MUSIC CROWD
Lady B host Star studded
event at Boardwalk Hall
EPMD Speaks
on the current
state of Hip HOP
Click Here For
All-Stars of Hip Hop
Contest / Giveaway
The Smooth Operator
got the "Job Done" in
Atlantic City
Legendary radio host Lady "B" kept the party moving
as the All- Stars of Hip Hop took over Atlantic City
On Martin Luther King weekend
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Mr " It Takes Two" puts on on a stellar performance for
the 10,000 + fans in attendance at the All Stars of Hip Hop concert _ the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall...Check it out.....................................Page 4
The fans were amazed to see Kid N' Play still have the moves 23 years later................Page 6
Iconic duo EPMD sit down with your girl NAY and speak on the state of Hip Hop today................Page 8
The Greatest Entertainer showed the people how to DOUGIE....for real.....................Page 10
Slick Rick gets a surprise on his Birthday from his Hip Hop friends....................Page 12
Big Daddy Kane shares where his love of Hip Hop started ....................Page 14
Thirty plus years and Whodini still puts on the best stage show....check out the footage ....................Page 16
After a crowd pleasing performance the 18th Letter sits down speaks on the direction he sees Hip Hop moving .........Page 18
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Click Photos to Enlarge
Rob Base kicked off the star studded event performing his classic hit " It Takes Two ". Rob's energy on stage ignited the crowd.
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Born Robert Ginyard in Harlem, Rob Base began performing with a group called the Sureshot Seven while in fifth grade. By the time of high school graduation, the only members left were him and DJ E-Z Rock (b. Rodney Bryce, Harlem, NY), so the duo began recording.
Their first single, "DJ Interview," appeared on the World to World label, and they gained a distribution deal with Profile by 1987. The first Profile release, the title-track single from their debut album, It Takes Two, became a street sensation upon its release in mid-1988. Though the single just barely reached the R&B Top 20 and Pop Top 40, massive club airplay enhanced its impact considerably.
Both the single and album eventually went platinum, and Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock gained Single of the Year honors both in Spin and The Village Voice. The second single, "Get on the Dance Floor," continued Base's dance appeal, though his excellent rapping helped him retain his street credentials.
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Among the first groups to tame rap's hardcore mentality into a positive, message-oriented music suitable for teens and mass audiences, Kid 'n Play debuted in 1988 with the platinum album 2 Hype, which the duo later spun into a deal involving films and a Saturday-morning cartoon show, the first involving a rap act. Though their recording activity became limited during the gangsta-dominated '90s -- 1991's Face the Nation was their last album -- the group managed two sequels to their original House Party film, as well as the 1991 teen flick Class Act.
Kid (born Christopher Reid; Bronx, NY) and Play (born Christopher Martin; Queens, NY) first met while performing in rival high school groups (the Turnout Brothers and the Super Lovers, respectively) and initially teamed up as Fresh Force. Play's former bandmate, Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor, became the duo's manager and signed Kid 'n Play to Select Records in 1987. Despite the predominance of James Brown samples during the mid-'80s, Azor gave 2 Hype a production job more rooted in disco and pop; thanks to the near-Top Ten R&B hit "Rollin' with Kid 'n Play," the album eventually reached platinum status. Though many rappers were more successful at the time, Kid 'n Play became film stars due to their clean-cut image -- Kid's six-inch "eraserhead" hairstyle, which seemed outrageous to white audiences, was vindicated by his honest, well-scrubbed face. The film House Party became a moderate success upon its release in 1990, and the duo even managed a proper LP that same year, Funhouse. During 1991, two Kid 'n Play films appeared: a sequel to House Party and Class Act. That same year, the album Face the Nation showed a growing reluctance to pander to pop audiences, but the duo was already entrenched in their style.
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Kid N' Play kept the crowd grooving in the 2 Hype style that only they possess..24 years later and the dance routines are still flaweless and effortless....Oh La Oh La Hey...is all you could hear from the crowd as the dynamic Duo ripped it at the Boardwalk Hall
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EPMD stepped on the stage and crowd went wild..Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith broke into the classic hit " You Got's to Chill" and the hits just kept coming.
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On the surface, the sample-reliant productions and monotone rapping styles of Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith had little to recommend them, but the duo's recordings as EPMD were among the best in hip-hop's underground during the late '80s and early '90s. Over the course of four albums (from the 1988 classic Strictly Business to 1992's Business Never Personal), the group rarely varied from two themes: dissing sucker MCs and recounting sexual exploits. A closer look, however, revealed that the duo's rhymes were nothing less than incredible, simply undervalued due to their lack of intonation during delivery. EPMD also had a feel for a good groove, and created numerous hip-hop classics, including "It's My Thing," "You Gots to Chill," "Get the Bozack," "Strictly Business," and "Rampage."
Though EPMD's hardcore style influenced the urban-oriented gangsta '90s, Erick Sermon (aka E Double E; b. Nov. 25, 1968) and Parrish Smith (aka Pee MD; b. May 13, 1968) were both raised in the Long Island suburb of Brentwood. They moved into rap separately, with Smith DJing for Rock Squad on a single for the Tommy Boy label. After coming together in 1987 -- at which time they named themselves EPMD, short for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars" -- they recorded their debut, "It's My Thing," in three hours. The single was later licensed to Chrysalis, and EPMD signed to Sleeping Bag/Fresh Records for the debut album Strictly Business. Propelled by several strong singles (including "You Gots to Chill" and the title track), the album eventually went gold, as did 1989's follow-up, Unfinished Business. Signed to Def Jam by the beginning of the '90s, EPMD returned in 1990 with Business as Usual and Business Never Personal two years later.
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The first human beatbox in the rap world, and still the best of all time, Doug E. Fresh amazed audiences with his note-perfect imitations of drum machines, effects, and often large samples of hip-hop classics. Fresh was born Doug E. Davis in Barbados, and his first appearance came in 1983 on a single for Spotlight called "Pass the Budda," with Spoonie Gee and DJ Spivey. His introduction to most hip-hop fans, though, came one year later with his astonishing performance in Beat Street behind the Treacherous Three. His first solo features also came in 1984, with "Just Having Fun," waxed for Enjoy, and "Original Human Beatbox" for Vinentertainment.
By 1985, Fresh was one of the biggest names in rap music, and his first single for Reality, "The Show/La Di Da Di," became a hip-hop classic. It was recorded with his Get Fresh Crew, including MC Ricky D (only later to gain fame as Slick Rick), along with Barry Bee and Chill Will. His first LP, 1987's Oh, My God!, featured most of his showpieces, like "Play This Only at Night" and "All the Way to Heaven," along with nods to reggae and even gospel. His second album, 1988's The World's Greatest Entertainer, broke into the Billboard charts thanks to another hot single, "Keep Risin' to the Top," but Slick Rick had already broken from the pack and his LP of the same year, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, did much better than Doug E. Fresh. Fresh took a break and wasn't able to regain momentum with 1992's Doin' What I Gotta Do, released through MC Hammer's Bust It label. He did reunite on a Slick Rick LP, and recorded again in 1995 for Gee Street.
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The Worlds Greatest Entertainer did not disappoint....From his signature beatbox renditions, smooth slick rhymes and of course the Original " Dougie Dance " ......The crowd chanted and screamed his name long after Doug had left the stage...
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An Old School party would not have been complete without the Greatest Story Teller of All-Time ...Slick Rick the Ruler.....Rick joined his old crew Doug E Fresh, Chill Will and Barry B on the stage. Draped in his gaudy jewelry the Ruler delivered.....
To his surprise and the crowds, halfway through his performance Raekwon "The Chef" stepped onto the stage with a Bday cake for the Ruler....The crowd joined in wishing Slick a Happy Bday.....
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Slick Rick foreshadowed and epitomized the pimpster attitude of many rappers during the late '80s and early '90s, with gold chains, his trademark eye-patch, and recordings that were no less misogynistic -- "Treat Her Like a Prostitute," for example, became an underground hit in 1988, though it was justly criticized for its view of women. His 1989 album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, was a certified-platinum classic, but before he could record a follow-up, Slick Rick was arrested for attempted murder. Out on bail thanks to Def Jam Records' label head Russell Simmons, Rick recorded The Ruler's Back in three weeks and released the album in 1991. After his release from prison two years later, he recorded Behind Bars for a 1994 release.
Born to Jamaican parents in South Wimbledon, London, on January 14, 1965, Ricky Walters was blinded by broken glass as an infant and took to wearing an eyepatch from an early age. He emigrated with his family to the Bronx in the late '70s and attended the La Guardia High School of Music & Art, where he became friends with future rapper Dana Dane. The two formed the Kangol Crew, and began performing in hip-hop battles around the city. At one 1984 battle in the Bronx, Rick met Doug E. Fresh, and began playing with his Get Fresh Crew (which also included Chill Will and Barry Bee). Fresh's number four R&B hit, "The Show," exploded just one year later, and MC Ricky D. -- as Rick was then known -- leaped to a solo contract two years later, after an acquaintance with Russell Simmons led to his signing to Def Jam Records, the biggest label in hip-hop at the time.
Slick Rick recorded his debut record, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, and released the album in 1988. "Treat Her like a Prostitute" became a sensation on the streets but R&B radio stations were understandably reluctant to play the track; instead, they pushed his duet with Al B. Sure!, "If I'm Not Your Lover," and it made number two in 1989. "Children's Story" hit the R&B Top Five that same year, but early in 1990, Slick Rick was arrested after shooting at his cousin -- who allegedly harassed Rick's mother -- and leading police on a high-speed cruise. Before his sentencing, 21 songs were recorded and hastily released as The Ruler's Back. The album failed to move at all, though Rick's confession track "I Shouldn't Have Done It" scraped the R&B charts later in 1991. Featured in the rap documentary The Show (released in 1995) -- in a segment where Russell Simmons actually visits the prison -- Slick Rick was released on a work program in 1996, although his Behind Bars album appeared in 1994. Art of Storytelling was issued in 1999, an artistically successful comeback that paired him with MC's like Outkast and Snoop Dogg but did more the emphasize his talents as a solo artist.
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Emerging during hip-hop's massive creative expansion of the late '80s, Big Daddy Kane was the ultimate lover man of rap's first decade, yet there was more to him than the stylish wardrobe, gold jewelry, and sophisticated charisma. Kane possessed a prodigious rhyming technique honed from numerous B-boy battles; he could also be an Afrocentric consciousness-raiser versed in the philosophy of the Nation of Islam's Five Percent school, or a smooth urban soul crooner whose singing was no match for his talents as an MC. While he never scored much pop-crossover success, his best material ranks among the finest hip-hop of its era, and his sex-drenched persona was enormously influential on countless future would-be players.
Big Daddy Kane was born Antonio Hardy in Brooklyn on September 10, 1968; the stage name "Kane" was an acronym for King Asiatic Nobody's Equal. In 1984, he met Biz Markie, and the two struck up a friendship. Kane would go on to co-write some of the Biz's best-known raps, and both eventually became important members of the Queens-based Juice Crew, a collective headed by renowned producer Marley Marl. Kane signed with Marl's Cold Chillin' label in 1987 and debuted the following year with the 12" single "Raw," which became an underground sensation. His first album, Long Live the Kane, followed not long after and was equally well-received, producing another underground classic in "Ain't No Half-Steppin'." Kane consolidated his success with 1989's It's a Big Daddy Thing, which spawned arguably his most effective love-man song in "Smooth Operator" (and also found him working with new jack producer Teddy Riley on "I Get the Job Done"). 1990's A Taste of Chocolate was a wide-ranging effort, highlighted by Kane's duets with Barry White and comedian Rudy Ray Moore, aka Dolemite.
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When the Smooth Operator Big Daddy Kane stepped on the stage, it took you back to the year 1988. While Scoob Lover and Scrap Lover performed their signature dance routines, Kane ripped the mic like only he can. At one point in his performance Kane jumped of stage into the crowd and partied with the people......
Whodini Rocks the Show at the All- Stars of Hip Hop Concert
After a brief intermission in the show, legendary rap group Whodini emerged onto the stage. Performng their classic hits "Freaks Come Out At Night", " Friends " and " Funky Beat " , they showed no slowing down from their performance level of 30 years ago.
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Coming out of the fertile early-'80s New York rap scene, Whodini were one of the first rap groups to add a straight R&B twist to their music, thus laying the groundwork for the new jack swing movement. The group consisted of rappers Jalil Hutchins and John "Ecstasy" Fletcher, adding legendary DJ Drew "Grandmaster Dee" Carter, known for being able to scratch records with nearly every part of his body, in 1986. Whodini made its name with good-humored songs like "Magic's Wand" (the first rap song to feature an accompanying video), "The Haunted House of Rock" (a rewrite of "Monster Mash"), and "Freaks Come Out at Night," and their live shows were the first rap concerts to feature official dancers (U.T.F.O. members Doctor Ice and Kangol Kid). Following 1987's Open Sesame, Whodini went on hiatus due to problems with their record company, as well as to concentrate on new families.
The group attempted a comeback in 1991 with Bag-a-Trix without much success, despite receiving their due as rap innovators. Five years later, Whodini returned with their sixth album, appropriately titled Six.
Although he never became a household name, Rakim is near-universally acknowledged as one of the greatest MCs -- perhaps the greatest -- of all time within the hip-hop community. It isn't necessarily the substance of what he says that's helped him win numerous polls among rap fans in the know; the majority of his lyrics concern his own skills and his Islamic faith. But in terms of how he says it, Rakim is virtually unparalleled. His flow is smooth and liquid, inflected with jazz rhythms and carried off with an effortless cool that makes it sound as though he's not even breaking a sweat. He raised the bar for MC technique higher than it had ever been, helping to pioneer the use of internal rhymes -- i.e., rhymes that occurred in the middle of lines, rather than just at the end. Where many MCs of the time developed their technique through improvisational battles, Rakim was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down and writing intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors (of course, he also had the delivery to articulate them). Even after his innovations were worshipfully absorbed and expanded upon by countless MCs who followed, Rakim's early work still sounds startlingly fresh, and his comeback recordings (beginning in the late '90s) only added to his legend.
Rakim was born William Griffin, Jr. on January 28, 1968, in the Long Island suburb of Wyandanch. The nephew of '50s R&B legend Ruth Brown, Griffin was surrounded by music from day one, and was interested in rap almost from its inception. At age 16, he converted to Islam, adopting the Muslim name Rakim Allah. In 1985, he met Queens DJ Eric B., whose intricately constructed soundscapes made an excellent match for Rakim's more cerebral presence on the mike. With the release of their debut single, "Eric B. Is President," in 1986, Eric B. & Rakim became a sensation in the hip-hop community, and their reputation kept growing as they issued classic tracks like "I Ain't No Joke" and "Paid in Full." Their first two full-length albums, 1987's Paid in Full and 1988's Follow the Leader, are still regarded as all-time hip-hop classics; Rakim's work set out a blueprint for other, similarly progressive-minded MCs to follow, and helped ensure that even after the rise of other fertile scenes around the country, East Coast rap would maintain a reputation as the center of innovative lyrical technique. The last two Eric B. & Rakim albums, 1990's Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em and 1992's Don't Sweat the Technique, weren't quite as consistent as their predecessors, but still had plenty of fine moments.
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The crowd waited and anticipated his arrival onto the stage all night..and when The 18th Letter AKA Rakim appeared the party people went crazy.... Rakim grabbed the mic and ran through his extensive portfolio of music to close out the show...
Although he was not performing at the show,KWAME made his presence felt assisting Lady B bringing out the opening act.
Nay also caught up with Kwame backstage....Listen to what he had to say....
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