![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_010.jpg\")
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Around 1983, while in Brandeis High School I heard of an emcee by the name of Coke La Rock for the first time. At the time I had no idea who he was, nor did I realize he was looked at as the first emcee ever. But what I did notice was the name COKE LA ROCK. The whole name to me was a symbol of Street, Fire, and Coolness. One day while interviewing Kevie Kev of the legendary Fantastic 5, I bought up the name Coke La Rock and right away Kev said, \u201cThat\u2019s my man, someone not to be toyed with.\u201d When Kev said those words my eyebrow went up because I would never figure Kev to give props to anybody but himself and the Fantastic 5. Imperial J.C. of The Herculiods spoke of him the way we spoke of the infamous Larry Davis the night of his coming out. When I finally met Coke La Rock for this interview he lived up to all expectations. This is Coke La Rock\u2019s story.<\/p>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_029.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- I was born in the Bronx that\u2019s why I said hip hop began in the Bronx. I was born and raised in the Bronx. One would say west Bronx but I was born on the east side on Home Street, between union and prospect.<\/p>\n
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Coke La Rock- Well my mother moved when I reached the 6th<\/sup> grade. So from the 6th<\/sup> grade to the 8th<\/sup> grade I lived on the west side on Jessup Avenue. And I went to Jr. high School 82. I knew Herc before hip hop, before the party\u2019s. Herc and I met in my neighborhood because of a young lady he was dating that lived on my side of town. We also use to see each other at clubs like The Tunnel or The Puzzle as well as the Audubon. I also have to say that Herc was a graffiti artist before he was a D.J. but I my self was not one at all. But I did come from an era where you thought it was legal to sell drugs and that was the way to go. I am going to call it how it is.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- When we first met I guess I was 15 years old, he was 16. Herc has a year on me. We use to go to the night center. You know what I am saying because cats don\u2019t know what that really is. The schools use to open up from 6pm to 9pm.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Because the night school centers use to be from 6pm to 9pm the after school centers were from 3pm to 5pm. To get into the night center you had to be about16. And a lot of schools had a night center. So you went there and you played what ever recreation they had there such as basketball, pool etc. I taught Herc how to play basketball and that\u2019s no disrespect to my man but he was from Jamaica and he was a bigger fan of playing soccer, swimming and lifting weights.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- He could jump, and he was powerful with his dunks. He didn\u2019t have a game like say one of those fly brothers from Harlem, he was straight power! I made him stay down low under the basket. Herc had one of his greatest games against a guy name Bear from Dewitt Clinton High School. He was one of the biggest, strongest mother f—— in Clinton High. Bear dunked on Herc about two times, Herc dunked on him like 6 times!<\/p>\n One time I had Herc lift 250 lbs 25 times in high school. The gym teacher tried to out do Herc and caught a rupture.<\/p>\n Herc use to ride his fix (bike.) 20 plus miles every Saturday and Sunday down in Central Park. Then come back up to the Bronx and ball with us. And you could never tell he did all those miles on the bike because he would go all out on the court. He was on some strong s—.<\/p>\n Herc is strong, very strong. Herc didn\u2019t have the traditional knuckle game at that time, but over all he was still no match. Now if Herc had to kick him he would have soccer kicked his ass around, but at that time you know you had to give a fair one. (We both start laughing.)<\/p>\n As far as high school I went to Alfred E. Smith because I liked cars and I thought I wanted to fix cars for a living. I later realized I didn\u2019t want to fix them I just wanted to drive them. What got me and Herc even tighter was I was supposed to have a fight with this guy from the school. Being as I knew Herc and a few others from the school the word got passed around, \u201cCoke is about to have a fight!\u201d So the whole crew was there. And I did what I had to do. The dude I fought was named John Shaft. I beat Shaft up and they gave me the nick name Bumpy!<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- (Coke recognizes that Troy remembers the movie Shaft.) There we go. So the next day they were calling me Bumpy because I beat Shaft up. Shaft was a senior I was a freshmen, so everyone was surprised. See growing up D.j.s were not popular they were the last guys on the totem pole when it came to respect when we were growing up. A n—– will put his foot in your ass, take your records, take your money and your sodas and beer and tell you have a nice day! The only cats that got true respect in the streets were the pretty boys, the boys that were getting money, if you could fight and the ball players. Those were the four popular cats coming up.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- See what I am saying. We use to go down to Harlem. I knew a couple of cats, like Charlie Rock who was from 139th<\/sup> street\u2019s pit. I use to go to the Pit after midnight because the hustlers use to play for like a Grand or better. Then one day me and Herc bumped heads with Cisco. Now a cat getting money knows about Cisco.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Thank you. Cisco created The Wiz Kids basketball team and he wanted us to play for them. Cisco was the first cat I saw getting real money when I was a young guy. Back then he had the two Mercedes Benz. He had the big jewelry, he was getting that paper. Herc mostly knew all the D.J. cats coming up, I was more in tune with those cats getting money. I meet Cisco through my friend that also went to school with me. I later found out my friends father was a bank robber. So that went with that. When I met Cisco I wasn\u2019t hustling yet and we tried out for his team and Herc and I could have played for his team but we were from the Bronx. Plus I really enjoyed watching the game as well as playing it because Coke La Rock wears glasses so it can get real physical on the courts and you throw an elbow and brake my glasses I am not responsible for what happens next. But one on one I use to play in the Pit on 139th<\/sup> street in Harlem for that money, I am talking about $1200 a game.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Thank you, you know what I am talking about. Some times it wouldn\u2019t be Five Two it might be one of those 6 feet and under games. The hustles played and guys left them alone because of their rep, but very few of them could really play ball. I use to see Pee Wee out there too when he use to bring his man Joe Hammond out there with him. I remember Joe Hammond getting like 80 points up in the Rucker back in 1979. Harlem was fascinating.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Right, well The Devil\u2019s Inn was the first real club I went to in Harlem to feel the difference. When you come out of there at night you see at least two n—— lined up against the wall dead. They would have fights inside and the party would still go on. That was unbelievable to me. It was like the tough survive and the weak perished. That spot woke me up. Then I went to this spot called The Factory West which was on 125th<\/sup> street one block down from The Apollo.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Thank you. Well the fifth time I went there they killed the bouncer and just threw a sheet over him and kept getting that paper and partying. I didn\u2019t know at the time if the police found a body at a spot the party is dead!<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- They couldn\u2019t take him out so they waited until the party was over. But people kept coming in stepping over this man and he was dead.<\/p>\n Another club I went to was the Sand Pan. During this time you had other clubs downtown of Manhattan like The Eckanema and The Cheba. I was 17 years old when I started hanging out at the Sand Club down on 34th<\/sup> street between 7th<\/sup> and 8th<\/sup> avenue. At that time it was a club and a restaurant and a bar all in one. You had to be 21 to get in but I got through and it was the first club I really loved. And during this time on the forth of July all the fellas that were balling or getting a little paper would go out to Coney Island and you chilled by The Hemilayer ride, dancing and showing your wears off. I lived fly and I loved lizards so I stayed in the reptile house. Cats were wearing Penny loafers I was wearing reptiles. I couldn\u2019t even go in zoo because the animals acted up. And I was G money man I kept a G and better on me. I walked around with 16, 17 hundred a day on me that was a normal thing with Coke La Rock.<\/p>\n So my man was like, \u201cCome on over to The Sand Pan I was like nah I am only 17.\u201d He said pull out that knot because it is only 5 dollars to get in. So I pulled out 1700 and gave the cat a $20 and I was in there. I felt like a big man, I got the older women saying, \u201chey.\u201d I got 3 or 4 entr\u00e9es of food around me. I\u2019m smoking weed, got my car outside.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Right, but this is what threw me more deeper with Herc. I use to sell weed at Herc\u2019s parties. I would sell like 40 nickels a night at Herc\u2019s recreational room. So I was always scrambling\u2026.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Right and I really fell into it because one night Herc\u2019s family went away and Herc wanted a little time with his girl. So Herc was like Coke play the records for me for awhile. I was in the recreational room but nobody knew me as that because d.j.ing wasn\u2019t my thing. Herc said he was going to take less then an hour. But when he came back in the rec. room which was two hours later everybody was partying hard. He asked me if I wanted to be down with him, I didn\u2019t mind because while I was playing music I was selling all my weed at the same time. See I go back with the weed, back to the days of The Chunky Black!<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Lets go back Troy I was a Chucky Black man. I go knock on the door they look through the peep hole and let me in. They had 5 spots that covered both sides of the street. I take you deeper with the smoke part, they use to sell Motar back in the days and that was even more powerful and cats couldn\u2019t get that. That Motar was over on 157th<\/sup> between Amsterdam and Broadway.<\/p>\n Coke- Exactly, because this spot sold it once a week. And that was only for a chosen few. Now on the hustling tip I got like a little $1700 a day off the deuces and treys.<\/p>\n Coke- Damn kid you remember those days.<\/p>\n Coke- Exactly and see a lot of cats that were getting money in Harlem lived in the Bronx. And on the quit tip nothing could challenged Harlem, Harlem was, is The Mecca of the world! Let\u2019s get that part real. Harlem is the Mecca of the drug game.<\/p>\n But the west side up here in the Bronx were I am at had families that had money. I went to Jr. High School and kids had 6 and 7 leather coats. And I was struggling to get one. I came from a single parent. My mother raised us and she worked 6 days a week. I had to stay at my grand mother\u2019s house while my mother was at work. So really my grand mother and grand father raised us. I went to church every Sunday so I wasn\u2019t raised as a street cat, but once I got in the game it has to be what it is. Plus you have to be in it to win it. The old saying goes, \u201cit wasn\u2019t nothing funny, it was all about the money.\u201d<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- The name Coke La Rock came about the 3rd<\/sup> or 4th<\/sup> party, once we started really making an impact on everybody. Herc was like, \u201cCoke you have to get a name!\u201d I was like, \u201cnah I ain\u2019t with that.\u201d But Herc had his name, so I thought about it, but I was taught because I am getting all this paper hustling you don\u2019t put your name out there like that. But to be honest Troy it came in a dream.<\/p>\n I\u2019m tell the story and no one has ever heard the real story before. I was smoked up one night in this dream and I was hanging with cats that were getting plenty money and one night some of my people came over to the spot and said come on we going to run down to Mexico and they was paying for it. So in this dream we are in Mexico and I say to Herc where can I get some Coke from? We go into the saloon but they call Coke, \u201cLa Rock!\u201d You know what I am saying? They don\u2019t say, \u201cI got Coke.\u201d All they would say is, \u201cLa Rock! I got La Rock.\u201d So one of the Mexicans that was selling in the dream really took to me because of the money I was spending. So He asked me what was my name in Spanish! I said, \u201cCoke!\u201d So the next time we seen each other he said, \u201cyo what\u2019s up Coke La Rock, I got the La Rock!\u201d So I was like Coke La Rock, o.k.! So when I woke up the next day I went looking for Herc and said I got my name. He said what? I said, \u201cCoke La Rock.\u201d<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- The Coke part came because as a child they use to call me Coco. As I got older I felt only the ladies could call me Coco. I couldn\u2019t have the fellas calling me Coco.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- So I chopped the Coco and had the fellas calling me Coke.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Well I was a premature baby so I didn\u2019t take to the regular milk so my mother had to mix it with coco. They didn\u2019t have nestle quick and all that other stuff back then like they have now. So that is how that truly came about.<\/p>\n To be honest when we were all growing up no one really had their government name it was nick names all over the place. Cats didn\u2019t know your government like cats didn\u2019t know your momma. Everybody couldn\u2019t eat in your house. They didn\u2019t know your mother cooked chicken on Sundays. Back then it meant something when you said this is my boy or my man. Today it is held real loosely. That\u2019s why I use to say this is my mellow this is my fellow this is my ace king boom. This is my pride and joy, this is my boy. You know what I am saying you would die for him. Just like when I got in the game with Herc, I told Herc it\u2019s me and you against the world. That\u2019s how we got to live. We could never be wrong amongst people but we can be wrong amongst each other. And that\u2019s how it goes.<\/p>\n We made it fashionable for cats to hold their heads up, and say you know what I do, I play music. See because the same money we start making off playing music was the same money cats I knew were getting that were coming off 116th<\/sup> and 126th<\/sup> street in Harlem. When cats would come up after scrambling all day he might have 10 or 20 thousand on him. Our first party together Herc and I made $8000. That\u2019s when I knew right then through the law of average if I leave the drugs alone and get into this here I could settle for at least $5000 a week. Compared to going to jail in the process of that other hustle! And people don\u2019t recognize this but we killed Disco! I don\u2019t care what anybody says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt started in a spot we called the twilight Zone And not for nothing The Hevalo was the first Fever. As far as rapping I never wrote anything down I just told you what was going on. Also I was always strapped. That was a bad part of the game but it was a part of the game that was real, and that was to let you understand you not taking anything from us. You weren\u2019t robbing us and then you see us tomorrow like its all good. We treated it like the drug game. You ain\u2019t robbing those drug dealers and you ain\u2019t robbing banks so go ahead with that. Because I was taught if you ain\u2019t robbing enough to live with for the rest of your life why rob!<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- I\u2019m glad you ask that I was always a D.J. I was a D.J. first then I became an emcee. I guess they classified me that because it was so new to them that a cat was popping shit out the mouth, and cats felt I had the gift for gab. I felt I was just talking and relaying messages and giving props to my friends and other people out in the crowd.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Well I use to hear stuff like Signified Monkey and the other stuff you mentioned but we were not really allowed to listen to that stuff because that was what your parents played I would have to be in another room. <\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Yeah well I use to cut that in after Timmy Tim would finish his lyrics or rhymes. I would say you are listening to the sounds of Timmy Tim and then cut in with \u201clittle tiny feet.\u201d (Troy starts laughing.) Then I would say you are listening to Clark Kent the man with Kryptonite the first Superman from the 9! Clark Kent was from the 9 and the 9 was tough in its own way. But most of the rhymes came by giving a message about us to the cat\u2019s that was out there. One night I had to pull my gun out on some dudes because they weren\u2019t listening to what I was saying.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- One night we were at the Exec playing and of course everybody was swamping Herc. Herc had about 9 cats up on the stage listening to him. So when it came time for me to play I got on the stage and being as I didn\u2019t know any of these guys I told them, \u201cno disrespect but I want you guys to step down from the stage.\u201d They looked at me and said, \u201cyo Herc run this here!\u201d I said, \u201cyeah I hear that but fellas I am asking you to leave the stage. My name is Coke La Rock I am Herc\u2019s partner. I am not a worker!\u201d They was like, \u201cman f— that! I was like o.k.\u201d I spent around to were my back was to them, and then when I spent around again I had my three seven out and I cocked it! I said, \u201cget off the stage or I will blow you off the stage.\u201d So they sure enough jumped off the stage and ran and told Herc on me. So when Herc came back he asked them, \u201cyo who pulled the gun out on ya\u2019ll?\u201d They turned to me and said, \u201chim!\u201d Herc said, \u201cThat\u2019s my partner, what did he tell ya\u2019ll, get off the stage, then get of the stage! Why didn\u2019t ya\u2019ll listen!?\u201d That was what made me say I can\u2019t mess with D.J.s!<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- Because me and Herc were like Bonnie and Clyde, like any two pairs that\u2019s how it went. You had certain guys growing up that if you don\u2019t see this guy then you not going to see the other guy.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- that\u2019s how that really went. That was why I stayed with the hustlers and left those guys alone. It was easy because I was a G money man and I hung with G money cats. So that\u2019s the way that went. Also stick up kids backed up off of us because we had brand new guns. Everybody else had musket rifles and little 25.\u2019s.<\/p>\n Cats had just came out of the gang era so nobody could go in other guys neighborhood and play music and all of that because they treated you like dirt. We went any and everywhere. I never knew half these cats; they never came to the west side. You be hearing these lies, \u201cWe were over on the westside playing music and we destroyed Herc!\u201d Oh come on man that was all game there. I don\u2019t know where they heard that from. Like I said that\u2019s all claim jumpers.<\/p>\n But that night in the Bronx River we playing, and as a hustler you can feel that negativity like something is about to jump off, and quit naturally you can feel the tension. So automatically when I feel that I don\u2019t leave the stage! I put my jacket on and I get ready, because it could happen any minute any second. See and sometimes at a party you might have an outburst and somebody might run up at your equipment and try and grab your equipment and run off with it.<\/p>\n Coke La Rock- We were the first ones to put a rope and that was one of the main reasons after Bronx River. So if you come pass that rope we are entitled to shoot you! Point blank that\u2019s the mentality of us at that time. So any way a guy shoots another guy in the leg and the running starts and we don\u2019t know how the crowd is coming but I had about 6 of my boys on the stage and all of us were strapped with burners, a sawed off shot gun and 12 gage. So there was a lot of fire power up there. Then you had a about 10 cats down with us in the crowd ready to go all out moving close to the stage. What was strange about that situation was just this year Herc and I see the brother that got shot that night after 30 years. I knew the guy but I didn\u2019t know it was him that got shot in Bronx River. But basically that night that was beef amongst Bronx River cats and not us we just happened to be performing when that went down. But situations like that made it fashionable for cats to hold there head up.<\/p>\n Two weeks later we went to Roosevelt high and did the same thing. See another thing back then our promotion was we would come in your neighborhood and do a 60 40 with you. The next week is all ours. We give you a piece but the majority of the money is ours. And that was how it would turn into a Kool Herc production because we promoted our selves.<\/p>\n I guess it all started because one night we were playing at City Missions over on 170th<\/sup> street at the Cadet Core. I was playing the music and talking and I will never forget because this is what really made Coke La Rock, Coke La Rock. This guy comes up to me and says who are you? I said I am Hercs partner, I\u2019m Coke La Rock. He said, \u201cListen we didn\u2019t pay for you, stop all that talking. Matter fact we paid for Herc to play.\u201d So I looked at him and said what? I said o.k. so I called Herc and said you got to play all night. I said, \u201cHow much does it cost rent this spot? He said $700.\u201d Because I carried 1700 in my pocket I pulled out $700. I said let\u2019s rent this in two weeks. That same person made $4000 that night, two weeks later we made $9000 and the party was packed. I played all night talking s—. All the hustlers were there and the fly girls. So home boy comes back that was talking about we didn\u2019t pay for you, was now, \u201cyo Coke La Rock next week\u2026I was like nah yeah done!\u201d A lot of people didn\u2019t get a second and third chance because of the way you treated me. I am not a worker. A made a rhyme were I said,<\/p>\nTroy- Well how old were you and Herc when you guys first met?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Right<\/h5>\n
Troy- So Herc ended up becoming extremely good at playing ball?<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_006.jpg\")
But then on some rah rah s— Herc got into a fight with some big cat I knew who was getting money, who use to go back and forth to jail. The dude was fouling me hard so Herc was ready to put it on him. The dude made Herc\u2019s lip bleed but he didn\u2019t knock Herc down. Then the crowd broke it up. So I saw that this cat had a better knuckle game then Herc. He wasn\u2019t better fighter then Herc, but he had a knuckle game. I said, \u201cHerc f— the knuckle game, dopefein yoke that n—–!\u201d (Troy starts laughing.) So the n—– swung and Herc got under him and dopefein yoked him and started putting him to sleep. The cat was out and his crew went to like break it up and I stood in front of them and pulled out and told them to sit the f— down. I said kill that n—– Herc! The n—– eye balls rolled back. I said let him go Herc! Herc let him go and he was a sleep.<\/p>\nTroy- Bumpy?<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_023.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- Yeah Bumpy, they said Bumpy beat Shaft up! That was the reverse side of the movie.<\/p>\nTroy- right\u2026 (it takes Troy a moment.) you\u2019s a funny brother!<\/h5>\n
Troy- Pretty much the same thing in Harlem.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Cisco from 116th<\/sup> street that was cool with Freddie Myers.<\/h5>\n
Troy- You talking about Five Two then!<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_008.jpg\")
I remember you telling me in the past you went to Brandeis High School well my man Diamond Dee went there as well. This was my man from back in 1971 the original Diamond Dee. See when cats want to take your name they want to have your fame. So my man Diamond Dee took me to Brandies one day and they had 6 fights in the lunch room during the dance. The party never ended I was like lord these cats are crazy. I remember another spot in Harlem over by Dante\u2019s on 160 something street between Broadway and Amsterdam called The Devils Inn.<\/p>\nTroy- Over there by Wilson\u2019s restaurant bakery that I thought would never go out of business.<\/h5>\n
Troy- You talking about The Factory where you walk up the stairs! (It was changed years later to Randy\u2019s Place. B Fats, Crazy Eddie and The Treacherous 3 and other young hip hop stars started making their bones there.)<\/h5>\n
Troy- Right.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So you were doing all this before you got on the mic?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Scrambling! Damn I haven\u2019t heard that in years.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Chucky Black? Damn Coke you went way back to the Chucky Black from 23rd<\/sup>! (123d street between 7th<\/sup> avenue and Lenox Avenue had some of the most popular weed spots in Harlem and the rest of America probably.)<\/h5>\n
Troy- I heard about it, but it wasn\u2019t easy to get.<\/h5>\n
Troy- You talking about those deuces of heroine that got four dudes high?<\/h5>\n
Troy- This was up in the Bronx you was doing your hustle?<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_025.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_021.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So how did you get the name Coke La Rock?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So were did the Coke part come from?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Right.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So why did they call you Coco at all?<\/h5>\n
Troy- (Troy starts laughing.)<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_037.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- The last person was Donna Summers, that\u2019s what cats were rolling with. Even the great Pete D.J. Jones he was Disco. You read in the books Pete cut Herc up and Pete had Flash and Starski. He had a bunch of cats and don\u2019t get me wrong I love those brothers I am not saying anything against them but Pete controlled the Bronx with that music. But that was Disco. We came with those beats and we played what we wanted to play the same I played what I wanted to play. I am going to drop a rhyme on you about the different clubs we played back in the days.![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_042.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nThis is were Herc and I became men of our own
\nWe took it down to spot we called the Exec
\nThat\u2019s were we started demanding respect
\nThen we took it to the Parkside
\nCreated a land slide
\nThat\u2019s where we seen we owned the Bronx
\nBecause we were packing every spot
\nThen we took it up to the Hevalo
\nAnd from the Hevalo everybody knows
\nBecause we did seven nights in a row
\nAt the Hevalo
\nIt was packed back to back standing room only\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\nTroy- So let me ask you this, why did you choose to be an emcee instead of a D.J.?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So lets talk about that you being the very first emcee of hip hop, who inspired you at all being that their was no one in front of you to give you a platform! Because maybe I am mistaken but was any one doing it before you that I don\u2019t know about?<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_015.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- Of course not I was the first, no one was doing it in the fashion that we were doing it. But I did listen to the Last Poets.<\/p>\nTroy- Well that was what I meant were you inspired by say Rudy Ray Moore, Pigmeat Mark Ham, The signified monkey or those Last Poets?<\/h5>\n
\nThat was like the nasty records, The Wild Man Steve and them type things. But what really got me with the rap thing was the Richard Pryor records. We use to say this little thing for my man Timmy Tim. Timmy Tim use to do this thing with the monkey routine Richard Pryor had in his show called, \u201clittle tiny feet.\u201d<\/p>\nTroy- Right I remember that very well, Richard Pryor was hilarious when we were growing up. \u201cWith the tiny little feet!\u201d<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_041.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- What does that mean?<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_020.jpg\")
Because just like today everyone has that jealousy, that hate, they had it back then. Cats were getting money but still hating. That hating bothered me a great deal. Then you had claim jumpers. You read these books and everybody is telling what they did and half these cats didn\u2019t do any of that, and that\u2019s fact. At the same time you hear somebody discussing hip hop and they talk about Herc! And all praise due to him that\u2019s my n—–! But when they say Herc, Herc and they don\u2019t say Coke La Rock you was not at the beginning. And that\u2019s how I know.<\/p>\nTroy- I hear you.<\/h5>\n
Troy- I know what you mean.<\/h5>\n
(Troy starts to laugh.)<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_002.jpg\")
I had a 12 gage pump, I had a three seven, Herc had a four five. And that was all we needed. And that was back in the 70\u2019s. Cats from Bronx River remember us. Ask them what the stage looked like one night when we were up in there and some guy got shot! Ask them what the stage looked like. It was too much artillery up on that stage that night. We parted the sea like Moses. Nobody wanted to make a move. Nobody played tough guy that night. This was Bam\u2019s house but we were playing that night and this was the early part of the 70\u2019s before 1978. This was way before we got real big because I can tell by the equipment we were using. We only had a couple of speakers but we still out did everybody else. I told Herc one day, \u201cYou like the exorcist of this here s—. Every where we play people come.\u201d<\/p>\nTroy- Right<\/h5>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_022.jpg\")
We were also big on schools and Hercs sister Cindy was on the school committee for Dodge High School. Being as we were on top of our game the committee sold out all the tickets in what seemed like seconds, and you know this is word of mouth not know radio or t.v. promotion. When me and Herc got in the party at 7pm it was jammed packed. By 7:30pm the police came to us and said, \u201cyo ya\u2019ll got to end the party!\u201d The Police said it was too many people inside the school and outside in front of the school. The Police said it was so many people it\u2019s going to cause a riot. Also cats were trying to break into the school from the side and back. Cops said it was too many people, if something happens it is going to get out of control and so the police shut it down.<\/p>\n
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_004.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- $50 a whop, because I only sold them to hustlers. I put your name on it, your car, I will even put your mother on it if you want! What ever you wanted Coke La Rock to say on it I would say. But I am not going to lie to you a lot of that stuff I lost through growing up living with different women and places. And by me being in the game so much a lot of that I shied away from. Especially all that picture taking.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_024.jpg\")
Like I told you in Crotona Park me and Herc were like Nickey Barnes and Frank Lucas. How they were to drugs is how we were to hip hop. And look where it went, all over the world. It\u2019s exactly that way and we came up through that era. I understand today that the drug side of the game was not the way to go or succeed successfully in life. You either get rich, go to jail, or die. And most of you don\u2019t get rich at least most of us. Most of us go to jail or die. Like you said you do things but you have to recognize what\u2019s what!<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_040.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- First Herc then me. I have to put my man on Mike Mike who was our record carrier. We started coming up in the world so Mike helped us out. There was another cat name Eldorado Mike who would hang out with us but he wasn\u2019t official down with the crew. Then Timmy Tim, God bless him. He passed away. They were trying to call Timmy Tim little Kool Herc! That shows you how much they would follow you that they would call you that guy. Then Herc picked up Clark Kent. We were playing over at the 9 that was how we picked up Clark. Herc said he could play the music and he felt him.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_032.jpg\")
By this time we were playing clubs as well as after hour spots. We would play the Hevalo and at 4 o\u2019clock in the morning we would head over to this after hour spot called Top of the Lane, which big Willie money cats. Everybody else mostly knows of the Hill Top club which was mostly for the public. That was the commercial after hour spot on Edward L Grand highway. But the Top of the Lane was a gambling spot on Featherbed Lane. And that\u2019s where Guy Fisher, Nickey and Nickeys body guards Big Smitty and Leroy use to hang at. We use to play there from 4 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. So therefore we use to have to do shifts. I use to stay home to about 11, 12 o\u2019clock at night before I would come to the Hevalo because I would play from like 3am to 3pm! See I was also the R&B side that cats didn\u2019t really understand. Everybody thought it was just break music and beats.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_012.jpg\")
I got Marvin Gaye, Donald Byrd, War, Earth Wind and Fire. I was playing that so I can say we gave you everything you wanted to hear. Herc was Tha Foundation, Timmy Tim and Clark Kent were the filling. And that\u2019s a plain cake but that cake was gooder then a motherf—–! Sometimes people like plain cake but when Coke La Rock comes on you getting a little bit more then what you bargained for. I\u2019m the candles that you blow out that come back on when you turn your back.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_003.jpg\")
![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_016.jpg\")
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![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_035.jpg\")
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Coke La Rock- Of course, and like I said I got that talk in me like I got that talk in me now. Every rhyme I did had something to do with the party. But just like a child taking its first steps I said a small maybe one or two sentence rhymes and then they got longer. And most of the time I would rhyme to T plays it cool, which was my interdiction record. And if you notice Red Alert plays that now.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_034.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- Nah see once I got out of the game I started hanging down in the village and going to the Paradise Garage because they had the best sound system in New York. That was before Studio 54.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_009.jpg\")
Troy- Right<\/h5>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_028.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- No I didn\u2019t the ones I stuck around for were against Pete D.J. Jones and Disco King Mario. But I didn\u2019t even participate in those battles because I played by the hustler rules. No one wanted to battle us until we got to the top. We had already gone through the grind. We were mobile d.j.s in the beginning. I remember Herc playing at another party before he played at his own; Herc played for Taft high school boat ride that was $50! We played a record called Rock the Boat, it was pumping. Mobile d.j.s got $150 to $250 the most. A big time d.j. would get $300. But they would rent you. I told Herc come on man I\u2019m getting drug money. I didn\u2019t get a pay check from Herc for a whole year. I didn\u2019t have to. One time we went to a Bam party and that\u2019s no disrespect to Bam because he wasn\u2019t on the door. We get to the door they like, \u201coh wow Kool Herc come on in.\u201d when they get to me they like, \u201cCoke you have to pay $3.00.\u201d Herc is like, \u201cwhat, that\u2019s my partner.\u201d They like, \u201cHerc only you can get in!\u201d So I said alright I pulled out $3 off of my $1700. The party probably made a $150. I got more money in my pocket then you pulling at the door and I am not trying to brag but that was another thing that was turning me off was when I would go places they would treat me like I was a helper. I wouldn\u2019t put up with any of that, and I would tell them, \u201cI am a partner man.\u201d Same way with the jewelry we were before every one with that also. We had the big house medallion, our jewelry was proper. We shopped at the big stores. Let me hear them say they shopped at A.J. Lester\u2019s in Harlem. (Troy starts to laugh.) Did they shop at Laden\u2019s? Did they get their tailor made\u2019s at Mr. Tony\u2019s or Mr. Ories. We were rocking Corte field coats. I bought my hats from Dobbs. I use to get my initials engraved into my valor\u2019s. Like I said I bought my shoes at the reptile house. When they were wearing Playboys I was wearing lizards. We were shopping at Dick Gidron\u2019s (Cadillac car dealer ship.) when cats were buying bikes! Just like Herc never drove, although now you see that picture of him driving with the speakers in the back of the caddy, I was doing the driving. Herc didn\u2019t have a license. I drove the Eldorado, I drove the truck. I drove all the cars. I always had a fresh afro with a part on the side and the afro was always round, always stayed fresh.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_017.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- Yeah I was still around but I wasn\u2019t with all that. Some people he battled and I was there but I didn\u2019t know any of these cats. So to me it wasn\u2019t necessary to battle any one because we had already been on top of our game nobody was getting paper like that. To be honest all those guys that started trying to do it like us I was pretty cool with like Love Bug Starski. Meaning me and him use to kick it all the time when we seen each other. I gave him his respect not that other cats didn\u2019t deserve it.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_030.jpg\")
I was cool with Star Ski and Flash also to a degree. But everybody didn\u2019t show that. Meaning everybody didn\u2019t show that love with each other. If I played on the west side I couldn\u2019t like you because you played music on the eastside. This is why all that jealousy and envy is here today because it was there in the beginning. That\u2019s why I said I couldn\u2019t mess with d.j.s because I didn\u2019t know them and I didn\u2019t care and that was because it was too much envy! I was raised how can you hate a brother if you don\u2019t know him?<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_011.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- Good question, me and Big Hank used to go to Junior High school together. Hank was never an emcee or a D.J. When he first got down with Sylvia I remember him taking me to New Jersey and getting the Cadillac. But to be honest by that time I had jumped out of it, I couldn\u2019t see where it was going. But me and Hank used to hang out a lot. Hank used to always come and get me when he was going to get his money.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_033.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- The funny thing is never, I have never been locked up. I got picked up smoking some weed two years ago but nothing other than that. Ain\u2019t that something I been around 53 years and I been around the biggest, baddest hustlers in the world. Guys have done 10, 15, 20 years in the penitentiary. As Frank Sinatra said, \u201cI did it my way!\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_005.jpg\")
Coke La Rock- Nah the most I paid attention to was who took that name La Rock. You had the T La Rock and the late Scott La Rock, Ace La Rock. Anybody that put La Rock on there name I kind of felt something.<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_036.jpg\")
<\/em>Coke La Rock- Back to those guys with the name La Rock. Just like when Scott La Rock died I cried. A tear came to my eye and felt, \u201cyo I don\u2019t know you but you took my name and you had to feel the game.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_014.jpg\")
Troy- So what\u2019s the deal with Platinum Ice Records?<\/h5>\n![\"Coke](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/coke_038.jpg\")
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