As many of you know already, last week we lost 2 major influences in the worlds of Reggae Dancehall & Old skool Hip-Hop: Jamaica's Daddy U-Roy & Prince Markie Dee from the NYC Hip Hop crew- The Fat Boys. And since I come from a background of Hip Hop, Reggae & Dance music, both of these artists had a direct influence on what I do today creatively.
I had the opportunity to open for Daddy U-Roy back in 1994 when I was part of the California based soundsystem- The Positive Sound Massive. The venue was called La Salle's, and none other than the veteran Jamaican DJ Nicodemus was the one who drove us from San Francisco to the show in Chico. And he wasn't even on the bill! During those times he was going back n' forth between NYC & Cali and was part of the soundsystem too. I also remember right when U Roy started his set, I went outside to finish a spliff and a couple Rasta came outside to tell me to go back in. They said, "that's why he's called the teacher, when he dj's you must study and learn his every movement". And I never had any interaction with Prince Markie Dee, but I have been a long time fan of The Fat Boys and still remember their heyday period. They were Massive! I also respect how they held it down with their talent and creativity, and made it successful. And Prince Markie Dee turned out to be a great talent as a solo artist and producer of major hits for other artists. Without the influence of either one of these artists, what I do creatively would even exist. RIP to both these musical giants. #DaddyURoy #PrinceMarkieDee #FatBoys #Dancehall #HipHop #Jamaica #NYC #OldSkool #Nicodemus #PositiveSoundMassive #SanFrancisco #Chico #Rasta
