Up next in 10
In this legendary sit-down on Sway's Universe, Lord Finesse takes a journey through the golden era of hip-hop, sharing the untold stories behind his rise on Wild Pitch Records. The conversation heats up when the iconic DJ Premier calls in to reminisce about discovering Finesse’s demo tape with Guru, the organic formation of the DITC crew, and the magic created within the walls of D&D Studios. Finesse also addresses the vintage friction with Lords of the Underground and explains the "compound" rhyme style that defined a generation. Don't miss this masterclass on rap history, the importance of authentic collaboration, and the legacy of the Funky Technician.
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Sway’s Universe is the official YouTube channel for Sway Calloway and the Sway In The Morning show. We provide the best in hip-hop culture, celebrity news, and social commentary. From unparalleled interviews with top artists to community-focused discussions, Sway’s Universe is your destination for authentic entertainment.
#notoriousbig #djpremier #90shiphop #biggiesmalls #90srapstories
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Lord Finesse Hip-Hop Impact
01:15 - Guru Gang Starr Discovery
03:34 - D.I.T.C. Crew Origins
06:07 - Akinyele Hip-Hop Career
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
When I think of Lord Finesse, the reason
0:02
why we have this affinity towards him
0:04
because uh his debut, the funky
0:07
technician came out the same year we got
0:10
on radio.
0:11
>> That's crazy.
0:12
>> Yeah. What was that? 90
0:14
>> 1990 on Wild Pitch Records. Wow. Peep
0:17
Gangs, Ste Fine, and all of those folks
0:19
over there. And Sincere Thompson.
0:22
>> Yeah. Sincere Thompson. Jeffrey Sledge.
0:26
>> Jeff Sledge. Jeff Sledge from Jive who
0:29
ended up at Jive.
0:30
>> Yeah. Like like
0:32
>> oh man, Wild Pitch was like
0:34
>> Wild Pitch Records.
0:35
>> It it it spawned a lot of different
0:38
icons, you know, when I when I look at
0:40
it, you know,
0:41
>> name them.
0:42
>> Uh Gang Star.
0:43
>> That's right.
0:44
>> Chill Rob G.
0:46
>> Uh uh Main Source,
0:48
>> OC.
0:49
>> Yeah.
0:50
>> Um
0:52
man, it I'm trying to think. Let's go
0:55
back to uh
0:56
>> you
0:57
>> J Mos rhinologist. Remember that?
0:59
>> Oh wow.
1:00
>> Li
1:02
Jersey.
1:03
>> Yeah, man. Um I just think Steu didn't
1:07
know how to nurture that to the next
1:09
level. He had it. The ear was there.
1:12
Well,
1:12
>> let me say this. Uh Guru discovered me.
1:16
>> Guru
1:16
>> Guru from GameStop.
1:18
>> He's the one that picked my tape out of
1:20
the box. Like, yo, this is the dude. We
1:23
need him here. Uh-huh.
1:24
>> And that's when Premiere was fresh from
1:27
Texas.
1:28
>> So that was like my brothers that they
1:31
was showing me the ropes. I was like um
1:35
traveling with them watching them do
1:38
their shows and words I manifest and I
1:41
was there for all that. And then
1:45
>> I was the first artist premier produced
1:48
outside of Gangstar.
1:50
>> What? So he seen me
1:52
>> on which project? on the debut.
1:53
>> On the debut,
1:54
>> what songs did he do?
1:56
>> Uh, he did Strictly for the Ladies. He
1:58
did uh Track the Movement. He did Baby
2:00
You Nasty.
2:02
>> Um, yeah. I mean, Premiere, I always
2:05
thought Premiere should have got
2:06
executive producer
2:08
>> because he was there every session. He
2:10
was walking me through it when I was
2:12
doing Bad Mother. Even if it wasn't his
2:15
songs, oh, you could do that verse
2:17
better.
2:17
>> Now, you got to put more energy into it.
2:19
He really walked me through it. He would
2:22
pick me up from my grandmother's crib in
2:25
forest and take me to the studio.
2:27
>> What kind of car was he driving back
2:29
then?
2:29
>> Uh he had some type of pickup truck like
2:32
like this is the early early this is
2:35
when Gangstar was living in the Bronx
2:37
off of University Avenue in the Bronx
2:40
before they moved to Brooklyn.
2:42
>> So I was there like from the beginning.
2:45
So I got to absorb so much watching him
2:49
and him and Guru
2:50
>> and this is some wild pitch records. Now
2:52
did
2:53
>> back then
2:56
people were really dedicated to the
2:58
their union with their group. You know
3:01
what I mean? Like if somebody went
3:02
outside of the group and did something
3:04
else to somebody else that could cause a
3:07
little friction.
3:08
>> So even though Guru discovered you, he
3:10
didn't have a problem with doing any of
3:12
>> I had his blessings man. I definitely
3:15
had his blessings and like I said it was
3:18
one show I think it was in Pikipsy that
3:21
Premiier couldn't make and I actually DJ
3:24
for Guru.
3:25
>> What? Yes.
3:27
>> That's crazy.
3:28
[laughter]
3:30
>> I'm about to text P and tell him to call
3:32
in. Y'all got stories.
3:33
>> Get to call in. We we he we got it.
3:36
>> Where was So where was
3:39
DITC at this stage? Well, that that crew
3:44
that was kind of
3:46
>> the explosion of it all, right? Because
3:48
I had Mike Smooth.
3:49
>> All right.
3:50
>> But then I was saying, "Yo, we got to
3:51
get beats from show and we got well show
3:54
biz at the time and we got to get beats
3:56
from Diamond
3:58
>> Diamond." Boom. AG was dating a female
4:02
across the street from Forest
4:04
>> and he was looking for a DJ and her
4:08
brother sorted me out cuz I was DJing.
4:11
But I battled AG back in high school. So
4:14
the first thing I asked him was like,
4:16
"Yo, you still spit?" He was like,
4:18
"Yeah, I'm working on Funky Technician."
4:21
So boom, working on Funky Technician
4:24
show produced backtoback rhyming with me
4:26
and AG
4:28
>> with show looking for artist and AG
4:31
looking for DJ. That's how you got
4:34
showing AG.
4:36
>> Pause. Pause. Pause. We got to take this
4:38
in for a second. [laughter] You [ __ ]
4:40
me up.
4:41
>> You love the history, right?
4:42
>> I love the history. So, you helped put
4:44
together showbiz and agre the giant.
4:47
>> Yeah. Yeah. That that happened during
4:50
funky technician.
4:51
>> That happened. But was digging in the
4:53
crates cru.
4:57
It was just
4:58
>> me.
5:00
>> Well, it was Diamond and Show that
5:02
started DITC, right? Mhm.
5:05
>> And the reason how that happened was
5:08
even then AG was supposed to come to a
5:10
studio session he missed out on
5:13
>> and show and Diamond did a record
5:15
together.
5:16
>> This was before the actual DITC record,
5:18
Digging in the Crates. They did a record
5:20
together. I ain't even know neither one
5:22
of them rhymed.
5:24
>> So I wish I still had that that that
5:27
tape they did. It it was crazy. So, the
5:29
first official song was Digging in the
5:32
Crates with
5:33
>> Show Diamond, Me and AG on their album,
5:37
uh
5:38
>> the EP,
5:39
>> the uh Showbiz and AG EP. So, yeah, it
5:44
was all it was all organic. It wasn't
5:47
like, oh, we're going to do this and
5:48
then this is going to happen. Nah, it it
5:51
just how DITC was formed is just it's
5:54
just a story. That's a whole journey.
5:57
>> Yeah, man. Um, I want to hear that song
5:59
that the first with you, Diamond, show
6:02
>> and AG.
6:03
>> Digging in the crates.
6:04
>> Digging in the crates. We're going to
6:05
look for that. Wow, man. See, this is
6:08
and this is why our I feel kindred to
6:11
you, me and King Tech, is because your
6:13
album came out. We got on the radio and
6:16
it was certain artists that we needed in
6:20
order to set the tone of what the wakeup
6:22
show was going to eventually become.
6:25
>> Aelli. Oh man, that's my other brother
6:27
right there.
6:28
>> Right. Okay. He's on the Awakening.
6:31
>> I just seen him in Atlanta about maybe a
6:33
year and a half ago.
6:34
>> Uhuh.
6:35
>> And we we hung out went to his king of
6:38
diamonds. Me me me me me me me me me me
6:39
me me me me me me me me me me me me me
6:39
me me me me me me me me me me me me me
6:39
me me me me me me me me me me me me and
6:39
and and Mrs. Fiance
6:41
>> and we just man that that's that was my
6:45
running buddy for a minute where we went
6:47
to a lot of events together. This was
6:49
before, you know, his record, Put It in
6:52
Your Mouth and [clears throat]
6:53
>> and his other records cuz
6:55
>> Live at the Barbecue, all those things.
6:57
>> Yeah, man. That's that's one of one of
6:59
my close friends to this day. A
7:01
>> Aelli. Shout out to Aanelli. Um and we
7:04
play Lords of the Underground. Do it
7:06
all. Um um is Heather's great friend,
7:10
right? My good friend.
7:12
>> That's my brother. He's
7:13
>> That's your brother. Okay. Then that's
7:14
my great friend. And that's your
7:16
brother.
7:16
>> Absolutely. I can't have ranking over do
7:18
it all with Heather, [laughter]
7:20
you know. So, whatever he is to her, I
7:23
have to be one level.
7:24
>> Slightly under
7:25
>> under underneath, right?
7:26
>> Even if Sway's the big brother, do it
7:28
all takes preference just because it's a
7:30
Jersey thing.
7:31
>> It's a Jersey thing, right? But they
7:33
they when they um came out with Return
7:36
of the Funky Laws of Underground Child.
7:38
>> Yeah. That was the riff. That was
7:41
>> that I mean it it was a lot because it
7:43
was like I'm law finesse. Okay. Hey,
7:46
they lords of the underground. Okay.
7:48
Okay. Anybody could be lords, I
7:49
[laughter] guess. And then it was like
7:51
>> Lords of Flatbush. That was a movie,
7:52
right?
7:53
>> Then it was like, okay, my my album was
7:55
Return of the Funky Man. Well, Return of
7:58
the Funky Child. Wait, wait, wait. Okay,
8:00
this is getting crazy. Then it was like,
8:03
okay, they call me Law Finesse, Funky
8:05
Technician, aka the funky man. Then I'm
8:07
Mr. Funky, aka the funky. Okay, now n
8:11
you know what? [laughter]
8:12
>> Yeah, that's that's where it really like
8:16
that's where the riff came from cuz I
8:18
just felt like you know they was just
8:20
dismissing whatever I did like forget
8:23
him, we could use this and that's that's
8:26
how the riff began. But you was like to
8:28
me an attack like you was one of those
8:31
MC's and when you became an MC too. It
8:34
was you you had a very unique style,
8:36
unique pocket. Your metaphors, your
8:39
simileies were unmistakable. Did y'all
8:42
go at each other in verses?
8:44
>> Um I did a freestyle that just went
8:47
across the world. It was it was
8:49
>> it was crazy. Okay.
8:51
>> You know, but you know right now you
8:54
know do it all is like my right hand.
8:56
That's That's my brother. I don't want
8:58
to talk about that.
8:59
>> Whatever, man. I'm trying to find out
9:00
what happened. [laughter]
9:02
>> Slay me and nosy. He op, bro. Radio op
9:05
trying to separate us.
9:06
>> That's your brother. I want to know what
9:07
happened. [laughter]
9:09
>> Well, I did I did a I did a freestyle
9:12
dish towards uh Lords of the
9:13
Underground.
9:14
>> Okay. Did that respond?
9:16
>> Uh I think they did. Yeah, I think they
9:18
did. And
9:19
>> but it never got crazy though, right?
9:22
>> It almost got crazy.
9:23
>> It almost got crazy.
9:24
>> Yeah, it almost Yeah. Okay.
9:26
>> Yeah.
9:26
>> All right.
9:27
>> But you know, cooler heads prevail
9:29
>> and we were always cool, right? Like
9:32
once we squashed it, it was squashed.
9:34
But I think where it went to the next
9:36
level was my f my 40th birthday
9:39
>> and do it all just showed up.
9:41
>> Said, "Yo, I just want to celebrate with
9:43
you, man." [snorts]
9:44
>> Wow.
9:44
>> And I and I thought that was so
9:46
admirable. That was so honorable. I was
9:49
like, "Wow, this is crazy." And we've
9:52
been tight since.
9:54
You wouldn't have did that. [laughter]
9:56
You would have came for the food and
9:58
bounced and said it was too hot in there
10:01
and [laughter] too many dudes.
10:02
>> I start hatchling
10:04
would have got on stage. You would have
10:06
heard a hatchler in the back.
10:07
>> Shout out to do it all.
10:08
>> Shout out to do it all.
10:09
>> Shout out to my godson legend. Legend.
10:13
Biggie told you.
10:15
>> You and Biggie were
10:16
>> Yeah. Me and Biggie. You know, Big
10:18
always told me, man, do it all is
10:20
coolness. You just got to meet him.
10:22
Yeah,
10:22
>> but he's cool, you know. I'm like,
10:24
"Yeah, yeah, okay. Okay." But Big, if
10:27
Big said that, Big Big,
10:30
>> cuz Big was the coolest.
10:32
>> He was the coolest. I missed that that
10:34
brother so much.
10:36
>> So many uh historic memories in the
10:38
studio.
10:39
>> Yeah,
10:39
>> cuz he was a jokester and we was having
10:42
so much fun that you ain't even know you
10:44
was in there
10:45
>> making music.
10:47
>> And it's like, all right, I'm ready.
10:48
Throw the throw the beat on and I'm He
10:49
go in the booth and kills it. knock them
10:52
down. You never saw him write down
10:53
rhymes.
10:55
>> Nah, but I I think everybody writes down
10:58
rhymes. And I think um for me, I always
11:02
heard, you know, certain artists say, "I
11:03
don't I don't write rhymes." Sometimes I
11:06
think you're whatever you write on or
11:09
whatever you thinking about might be so
11:10
incredible, you don't want to not write
11:13
the [ __ ] Now,
11:15
>> I'm like, I don't this punchline is
11:17
[ __ ] I don't want to miss this.
11:20
Even when I was writing rhymes, you
11:23
never seen straight out rhymes. You just
11:25
seen compound compound
11:28
>> and then compound punch line. So you see
11:30
the words, the phrases, but you ain't
11:32
never see the whole thing. And then in
11:35
my mind is how I'm going to put it
11:36
together, how I'm going to make this all
11:38
make sense. But Biggie, I ain't never
11:40
see him really, right?
11:41
>> Yeah.
11:42
>> I I can't say I've done I've I've done
11:45
sessions with him. Even when him and
11:47
Sadat did come on, I I didn't see him
11:50
right.
11:50
>> You didn't see him right?
11:51
>> Nah. Not saying he didn't, but I've
11:54
never seen
11:54
>> You never saw it. Lord Finesse is here.
11:56
We're celebrating his birthday is taking
11:58
place with the Bronx Tail event Sunday.
12:01
Regent DTLA.com. If you want tickets,
12:04
we'll all be there. So, it's going to be
12:06
a who's who in hip hop. All your
12:08
favorites will be there that night.
12:11
Regent downtown LA. Go to
12:13
regentdtla.com.
12:15
Who we got on the line right now? Who we
12:17
got on the line?
12:19
This is Christopher Martin aka DJ
12:22
Premiere. [laughter]
12:25
[applause and cheering]
12:26
Brother Pra [laughter] got DJ P. We got
12:29
Lord
12:29
>> Fess up.
12:30
>> What's up family?
12:31
>> What up, Torch?
12:33
>> Pre
12:35
a member of the show. I don't know if he
12:36
told you this. He's actually a real
12:38
member of the show.
12:39
>> Oh, wow.
12:40
>> Yeah. So are you, Vanessa.
12:41
>> Yeah.
12:42
>> Yeah. I was telling them the history.
12:44
Yeah. [laughter]
12:47
>> Go ahead. Go ahead. Uh, finesse. Tell
12:49
them.
12:49
>> Uh, no. I was telling them the history
12:51
of how you were I was one of the first
12:54
artists you worked with outside of Guru
12:57
and how you picked me up from Forest and
13:00
he he would even have talks with my
13:02
grandmother on the phone when she was
13:03
drunk. But that's a whole another story.
13:06
>> She said she said, "Man, when is Finesse
13:09
going to make when no when is Robert
13:11
gonna make some money?
13:13
>> [laughter]
13:14
>> P telling.
13:18
[laughter]
13:19
>> Yeah.
13:19
>> Hey. Hey, P. What kind of car was you
13:21
driving when you used to pick them up?
13:24
>> At that point, I had I had a Nissan
13:26
pickup uh with with a booming ass
13:30
system.
13:30
>> System. [laughter]
13:33
>> Nissan.
13:33
>> Beast was right though.
13:34
>> Beast was right. Right. Hey, man. And
13:37
then I didn't realize that the the
13:39
connection between Guru, you and
13:41
Finesse. Well, Guru was the one that
13:44
pushed Stu Fine and Wild Piss to really
13:47
uh look at Finesse after finding his
13:49
tape in the box. And then you being the
13:50
first person Finesse being the first
13:53
person you produced outside of Gangstar.
13:55
I didn't know that.
13:56
>> Me neither.
13:56
>> Yeah. Um Guru used to go because uh Wild
13:59
[ __ ] was a husband and wife label. So
14:01
uh um Stu was the ear and he had a good
14:05
ear. He didn't even have an ANR at the
14:07
time. So Stu and his wife did all the
14:09
art. So all the album covers,
14:10
everything, his wife did it. So, uh, uh,
14:14
Guru [clears throat] would always go
14:14
over there and he said Stu would always
14:16
have a shoe box of demos and he came
14:19
across my demo and Lord Finesse. And so
14:21
when I met Guru, he said, "Y'all check
14:24
this other guy out. I'm trying to
14:25
convince Stu to sign him. Name is Lord
14:27
Finesse." And uh, um, it said Funky
14:31
Technician on the cassette. It was a
14:33
Blue Maxel tape cuz I found it and I I I
14:36
moved. So everything's in boxes, but I
14:38
got to I got to find the box that has
14:40
all the tapes in it. uh to give it back
14:42
to finesse and I told him that that I
14:44
have it and um [clears throat] we listen
14:46
to it and like you like he said Guru
14:49
used to always stress don't just listen
14:53
to the the rhymes listen to but he said
14:56
but check the compound words he used to
14:58
always say that so when I just heard
14:59
Finesse talk about compound words guru
15:02
is really into that and then he said
15:03
don't just also take the rhyme in take
15:06
the flows in and that's how I started to
15:08
really study MC's you know because guru
15:11
really really was attentive to to
15:14
writing skills and delivery
15:16
>> and Lord Finesse had and then from there
15:19
>> we told [clears throat] Steuie, "You
15:20
think I should sign him up?" We were
15:21
like, "Yeah." And next thing you know,
15:23
he said, "We're going to enter him into
15:25
the the rap battle at the new music
15:27
seminar." He said, "Why don't y'all meet
15:29
up and y'all could go together?" And and
15:31
we went together and that's how we met
15:33
everybody. You know, Ice Tea and Public
15:35
Enemy was there. And you know, seeing
15:37
Light was like see was like seeing, you
15:40
know, seeing Prince or Michael Jackson
15:43
if you saw Light and all these people in
15:45
the same place. And and and uh finesse
15:48
held his own in the battle, too.
15:50
>> Didn't you win that one?
15:52
>> No, I I beat the champion from the year
15:55
before in the first round.
15:56
>> Oh, okay. Who won that?
15:58
>> Uh, no. Uh, Fresco won. Fresco.
16:01
>> I am the F to the R to the E to the S to
16:04
the C to the H to the O. Fresco from
16:06
Philly, right?
16:07
>> And DJ Miz beat Aladdin in the final
16:09
battle.
16:12
>> I don't know about that one. I love Miz,
16:14
but I saw that.
16:15
>> I was I was about to say the same thing,
16:19
you know, cuz cuz Aladdin was just
16:22
>> Aladdin was
16:23
>> L was funky, man. And he had to like
16:28
>> he was funky, but he had to showmanship
16:30
while he was doing it.
16:32
>> Yeah. Yeah. And he was an anomaly
16:34
because he was from LA too, right?
16:40
>> Wow.
16:40
>> Damn.
16:41
>> Damn. And then Miz was incredible.
16:45
>> But that year I thought Aladdin had took
16:48
that one.
16:49
>> Another fun fact. Uh on what? Return of
16:52
the Funky Man. Him and SLJ produced
16:55
joints on Return of the Funky Man.
16:56
Aladdin and SLJ. Yes.
16:59
>> DJ Aladdin produced on Return of the
17:00
Funky.
17:01
>> Yes.
17:02
>> Mhm. Oh my gosh, bro. So,
17:05
>> here here's another fun fact.
17:07
>> Here's another fun fact. Finess finesse
17:11
when he put when he put out Return of
17:12
the Funky Man album, he showbiz did a
17:15
remix uh for the 12-in single and they
17:19
and Showiz said, "Yo, we want you to
17:20
scratch on it." I was like, "All right."
17:22
I said, "Where we going?" He said, "It's
17:24
some place called DND Studios." I said,
17:26
"Okay." Went there and even though I
17:29
thank uh Showbiz all the time, he said,
17:31
"Don't thank me. Thank Finesse cuz
17:32
Finesse booked the session and once I
17:34
went to DN D, I liked the mix that that
17:37
came out of the re the remix. So I ended
17:40
up booking booking it to do the Daily
17:42
Operation album and that's how we ended
17:44
up being staying at D and D.
17:46
>> Wow.
17:47
>> Never left D and D.
17:49
>> And look what DN D became.
17:52
>> Yeah. What you made it? Nobody knew
17:53
about DNA
17:56
[laughter] for me. I mean,
17:58
>> wow. I got up on it because that's where
18:00
I did You Know What I'm About in that
18:03
studio.
18:04
>> Okay.
18:05
>> And I liked it and I was like, "Okay."
18:07
And I started using that studio.
18:09
>> Yeah.
18:10
>> Yeah.
18:10
>> How did you like the Big L?
18:13
>> Who knows? I may have never been there.
18:14
>> Never been there.
18:15
>> Oh, wow.
18:16
>> That's crazy.
18:17
>> When um I think of Big L, I think of
18:19
you. Um how did you enjoy the the mass
18:22
appeal release? Did you get a chance to
18:23
hear that?
18:24
>> Yeah, I heard I heard it. Yeah.
18:26
>> Yeah. I mean, it was what it was. I just
18:30
think that um
18:32
it wasn't structured right.
18:34
>> Okay.
18:35
>> I think it could have been it could have
18:36
felt more like songs instead of a bunch
18:38
of rhymes on beats.
18:40
>> I see what you mean.
18:41
>> And um yeah, my name is on I think one
18:44
of But I had nothing to do with it.
18:46
>> Mhm.
18:47
>> You know, I just think it was for
18:49
aesthetics as you would say.
18:51
>> Okay.
18:51
>> But I just think the way they threw it
18:54
together, it was okay. Mhm.
18:56
>> And um I'm glad fans out there support
18:59
it, but it wasn't I don't feel it was
19:02
authentic.
19:03
>> Okay. All right. That's fair. You know,
19:05
I'm I'm I'm happy folks who may have
19:07
never heard L, you know.
19:10
>> Yeah. No, got a chance to be exposed.
19:12
>> I'm glad fans and a lot of retro I call
19:15
them retro fans because they go back and
19:17
they want to see the main the full
19:20
ingredients of it. So, I I love those
19:23
type of fans because I think to really
19:26
honor honor a certain genre, you should
19:29
know the origin.
19:30
>> Yeah, for sure.
19:31
>> You can't just start at a certain
19:33
chapter in the book. You got to read it
19:35
from the beginning.
19:36
>> So, I love the the retro fans that go
19:39
back and love the culture of it all.
19:43
>> Cuz the culture, you can't skip the
19:45
culture.
19:45
>> No. And that's why it sounds generic now
19:49
because it's just like I want the bag, I
19:51
want this, I want that. You want, you
19:53
want, you want, but what are you
19:55
contributing to the art to take it to
19:57
another level?
19:58
>> Everybody's coming in and taking from
20:00
the art, but nobody wants to contribute.
20:03
And when you ask them about the the
20:06
forefathers, it's like, yeah, whatever.
20:09
You know, nah, you can't like you can't
20:11
go into a hospital and say, you nice
20:14
with cough medicine. and let me see a
20:16
patient. [laughter]
20:17
>> You can't do that, you know,
20:21
[laughter]
20:23
>> it's the same thing in hip-hop. You
20:25
can't just jump in and say, "We're doing
20:27
new hip-hop,"
20:28
>> but you don't know the origin. M
20:31
>> so I I mean I love that everybody wants
20:34
to do it but at least know the origin
20:37
because it's a lot of people that paid a
20:40
lot of dues for it to go to the next
20:42
level
20:43
>> and
20:45
>> you tend to go well they old news so we
20:47
only worried about the new news but
20:49
without that news there is no news
20:52
without those bricks in the bridge you
20:55
have nothing to cross over
20:57
>> you could add bricks but without the the
21:00
foundation. There is nothing to cross
21:03
over into hip hop without those bricks,
21:06
>> without the like you said, the Cool
21:08
Herks, the Africa Bamb Bodies, the Jazzy
21:11
Jays, the Red Alerts, the Grand Wizard
21:13
Theodore, the DXT. We was just listening
21:16
to Herby Hancock Rocket, right?
21:20
>> And um I was telling my fiance that this
21:23
the the record with Herby Hancock was so
21:27
prolific, right? because it's probably
21:30
and I'm I'm not sure it was probably the
21:32
first time you've ever seen a DJ on such
21:35
a platform with such an artist as Herby
21:38
Hancock scratching.
21:40
>> Yeah.
21:40
>> Yeah.
21:40
>> And that inspired so many people that
21:44
seen that show like yo they really got a
21:46
DJ cutting
21:47
>> and he was doing the cuts on television
21:49
at that time
21:50
>> live
21:51
>> crazy. So yeah, I mean I always try to
21:55
um push the origin that the origin
21:59
counts instead of just always trying to
22:01
come in and take something from it. Add
22:04
to it.
22:04
>> Add to it. Add to it. [snorts]
22:06
>> Shout out to DXT too, man. I think he
22:08
won a Grammy for that, right? I feel
22:10
like he was the first. He's the first,
22:12
[laughter] you know, really. I think he
22:14
won a Grammy with Herby for doing that.
22:17
>> Wow. We have a we have a um a
22:21
contingency of platforms that are ran by
22:24
people who love the culture but may not
22:26
necessarily be of the culture but
22:28
because of their position and their
22:30
status they're able to be in the culture
22:33
that literally have mandates that say if
22:37
a artist is beyond a certain age we're
22:40
not going to report about them. We're
22:42
not going to cover them.
22:43
>> We're not going to show them.
22:44
>> It's just that's just disgusting. Right.
22:46
Yeah,
22:47
>> this is not sports. You can't pull a ACL
22:51
in hip hop.
22:52
>> You know, it's if you're great at it,
22:54
you should be able to keep doing it. Why
22:57
try to keep putting the cap on it
23:00
>> and then you know, it is the way it is
23:03
now and it's no real guidance to it
23:06
>> and it's it's getting out of hand. It's
23:09
getting crazy when you listen to the
23:10
lyrics. I remember when uh when LL did
23:14
the record um
23:16
>> Yeah. Booming Sister.
23:18
>> Yeah. Cars drive.
23:19
>> They they blanked out Heineken.
23:22
>> Grab the Heineken.
23:24
>> Yeah. Yeah.
23:24
>> Grab the Heineken and mind your
23:26
business. They blanked that out. But
23:28
listen to how much they let slide
23:30
nowadays.
23:32
>> It's It's just [ __ ]
23:34
>> Um
23:36
>> but yeah, man. Um, hip-hop is just like
23:40
I want to see it evolve.
23:42
>> Yeah.
23:42
>> And the ones that care about it are
23:45
mainly the older artists.
23:48
>> Because we put the blood, sweat, and
23:50
tears in it
23:51
>> when when people ain't even care about
23:54
it. And now it's it's it's just being
23:57
devalued, right?
23:59
Because when when I look at how music
24:02
is, it's just like they make it so
24:06
simple that everybody you too can be an
24:08
artist. You too get this library or
24:11
check out AI or and and it's like no,
24:15
it's it's it's levels to it.
24:17
>> What you're saying is so true and I'm
24:19
glad Premiere is on the line with us as
24:20
well because I think the history is also
24:23
being like pushed to the side. And just
24:25
to add to that, you you go back to D and
24:27
D. The reason why I wanted to do my
24:30
album in D and D is because of all the
24:32
reasons that Finesse mentioned because
24:34
of what Premiere said. I wanted to be a
24:36
part of the history and the culture that
24:38
was happening. Like there was something
24:40
coming out of those walls. There was
24:42
something coming out of those rooms.
24:44
There was something about like Permier
24:46
said, when you walk into that that
24:48
raggedy ass elevator and get off that
24:50
floor, you didn't know who you was going
24:53
to see, though. But a lot of genuine
24:55
things happened from being in there.
24:57
Premiere is the reason why I know MP.
25:00
That's how that song came together
25:02
because I would see P up there. I'm
25:04
like, I want to do a song M OP. He's
25:06
like, I'll introduce you to them. That
25:08
so you had to be there. Yes. You know
25:10
what I mean? And you organic. It was
25:11
organic. And I It's hard to recreate
25:13
that now. How many artists come up here
25:16
and Sway go I'll go, "Oh, you was in the
25:18
studio with them." No.
25:19
>> No.
25:19
>> That didn't that didn't happen. You know
25:21
what I mean? Like I sent this
25:24
And we get that if it's one of those
25:25
things that just
25:29
kind of synergy that went down in those
25:31
rooms when this one came in and so and
25:33
so come and he'd be here 3:00 to lay his
25:35
verse and people would come from the A
25:37
room or the seat and then sit around and
25:39
premier beats bang like there was
25:41
something to that you know what I mean?
25:43
So that's being taken away as well and I
25:46
think that's adding to people not caring
25:48
to feel like I could do it too. I think
25:50
right now everybody's waiting to see
25:52
what's next, right?
25:54
>> Artists don't wait. We just create. We
25:57
think of a lane and we go for it. We
26:00
don't wait to see, okay, that's hot.
26:02
Now, everybody got to do that.
26:03
>> Yeah.
26:04
>> Simon says do this. Simon says do that.
26:06
No. A artist just finds a pocket or
26:09
something that inspires them and they go
26:11
for it.
26:11
>> Go for it.
26:12
>> They they they're called the risk
26:14
takers.
26:14
>> Yep.
26:15
>> We going to take the risk. And if you
26:18
take the right risk, it's going to
26:19
explode.
26:20
>> I say it all the time, take the risk.
26:22
>> But now it's just like everybody at a
26:24
pool party waiting for the first person
26:25
to go in the pool.
26:27
>> Who's going to be first?
26:28
>> Mhm.
26:29
>> Have to tell them the name of that track
26:30
you did with MP.
26:31
>> Don't do that. [laughter] You know, you
26:33
know what? The op in him is crazy.
26:37
Like, it's crazy, bro. Oh my gosh, man.
26:42
What's wrong with you,
26:43
>> man? I love We swimming in history right
26:44
now. No, but but see but that's the
26:46
thing though. It it is taking a risk
26:48
because Premier and I had a relationship
26:50
but the only way I knew I was like I got
26:52
to ask. You know what I mean? Like it
26:54
either yes or no. And then he introduces
26:57
me to them. Bring them to the studio.
26:58
And the first thing Billy and Fame says
27:00
is can you spit a verse?
27:02
>> I'm like how am I auditioning?
27:04
>> Shut up. Let [laughter] it rock. Let it
27:07
rock. But but again, just being there
27:10
and wanting to be a part of it and
27:11
taking a risk to ask Premiere and then
27:13
him having a relationship with Billy and
27:15
Fame to come in and and all happen
27:17
organically in the studio. So I miss
27:20
that, you know. I I I miss that and that
27:22
that coming together.
27:23
>> I think more producers need to sit with
27:25
artists. Stop sending beats over the
27:27
internet. Sit with them.
27:29
>> Come up with, you know, because people
27:32
always say, "Oh, you got some beats."
27:34
It's like, oh, it's like you turning me
27:36
into a beat maker. I'm like a tailor,
27:39
>> you know? Yeah, I might have some suits
27:41
made, but I got some new fabric in.
27:44
>> Let me size this up for you.
27:46
>> And that's how great music is made.
27:49
>> But when it's like, yo, just give me one
27:51
of them old suits.
27:53
>> That's where we come from.
27:54
>> I'm the same way. I I always say, I know
27:57
it's a different era, but I like to sit
28:00
with the artist and let's make it. I
28:02
don't wanna I I I feel like I'm
28:04
auditioning for a job when you like send
28:06
me some joints. [clears throat] It's
28:07
like no.
28:09
>> Yeah.
28:10
>> Not at this stage.
28:12
>> No. Hey P, I want to thank you for
28:14
joining us in this conversation
28:15
premiere.
28:16
>> And we literally just celebrated you P
28:18
and saluted you. I hope you have the
28:19
opportunity to go to swaysuniverse.com
28:21
and look at the sitdown we had with Jill
28:23
Scott. Um North Side is one of our
28:26
favorite joints from Jill's album. You
28:28
killed it. Her and Tiara Wack. We were
28:30
celebrating you and singing your praises
28:31
and Jill said some beautiful things
28:33
about you, brother. Like just go back
28:35
and look at that convers. Yes. When you
28:38
get a chance
28:39
>> and um Finesse, you still
28:41
>> Finesse about to do a set for us. Might
28:43
not be as long as they normally are. Is
28:44
that okay?
28:45
>> Yeah. Cool.
28:46
>> When you coming to do is one of the
28:48
greatest one of the greatest hip hop
28:50
producers of all times and I will debate
28:53
anybody on any platform about that.
28:56
There you go. All right. Anybody want to
28:58
debate? come up here. We Okay.
29:01
>> Love you too, my brother.
29:02
>> Hey P, we love you, man. Give it up for
29:03
DJ Premiere, the icon. All right, man.
29:06
Super citizen and employee
29:08
>> and in the morning and employee.
29:11
>> Hey, we going to come back. Um, yo, we
29:14
might run a little over. Sir, you okay
29:16
with that?
29:18
>> Okay. Okay, let me let me get set up. Go
29:21
get set up. We going to throw some
29:22
music.
29:22
>> Hey, wait up before I I I am performing
29:26
on Sunday. Make no mistakes about it.
29:28
Yes, I DJ, but I am performing. Another
29:32
fun fact, this will be my first show
29:35
ever in LA. Ever. Wow.
29:38
>> I've never performed in LA before. So,
29:40
yes, it's going down Sunday.
29:42
>> Coming up. Hey, you want tickets? Go to
29:44
Regent
29:46
R E G N T D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
29:48
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
29:48
D D D D D T LA, Regent Dtla.
29:52
DT stands for downtown. So, Regent
29:54
DTLA.com,
29:56
get your tickets. Look for the Bronx
29:58
Tail event and you'll have Lord Finesse
30:00
there. We're going to come back and
30:02
feature him as our guest DJ.
30:03
>> That's going to be crazy.
30:04
>> Lord Finesse up next celebrating his
30:06
birthday. Shade four,
#Arts & Entertainment