"He Writes Books Nowadays"...talking with Mister J Dee ( Da Lench Mob)

Da Lench Mob live How and why did you start writing? I started writing in 2008 as a challenge to myself and to try to win a writing contest at the Calif. Mens Colony by my partner Ira Hayes from Oakland, CA. Did you (voraciously) read stuff from Chester Himes, Walter Mosley, Iceberg Slim, Donald Goines? I've read every book Walter Mosley has ever published and a few by Chester Himes. However, Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim are not the type of writers who inspire me. I love writers like Sister Souljah, Kwame Teague, E.J. Dickey, Zora Neale Hurston and Stone Ramsey. And of course Walter Mosley. If we have to deal with black crime novels, it leads us to movies like "New Jack City", "Menace II Society", "Dead Presidents", "Sugar Hill" ( 1993, not the zombie related blaxploitation one), "Boyz'N'The Hood", "Colors" to name a few. What's your opinion about those pictures, knowing that Da Lench Mob and other gangsta rap/ G funk acts were rising at the same time, and sometimes involved in some movies? This question is very ambiguous and fragmented. First of all no one is forced to deal with black novels, crime or otherwise. As for the aforementioned films they are classics and they came at a time when the war on crime/drugs was at its apex. Rappers during this period were perfect for these roles because it allowed us to become multi-dimensional and grow as artists. Ice Cube is the perfect example. And if we have to deal with 1990ies movies we must go to the big brother or father of all them, Blaxploitation. If you had to choose the main movies of this era, which ones would you pick? Maybe you were able to watch some of them when you were a kid. Do you remember any story/memory? Wtf do you mean by having to deal with 1990s black movies? Your question implies that our artform is somehow a pimple on the ass of entertainment that doesn't depict our story or our plight and I'm a bit offended. But I digress. Black Exploitation films of the 1970s were the movies that didn't demand African Americans to be maids, butlers, step and fetch it's, or junkies strung out on heroin. My top five of the era are "Trouble Man", "Across 110th Street", "Foxy Brown", "Uptown Saturday Night", "Claudine". When you were young, did you like reading/writing (poetry, novelettes, anything...)? Yes. As a kid I loved poetry. Pablo, Sonia, Nikki and Baldwin. But being in a gang I kept that part of my life hidden. Lol Let's deal with music...in the 80ies, for what I read, California rap scene was ruled by electrofunk ( Arabian Prince, Egyptian Lover, World Klass Wrekkin Crew, Uncle Jam's Army...), were you into it, or did you prefer acts like Toddy Tee and NWA ? I was very much into the early days of L.A. Hip Hop, long before NWA, Toddy Tee and Mixmaster Spade (rip). I attended every event/function Uncle Jam's Army put on. Electrofunk was the foundation and template to Gangsta/ Reality rap on the West Coast What would you advise to people in 2017 when it comes to 80ies funk? What would people listen to in their cars or parties? 80s Funk-Hop was what we were about. Songs like "Rockberry", "Egypt", "J-U-I-C-E", "Electric Kingdom", and "Play At Your Own Risk" blared from stereos of Nissan Sentras, Capris, VW Bugs, and Mazda RX2, 3,4 's. Street racing, Fila suits, and Jheri curls. About Da Lench Mob, were you in touch with bands like Brand Nubian, X Clan, rappers like Paris, Askari X? I know you were close to Kam also... Yes sir of course. Sadat X and Lord Jamar were my brothers. As was Brother J, Paris, Wise, and the brother Kam. How was created the song "Guerillas Aint Gangstas" (featured on the "Menace II Society" soundtrack)? How did the lyrics come? Who picked the samples and put the whole beats together? I came up with the lyrics and title to "Guerillas Ain't Gangstas" while sitting in an hotel in London, England. We kept being asked about Gangsta Rap by so many reporters I ended up exploding. I'd like to believe that Da Lench Mob were "street politicians" and not gangsta rappers. While Ice T, Snoop, King T and Eazy E (rip) were reporting the reality of the hood we all were raised in, me, T-Bone and Shorty were providing political and social commentary to our fans. Exposing the darker side of systemic racism, classism and mass incarceration. The production was done by Ice Cube and QD III Back to "He Luvs Me Not", is it your first book? How would you present it? Do you think it could be turned into a movie? No, this is not my first book. I have another on Amazon titled "Los Angeles Tymez Urban Tales". I have 6 more and 2 in production. I want to present "He Luvz Me Not" as a love story crime thriller. With a lesson in loyalty, family values and morals. I believe it definitely has the potential to be adapted to the big screen which is something I'm planning to pitch to Ice Cube this month. Did people reach you to write screenplays? Yes I've had a couple of directors reach out to me and ask me to write and submit my book "Dirrty" in screenplay format. I can't say too much but I am excited to even be considered for the opportunity. Anything to add? Yes thank you for the platform to speak from and the opportunity to plug my book. I wanna give a sincere shout out to all of France especially the ghettos of Paris. I wanna thank Shane Kinoshita, Tyler and Julie Busik and Die4Productions. Not to mention Chilly Chill, Threi and the entire Lench Mob family. My homie Ben Westhoff for the original Gangstas piece. To my brothers Jazzy and Dada. And as always my beautiful wife Kristi Cooper for inspiring me to write "He Luvz Me Not" in the first place. She's an incredible, sexy, brilliant woman and I'm grateful to have her in my life. Thanx Saul! In Solidarity J Dee Cooper, CEO, Kreole Soul Publishing #IMPEACHDJT #LOYALTY2ROYALTY #KREOLESOUL PG

Some West Coast rap stuff

First you can check this report by Kicket of 187 prod fame Polyester The Saint interview and besides that, have a listen to this...Rock, psychedelia, biker stuff and Kokane, Kam, Brownside latest albums, a overview right?! Church!

Superfreak things...

We got news from STONE CITY BAND, people! The musicians who worked with RICK JAMES! So here's a part of an interview you might be able to read soon, somewhere... Where does the name "Stone City Band" come from? Who found it? Stone City Band came from the projects in Buffalo N.Y where Rick grew up. It was mainly built of Stone so he wanted a name that represented the Urban east side of the city! How did you create/write (lyrics and music) songs like "Big Time", "Come Into M y Life", "Ghetto Life", "Bustin Out"? Rick would have a basic idea then share it with the band and everyone would put their input musically in! After that, we would go into the studio with the rhythm section and build from there! We would be in the studio all day and all night. Did Stone City Band play or tour in Europe? Did you play in France? We only went to Germany for Rockplast 82. No, we never played France! But would love to come and fire up the funk!😄

Rickey Vincent interview part 1

Pour les connoisseurs, Rickey Vincent alias UHURU MAGGOT est une référence en matière de funk. Il s'était signalé l'an passé (en tout cas un post avait surgi sur le forum Funk O Logy) par une critique très argumentée du biopic sur James Brown "Get On Up", et si vous surfez sur le site de Davey D ( au hasard article intitulé "Hip Hop and Funk...Bay Area Style"), vous verrez, si vous lisez l'anglais des interviews et articles sur les débuts du rap, notamment en Californie, où bien sûr Mister Uhuru Maggot est impliqué. Mais Rickey Vincent, c'est surtout "Funk, The Music, The People and The Rhythm of The One", un ouvrage de 1996 qui traite, vous l'aurez compris, du black metal philippin. Je plaisante bien sûr!! Avec un second ouvrage, "Party Music: The Inside Story of the Black Panthers' Band and How Black Power Transformed Soul Music" qui s'intéresse aux liens entre le mouvement Black Power et la musique populaire afro-américaine, TRZ se devait d'investiguer, injecter un peu d'intellect dans cet hédonisme gangsta rap West Coast, selon les clichés ( Fabe sur les productions de Bass Click, Kuisto je crois? Rêvons, rêvons....). Rickey Vincent parle du choix de son nom de scène/ personnage radiophonique, de l'importance de Sly & The Family Stone pour le funk des années 70 et 80, notamment les innovations de Larry Graham, de la richesse de la scène soul/funk de la Bay Area, du degré d'implication des Black Panthers dans la culture populaire ( musique, cinéma....), à vérifier. On évoque aussi le cas du documentaire sur le P Funk d'Yvonne Smith "Parliament Funkadelic: One Nation Under A Groove", qui ne pourra pas sortir en "physique" avec tous les problèmes de copyright, le projet de livre autour des artistes féminines du P Funk ( "The Girl Is Bad: The Story of the Women of P Funk"), la difficulté d'avoir des biopics de qualité concernant des artistes noirs des années 70, en tout cas ceux cités dans le livre "Party Music". On rappelle par ailleurs qu'un film sur Rick James est envisagé, affaire à suivre, ça n'est pas dans l'interview cela dit. Lisez maintenant, anglophones!! Why the pseudo or nickname "Uhuru Maggot"? At KALX radio, where Davey D and I both started, we were all encouraged to take the most exotic names we could think of. Davey was from the Bronx and already had his. The Reggae deejays were good at taking on characters like Spliff Skankin' and Too Dread, and P-Funk is full of cartoon characters, so wild names are normal. I was working in a deejay crew around 1982 and my partner wanted to call us "Spank Incorporated" which was cool but not wild enough for me. I just thought of Uhuru Maggots as a way to talk about freedom (Uhuru) and funkativity (Maggots). He didn't like the name but I did, and started using it as soon as I got on the air. It was also a way to avoid ever, EVER having someone else show up with the same name. For me Bay Area means ( musically) several things, first of all the rap scene, "hyphy", Thizz Nation for the youngest ones, "Mobb sound" ( E 40, Suga T, B Legit, Celly Cel..) for the older ones, and also Digital underground, Too Short, Spice 1, then the heavy metal scene, especially tharsh bands from the 80ies like Exodus, Mordred, Legacy/ Testament, Death Angel, Metallica ( they came later, from LA), then the punk/hardcore scene with Dead Kennedys, Crucifix, and former Texas acts like Verbal Abuse, MDC, DRI. So what else can people find in the Bay? The Bay belongs to Sly & the Family Stone. The psychedelic funk as we know it truly started in the Bay Area and the P-Funk cats will tell you so. First: Larry Graham on Bass. He was doing distortion and exotic rhythms AND melodies on bass that were only done on guitar before him. Every 70s black band borrowed that from Larry. Stevie Wonder, Ohio Players, War, Mandrill, Funkadelic, Kool & the Gang, Rufus, Temptatons (Norman Whitfield stuff), Isley Brothers, everyone. Bootsy broke it down once on a TV doc: "Everyody was trying to say they did it but no, it was Larry Graham. At that particular time he was doing things with the bass that no one else was even thinking about" Sly was able to arrange all the rock, gospel, jazz and soul onto JB grooves so the fully formed FUNK that we know and love, could exist. Ask ANY funk master alive today and they will say they got the groove from the JB thing, but figured out The Funk from Sly & the Family Stone. The Stand! album in particular. That was 1969, light years ahead of its time. In the Family Stone vein there is: TOWER OF POWER, GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION, THE POINTER SISTERS, & THE HEADHUNTERS (Herbie Hancock's incredible jazz-funk fusion band). Listen to the funk in SANTANA, AZTECA, COKE ESCOVEDO or any other latin fusion group from around here.... The Funk is all up in it. Later there was CON FUNK SHUN, and Foster & McElroy ( who wrote Timex Social Club hit « Rumors », ndm) produced EN VOGUE, and TONY TONE TONI, and some other spinoff groups, ALL of which used the deep Funk formula, even if it did not sound exactly like Sly. Also, the MINNEAPOLIS sound is heavily influenced by the Bay Area. Prince stole SHEILA E from Oakland, and also took Rosie Gaines and a number of other players to Minnesotia from the Bay. Prince is a huge Sly fan and was VERY pissed that Jesse Johnson got ahold of Sly first, and did that duet "Crazy For You" back in 1986. Larry Graham now lives in Minneapolis and is Prince's spiritual advisor (they are both Jehova's Witness) and musical advisor. Later of course you have Hammer and Too Short and DIGITAL UNDERGROUND which is the closest thing to a P-Funk rap group. Also, I think of Shock G as the Sly Stone of rap because his innovations were so far advanced, now that people are trying to put as much flavor in their rhymes as he did, and as much P-Funk into their loops as he did, he's just a ghost in tha machine. But everywhere I listen, there is Great Funk - that can easily be seen as heavy on the Sly Stone formula. So what does the Bay Area have? The special ingredient that made The Funk what it is, that's what! Stupid question but I had to ask, is (and /or was) there a soul & funk scene in the Bay Area? Very much so. Super Soul Souvenirs KSOL radio was so big they put out their own Soul comps. Sly Stone was a deejay there also. But it took many years before CD compilers dug into the vaults and brought the early stuff out. « Get Your Lie Straight » has some great Bay Funk & soul. Notice Lenny Williams, who went on to front TOWER OF POWER during their superstar years. Get Your Lie Straight

Downsouth rap stories

I ordered 2 very interesting books about Texas rap , first one is Scarface (real name Brad Jordan)'s "Diary Of A Madman: The Geto Boys, Life, Death, and the Roots of Southern Rap" check this one and listen to this Downsouth rap and French rock. The second book is "Sweet Jones: Pimp C's Trill Life Story" by Julia Beverly, about Chad "Pimp C" Butler and UGK from Port Arthur...have a listen to this West and Downsouth rap and that about Pimp C, Shaft controversy and other topics . Enjoy the stuff!!! Well it seems I already had advised you to read Brad Jordan's book, sorry, so better get this radio show, you won't be disappointed if you like Southern rap LSD and Geto Boyz and here is another episode for your pleasure Let them roll

Let him roll....

Yes I'm back and advise everyone this book "Diary Of A Madman" by Brad Jordan aka Scarface, very interesting, and by the way, check this...Downsouth rap and rock'n'roll

Some stuff to listen too (from me)

If you go there Saulviktornewman Empire you might enjoy, if not, at least I tried :-)