamaica, and what was going on at that time was, like 1973, you're talking August 11th 1973, throws the first hip hop party, and what was going on at party? Well, it wasn't branded hip-hop at that time, it was just what it was. Was that it was one? It was a back to school jam, that's what it was.

Speaker 1:

so, yeah, like birthday party for his little sister well, probably was a bit of both.

Speaker 2:

But on the actual advertisement, you see it say back to school, jam um, 1520 cedric avenue, quote, unquote, the rec room. You know I'm saying august 11, 1973, I think. The party was like from either nine at night to four in the morning or something like that. It was like 25 cents for the ladies, 50 cents for the guys, you know I mean. So, like it was, it was a whole. It was a whole vibe that was going on, and one of the things that cool herk said was that the rec room really only held about 40, 50 people, but the word had spread like wildfires about what he was doing and the type of music that he was playing.

Speaker 2:

Because, the thing is, at that time disco was starting to take off and so hip-hop was really kind of sort of like I don't want to say anti-disco, but like, when you think about what the vibe of disco was like, you had, like you go to a place like studio 54, um, and I forget what the one of the other popular ones was called, but like those types of clubs you had to be suited and booted. You know what I mean. Like you had to like dress a certain way, you had to spend a certain amount of money in order to get in these parties. You know what I mean. And then the music that they were playing. There was a lot of people who really couldn't connect with that. They connected more with the funk stuff, they connected more with the blues, with gospel, with rock, with a lot of these things that weren't being played in the disco clubs.

Speaker 2:

And so the thing that made what DJ Kool Herc special was that, one, he had a lot of records that a lot of people didn't have. Two, they weren't playing them on the radio. And three, he would only play the what's called the breaks. So it's the part in the song where it's just like the drums, maybe the bass line or whatever, but it's like those parts where, like, really the groove sits with these songs, you know, and those were the parts that he would play during his set, because a lot of he saw the energy that, like, when you play these parts, people responded to it. You know what I'm saying. They had a certain reaction. That's where the whole thing with break dancing comes from, because the dancers would dance to the breaks. You know what I'm saying. And so, like, hold on hold on hold on.

Speaker 1:

Okay, Are you serious? Is that?

Speaker 2:

what that came from. That's what that's where the term comes from. They dance to the breaks because, again, that's where the groove sat. You know what I'm saying. Like you can, you can have the parts where they, you know, they sing in and there's the instrumentation and all of that, but, like, when those breaks happen and how they just kind of how the music move them. That's where that comes from.

Speaker 2:

Yes, they dance to the breaks and so, um, cool herk is part of what's called the holy trinity of, like, hip-hop djs. So you had dj cool herk, um, you had africa bambada, um, you know, like he, you know he and it's funny because he was like you know, I had a lot of those records saying about cool herc. He's like I heard what cool herc was doing. I had a lot of those records. And then some, you know, I'm saying, and so, like you had, like I said, uh, dj cool herc, africa bambada. And then, of course, one of my favorite djs to me, like he just changed the face of djing forever, and that's grandmaster flash.

Speaker 2:

And the thing about grandmaster flash that was special was, whenever we think about cue points of songs, this dude, like he was trying to figure out a better way of transitioning between two songs. That like like, if he had, if he found a break in a song, a lot of times what would happen was the transitions weren't as smooth. And so as somebody who was really fascinated with like circuitry and how things worked, he would you know, he was at first he was trying to like almost like jerry rigger way, to kind of sort of make it happen with the circuitry. But then he just figured out like okay, how can I take this part and kind of sort of scratch between these two parts and make it a smoother transition than what we hear from radio djs, than what even that we hear from coolool, herc and Bambada? You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

And so that's when he would take a crayon, mark the parts on the song and he would count how many times the record would go around and then he would switch between those two parts and that's what changed DJing forever. That's how we know DJing to this day, like as hip-hop DJs, as DJs period, like that's Grandmaster Flash, that was the genius that he came up with. So when you talk about like the people, like the forefathers of hip-hop, the guys that really like set the tone, because at first it was about the DJs, so you talking again. Kool Herc, afrika Bambaataa, grandmaster Flash they were the ones that really, like, helped to set the tone for what hip hop became in terms of, like, the DJing aspect.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

The rappers came later. You know what I mean. The rappers came later Like they weren't even like they weren't even like the forefront at first Right came later like they weren't even like they weren't even like the forefront at first right. But but then you had people like um, you had the fantastic five. You had, uh, of course, uh, the furious five with meli, mel, um and that whole group. You know I'm saying that ended up. You know they were, they were with grandmaster flash, right, um, like you had so many groups at that particular time. I want to say, uh, I want to say it was a fantastic five. And then it was like a three group because they battled between each other and it was no, it was, I think it was a fancy. I want to say it was a fantastic three. And then it was the cold crush brothers. I want to say they were the ones that battled and at first because, like, actually I think it was a fantastic five, they had the girls, so like the women was like really responding to them, and because they had the crowd that night, everybody thought that they won.

Speaker 2:

But then, when they listened back to the tapes, you know, because at that time, like that's where you had the bootleg takes coming coming because you didn't have things recorded on record. At that time. You know what I'm saying. Like for the first seven years, like six, seven years of hip hop, people weren't going in the studio and actually recording hip hop records. So all you had were like almost kind of like in Go-Go, you had like these PA tapes almost where people would record the party and you know they would circulate around the hood and that's how you heard those tapes if you weren't at the party. You know, I mean, and so this battle, this epic battle that happened. When they listen back to the tape they was like, oh, not a cold crush, brothers, they, they, they killed. You know what I'm saying. Like, oh, not a cold crush brothers, they, they, they killed it. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

But that's where you kind of sort of had these foundations, because a lot of it started with from the party scene. You know, like you said certain rhymes that really you were really just trying to get the crowd going. You had the dj working, you had, um, the mcs coming along. Of course you had the b boys, the b girls, the break dancers. You know I'm saying they were a huge part of that movement and really just kind of sort of bringing these elements together. Um, then of course, you had graffiti that started.

Speaker 2:

That started coming along, like you see people what they call bombing trains in new york. Like I mean, to me I felt like they made the trains look better because they were boring, they were silver, you know, it wasn't anything going on with them. But then you see a train to get bombed and it's like, oh my gosh, this thing just like just took on a completely different personality, you know, but like I think I would be remiss if I didn't say that a lot of what like really inspired hip-hop to be a thing was what was going on in the streets. A lot of times, when you have any new movement, it's always a movement of the youth that's in revolt to whatever is going on at the time.

Speaker 2:

So not only did you have disco going on at the time, but you also had the Bronx was literally on fire. Like that's not even like any kind of uh you know symbolism or anything like that. No, it was literally on fire, like burning buildings, like all the time. I think it was like one year it was like 12,300 fires in the Bronx alone and like you, look all around and it's just like abandoned buildings, burned down buildings, rubble, trash, debris, everywhere, people on you know, people on welfare, people getting mugged, killed Street gangs were rampant, like all of these different things. And so you had people who just felt like we need something for us, people who just felt like we need something for us, we need something that speaks to our movement and how we're feeling at the time. And so hip hop really kind of sort of birthed a lot of that, just kind of sort of raging against the machine, so to say.

Speaker 1:

You know raging against the machine. You know, raging against the machine. Listen, we are going to have round two. It is a hip hop, did you know? So, african medallion Name what group?

Speaker 2:

Well, let's see, I believe x-clan was a group that rocked the uh, the medallions um, of course, public enemy. They were definitely known for rocking medallions um a lot of the members of the native tongues collective and anybody who doesn't know native tongues. You talking trap call quest, you talking de la soul. You talking moni love talking queen latifah, you're talking to jungle brothers, uh, leaders of the new school, um, and you know it's a bunch of other people. Some people, like I found out years later I was like they were part of native tongues. I didn't even know that, but, like native tongues, they were big on the african medallions um, and you know it's, it's a bunch of other people. Those are like the first people, like first couple of groups that like come to mind when I think about how, like, a lot of Afrocentrism was so important at that particular time. You're talking the late 80s, early 90s, because I mean it's like you saw the African medallions, you saw everybody wearing the ex Malcolm X hats. You know I'm saying like I mean you think about Queen Latifah.

Speaker 2:

One of the things that made her special was the fact that there was that connection to Africa, even Africa and Bambaataa now, granted, he wasn't necessarily as much on the medallion movement, but without Africa Bambaataa and what he did, because he really brought that fifth element of hip-hop that people overlook and that's education. You know I'm saying knowledge. I should say that is five elements to hip-hop. Most people say four, but it's actually djing, emceeing, b-boy and b-girling, graffiti and knowledge. Those are the five elements of hip-hop. And so when you have the representation of the african medallions coming out, it's like that's part of the knowledge, that's part of the continuation of things like what people like africa bambada started with zulu nation and bringing a lot of the gangs together and unifying people through their identity, connecting back to africa. So when you look at the public enemies, when you look at the x-clans, when you look at um, the native tongues and a lot of other people who represented that, it's basically just a continuation of what the african bambaata started.

Speaker 1:

You know right right, right, all right. So that was round two. Ding, ding, ding, you did well. That was a nice little educational moment, thank you. So how did hip hop start for you?

Speaker 2:

So I mentioned Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. That was my start, like when I was, and I mean a little kid like that song probably came out when I was, and I mean a little kid like that song probably came out when I was two or three years old. But I still remember, I still remember Mike, my dad, having records at that time and he would play that record and apparently I went crazy, you know, I'm saying, and even when I heard it years later it's almost like I was connecting back to that time of really just kind of sort of gravitating subconsciously and consciously toward that record, because the importance of it was one didn't really have a lot of conscious hip-hop songs at the time. A lot of it was like party driven at the time, yeah, but when you hear the message, the message really just kind of sort of changed the trajectory of what you could talk about in a hip-hop song. You know, that's number one and then number two for me why it's a subconscious thing is because the type of rap that I would end up making and the type of rap that I would end up gravitating towards as an artist and as a lover of the culture, a member of the culture would be that type of rap. You know, something that has a message, something, something that has substance, something that represents what's going on in culture, what's going on in our communities, what's going on with us as individuals, as black people. You know what I'm saying, black and brown people, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

So, like for me, that was like my first real introduction to hip hop that I could remember. Now, granted, I remember all them, sugarhill records laying around with the, with the cool logo and all of that, like when I was a kid, but like I didn't gravitate towards those records as much as I did. The message, like the message that was like that thing that really kind of sort of opened it up for me in the beginning. You know, I mean, it was groups that I ended up gravitating towards more when I became a teenager. But when you talk about what, what was my first introduction that I could remember? It was the message grandmaster, flash, furious five it was the message grandmaster, flash furious five.

Speaker 1:

Give me that lyric, that verse that stands out to you from the message I mean broken glass everywhere.

Speaker 2:

I mean like just I don't know the whole verse, I can't even tell you. Like you know it's one of those things like when you hit, like I could probably recite a good amount of the bars, but like I mean it's so many different pieces to like what makes that song special. You know, I mean like the broken glass everywhere. You know people walking around like they just don't care. You know I'm saying it's like the picture that they painted with what life was like at that time, cause what you have to realize is that while there was a lot of poverty going on in the Bronx when hip hop first started, it got worse in the early eighties because then you have cocaine and crap coming along, and that when that hit, especially in a city like New York, I mean it's just like completely exploded and changed life for so many different people. You know I'm saying it created. It created the hustler. You know they've created a different type of hustle when it came to that life.

Speaker 2:

Unfortunately, it created a lot of addicts to a different kind of drug. That was just like even more dangerous, because not only was it dangerous for the person selling it, but it was dangerous for the person ingesting it. You know what I'm saying it was. It was just danger all the way around ingesting it. You know what I'm saying it was. It was just danger all the way around. And you know we get into this whole political thing in terms of you know who introduced it, who brought it into the hood and all of these different things, but that's another conversation for another day. All I can say is that when you have a song as powerful as that representing that, and then the poverty and then the hopelessness and just so much that's going on at that time in New York City, in the Bronx, it's like you needed a record like that.

Speaker 1:

You absolutely needed it you needed it to me to tell the truth, to acknowledge what was going on and to get the message out. So hip hop started in a rec room in the Bronx a school party, a back to school party, a birthday party for his sister, and then it's now around the world. How do you see hip hop growing up?

Speaker 2:

Tell me the stages of growth to go from that rec room to around the world well, uh, one of the things that made it go around the world was once again going back to grandmaster flash and the furious five. Like they were one of the first hip-hop groups to tour worldwide. You know, like when you had a lot of these other groups kind of battling, you know, in these underground circuits, they were the main ones that like still had the part of the essence of hip hop but because they had so much appeal, people wanted you know, they wanted them to come to this country or come to that country. Then you have, of course, sugar hill gang rappers delight. Now there's a lot of controversy behind that song, but what cannot be denied is the fact that that record really opened up the door for the possibilities of what hip-hop music could be. You know I'm saying, and so, like it was the same thing with them. They were talking about, I think it was Wonder Mike. One of the things that he was saying was, you know, they were getting invited to go to Copenhagen and they were getting invited to go to Brussels and all of these different places around the world. Just from that one record. That one record changed their life. You know what I'm saying, and so you have that Then you have that, then you have um, I'm trying to think, of course uh, run dmc. You know, we'd be remiss if we don't talk about run dmc.

Speaker 2:

Run dmc the thing that made run dmc special was when they first started out and the beats that they were rapping on they were, and the beats that they were rapping on they were completely stripped down. No bands, no music. In fact, russell Simmons one of the things he talked about was the fact that when they finished the song Sucker MCs, which was their first single, when they finished Sucker MCs, the engineers was like, oh, I guess we can work on this tomorrow. And he was like, what do you mean? Work on this tomorrow? It's done. Like, what else we got to work on? It's just drums and them rapping, and to have that kind of vision and to understand what the streets wanted to hear and to kind of sort of take it in a different direction. It was just something special to set up what they ended up doing with, say, aerosmith and doing that record, because not only do you have what they did with Aerosmith, but also the whole thing of the Adidas like they. Run DMC became the first non-athletic entity to have an athletic endorsement or an endorsement by an athletic shoe company, the first, nobody else before them.

Speaker 2:

You know what I'm saying. That's the power of hip hop. Hip hop could be a commercial commodity. That's something russell simmons understood.

Speaker 2:

He also understood that it could be in these spaces where it's not just people that look like us and to go there, you got to kind of sort of rewind back a little bit once again to grandmaster flash.

Speaker 2:

The fact that a big mega pop star or I won't even say pop, but like a big mega star, like blondie, blondie being hip to grandmaster flash because of fab five freddy like him, fab five freddy putting her on to flash opened up so many doors for flash because of her basically making a whole song about how dope grandmaster flash was.

Speaker 2:

You know I'm saying so.

Speaker 2:

It's like when you start getting in different spaces and understanding that, yes, you can still keep the culture and still represent who you are and still represent the essence, but still get in these other spaces where other people are going to actually pay for your music and you don't even realize just how impactful it is and just how much it speaks to people even beyond your own borders.

Speaker 2:

You have all of these different phases and you start seeing, like, the evolution of hip-hop, you start seeing how global it can be. You see, start seeing how commercially viable it can be while still maintaining a lot of its essence, while still maintaining a lot of its grit, um, in the process. Now, sometimes it can be hard to do, but at the same token, like without some of these set up moves, like a Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, like Sugar Hill Gang, like Run DMC, like, like I said, what Blondie did with Grandmaster Flash and making a song about him Like without these set up, a lot of these set up moves, you don't have hip hop being where it is now setup moves.

Speaker 1:

You don't have hip-hop being where it is now, right, right. You don't have hip-hop being where it is now because hip-hop just did the um halftime show of the uh, the football game, the uh, I'm bad with it. Help me it, it's the. Superbowl the Superbowl, ha ha ha, ha, ha yeah. So, yes, that that just to see that happen, to know that Jay Z, a rapper, is in charge of that.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes.

Speaker 1:

The vision that you have to have to be able to get into those rooms and take the hustler that you used to be on the street and turn it into a boardroom hustler.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Different minds. Yeah, I see the minds. Yeah, I see the hat, I see the hat and and shout out to my, shout out to my brother dj shane. He uh got this shirt for me. It's got literally every album cover of uh, jay-z's albums, because he knows jay-z is my favorite rapper. You know I'm saying so, it's just it's, it's so. It's no coincidence that you mentioned Jay-Z, you mentioned Hustle and I'm wearing what I'm wearing Right.

Speaker 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, it has happened again where something has come out of my mouth and I'm telling you I didn't see any of this stuff. That's what happened. You put it in, but I couldn't see the shirt are you serious, yep and I didn't know that. I didn't know that it was jay-z. Let me tell you who I thought it was, nah we, and you know it's funny.

Speaker 2:

Most people um well, most people whenever they think of me, they automatically think, like my favorite rapper is Nas. Now, he's one of my favorites, like for sure, I think. For me, though, jay-z is a little bit. I like Nas' messaging more, but in terms of like putting words together, for whatever reason, I just connected a little bit more with Jay-Z, you know, and Jay-Z has a lot of quotables for me, that Even though, like a wise man told me don't argue with fools, Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who.

Speaker 1:

Wait a minute, let's see.

Speaker 2:

Ooh, I would have to. It would have to be the entire second verse. I can't even quote the whole verse, but the entire second verse of moment of clarity. And here's why because he talks about how, basically, um, truth, truth be told, I wanted to rhyme like common sense, but I did 5 mil. I ain't been rhyming like common sense Because the reality of it is, and it's one of the realest To me, it's one of the realest verses he's ever written.

Speaker 2:

Because the reality of it is, I feel, like Jay-Z and you can hear it on his first album, like when you think about a song like 222's. Like you can hear the fact that Jay-Z and you can hear it on his first album. Like when you think about a song like 222s. Like you can hear the fact that Jay-Z can be conscious when he wants to. And this is one of the things that I've kind of sort of battled with people about for years. I'm like this dude is more socially aware than you realize. He just did it from a street perspective. That's all you know what I'm saying. Like that's. That's the only difference. That's all you know what I'm saying. Like that's, that's the only difference. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

He might not have been out there talking about or talking it in the same way, like as a public enemy you know what I'm saying but like or as a Nas, you know, or as a Tupac, but what he talked about he did it in a way where he wasn't necessarily always glorifying certain things. Like he talked about it, like you know. Like you know, like, gotta learn, gotta learn to live with regrets. You know, I'm saying just that one line alone, that's a course, but like that one line alone shapes so much of how I look at the world.

Speaker 2:

You know, I'm saying because some people will always say you know, I ain't got no regrets, I ain't got no regrets. He's like nah, you gotta learn to live with regrets, because it's some things that's going to happen in your life, it's some things that you're not going to be proud of and you really end up being remorseful for the things that you did. And so I mean I would probably say, if I had to think like, top three off the top of my head, those would be the three, you know, and there's a ton and there's a ton more.

Speaker 1:

There's a ton more. Gotta learn to live with regrets. Listen, I don't think that you should go through your life going I should have did this, I should have did that, I should have did this. But I do think the look back is real. I believe that you should take responsibility and accountability for the things that you have done and then make a choice to do better in the future. And how can you do that unless you say, dang, that wasn't right, I shouldn't have did that.

Speaker 1:

I should have did this differently. It helps you get a better perspective and plan for where you're going.

Speaker 2:

That's right. That's right and to that point, and the fact that we're talking about Jay-Z because when you talk about evolution, you think about where he was mentally, emotionally, spiritually, in a lot of different ways. You think about where he was when he made reasonable doubt. You're talking 26 years old, like he's still in his 20s brain, just finished probably cooking bacon and all that right. Then you get to when he made 444 2017 he's 47 years old. So now he has 21 years of experience between when he made his first groundbreaking debut, easily considered a classic, to this album, where he's the most introspective he's ever been in his entire recording career. And it's funny because it's like, I think, those of us who really understand him and artists like him is that we always knew he could make that album.

Speaker 2:

It was just a matter of like. You had to grow up, you had to live life, you had to go through certain experiences. You had to experience ups and downs. You had to experience being being the bad guy in a lot of situations. You had to experience being hurt. You had to experience loss and losing people and losing friendships, and you know going through marital issues and losing friendships. And you know going through marital issues and being a father and you know going through all of these. You know your mother coming out like knowing that your mother was going through what she was going through, knowing there was something different about your mother but her coming out and you being glad that she actually owns her truth, like all of these different layers that jay-z talks about on his album. He had to grow up in order to be able to talk about it and talk about it freely and get to the point was like I'm not. I'm not worried about what I'm talking about on these songs, because y'all gonna buy it anyway, because I've already built up that carte blanche with y'all as my audience. Y'all have been riding with me all this time. Now I'm about to show you how I can evolve. Now I'm about to show you how I can get better and to me, that's the beauty of hip hop period. I take it out of the whole context of just Jay-Z. Like, do you really think about the difference between how, again, hip-hop started as more like a party thing and then how it evolved into people being more conscious? Because I mean, of course I mentioned the message grandmaster, flash and furious five, but then you think about somebody like rakim.

Speaker 2:

Rakim helped to change how people rap today, not just just with his content but the way he flows. Rakim single-handedly changed the way that people flowed, from that um, from the way that, like a lot of the old school cats did it, to really what we know now. Because I mean mean Rakim's flow is so timeless that you can roll that flow out now and it's still, it's still fresh because it's just that dope. And to know that he got a lot of that from studying John Coltrane and like, if I could rap like John Coltrane, like plays his instrument, it's like I got something. And he figured it out because he was bringing flows you never heard before. It wasn't that just like simple, like plug and play flow that everybody was doing at one point, you know, I mean like he, he brought something totally different to the table, you know. But he also brought the consciousness. You know that you, when you start seeing the evolution and then you see a lot of these same artists like where they started, when they were in their teens, when they're in their early 20s, and then you see them now and like some of the music they're making now is even better than the music they made when they were younger and you know, like these classics that we herald so much because they grew up and that's the beauty of us being 50 years into hip-hop is to see how it's grown up since then, to see a lot of the legends still making records and making some of the best music of their life.

Speaker 2:

You know, um, one artist that I always talk about when it comes to just watching his evolution he's not talked about enough is Royce the Five Nine. Uh, royce the Five Nine, he's an artist that really kind of sort of came up with like kind of being connected to Eminem. But Royce the Five Nine, when he first started out you could tell he was somebody that was trying to figure out. Okay, how do I do this? Because you could tell the type of MC he was. I mean, he was gritty. He come from detroit, detroit rappers. I always say detroit rappers and philly rappers. They are different type of rapper.

Speaker 1:

They don't make rappers like them detroit or philly that's the same way I feel about the music r&b music how about?

Speaker 2:

yes, I agree. I agree that both of those cities just produce a different type of artist, a special type of artist that has a certain grit, a certain soul that you're not gonna get anywhere else. And I'm not saying that you don't have it anywhere else. You're just not gonna get detroit soul or detroit funk right like you know, like anywhere else.

Speaker 2:

So you're not gonna get philly funk or philly soul like anywhere else. Or you're not gonna get philly funk or philly soul like anywhere else, or you're not gonna get a philly rapper or detroit rapper. It's, I feel, like those cities because they're industrial cities. Industrial cities to me just produce a different type of person. But then you compound that with, like, the differences in the struggles that each of those cities go through and then put it with the music, it just produces a special type of artist. So, going back to Royce, the Five Nine, like when he first started out, you could tell he was just trying to, like, get his feet wet. Then over time, like, each project got better and better and better. But then when he started getting transparent in his music, talking about, like, a lot of the things that, like were his setbacks, were the things that were holding him back, he started talking about you know relation, you know his relationships. He started talking about mental health.

Speaker 2:

I always think about his song Strong Friend. Check up on your strong friend. Like when you think about where hip hop was at one point and you didn't necessarily hear somebody just come out and say I'm dealing with mental health. Cause. If you think about a song like my mind's playing tricks on me by the ghetto boys, one of my favorite hip hop songs ever, one of the one of the best storytelling songs ever, they're talking about mental health in that song, but but then you gravitate toward a song like strong friend by royce to five nine, you can't get that song without a mind my mind playing tricks on me. But you can't get the even more transparency without the change of the landscape, without people growing up, without people understanding, hey, it's okay to go to a therapist. Hey, it's okay to talk about mental health issues and you don't get branded a certain way, you don't get classified, as you know all of these different labels that people will try to put on you, you know.

Speaker 2:

So I say all that to say that to watch people like a Jay-Z, to watch people like a Royce at Five Nine, to watch somebody like a Scarface who I feel like Scarface has always kind of sort of been on that wave of like, just keeping it like a hundred percent gritty, I mean, scarface is one of my favorites at all time as well, one of the best storytellers ever. Even with him, to witness his evolution not only as a rapper, but as a person. You know, like that's, the biggest thing for me is not seeing how hip hop transforms lives, not just how it transforms you as an artist, but how it transforms you as a person, because you go through so many different things being in this industry, experiencing the things that you experience taking L's in so many different ways, experiencing the things that you experience taking L's in so many different ways, but also experiencing a lot of victories. You have so much to tell. You have so many stories to tell that it's hard to be limited in the type of stories that you tell you know so.

Speaker 1:

Wow, OK, so trans pop transforms lives. It literally transforms. That is something that we are definitely. That hip hop transformation is what we are going to touch on in the after party. Sir, I appreciate you sticking around for this entire episode and just just giving us a walk through hip-hop. I am um very grateful. I have one more round you ready okay, all right.

Speaker 2:

All right With the years.

Speaker 1:

Of hip hop. Did you know? Let's see when do I want to go with this. How do I Want to Five best collaborations.

Speaker 2:

Five best collaborations, mmm.

Speaker 1:

Five best collaborations I want the album or the song and why?

Speaker 2:

okay, I really gotta think about that. That's a really good question. Huh see, I'm always I feel like a lot of times I'm always gonna be okay. They might not be in order, but it is kind of a bias because it's going to be involved some of my favorite rappers. But this can't be life.

Speaker 2:

Jay-z, beanie seagull, scarface from, uh, the dynasty rock a Familia album. The reason why that's one of my favorite collabs is because that was the first. The thing is like Beans and Scarface had worked together. Beanie Siegel and Scarface had worked together. I'm trying to think if Scarface and Jay-Z had worked together by that point yet I would have to think about that. But to see all three of them on the same track and dig Because what's funny about that song is that Kanye West, when he first pitched that beat to Jay-Z, he wasn't expecting Jay-Z to be introspective.

Speaker 2:

And so for Jay-Z to kind of surprise him and get introspective on that song. And then you have beanie seagull, bring his own perspective, and then scarface. Oh my god, scar, how scarface wraps up that song. When I came into the studio uh, what do you say? Do this with Jay? I got a phone call from one of my it's my homeboy, reese just lost one of his kids and when I heard it it just burst me into tears and I'm probably jacking up some of the lyrics. But what he ultimately says is that I could have rapped about my hard times in the song, but heaven knows, I would have been wrong, it wouldn't have been right, it wouldn't have been love, it wouldn't have been life, it wouldn't have been us. This can't be life. Like being able to empathize with one of his homies in that, in his verse, that he probably was going to end up writing about something that he experienced, but it caused him in that moment to be thankful for his own child, because his, his kid, was two at the time. You know what I'm saying. And so to have that amount of like, just empathy and introspectiveness in that verse and to be the closer because I always think, like you got to have a strong, you have to have somebody strong at the beginning, strong in the middle, strong at the end, it's just one of the best collaborations, like ever to me, you know.

Speaker 2:

And then the production. The production was what I loved about the production. It was very simple, very simple, wasn't a whole lot going on, because you know Kanye, after a while, like he, he progressed his production, but what made it so great is that it was a little on the stripped down side for Kanye's taste, you know. I mean because it's like he. He admitted he bit the drums from uh, one of Dre's songs, uh, and then you know the Harold Melvin and the Blue Note sample. I Miss you. Like it was very simple, very simple what he did, and for me it just made it a very good collaboration, not just with the artists themselves but also the production itself. It just allowed them to tell their stories. You know what I mean. So that would definitely be be, if not number one, definitely at the top.

Speaker 2:

Um, another one, I would say rainy days by uh rayquan and ghostface killer. Um rayquan and ghostface killer. They did a lot like it didn't matter whether they had solo projects. It's like they basically were on everybody's stuff together. You know they were on each other's albums, like all the time together. Rainy days is like one of my favorite like Wu-Tang songs period, like by any member of the Wu-Tang. I love, I love that collaboration Once again, like they really like talking some real stuff that people you know can relate to. What's another collaboration that I really, really enjoy.

Speaker 2:

Um, oh, ladies first. Moni love queen latifah, like the. The fact that, like you know, like queen latifah, her moni love rap and she's like we're gonna do a song together and it ended up being ladies first. That ended up being their first collaboration together, you know, on I want to say that was queen latifah's first album. Um, oh my gosh, why can't I think of the name. I think it's all hell to queen. I think that's the name of the name of the album. Um, and then, I'm sorry, the rainy day song, that's. That's off of what we in the hip-hop community called purple tape, only built for cuban links, 1995, what I mean, when that album hit the streets it was like crazy, you know I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

But back to queen latifah and moni love. That album, you want to say, came out in 1989. Um, and for me the reason why that's one of my favorite collaborations is the power of the black woman. What is set up for black women who were hip-hop artists at that time? You know, I'm saying because I mean you already had light, mc light, setting it up for basically everybody that came after her. Because a lot of people don't notice, mc light was actually the first woman solo artist to release an album, first one. So, before you know, I'm saying, like mc light walked so or crawled, whatever you want to say it, so that queen latifah could run monie, love could run it, because it could set up that particular um collaboration to happen. You know, I mean so.

Speaker 2:

And just the, just the empowerment, the, the images in the video, like everything that was involved with ladies first, that's just always been one of my favorite songs right there, scenario Tribe Called Quest, leaders of the New School, that's just, I mean enough said. I mean like the fact that, like what made that song so great? The hook is at the beginning, the hook is at the end. The hook is at the end. There is no hook in between, it's just rap, rap, rap. Give me bars, give me bars, give me bars. You know what I mean. And iconic bars, legendary bars Like that. Right, there was just, like I mean just a match made in heaven.

Speaker 2:

Everybody brought a different type of flow, but each flow fit into the pocket of the beat, each and every single one. You know I mean uh, so that would definitely be for my fifth one. I mean I mean there's so many that I could pick from so many that I could pick from, so many that I could pick from. Oh my gosh, there's so many I could pick from and I'm really trying to like sit here and think, like I'm really trying to think, collaborations that I wouldn't have expected to happen, wouldn't have expected to happen, um, that's, that's tough. That's tough. Um, I mean, one of the ones that came to my mind was like two of america's most wanted. I just love that song by snoop dogg and tupac. I just love that song. You know I'm saying ain Tupac, I just love that song. You know what I'm saying? Ain't nothing but a gangsta party. I just love that song.

Speaker 2:

You know, what I'm saying. I don't even know if I put that like top five, but that's one of the first ones that came to mind. I love that joint right there.

Speaker 1:

I'm trip-walking. I'm trip-walking. You can't see that?

Speaker 2:

Oh, no, no, hold on, hold on.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna tell you the one, I'm gonna tell you the one even before that, and it's a tie between these two songs okay now granted they was all label mates but still it still was a collaboration Make them Say Uh by Master P featuring Silk to Shocker, featuring Mia X, featuring Fiend, featuring Mystical. And also Hot Boys and Girls by Master P with Silk to Shocker I think Silk to Shocker is on that record. Mystical absolutely set that song off. His verse was the verse to end all verses on that song and on Make Em Say Uh. He closed out on Make Em Say Uh and then opened up on uh on hot boys and girls, but then also mia x.

Speaker 2:

Her verses on both of those were just absolute fire. You know, I'm saying mia x, another one who does not get enough credit for how dope, how dope of an artist that she is, her unladylike album. And then it was another one, I want to say the one she put out 97, that album right there, I listened to that one day. Oh my gosh, mia x is absolutely phenomenal of an artist and so so underrated, so underrated like she does not get enough credit for how awesome she is of an artist come on here.

Speaker 1:

Come on here. You have taken us on a journey. I am grateful. I am so honored that you came through. I think this was an amazing way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. Sir, you're hustling Jay-Z swag over there I appreciate you being here.

Speaker 1:

I just, um, I'm excited for this after party because I got some you got, I got some questions. Yeah, yeah, after party is about to be hot. I, just before you get out of here, I just want the people to have an opportunity to know how they can work with you absolutely, absolutely so.

Speaker 2:

If you want to work with me, the easiest way to access me is social media. I am on Facebook and well, now it's X, formerly Twitter at AJ throwback um on Instagram and Tik TOK, it is a dot J dot throwback Um. You can follow my YouTube page, aj throwback nine to eight, but if you want to reach me directly, you can just email me. My email address is info at B? Aa-m-m-l-l-c dot net and my website, where you can find everything that's involved with me, whether you're talking music, you're talking media. My merchandise line a little bit of everything is there B-A-M-M-L-L-C dot net.

Speaker 2:

I definitely love to collaborate in terms of, you know, rap. I collaborate in terms of production. All of that good stuff hit me up, as long as the music is fire and as long as you saying something and as long as you won't have me out here sounding crazy whether I'm the one producing it or I'm the one collaborating. Look, I'm up for it. So I just appreciate everybody who contributes to the culture, everybody who really takes this thing seriously. Because you talking 50 years, I think, about the big line. You know, never thought the hip-hop would take it this far and look at where we at now.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, there's that so did you just say I never thought you had me that stuff. I said, did he just say I never thought where's that from. So Did he just say I never thought when is that from.

Speaker 2:

So that's from Juicy Notorious BIG. Remember rapping Duke. You never thought the hip hop would take it this far. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, classic, I mean. Come on, who don't know, juicy oh my goodness Right who don't know Juicy?

Speaker 1:

Oh, my goodness Right who don't know Juicy? Listen, I didn't get to say my favorite collaboration.

Speaker 2:

Yes, what are yours? Can I get to mine? Yes, absolutely yeah.

Speaker 1:

I'm interested in hearing this. So my favorite rap collaboration is Flavor in Ya. Time for new Flavor in Ya. I'm getting new Flavor in Ya. Brand new Flavor in Ya. Listen to me, wait, wait, wait. Let me tell you you wouldn't believe my favorite on there it's like so hard. You got L, you got Craig, you got Big, you got Busta.

Speaker 2:

Yep Busta Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1:

And if I'm forgetting anybody, it's because this my favorite part is actually when the joint come on. Craig, I ain't even understand how they understand that old George, that old George Jackson. Robotic futuristic list when I hear it, I lose it because I know what's about to happen. I'm like it's coming. It's coming, oh my goodness what. I lose it because I know what's about to happen. I'm like it's coming, it's coming, oh my goodness what. Oh my goodness. So yes, that would be my favorite part. Yeah, I know it's like wait, what, what? That?

Speaker 2:

It sets it up though. It sets it up Like it's all about the setup.

Speaker 1:

You got to set the record up right and I feel like they did that. I feel like they definitely did that. I am, I'm excited, I'm excited. So let me just finish Right. Hold on. I just wanted to make sure they got all your social media, so I just put that together. I apologize for the delay. There we are. That is how you can follow my man in them. What is, what is? What is Facebook and X?

Speaker 2:

So Twitter is no longer Twitter anymore because of Mr Elon Musk. Need I say more? You know he took a good thing. He took a good thing and messed it up, and now it's X. It's like I don't go on there.

Speaker 1:

He took a good thing and messed it up. And now it is what it is.

Speaker 2:

Exactly.

Speaker 1:

On X. You can find him at AJ Throwback and on Instagram and TikTok at ajthrowback. Listen, I am so excited and honored that you were here Before you get out of here. Can you give their people some confident tips on never losing the hip in they hop what you?

Speaker 2:

know I'm gonna come up with it. Go ahead, sir. I like this one, I like this. See, man, always come with the challenges. You know what I'm saying. I love it. I love it.

Speaker 2:

So a confident tip to never losing the hip in your hop. Now, I said last time when I was on here that you have to be yourself To extend that. You have to see the hipness, it within yourself, because a lot of times it's very easy because we don't come from certain backgrounds or we don't come from necessarily, say, the struggle, because a lot of times it's assumed that you got to be from the streets. You got to be from the hood. You got to be from this. You got to be from the streets. You got to be from the hood. You got to be from this, you got to be from that.

Speaker 2:

Whatever you are in your walk of life, it doesn't matter whether you're from the hood, it doesn't matter whether you're from the suburbs, it doesn't matter whether you're from the country, it doesn't matter whether you're from New York, la, dc, whatever. You know what I'm saying you from? Find whatever makes you hip. Find whatever makes you who you are. That is that gives you that edge, that gives you that notch I'm not gonna say over somebody else, but just takes you to a whole different level that nobody else is doing what you're doing To me, that's what makes you hip. That nobody else is doing whatever you're doing exactly the way that you're doing it. And when you figure that out, that's when you get that hop, that's when you get that jump, that's when things start popping off for you, you know. So that's my confident tip to finding a hip in your hop.

Speaker 1:

Listen. Yes, never do you disappoint. I appreciate you, sir. I am very, very honored that you came through to celebrate 50 years of hip hop with us here at Confident U. So thank you so much, confident U, for doing the things that you do. I am honored. I am also honored that let's see, wait, hold on, tell the people what they're hearing.

Speaker 2:

Well, it's a little something I made called the Mistress. It's the instrumental to a song that's actually out. You can find it on my Bandcamp page, which is ajthrowbackbandcampcom. Yes, and it's a song. Actually, it's an ode to music. It's an ode somewhat of an ode to hip-hop. You know what I'm saying? Yes, that's who the Mistress is.

Speaker 1:

Yes, so the last song that tell. Tell everyone about the last song, because now, this is now the song that will be played, uh, underneath, uh, my interviews. Tell everyone about the last song. Let me put it on so that you can have an opportunity to explain that to the audience. I just want them to understand the genius that is. Aj Tobi.

Speaker 2:

Well, this song right here, this song right here, this is for my sister right here. Yes, yes, you, yes you. This is, this is, this is her inspiration, because she uh challenged me to come up with a song and, uh, this is one of the first songs that I did in a very long time. Uh, when we started to work together again, uh, for a song called never forget. And so, uh, yeah, you, you hear the, the instrumentation. I wanted to be very much like I don't know, I wanted to almost very hip-hop in a lot of ways, because I wanted to mix funk, I wanted to mix rock, I wanted to mix, like, some blues elements in there, like a little bit of everything, very much hip hop. The drums are kind of sort of hard, harder hip hop drums but like, because it's melodic, it like pulls it together and makes it like more. For me, it makes it more of a song for a singer than a rapper, even though I've, you know rappers love rapping over my R&B beats, for whatever reason, maybe it's the drums.

Speaker 1:

You're not hearing it. You're not hearing it, but they're hearing it. They are hearing it Again, again, again. Thank you so much. We are about to go to the after party, where we will definitely discuss that transformation that happens in lives of hip hop artists and hip hop in itself and the way that rap flows as well, as I definitely want to get into that mix of music and how hip hop has gone around the world, because it's no longer just in the Bronx and it's not just here. I want to hear how it is showing up around the globe. So, thank you so much, sir. I appreciate you.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. Thank you for having me once again. This is a great conversation Always. It's a great conversation with us, on and off camera. You know this is what we do Always is a great conversation with us on and off camera.

Speaker 1:

You know this is what we do. This is what we do. This is what we do. I want y'all to know this is exactly what we do. I know that you had a good time.

Speaker 1:

Listen, rap, hip hop is something that started. It's like from a mustard seed and now you just see the fruit all around the globe. So if there's something that you want to do and you feel like it's small, it's not anything that's valuable to anyone but me. Look at what happened so think about all the things you can do and make sure you're doing them. And before I get out of here, let me make sure that if there's anyone that is suffering at the hands of domestic violence, there is help. There are people that want to help you move into the next phase of life safely. They want to help you. So if you know someone, if you are that someone, you can call Bethany House at 1-888-80-HELPS that's 43577. That's 43577. Or you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE that is 7233. I am so honored that you took the time to just celebrate hip hop with your girl. I appreciate that. I know you had a great time. See you next time right here on Confident you Podcast.