![]() ![]() My best friend who lived across the street from me, his brother Stanley was in a group with DJ Polo called Spinmasters, which also included a veteran MC by the name of Ronnie Gee, who made one of the first rap records as well called “Raptivity.” “Raptivity” was sampled by many people - just the intro where he says, “Warning: the Surgeon General of Chilltown, New York, has determined that the sounds you’re about to hear can be devastating to your ear.” He would always say, “Kool Moe Dee ain’t got nuthin’ on me! Melle Mel ain’t got nuthin’ on me!” He was always big on himself, in a good way. Butcher/Jazzy Drewski (Andrew Venable, born 1969): In ’76 to ’77, which would put me somewhere between 7 and 8 years old, I lived around so many DJs. ![]() They consisted of Eddie O.J., Will Seville, Mikey D, and DJ Mr. One of the first rap acts I saw was a group from Queens called the Clientele Brothers. Shortly after, one of the first groups I remember hearing about was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. I just knew that people was talking in harmony on top of the beat. When I first heard about it, I didn’t know about the people from the Bronx. From what I know about the history, it started in the Bronx, and it hit Queens last. I can’t remember if it was my brother playing Hip-Hop on the radio or if it was someone walking down the street playing Hip-Hop on the radio. My older brother was more hip to what was going on in the street. Royal Rich (Rich Romain, born 1970): It was 1977. I grew up in Queens, that’s true, but my first exposure to it was out in North Babylon, Long Island. I’m hearing all of this stuff that nobody would hear probably if they weren’t next door to this particular house. They were from all over the city, so I got exposed to stuff from the Bronx and Brooklyn I’m hearing Staten Island - Force MCs. It just so happened that my next-door neighbor had a lot of foster kids. The guys in Long Island, they would bring the Cold Crush tapes in because a lot of those guys had family in the Bronx, they had family in Brooklyn, they had family in other places, so they would go home. This was in Long Island, because I used to go back between Queens and Long Island every summer. The very first Hip-Hop I heard, at around 8 years old, was probably the Cold Crush. LL COOL J (James Todd Smith, born 1968): I was the first generation to grow up on Hip-Hop. This new generation consisted of folks born in the mid ’60s through the early ’70s and often came from Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island.Ī combination of skill, luck, and enthusiasm brought the Extravagant 3 together, and those same forces put them on extremely different life trajectories. The old guard was generally born in the late ’50s through the early ’60s and primarily came out of the Bronx and Harlem. A New School of MCs, DJs, and producers were supplanting the careers of what came to be known as the Old School - rap’s first generation. It was the beginning of drum machines, synthesizers, scratching, and street clothes. It was the tail end of the era when group names ended in numbers, live instrumentation was used on records, and outrageous performing outfits were par for the course. The Extravagant 3 existed at the beginning of many regime changes in Hip-Hop. He worked hard for many years, collaborating with many people along the way. Contrary to accepted mythology, LL didn’t appear out of nowhere fully formed. Butcher is best known for his turntablism and production work in the ’90s with Kool G Rap LL COOL J ascended to solo MC superstardom in late ’84, initially with help from an occasional Extravagant 3 DJ named Cut Creator (Phil Jean-Remy, the first of two people bearing the moniker). Butcher (né Jazzy Drewski), Royal Rich, and LL COOL J served as a jumping-off point for a handful of musical careers. They lasted six months, never made a record, and never played a single show, but the experiences of MCs Dr. ![]() Founded by three teens from Queens in 1983, the group may not even be a footnote in the annals of rap. Even the most diehard of fans may be unaware of the story of the Extravagant 3. Beneath Hip-Hop’s surface lies a wellspring of untold stories about the players that made the movement what it is today. ![]()
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