Category Archives: R.I.P.

Double L and the Big L Legacy

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I used be a partner in a way before it’s time store called Soul Sauce. I’ve spoken about it from time to time. We sold clothing, graff supplies, skateboards, records, magazines, books and anything else we were into. Skaters, DJs, writers, rappers, musicians and tons of others rolled through. We had turntables in the back of the store where everyone who spun could get on. One young buck who was a regular was this white cat named Double L (LL). He was a young dude, and on any day he’d show up wearing a leather eight ball jacket, doo rag, Tims, whatever was hot at the time (Mecca, Ecko, Girbaud, etc.), straight thuggin’ and all business. He would also bring records and a mic. He would get on the turntables and just kill it while rapping over instrumentals (my man had a stutter but still had a silky flow). He just played underground Hip Hop, and repped it all day every day. My dude would also make mixtapes to sell (complete with home made xeroxed covers). He’d put together nonstop mixes of The Best of OC, plus The Best of Double L (complete with his own raps)! It was a great time in music and just a great time in general in my life. I wish I had saved the photos When Double L wasn’t cutting up two copies of OC, he would work in groups like Rawkotics, and of course one of his favorites, Lamont Coleman aka Big L and the DITC crew. At the time, Big L was still alive, and his music was a topic that people would talk about in our lounge while listening to others DJ. I always dug Big L’s flow, and when news came through that he had been killed, it was a sad day at the Sauce. It especially hit Double L hard. Good things really never last, and by 2003 we had shut down the store, I moved on to touring nationally as a DJ, and I never heard from Double L again. I do remember though, Double L bringing in cassettes, specifically home made Stretch and Bobbito tapes that we would all listen to during store hours. Here’s one that I can remember LL bringing in, and one that was revisited by Chairman Mao, Stretch, and Bobbito a few weeks ago in San Francisco at a Red Bull Music Academy Lecture.

If Biggie didn’t die, would fast rapping Jay Z aka Jaz been as big as he is now? That’s for another post, but in 1995, Big L straight killed this freestyle on the Stretch and Bobbito show. Jay’s flow is quick, and nice, but it’s Big L that steals the show. Rest in Power Big L, who knows where you would have been if you were still alive? Probably competing as one of the greatest rappers of all time (no disrespect to Big Daddy Kane on this one).

Big L Freestyle on the Stretch and Bobbito Show 02.23.95

My fave line is still: “I’m so ahead of my time, my parents haven’t met yet…….”

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Now We Lost Don

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I woke up yesterday shocked to hear of the passing of Soul Train legend Don Cornelius. Even more shocked that it was from a self inflicted gun shot wound, an apparent suicide. Seriously? Very sad indeed. Don Cornelius introduced me to so many different artists as a child. I mean, I watched the damn show with my family, and continued to check it out always as I was growing up. I watched it for the music, not the fashion (although quite funny) and of course that Soul Train line. As I got older and started digging, I always came across the Soul Train compilations, which were important to an up and coming DJ like myself. Highlighting people I was familiar with: Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, The Spinners and the Dells (my dad’s favorite), I also got exposed to bands like the Natural Four, Bobby Blue Bland, and The Moments. This video highlights a lot of the great artists I got exposed to. Check out James Gadsen on the drums behind Bill Withers, and a gang of other great Funk, Soul, and Hip Hop artists that graced the Soul Train stage. Even Rosie Perez makes an appearance on the Soul Train line if you don’t blink.

Quest Love has spoken out on the passing of Don Cornelius. This is a really great, heartfelt article from a talented musician/ music historian. I am very sad that we’ve lost this legend. It seems like we’re losing a lot of them these days: Etta James, Jimmy Castor, and now Don Cornelius. A true innovator of television, human rights, and a music revolutionary. He changed the way we see music on tv, and exposed the world to some of the best artists we have ever known. We may not have Don Cornelius anymore, but we still have the thousands of clips all over the net of past episodes of Soul Train. You can also get a Soul Train like experience when you go to a Hot Peas and Butta DJ night, as Skeme Richards and company not only replicate the music, but play loads of Soul Train footage behind you as you dance the night away. Rest In Power Don, Peace and Soul forever.

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How Mrs. O Got Me Into Public Enemy

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As a young buck, I listened to music. A lot of music. Everything from Hip Hop to Punk rock to Classic Rock and beyond. I also played basketball. Let’s rewind. I lived basketball. I was a Philadelphia 76ers fan who got pissed when they traded Moses Malone for Jeff Ruland, so pissed that I became a NY Knicks fan and never looked back. The players I watched hoop it up: Doc, Moses, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Dominique Wilkins..I could go on, were how I remembered basketball. However, when I discovered soccer it was game over, no more hoops. That is for another story though. While I played, watched, and was a fanatic for basketball, I had a friend in high school named Mark. He was a year older than me. Mark, his brother (a few years younger than me) and I all played basketball for the same team in South Jersey. We all became good friends, and for most of high school and the summers after, I pretty much stayed at their house. We got into trouble, played hoops, drank beer, and listened to music. Mark knew I loved Hip Hop, so one day while we were all having lunch that his Mom made, he brought out a few cassettes his brother was into. One was The Surf Punks Locals Only!, the other Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation To Hold Us Back.

When people ask you about pivotal times in your life, when certain music grabbed you and changed your outlook forever, this would be one of them. That record rocked my world. Of course his mother, Marge, would bust our balls and ask: “Why are you listening to that stuff for?”. She would then keep us in stitches with more ball busting, all the while feeding us until we couldn’t eat any more. I was treated as one of the family, not immune from the ribbing from their mother, and never forgot those times in my teens and early twenties at the Jersey Shore. As we all got older, and started to all be scattered all over the United States (both boys graduating from Notre Dame, a school their Irish mother was proud of), visits were fewer, and phone calls came about once a year from Mark. He got married, moved away and we fell out of touch. I last saw him when I was on tour in about 2004 in Atlanta, and we haven’t seen each other since. When I was in the area where I used to live, I always stopped in to see his mother Marge. Again she would open up her house to me like I was her son. Eventually I moved away and you know how the story goes: “life gets in the way”. I reached out to Mark’s mother last year so I could reconnect. When I called her and she found out it was me, she asked the same two questions she had always asked: “What the hell do you want”? (with a chuckle), and “Are you married yet?” (a question she was always relentless with). I informed her 1, I wanted to get in touch with her son, and 2, yes I was married. We reflected on old times, laughed, and I wished her well. As I stated earlier, life gets in the way, and Mark and I kept missing each other. I still consider him a good friend. A friendship transcends boundaries, and even though we’re older (and hopefully wiser), I look forward to a time when we see each other again.

On Friday, I found out that Marge passed away at the University of Pennsylvania from a long battle with lung cancer. When I heard the news I was instantly transported back to a teenager, blasting Public Enemy from a boom box and shooting threes off of the garage in her back yard. As sad as I am, I’m happy she isn’t suffering any more and is at peace. I will hold many fond memories of the time spent with her and her family, and how indirectly, even if she didn’t know it, she got me into Public Enemy.

Rest In Peace Mrs. O

Margaret (Welsh) Olkiewicz 1944-2012

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R.I.P.: Johnny Otis and Jimmy Castor

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It is with great sadness that I report the death of another great from this music game, Johnny Otis. He lived a long life, and at 90 years young, Mr. Otis was a huge contributor to Funk, Soul, early Rock ‘N Roll and R & B music. Read more from the LA Times. Otis is another in the list of deaths here in 2012. Saxophone player and band leader, Jimmy Castor, the E-Man, Mr. It’s Just Begun, and creator of The Bertha Butt Boogie passed away last week. These two legends in the record game were key players and contributors to this life we call Hip Hop. Castor’s B-Boy anthem “It’s Just Begun” has been rocking dance floors for decades, while Otis’ contribution to the LA music scene as well as radio industry is giant. Here are two posts I did on Otis: The Watts Breakaway and Country Girl.

Rest In Power to these two giants. B-Boys, DJs, Diggers, and producers all over the world give both of you a huge Salut!

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R.I.P. Howard Tate

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It is with great sadness that Flea Market Funk has learned that the great Howard Tate passed away this weekend. Another one of the greats who rode the rollercoaster ride of Soul music. Howard had his musical highlights in the late 60′s and early 70′s, and went from notable star, to obscurity, drugs, homelessness, a second chance on life, and finally a come back in the early 2000′s. Such a great artist, it’s a sad day here at the FMF lab. I’ve written about the man before, when I reviewed “Look At Granny Run Run”, and since I have always been a huge fan of this side. I’d figured I’d pay tribute to the man with a little bit of what he did best. Please enjoy a tribute to Howard with 8 Days On the Road from his 1972 Atlantic Records self Titled record, Howard Tate. Rest In Peace Big Man.

Download or Listen To Howard Tate – 8 Days On The Road from the Atlantic LP

Howard Tate Docu – Press Reel from Larry McCain, Director/Producer on Vimeo.

The Reggae Influence of Heavy D

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Photo Courtesy of ABC News

Yesterday the Hip Hop world lost one of it’s pioneers. Dwight Arrington Myers aka Heavy D died suddenly at age 44. The Overweight Lover, who was born in Jamaica, relocated with his family to “Money Earnin’” Mt. Vernon, NY. It’s here where Hev would begin to make his impact. Although you may just know him for his flashy, neon leather outfits, wicked dance moves, and quick flow, his influence on Hip Hop music goes way back.

Reggae music and Hip Hop were destined to be together from day one. Kool Herc was of Jamaican descent, and he injected that influence over his music with his Sound System in the Bronx. He would have a guy like Coke La Rock on the mic, not rapping so much in the modern sense, but really toasting phrases that would go on to become popular rap slang from the get go. These poor, inner city residents who went to see Herc could relate to what Jamaicans were saying on wax, as they were going through the same thing there.

“Directly or indirectly, elements of hip-hop can be traced back to the sonic experiments that began in Jamaican studios 25 years ago. Hip-hop had to start from some idea, and it is visible that not enough Jamaican artists are credited for its technical development. ”

While Herc was changing the game by inventing Hip Hop, extending the drum break, and continuing to break ground, it was inevitable that the Jamaican Sound Systems, toasting and boasting would be the foundation of what Hip Hop and rapping is today. Heavy D would then lead the charge as he dipped into the Reggae record pool to sample. When Heavy D and the Boyz reworked Third World’s cover of the O’Jays “Now That We Found Love” into their own hit, the game changed. He would later go on to do records with Frankie Paul, Supa Cat, Sizzla, Buju Banton throughout his career. Many other artists followed suit in both sampling and collaborations. Special Ed sampling Desmond Dekker’s “007 (Shanty Town)” on “I’m the Magnificent”, Dave and Ansel Collins vocal from “Double Barrel” landed on the aforementioned track as well as tracks by Biz Markie, Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five and many, many more, Shinehead’s “Who the Cap Fit?” using Bob Marley, The Brentford All Stars “Greedy G” was used by BDP, Eric B. and Rakim, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince are just a few early examples of Hip Hop turning to JA for sample material. It wasn’t long before artists like Sister Nancy, Tenor Saw, U-Roy, Jackie Mitoo and Augustus Pablo among others were being sampled. The flood gates were opened. Reggae music is now a huge source of sample material, not just in Hip Hop today, but all throughout all genres in music.

Heavy D was a pioneering rapper, actor, singer, and producer. His early work with Marley Marl, Teddy Riley, the Boyz (including Trouble T.Roy Troy Dixon) and a young Pete Rock (who was influenced by Hev and paid tribute to T.Roy on his hit “T.R.O.Y.”) Uptown Records (how about a young Biggie with Heavy on record?) morphed into New Jack Swing, Hip House, In Living Color themes, collaborations with Michael and Janet Jackson, and BB King among others. If you think that Hev was just an 80′s Cross Colors wearing big man dancing, you are wrong. A huge contributor to this Hip Hop game, he has left us way too early, but left an everlasting mark on Hip Hop whether people realize it or not.

“Heaven’s at the door so there will be no bum rushin’- Heavy D, “Self Destruction”

Third World – Now That We Found Love


Heavy D and the Boyz – Now That We Found Love

My fave Heavy D appearance: Stop the Violence Movement
Check Out Hev at 4:31

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Les McCann and Eddie Harris – Compared To What

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In light of the passing of the great Gene McDaniels, writer of this song, I figured I’d visit a record that helped to jump started me in the Jazz category, as well as many artists on Blue Note Records. I remember getting a copy of Swiss Movement in the early 90′s and going crazy for it. Let’s take a look at one of McDaniel’s most famous tunes done by the mighty Les McCann and Eddie Harris from 1969, “Compared To What” from the Swiss Movement Lp.

Written in 1967 by Gene Daniels, we first saw this recorded by Roberta Flack for her First Take Lp. This version is hot, a real groover with a killer bass line and horn stabs that accentuate the point of this message. Just in case you were wondering, the LP was presented by Les McCann, so there’s a Funky introduction of how nice he is. Fast forward to two years later and McCann and Harris are performing at the newly started Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1969. There’s a lot of struggle going on in the world at this time: The Civil Rights Movement is still in full swing in the United States, the Vietnam War is still in effect, and although there were many other Black Power and Black Conscious records released, “Compared To What” was a side that said it all. In fact, if you take a look at the lyrics, a lot of the issues McDaniels wrote about and McCann and Harris relayed through their music (as well as a huge amount of other artists up until today), they are all still relevant. So no matter who was belting the tune out: Brian Auger or the Roots and John Legend, the message can still be applied to that time. When the Les McCann Trio and the Eddie Harris Quartet played Montreux respectively (both to great accolades), their decision to play together made history. With the edition of Benny Baily on trumpet, Donald Dean on drums, and Leroy Vinnegar on bass, Swiss Movement was permanently etched into the tablet of Jazz history with that live performance. McDaniels had his protest song, but this performance solidified it (along with some firm GOD DAMN IT’s) as one of the best of all time. I have written about both of these artists solo, but bringing them together puts this record as I said earlier, as not only one of the best protest songs ever, but a message that can still be applied to what’s going on in today’s world. Rest in Power Gene McDaniels, your words will go on to be heard for many generations.

“Compared to What”

I love the lie and lie the love
A-Hangin’ on, with push and shove
Possession is the motivation
that is hangin’ up the God-damn nation
Looks like we always end up in a rut (everybody now!)
Tryin’ to make it real — compared to what? C’mon baby!

Slaughterhouse is killin’ hogs
Twisted children killin’ frogs
Poor dumb rednecks rollin’ logs
Tired old lady kissin’ dogs
I hate the human love of that stinking mutt (I can’t use it!)
Try to make it real — compared to what? C’mon baby now!

The President, he’s got his war
Folks don’t know just what it’s for
Nobody gives us rhyme or reason
Have one doubt, they call it treason
We’re chicken-feathers, all without one nut. God damn it!
Tryin’ to make it real — compared to what? (Sock it to me)

Church on Sunday, sleep and nod
Tryin’ to duck the wrath of God
Preacher’s fillin’ us with fright
They all tryin’ to teach us what they think is right
They really got to be some kind of nut (I can’t use it!)
Tryin’ to make it real — compared to what?

Where’s that bee and where’s that honey?
Where’s my God and where’s my money?
Unreal values, crass distortion
Unwed mothers need abortion
Kind of brings to mind ol’ young King Tut (He did it now)

Tryin’ to make it real — compared to what?

Download or Listen to Les McCann and Eddie Harris – Compared To What from the Atlantic Lp Swiss Movement

Les McCann and Eddie Harris – “Compared to What” Live

Roberta Flack “Compared to What”

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R.I.P. Gene McDaniels

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If you ask many crate diggers or DJ’s, Eugene McDaniels Headless Heroes of the Apacolypse is the holy grail of grails as far as records go. Sampled by a plethora of artists in Hip Hop (Beasties, Tribe, Pete Rock among others), his unfortunate passing at age 76 has left a void in this Hip Hop/ record Diggin’ community. McDaniels wrote songs like “One Hundred Pounds of Clay” and “Tower of Strength”, both Billboard Top 100′s, and later on in his career had a penchant for writing conscious Black anthems such as “Compared to What” that went on to be a smash for Les McCann and Eddie Harris and also Roberta Flack. He also helped Flack get nominated for a Grammy by penning “Feel Like Making Love”, before kind of getting away from the scene, recording sporadically, and being a recluse in Maine. I guess it didn’t hurt that these records gave him the money to just get away from it all and do his own thing. Later on in his career he was a voice over artist as well as a producer and writer of film and video. He was working right up until his death. Here is another great musician of our time, also highly regarded in the record digging and well respected in the Hip Hop community that will be sorely missed. R.I.P. Gene McDaniels, and kudos to all of you that have found a Headless Heroes Lp out in the field. Give it a few spins this weekend in honor of Gene.

Gene McDaniels discusses Compared to What

Jagger the Dagger

Check out the Gene McDaniels website.

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