Dirty Waters is back at it! Early this year, DJ Nes put up my last WKCR broadcast from 2002, and recently he posted a Stretch & Bobbito show tape from July 25th, 1996 featuring Mr. Live and Tony Bonez. Check it here! For super early 1990-91 listeners, please note that there were actually two Mr. Lives who freestyled on our program. The first one was down with Jamalski, the second, who appears much later in ‘96, released a 12″ on my defunkt Fondle’em label.

I came across the Rekordz On Wheelz blog today and saw they had put up a number of the WKCR 89.9FM Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle Frenzy cassettes available for download. Every year for our anniversary (starting in ‘91), we would play these tapes full of the best written and off the top of the head live verses from our show, and eventually put them out for sale through Fat Beats. Check it out and enjoy!

In 2002, after 12 years of being on WKCR 89.9FM, I decided to retire from hip hop radio. The first eight of those years were with DJ Stretch Armstrong, the last four I rocked with Lord Sear (now doing it on Shady FM Sirius Satellite Radio). It was a amazing run. I don’t miss being on air, however it is nice from time to time to think about all the crazy moments that went down.

On that final night, Stretch and I got on the mic together for the first time in four years which shocked a lot of people who thought we had beef. He and I still touch base every couple of weeks to this day. We went through a lot together, and it was meaningful for sure that he was present on the night of my retirement. Pillars of NYC Hip Hop radio like Red Alert, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, Mister Cee, on and on were all in attendance, too. It was bananas! Pete and Cee got all sentimental when we went live, and it bugged me out! I always understood the impact we had on our listeners and artists, but it was most revealing to see how my peers felt. It was beautiful, and an unforgettable moment in my life.

www.dirtywaters.blogspot.com recently put up the audio from that night, Read More »

Biggie’s movie supposedly drop today in theaters, so had me reminiscing about my history with the brother . . .

Starting in 1990, Stretch Armstrong and I were destroying the New York airwaves on WKCR 89.9FM, or known as 89tec9 for the display of MC skills that our guests would provide. I was contributing to the Source Magazine at the time, and developed a very good relationship with Matty C. who oversaw their “Unsigned Hype” column. Stretch knew him through the downtown club circuit as well.

We all had a good exchange going. Some of the up and coming artists we premiered on our show (Total Pak, Artifacts, Souls of Mischief) would wind up getting “Unsigned” shine in the Source, and Matt would also bring some of the cats he’d discovered up to the radio studio as well. In ‘90, he brought up DMX the Great, who seven years later would drop the “Great” and become a multi-plat star. In ‘91, Matt told us about the Poetical Prophets from QB. They freestyled on our show, then got signed the next year to Island Records as Mobb Deep. By ‘95 they blew up too (then on Loud Records).

In ‘92, Matt gave us a cassette by Biggie Smalls. Read More »