I was in Richmond in the mid 90’s and we decided to throw shows in order to open for these acts to try and get more recognition for our brand. We also just wanted Richmond and VA to have more dope as live shows. We had no idea it was as easy as calling an asking these groups to do a show for a few dollars. I always thought NY cats would be on some “VA? Hell nah” but these people were dying to get out of NY to do a show. Show money was real money. Cats weren’t rich, Hell.. most were still working regular jobs.

All these people I idolized in HS were sitting in my bedroom playing Tekken, basketball or chopping it up around Richmond before shows

Jean Grey - so fine, she was in Natural Resources at the time

Jeru - best dude ever. We always sold out when he came

Heiro - Casual tried to scoop us my wife after the show. Nah homie. He didn’t mean to

Breeze... dude is terrible at basketball but we had fun

Dan the Automator.. super nice, told us about some group called the Gorrilaz that was all cartoons. I was like “that sounds awesome and terrible” kinda like how Will Smith prolly heard the description for the Matrix and passed.

Bobbitto. I used to listen to his show late night when I would spend summers in Brooklyn with my sister. Went to NYC for a hip hop festival and my partner made me approach him. He was like “right after this song, it’s my favorite” I thought he was playing me but we stood there. Watching him breakdance terribly to some early early hip hop break beat. Then he came over, chopped it up for 20 minutes and invited us to his crib. We ended up having a great working relationship. He came to Richmond a lot, we talked politics, religion, his break up with Stretch. He was a terrible DJ tho. But one time... he brought this DJ named Rich Medina

Rich Medina slayed. Never heard him but gotdamn he ripped a show we had in Richmond. Then he tried to get at one of my honey dips using the God Body number 7 shit. It didn’t work.

Swollen Members... we wanted to bring them to Richmond until we looked at a map. Met the Black dude at the hip hop festival in the Bronx with Bobbito and we road the train to a freestyle battle and rhymed the whole time. Shit was wild. There was a train with a good 40 emcees on it in 3 or 4 cyphers for a good 45 minute ride. Shit ea alike a movie.

Then there were local groups in Richmond like Jazz Poets Society, Tribe of Judah, Infectious Organisms, Danger Mowf, etc all trying to get to Mad Skillz level. Dude was the king of the city and had rhymes for days.


Mos Def left his hat at my crib and begged me to return it because it was his favorite hat.

Mr Len, his DJ sets killed. I got booed off stage in DC one time when I tried to tell the venue the show was about to start because he was killin it.

Oh, the DC rap group who did Nigga Like Me. Loved them. Ashuru was one of the emcees names.

But for me it all started with Freaknik in 92. That’s when I met up with a lifelong friend at college and I started seeing people like Redman, Nice and Smooth, Biggie, Sadat X performing but also just kicking it and letting me know these people were just like me. A little older but still, you could approach them, chop it up and it was mostly all love.

To this day E-Rule’s Listen Up is probably my favorite song ever from a lyrical and production standpoint. It pretty much is the song that gives me chills and brings back great memories.

Also shout out to Egyptian Lover, UTFO, Slick Rick, Native Tongues, Flava Unit, XCLAN, PE, BDP, Brad Nubian, Special Ed, EPMD, Gangstarr, NWA, Gheto Boys, Run DMC, Fat Boys, Kool Moe Dee, PRT, Digable, Roots, Organized Konfusion, Del and Heiro and all the other hip hop that made me love this art form.


I wish I could go back and bottle that time up and sell it. I still have videos and photos I need to develop and co very because I have some dope images form back then.


Oh, I also sold Tash from the alcoholics some weed. I wasn’t even planning on doingshit that night but somehow ended up freestyling with the Liks and a half hour later Tash was in my apartment copping some trees.

Richmond was the shit back then.