As the hip hop community continues to mourn the loss of Keith “Guru” Elam, today I stumbled upon this interview by complete happenstance, a conversation between him and Run-DMC dated to 1993. I have to say, after reading some deeply disturbing Solar business over the weekend, it was a nice change to go back to better days and enjoy this slice of time with these icons of our culture.
There isn’t much editing in this piece. Admittedly it starts off a bit slow, with just Guru and DMC. Then Run joins in, followed by Jam Master Jay. By the time they’re all there, you’ll find some real gems. I think my favorite part is when JMJ gets crazy intricate talking about how they used to dress:
Jay: You got on the freshly dipped gear, that could be a pair of Lees, and a fresh alpaca, you know what I’m sayin, to match the Adidas, and a velour or a Panama, with the ribbon that’s matching your sneakers… Run: That’s that pimp shit. Jay: But the pimps ain’t rockin the Lees.
(…) Guru: Before you guys, rappers were more like stars, with the flashy costumes Run: They were trying to be like Rick James.
If you’re a regular here at Cafe Del Trizzy you already know that Carte Blanche is DJ Mehdi & Riton, chilling in the House that Jack built. Their EP Black Billionaires is dropping May 31st on Ed Banger and this is the dance-tastic teaser for “Gare Du Nord”. Funny, I can’t really see Riton in the video. But Mehdi is everywhere.
If you’ve walked around the mean streets of New York in the last 2 weeks, you may have seen one of these snazzy Bushmills billboards, including this one with the FG crew next to the Alife Rivington Club. Or maybe you saw the Chromeo one in Williamsburg which is, oh I don’t know, 20 times bigger:
They actually painted them! It was a real trip to watch this guy paint my brother’s sideburns.
I’ll be the first to admit, my blogging took a dip in March and April. I hate to play the “I’m Busy” card but… I was really busy! I started my collaboration with Travis Barker in LA, then with Fool’s Gold we organized parties at SXSW, WMC and Coachella, and I came home and finished my mixtape. It would be a bit crazy to go back and do a detailed Around The World post for these trips at this point in the game, but here are some highlights at least!
First, SXSW
This year in Austin we had 2 Fool’s Gold events. The first one was more of a big club show with Travis and I headlining. It was rammed, there was a line down the block before we even opened doors. The second show was the label’s official SXSW showcase where all our new bands, DJs and rap dudes performed (too many to name!). I loved the location, it was at a spot called Malverde with an open terrace right behind the stage and plenty of foliage. Ferns! It really felt different from all the other industry shindigs going on. Then the next day the temperature suddenly dropped to 40 degrees Farenheit. For Austin that’s just weird.
Like we do every year, there was a big FG party, this time in a new venue though. Armand and I played our first Duck Sauce set, which seemingly got the word out on the internets about a new song named after a singer of yore. I never went to sleep earlier than 6am the whole week. I played at Ultra under the beating sun. I went to see Steve Angello DJ one night and Shaggy grabbed the mic… that was funny. Wound up at Diddy’s house again on my last night.
Coachella
I went to Coachella with my brother and Nick. We rented a house which I nicknamed the Wu Mansion. We did a party with Stones Throw where we only played old house and disco. We also played at the Anthem Lagoon pool party with some of our buddies. Heard some good music at the festival, my favorite were Phoenix. No big surprise there. Although when I got home I saw youtube clips of Plastikman’s show and was floored, I wish I saw it live.
Saturday was the opening of Shepard Fairey’s much publicized exhibition at New York’s Deitch Projects, incidentally the last showing at this famed gallery. I went with my brother (as I was also DJing the afterparty) and we checked out the mob scene. This was also New York’s first weekend of proper summer weather, so it was a great day to be out. In attendance, on one hand you could find the veritable who’s who of “street art”: Lee Quinones, Haze, Kaws, Fab 5 Freddy; and on the other hand, a bunch of eccentric old art collectors in pastel suits. Dave and I ran into home old friends and ended up just discussing secret food spots in our neighborhood.
Ladies and Gents, Dirty South Dance 2 is finished and coming your way very shortly. For a little taste of what’s in store, head on over to The FADER blog (or the Downloads section) and peep “Trizzy Turnt Up”. Do a little jig, perhaps?
As with the first CD, Shepard Fairey provided the artwork, and you can actually catch both of us DJing this Saturday at Dance Right at 88 Palace in New York. It’s the afterparty for his new exhibition at Deitch. Flyer after the jump.
