Tag: JAY DOGGZ

30 Years: The Story of GUY

Coming from Harlem, NY, two childhood friends joined forces with a third member who they recruited to create a group. Not only were they great singers but they were great songwriters as well. So great that they also written for others such as Bobby Brown and Johnny Kemp, just to name a few. Teddy Riley, Timmy Gatling, and Aaron Hall were the trio known as Guy. Teddy was already a known producer for joints like “Go See The Doctor” by Kool Moe Dee, “The Show” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, “I Want Her” by Keith Sweat, “Just Got Paid” by Johnny Kemp, and “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown. In 1987, a year before their debut album released, Guy became a group and was managed by Gene Griffin and on June 13th, 1988, their self titled debut album was released. The group became the pioneers for the “New Jack Swing” style and era of R&B during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. With four singles released on a 10 track album, none of the singles reached Billboard 100 but it sold two million copies and the singles were still great hits. The album was filled with only both party and love songs. You can enjoy a night out at a party rocking and grooving and then go back to your lover’s place for a romantic evening afterwards. That’s the vibe you get when you listen to this R&B classic. After the release of the album, Timmy Gatling left the group to go solo and continue writing for other acts and was later replaced by Aaron’s younger brother Damian. They continued on with the success of the album with a soundtrack joint for Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing in 1989 with “My Fantasy”, which was another hit for the group. The group then split after their second album and the Hall brothers continued on with solo careers while Teddy continued writing and producing for other artists and even formed a new group called Blackstreet. 30 years later, there’s no denying the impact of this group and what they’ve brought to the group. New Jack Swing became a movement in R&B music up until 1993 or 1994. So many artists worked with Teddy Riley to have a similar sound to reflect the times. The times were about partying and having a good time and indeed, there’s no party without New Jack Swing to get it going. 30 years later, “Guy” is still a timeless R&B album that people still enjoy and play til this day. Big Sean even sampled “Piece of My Love” on his single “Play No Games” featuring Chris Brown. Mary J. Blige used “Goodbye Love” on a track she did on her “My Life” album called “Don’t Go” and even “I Like” appeared on the “Love & Basketball” soundtrack starring both Sanaa Lathan And Omar Epps. One of the greatest R&B albums of all time. 

Strictly Business: The 30th Anniversary

Coming all the way from Long Island, NY, these two gentlemen came together to join forces and then became one of hip hop’s best to ever do it. Their names are Erick Sermon aka E Double and Parrish Smith aka Parrish Mic Doc and together they are EPMD. Eric And Parrish Making Dollars. On June 7th, 1988, they released their debut album “Strictly Business.” It is an essential hip hop classic and it is a first of its kind. With a sound that’s heavy bass with funk and rock samples and DJ scratches, they had heavy hits that can turn a party out. With four official singles, “It’s My Thing”, “I’m Housin’”, “Strictly Business”, and “You Gots To Chill”, EPMD became an instant hit. The album peaked at No. 80 on the Billboard 200, the album went gold four months after its release and The Source gave it a five mic rating, making it one of the 43 albums to ever receive this rating. 30 years later, the duo were recently seen at the Yo! MTV Raps: 30th Anniversary Show at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn performing their classics and even brought along K-Solo from the Hit Squad performing his classic “Spellbound.” These fellas have not lost their touch or step. I even had the opportunity to meet Parrish downtown at a spot on Houston Street called SOB’s for a Jam Master Jay birthday celebration and he was most definitely cool and a humbled guy. EPMD’s music hands down is one of the best and a must have in a hip hop collection. Album after album, they came with hits for years and even have merchandise but who in hip hop doesn’t have merchandise. Overall, when they come together on that stage, it’s all BUSINESS and no play.

It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot: The 20th Anniversary

As the 90’s were slowly coming to an end, hip hop was in a place where it was shiny, glittery, and downright Hollywood. With it’s shiny suits and dresses, fancy cars and jewelry, big smiles and alcohol, all it took was for one guy from Yonkers to come along and redirect hip hop back to it’s roots in the streets. With his rough exterior and vulnerable lyrics and big attitude, Earl Simmons aka DMX not only brought hip hop back to the streets but he was the first artist in hip hop to release two number 1 albums in the same year. On May 12th, 1998, DMX released his debut album “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot.” With four singles out, DMX was the new face and voice for the streets, the ghetto, the first to be the voice for vulnerable black men in hip hop since Treach from Naughty By Nature. Giving us stories of pain, abuse, struggle, drugs, violence, and sex, while staying true to his higher faith. Just like his hometown natives, Mary J. Blige and The LOX, he also gives that same gritty, street, raw emotion, pain and truth in his music. “Get At Me Dog”, “Stop Being Greedy”, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”, and “How’s It Goin’ Down” featuring Faith Evans were all big hits for Simmons. 20 years later, Simmons is known as one of hip hop’s most treasurable artists. One of those artists that stayed true to hisself an where he comes from, despite the troubles with the law, drugs, and alcohol. With an acting career and also party hits underneath his belt, DMX is a certified legend in this hip hop biz.

30 Years: The Legacy of Al B. Sure!

Once upon a time, he was a star football player. Denied a scholarship to pursue a music career. Today he is known for being one of R&B’s biggest stars during the late 80’s new jack swing era. He started when he won a talent showcase and was hand picked by Quincy Jones as the winner and then got offered a deal with Warner Bros. Records by Benny Medina. He worked with Quincy Jones on “The Secret Garden”, he sang background for Heavy D. & The Boyz and then finally started working on his debut album, which took only 6 months to do. With a little bit of direction and production from Teddy Riley, his debut album was finally completed. With the first single called “Nite And Day”, his popularity quickly rose and on May 3rd, 1988, Al B. Sure! released his debut album called “In Effect Mode.” Besides “Nite And Day”, “If I’m Not Your Lover” and “Off On Your Own (Girl)” were also the singles released from the album. The album sold more than 2 million copies and it was Top Billboard smash hit. Winning Grammy’s, American Music Awards, and a Best New Artist award, Al was the fresh new guy on the R&B scene that drove the ladies wild. With an album that only had 8 songs, Al had a soft, high pitch, smooth voice that drove the ladies insane. An 8 track album that was filled with love and party/dance songs and a Spanish version of “Nite And Day” included. Al B. Sure! is also responsible for writing and producing for others and even helped the careers of Faith Evans, Usher, Dave Hollister, Jodeci, Tevin Campbell, and Case. 30 years later, “In Effect Mode” is still appreciated and loved by true R&B/New Jack Swing fans around the world. Timeless music that still makes people feel so good about love and life.

Ashanti: Hip Hop’s Hook Girl

She was once the pretty unknown girl with the angelic voice that you heard singing the hooks on songs by Ja Rule and Fat Joe. She was the underdog who people wondered all the time who she was. She was the pretty girl from around the way who hung out with the thugs and hardest dudes ever. She held her own ground, wrote her own material, became the “hook girl” in the early 2000’s, and even appeared in the music videos with the curvaceous body, smooth brown skin, shiny silky black hair, and a small little sway and beauty in her eyes as she sang the hook in the camera. On April 2nd, 2002, that “hook girl” released her debut album. With a self titled album and three singles, Ashanti took over the game in the early 2000’s. “Foolish”, “Happy” and “Baby” were all on heavy rotation on TV and radio. Ashanti Douglas was the new “it” girl who could blow you away with her charm, beauty, and soothing voice. After 15 years, Ashanti still looks just as amazing and her latest single “Say Less” featuring Ty $ is a banger that fits with the times. Forever she’ll be one of the golden girls of R&B. Hip hop’s “hook girl.”

He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper: The 30th Anniversary

After the West Philadelphia hip hop duo released their debut album in April 1987, the duo returns with another hit album that took their career and status to another level. On March 29th, 1988, their second album “He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper” was released. It is known to be the very first double album in hip hop history. With Will Smith, aka The Fresh Prince’s witty, funny, and happy but lyrical style and Jeffrey Townes aka DJ Jazzy Jeff’s incredible mixing and scratching with samples over a beat, the duo goes down in hip hop history as one of the greatest duos of all time. With three singles released, “Brand New Funk”, “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, and “A Nightmare On My Street”, the songs are a reflection of The Fresh Prince’s life as a young guy with an understanding of the world around him and making it sort of a comedy without being a comedian, more so of an MC who is just sharing his experiences and his thoughts about regular everyday life as a young guy who just wants to be fresh, spit rhymes, meet fly girls, and keeping his pockets fat.

19 Naughty Three: The 25th Anniversary

After the celebration of their 25th anniversary of their debut album two years ago, New Jersey’s very own DJ Kay Gee, Treach, and Vinnie aka Naughty By Nature’s second album “19 Naughty Three” has now reached the big 2-5. To give y’all a recap, I was invited to a Naughty By Nature/Cypress Hill show for free by Kay Gee himself two years ago during Halloween weekend and that night was definitely one of the greatest nights of my life. Hit after hit, classic after classic, Naughty tears the stage up and it certainly felt like 1991 all over again. Now fast forward to now, February 23rd, 2018. It’s now the 25th anniversary of their second album and it’s my favorite album from Naughty. At 2:18 this morning, I wanted to revisit the album and give it a listen and it’s still timeless hip hop. Every fast rhyme, every hard beat, every sample, this album is a definite banger and a must have for a hip hop fan. Besides the three singles “Hip Hop Hooray”, “Written On Ya Kitten” and “It’s On”, my favorites are “Ready For Dem” featuring the late great Heavy D. Rest In peace. “The Hood Comes First”, “Hot Potato”, “Sleepin’ On Jersey” featuring Queen Latifah and “Sleepwalkin’ II.” No skips on this album for me at all. Something rare for me with albums nowadays. That’s another story I won’t get into but back to the main topic. Naughty By Nature have definitely put in work and have solidified themselves as hip hop legends. They’re still doing show left and right, up and down and making sure they’re shows have the same exact energy as when you listen to their albums. They’re a true hip hop group that never changed who they were to sell records or to be accepted by mainstream standards. They continued to stay their true selves and keep it real. The same three guys from the streets of New Jersey. It’s as real as it gets. Nothing watered down. The best part about our hip hop legends doing shows is they’re doing better and looking better than most of the young guys my age. It’s like the young guys can’t keep up with the OG’s but claim to wanna be like them or they learn from them. Which part? But this is no diss. Just keeping it real. After all, that’s what hip hop is all about and Naughty have definitely done that.

For Us By Us: An Urban Classic

The night of Valentine’s Day was just another day. A regular day. No plans, no love in my life, nothing. As usual, I was scrolling on Instagram and happened to see a sponsored post on my news feed, something about the new FUBU and Puma collaboration. Quickly, it caught my attention. Turns out to be launch event with the founder of FUBU himself, Mr. Daymond John. I know y’all remember FUBU. The same brand everybody was rocking in the early 2000’s. LL Cool J was one of the people I remember seeing on TV wearing it and it was so dope so I was really excited and decided to make a trip to the Queens Center Mall the next day for this moment. The next day came, I got ready, of course I had to get fresh, it’s a must. LOL! I even pulled out my vintage FUBU blue windbreaker jacket so that when I knew when my moment came to meet this guy, I wanted to show how much of a fan I am of his clothing brand. The event started at 4. I got to the mall around 2:30 and I was nice and early. I forgot to mention that the post on Instagram said that the first 25 people who show up gets a free $50 Puma gift card, I was the eighth person on line. 2 hours went by and it was finally time to go inside. When my time came, I got my card and went straight inside. When I finally went inside of the Puma store, they had the entire store set up just like a red carpet event. DJ Drewski From HOT 97 was inside spinning all of the dope hip hop joints and there were these dudes lined up and everyone including the employees were rocking their fresh FUBU/Puma joints. Head to toe. I waited patiently to meet Daymond and finally I did. Just like I thought, meeting the man himself was another dope moment for me. He even showed me love for the windbreaker jacket and signed a little flyer for me. I copped me a red medium exclusive Puma/FUBU shirt to rock with my Puma’s this summer. It’s a must. I paid for my shirt and even got a free copy of Daymond John’s book called “Rise And Grind.” He signed my book and I left. I left with such an euphoric feeling. Excited to be able to meet yet another legend in hip hop culture and even have something exclusive that not everybody will have. I will also be reading that book. Definitely has some gems in it I can learn and use for myself because fashion is my thing too.

Jalen Hemphill

Jalen Hemphill is an aspiring singer/songwriter, dancer, DJ, actor,  hip hop enthusiast, and blogger. He has been entertaining his whole life but didn’t decide to want to do it professionally until he was 14 years old. He is currently a student at Hostos Community College working towards his associates degree in Liberal Arts and after graduating, he will be working towards his dreams of becoming a professional entertainer. 

One of Jalens’ attributes is his clothing line. A true Hip Hop Fan, Jalen aka Jay-Doggz wardrobe represent true 80s and 90s hip hop. Look out for this young aspiring talent actor/singer/songwriter. With many hats on his head theres no telling what he has to offer. He is a brilliant individual with an amazing, headstrong attitude. His fashion style and just the way he promotes himself as a person reveals how socially structured he is. He sticks to his own style, he doesn’t care for opinions against it because it makes up who he is. His charm when speaking brings many in, as he is generally a nice guy and is always willing to help whenever possible. He’s a down to earth young man and to be within his circle of friends would be the best choice anyone has ever made.

His motivation will drive you, just as much as it drives him to become the best version of himself.

He will be great.

 

Happy National DJ Day: The Legacy of The DJ

It is most definitely safe to say that from the beginning of hip hop’s existence in the world, the DJ is the most important person when it comes to hip hop. For the past 40 plus years, the world has seen hip hop evolved along with the DJ. The world has seen so many DJ’s from all over the world, rocking on the 1’s and 2’s, and not only just spinning hip hop joints but other forms and types of music as well. DJ’s of all ages, shapes, sizes, man or woman. The DJ is the one who is responsible for providing the people good times and good music. The DJ is responsible for not only making sure people have a good time but they also gave birth to breakdancers and producers as well. Way back in 1973, there was a guy who moved here in the South Bronx all the way from Jamaica with his parents. He decided to throw a block party that happened on August 11th. This guy is not only started something brand new but he pioneered a new style too. His name is DJ Kool Herc aka The Father of Hip Hop. Hip hop’s very first DJ and the first to develop the mixing back and forth technique, which is what we call the cross fade today. The technique was created to extend the instrumental long enough to keep people dancing. That segment is also called the Break. This is where the birth of the breakdancer happens. The breakdancers come in and dance while the DJ does the break. All throughout the 70’s, other DJ’s became popular as well. Afrika Bambaataa, who is responsible for the Universal Zulu Nation. A group he created to help spread and introduce hip hop everywhere else. Grandmaster Flash, another early hip hop pioneer who invented the back spin and the punch phrasing. The back spin technique was created to extend the popular drum breaks on a song and constantly replaying it on one copy and then playing it again while it’s cued up on the extra copy being used on the turntable deck. The punch theory is used to isolate short parts in a song and rhythmically using them over a beat. Grandmaster Flash also created a popular hip hop group that we all know today as Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. The members are Cowboy, Melle Mel, and The Kidd Creole. Another pioneer during the 70’s is Grand Wizard Theodore. He invented the scratching technique, accidentally. He was also given credit for his needle dropping technique as well and then there is Grandmaster Flowers. Another early pioneer in hip hop as well. Many have debated over whether or not it was Flowers or Kool Herc who pioneered hip hop culture. Flowers is a pioneer from Brooklyn who also threw block parties but he included the disco and funk scene in his parties and even did a show with James Brown. Although, Flowers is not someone who a lot of people really know about because he never continued on with his legacy and the others who came along at the time were way more popular. For the past 40 plus years since the early days of hip hop, there has tremendous amounts of amazing DJ’s to come from all over and even use the same techniques that were created by the pioneers we all know and respect. The incredible talents of other DJ’s that we have seen in hip hop over the years has brought us many different styles of DJ’s because of where they come from and what style was in their music. Whether they were producers like Prince Paul, Timbaland, Marley Marl, or Kay Gee, whether they were in a group like DJ Scratch, Terminator X, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, or Jam Master Jay, radio DJ’s like Funkmaster Flex, Kool DJ Red Alert, DJ Hollywood, or DJ Envy, mixtape DJ’s like DJ Clue or S&S, and there are women who are also a big part of this as well like Jazzy Joyce or Spinderella. Hip hop DJ’s had evolved into new levels and heights that helped reinvent the culture almost all the time. Even with the technological advancements, DJ has become both easier and harder depending on the person behind the equipment. Overall, the DJ is the most Important in hip hop. Without them, there’s no music. If there’s no music, there’s no parties, no nothing. Happy National DJ Day and salute to all of the DJ’s everywhere rocking on the 1’s & 2’s.