RETRO DJ SERVICE
Retro DJ Service
P.O Box 2621
New York, NY 10022
United States
info
Old School
What is Old School?
It is the real classics. Nothing against newer music. To us Old School means the jams that take you back. If it was before 1990 we are now talking about the right time frame.
Do you remember Tom Tom Club? Ok, now I got your attention. If you answered no. Read no further and go buy a Old School cd.
Back in the day you could not go anywhere without hearing Genius of Love and other great jams. It played from cars, boom boxes and just about anywhere someone could strap a huge boombox on their bike, back or from their window. The idea was you wanted everyone else to know that you were cool and liked cool music. If you were rocking Burn Rubber on Me, Automic Dog, Flashlight, When I hear music by debbie deb and others. Then you were playing current music in the early 80's. By the end of the decade these songs were still being played the same way they were before. Except folks now regonized these great songs as classics!
Before I get ahead of myself we have to go back even further and explain
"How it all got started way back when"
Would you believe you have to go back to the early 70's!
Everyone says Hip Hop started with Rappers Delight. ummm, NO! More than just the music their is a complete culture that developed with Old School. Let's take a trip back to when it all began. This covers the major milestones from the early 70's until 1989. I believe by 1990 Hip Hop strated changing and was not the same. Although "Gimme what you got for a Porkchop" by FM is a worthy mention. In the early 90's I found that things had changed and the fad became all Hip Hop and RB shows. I did these up until the end of the 90's. I howerver always missed the difference the 80's music and the vibe that it brought. Somehow Pee Wee's Dance never strated a fight. I never has to remind the crowd to keep their shirts on, no pushing to Force MD's meet the Fat Boys. It never happened. In fat bak then I would spin New Order, Depeche Mode, The Cure, then play Trinere, Lil Suzy followed by Eric B and Rakim and Dougie E Fresh. No one freaked out, no one demanded more of one music. Somehow I think we were all better off keeping a open mind and enjoying all kinds of music. Of course that crowd might have rioted if I had played "We Built this city", Jefferson Starship.
1970-1973
- Hip Hop "Grandfather" Afrika Bambaataa (Godfather of Hip-Hop culture, Father of the Electro Funk sound, founder of the Universal Zulu Nation starts to DJ.
- 1970 - The Last Poets, pioneers of hip-hop, record their self-named LP on Douglas Records, using a mixture of spoken word and jazz drumming and instrumentations.
- The origin of tagging, began in New York City in the early 70s by Vic, a mail courier who rode the local subways and buses to deliver his packages. He set a goal for himself to visit every subway and ride every bus in NY. (aka "All City") He began to write his name (Vic) and his courier ID number (156) on every subway and bus he rode on.
- No one knows who started graffiti during this era but we do know who made it famous. It was TAKI 183, a Greek teenager from Washington Heights named Demetrius.
- Breakin' makes its first appearance in the clubs, Plaza Tunnel and the Puzzle. The earliest moves were the "Drop" and the "In-and-Out" (Top Rocking).
- I was born in 70, so I can only speak from what I read. This was a very magical time for the early years of what would become classic RB and Old School Hip Hop.
1973
- Kool Herc, Father of Hip-Hop, aka Clive Campell, deejayed his first block party. He played soul, old funk and R&B records on his turntables.
- Kool Herc played the 'break' or 'getdown' sections - the part where the break beat or percussion part of the song was played in its rawest form. But because the breaks of the songs weren't very long, he expanded them by using two turntables with double copies of the record. The "breakbeats" he rocked layed the foundation for the B-Boys (Break-Boys - The dancers who rocked out on the dancefloor during these breaks.
- Hard to believe it has been going on that long.
1974
- After seeing Kool Herc play at parties Grandmaster Caz (Cold Crush Brothers), Bambaata and Grandmaster Flash (innovator of the quick mix and cutting, master of the "wheels of steel") are heavily influenced by Herc's DJ skills.
- Herc, Caz, Bambaataa and Flash play at block parties, parks, and house parties all over the Bronx neighborhoods.
- Afrika Bambaataa reorganized "The Organization" and renamed it to the Zulu Nation They created a collective of DJs, breakers and graffiti artists to bring social conscienceness to hip hop.
- Graffiti Art has become widely visible on New Yorks subway cars.
- Influenced by the Carribean style of "toast" and "boast", the pioneers began taking their turntables and speakers into parks and lightly rhyming over records. ("To tha beat y'all" or "And ya dont stop.") (Make some noise" could be heard in the streets.
1975
- "Emceeing" evolved from party shouts like "'Kool Herc is in the house and he'll turn it out without a doubt".
- Coke La Rock and Clark Kent (aka Tyrone Smith, not the DJ for Dana Dane) formed the first emcee team. They became known as Kool Herc and the Herculoids along with their DJ named Timmy Tim. (source: Phyllis Wilder)
- New York City was broke with a poorly maintained transit system. Bubble lettered throw up pieces appeared all over the cars.
- "Throw ups" peaked from '75 thru '77
1976
- Bam's first official DJ battle was against Disco King Mario at Junior High School 123 (a.k.a. the Funky 3).
- Clubs in NY began to play some Rap songs into their rotations
1977
- Hip Hop shifted more attention to the MCs while DJs Bam, Disco King Mario, Breakout, Casanova Fly, Disco Wiz, and Grandmaster Flash continued to perform around town.
- DJ Disco Wiz credited for being the first Latino DJ.
- German band Kraftwerk releases "Trans-Europe Express," a trancelike synth anthem that becomes the primary source for Electro-Funk artists like Bamabaataa, Planet Patrol, Jonzun Crew, and Newcleus.
- The NYC Transit Authority established a giant subway car wash at its Coney Island train yard at annual cost of $400,000. (sprayed with petroleum hydroxide.)
- The rise of Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five, and Bambaataa's various crews and MCS placed Herc at a disadvantage. One night Herc was stabbed three times at his own party and his career never fully recovered.
1978
- Bambaataa and Grandmaster Caz (aka Casanova Fly, Cold Crush Brothers) battle at the P.A.L. (Police Athletic League).
- Music industry coined 'rap music'.
- In New York local dance crews added waves and smoother movements to the "Popping".
- Charlie Robot who used to appear on "Soul Train" introduced the "The Robot" to the mainstream media.
- In 1978, Kurtis Blow needed a DJ. Russell Simmons was Kurtis' manager at the time and his brother Joseph (aka as Run of Run DMC) got the job. He got his name "Run" because he could cut between two turntables so quickly.
1979
- Bam jointly promotes shows with Kool Herc under the name Nubian Productions.
- The Sugarhill Gang (a pre-fab group assembled by record mogul Sylvia Roberts) records "Rapper's Delight," the first commercial rap record on Sugar Hill records.
- The Fatback Band hires radio DJ King Tim III to provide a rap for one of their B-sides (controversy continues over which is the "first" rap on a record).
- Kurtis Blow releases "Christmas Rappin" on Mercury Records, first rapper on a major label.
- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five puts out an obscure singles "Superrappin" on Enjoy.
- Mr. Magic's Rap attack radio show on NJ radio station WHBI from 2 to 5 a.m. Saturday nights.
- Cold Crush brothers begin performing live shows - (Members: JDL, Charlie Chase, DJ Tony Tone, Grandmaster Caz, Almighty KayGee, and EZ AD.
- Spoonie Gee's "Spoonin' Rap" is released on Enjoy records.
- Funky Four Plus One, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Grand Wizard Theodore and the Fantastic Romantic Five were well established in the scene.
- RSC brings in Crazy Legs and Lenny Len into the Rock Steady Chapter.
- Jimmy Spicer releases "Adventures of Super Rhymes" on Dazz Records. 13 Minute imaginative storytelling song.
1980
- Year of the record label battles. Enjoy and Disco Fever records pop on the scene.
- Kurtis Blow releases "The Breaks" on Mercury records (went on to sell more than a million copies).
- Kurtis Blow is the first hip hop artist to appear on national television. He peforms "The Breaks" on Soul Train on October.
- Sequence - All female crew off of Sugar Hill records hits the charts with the release of the single “Funk You Up” .
- Members of the High Times Crew are arrested for breakdancing at a Washington Heights subway -- photos of the incident in the New York Post .
- Afrika Bambaata and his crew the Zulu Nation release their first 12" on Paul Winley Records called "Zulu Nation Throwdown Pt. 1".
- Blonde releases "Rapture"after meeting Fab 5 Freddy and others during the Mudd Club era. Lead singer Debbie Harry raps.
1981
- On February 14th, The Funky 4 plus One More performed their classic hit,"That's The Joint" on NBC's Saturday Night Live becoming the first hip hop Group to appear on national television.
- Dynamic Rockers and Rock Steady Crew battle at the Lincoln Center.
- Grandmaster Flash's "Adventures on the Wheels of Steel" is the 1st rap record to bring the real sounds of live DJ scratching on wax.
- Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp's "Gigolo Rap" (Rappers Rapp #1989) is the first west-coast rap on vinyl.
- ABC's 20/20 shows the first national television coverage of the "Rap Phenomenon".
- Beastie Boys are formed: Adam Horovitz aka King Ad-Rock (b. October 31, 1966) ~ Adam Yauch aka MCA (b. August 5, 1964) ~ Michael Diamon aka Mike D (b. November 20, 1965).
1982
- Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force releases "Planet Rock" on Tommy Boy records in May, the first big techno-funk hit with the Kraftwerk's "Trans Euro Express" beat. (selling 620,000 copies in the US alone)
- Soul Sonic Force members: Bam, Jazzy Jay, Mr. Biggs (Ellis Williams), G.L.O.B.E. (John Miller), Whiz Kid and Pow Wow (Robert Darrell Allen).
- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five release "The Message" in June on Sugar Hill Records which peaked at #4 on the music charts.
- Roller Skating Jams - Sat. Feb 27th, 1982 at the Bronx Skating Rink by Nubian Productions.
- The Cold Crush Brothers appeared in the legendary South Bronx hip hop film Wild Style. .
- First international hip hop tour in Europe with Bambaataa, Fab 5, Rammellzee, GrandMixer DXT (formerly D.ST.) & The Infinity Rappers, Rock Steady Crew, the Double Dutch Girls, and Graffiti Artists Phase 2, Futura, and Dondi. At this point parts of Europe and Asia became exposed to the culture, which resulted in its fast growing popularity worldwide.
- George Clinton releases the legendary funk track "Atomic Dog".
1983
- Herbie Hancock and Grandmaster D.ST. cut "Rockit," the first hip-hop/jazz cross-over.
- Afrika Bambaataa records "Looking for the Perfect Beat" (Tommy Boy single #831), which features the first recorded use of digital sampling on Tommy Boy.
- Three punker white kids from Manhattan named the Beastie Boys put out a single called "Cooky Puss", which is a crank call to a Carvel Ice Cream store laid over a funky beat (later to be signed to Def Jam).
- Ice T puts out his first singles, "Cold Winter Madness" and "Body Rock/Killers" which are considered some of the first West Coast gangster raps.
- Malcolm McClaren, the Sex Pistol's managerial mastermind, organizes a group called the World Famous Supreme Team and puts out a song co-produced by synthpop veteran Trevor Horn called "Buffalo Gals". McClaren was influenced to get into hip hop by meeting Bam and the Zulu Nation during the previous year.
- The Rock Steady Crew appeared in "Flashdance" the movie. They visited the UK and impressed a bunch of kids in Manchester who later form the Kaliphz crew.
- Grandmaster Flash sued Sugar Hill Records for $5 million in royalties. The lawsuit resulted in the group splitting up.
- Run DMC releases "It's Like That b/w Sucker MC's" which put a symbolic end to old school rap styles even though they continued for a few more years.
- Originally known as the Disco 3, Brooklynites Mark "Prince Markie Dee" Morales, Damon "Kool Rockski" Wimbley, and Darren "Buff the Human Beat Box" Robinson won a talent contest at Radio City Music Hall in 1983, thanks in part to Robinson's talent for using his mouth to improvise hip-hop rhythms and a variety of sound effects aka "Beatboxin".
- Grand Master Flash and Melle Mel's anti-cocaine single "White Lines (don't do it)" became a classic rap anthem and international hit.
- Michael Jackson first performs the moonwalk on Motown 25 TV Special.
- Schoolly D (aka Jesse B Weaver Jr. from Baltimore, MD) records his first singles ‘Gangster Boogie’ and ‘Maniac’ with his DJ Code Money.
- Afrika Islams "Zulu Beats" airs on WHBI; Red Alert first appears on 98.7 KISS FM.
- The NYC Breakers were formed by Michael Holman (Manager) in late 1983 adding members like "Flip Rock","Icey Ice","Powerful Pexter" to the existing "Floormasters" crew. The "Floormasters" crew did many shows like "That's Incredible", Merv Griffin and others. The NYC breakers travelled the world performing and even performed for President Reagan as well as appearing in the movie Beat Streat.
- Breakin' and Enterin', a documentary about California poppin' and lockin' filmed in Los Angeles airs on cable TV, featuring Shabba Doo, Boogaloo shrimp, Pop 'n' Taco, Blue City Strutters (aka Boo Ya Tribe), and Ice-T, Egyptian Lover, Chris "The Glove" Taylor.
- Ice T releases his first singles, "Cold Winter Madness" and "Body Rock/Killers", some of the first West Coast gangster raps.
1984
- "It's Yours" by T La Rock & Jazzy Jay is first record on Def Jam, on the vanity PARTY
- It was followed up by LL's "I Need a Beat" and "Beastie Groove" by the Beastie Boys.
- The rap group UFTO records "Roxanne, Roxanne," a diss on a fictional woman named "Roxanne." Over 100 "response" records are made, including "Roxanne" Shante's (14-years old) single called "Roxanne's Revenge", originally recorded in Marley Marl's living room which sold over 250,000 copies in the New York area alone.
- While touring in Oakland, UTFO asks a young local MC named Too Short to open up for them.
- The Fresh Fest concert tour, featuring Run-D.M.C., Kurtis Blow, Whodini, Fat Boys, and Newcleus, is hip-hop's first big money making tour ($3.5 million for 27 dates).
- Los Angeles's KDAY becomes the first rap-only radio station in the US
- Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons form Def Jam records.
- Michael Jackson does the moonwalk on the Grammy's and the whole world thinks he's a breaker. He actually learned it from some LA poppers.
- Breakdancing (as the media calls it) goes global via Lionel Richie's performance at the Closing Ceremony of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
- Kool Herc played his last Old School party in 1984.
- Doug E. Fresh, known as "The Entertainer" releases "The Original Human Beatbox"
- Michael Holman (manager of The NYC Breakers) creates hip hop's first TV dance show, "Graffiti Rock" with special guests - Run DMC, Shannon, The NYC Breakers, Kool Moe Dee and Special K of The Treacherous Three (who also battled Run DMC on the show).
- Schoolly D releases ‘Gangster Boogie’ while he is still working in a shoe shop.
- The movie "Beat Street" by Harry Belafonte is released which features Kool Herc, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee. Legendary B-Boy battle at the Roxy with Rock Steady Crew and NYC Breakers is the highlight of the film.
1985
- Salt 'n' Pepa makes its first appearance on wax on Super Nature's "The Show Stopper".
- "The Show" by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew changes the sound of hip hop. Ricky D's laid back style was unheard of at that point.
- Sugar Hill Records is forced into bankruptcy and ceases to be active in the record industry.
- Boogie Boys-Fly Girl is the summer anthem from west coast to east coast. Even across the border in Tijuana every club is rocking it.
- The LA Dream Team makes a huge splash on both coasts. I played it so many times I had to get a new copy.
1986
- "Eric B. is President" drops and again changes the sound of hip hop forever; it forces Emcee's to step up their skills.
- Run-D.M.C. releases a hip-hop version of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," and hip-hop breaks into the pop charts, MTV, and mass media all at once.
- The Juice Crew's "The Bridge" and Boogie Down Productions' "The Bridge is Over" start one of the longest-running payback battles in hip-hop history.
- Schoolly D releases ‘PSK-What does it mean’ independently.
- The Beastie Boys -release their debut album, LICENSED TO ILL
- Kool Keith, Ced Gee, and DJ Moe Love emerge as Ultramagnetic MC's. They are the first group to employ a sampler as an instrument.
- This was my first huge summer. I do 30 gigs in 3 months. Nasty, I can't wait and Rumors will forever be stuck in my head! No compliants.
1987
- Boogie Down Productions' "Criminal Minded" LP is released.
- DJ Scott LaRock killed in the South Bronx. (I think from an argument over a female.)
- "The Wop", "California Prep", "FILA", "Smurf", "Troop", "Hammer" and "2-Hype" freestyle dances became part of the scene.
- Scott La Rock was killed intervening in a beef D-Nice had with some kid at 164th and University in the Bronx. He went to go negotiate with the kid and was shot from a tenement window as he sat in his jeep.
- First Technics World DJ Champion - Chad Jackson from the UK
- Public Enemy releases their debut album "Yo! Bum Rush The Show".
- Hip Hop starts to change a bit, even at weddings I get requests for some rap
- Heavy D's Mr. Big Stuff drives me nuts. hard as hell to mix in. Still a great song
1988
- Yo! MTV Raps first airs, bringing hip-hop to a wider main stream audience.
- N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton goes Gold, popularizing the 'gangsta' school of rap.
- Brooklyn Born "Big Daddy Kane" (aka Antonio Hardy) releases 'Ain't No Half Steppin' from his album 'Long Live The Kane'.
- Marly Marl brought Big Daddy Kane out, who started as a ghostwriter for several rappers. BDK ran with the Juice Crew (DJ Mister Cee, Scoob & Scrab Lover). Big Daddy Kane emerged as hip-hop's first sex symbol.
- Ultramagnetic MC's release "Critical Beatdown" on Roadrunner Records.
- Supersonic, Push it and Wild Thing are so main stream my mom asks to record those songs for her. Yeah, seriously!
- For my radio mix show, my 12" of colors is banned. Believe me I am still confused
1989
- Controversy over Public Enemy member Professor Griff's anti-Semitic remarks causes a media madness. Griff eventually leaves the group and forms the Last Asiatic Disciples.
- Tribe Called Quest releases "Description of A Fool"
- As members of the Native Tongues Posse ATQC were promoters of the Afrocentricity movement, which set out to make African Americans aware of their heritage.
- Dallas rapper "The D.O.C." releases "No One Can Do It Better" produced by Dr. Dre.
- I can't play Give it all U got enough-3 times in 1 night from 8pm-5am. Can Hip Hop become that big of a deal? Ney!
There are so many great RB and Hip Hop Artist it would take a website just to name them all.
Be sure to check out the Old School and Old School Rap Series of CD's. These are from Thump Records. They do a great job of capturing the best music and vibe of the music that was great.
Click on Pics to enlarge them
Old School R&B
Al B Sure! - Nite and Day
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Karyn White -The Way U Love Me
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Retro DJ Service
P.O Box 2621
New York, NY 10022
United States
info
