{"id":2934,"date":"2010-12-06T16:05:38","date_gmt":"2010-12-06T22:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/?p=2934"},"modified":"2011-04-10T23:12:16","modified_gmt":"2011-04-11T04:12:16","slug":"lightninglance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/interviews\/lightninglance.htm","title":{"rendered":"An Interview with Lightning Lance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring of 2008<\/h3>\n

Troy – Thank you for your time Lance. Please, where were you born and raised?<\/h5>\n

Lance – The Boogie Down Bronx of New York City, the Soundview area\u2026. Big ups to Castle Hill and Bronxdale!<\/p>\n

I was born on Boynton Avenue, Building 880 in Lafayette Morrison complex. I went to P.S. 93, which was across the street from where I lived at. I later went to P.S. 232, which was down the block. It was the only school in the Bronx without windows.<\/p>\n

Troy – Did any pioneers go to school with you back in the days?<\/h5>\n

\"LightningLance – Spoonie Gee was in my class. Spoonie was in the band. Wesley Snipes went there as well. Master B of Soul Sonic Force, and later the Jazzy 5, was in the band with me, Spoonie, and Wesley Snipes.
\n \"LightningI later went to JHS 131. All these schools I went to were on Story Avenue\u2026 Monroe Projects, Leyland Housing, Stevenson Commons, and Bronxdale were all around me.<\/p>\n

Troy – So you grew up way over on the eastside of the Bronx. How does it make you feel when people say Kool Herc, who was from the westside of town, did it first? Do you believe this, or is it a case of you guys were doing it just about the same time as Herc, but he just got the publicity?!<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well back then there was no name, \u201chip hop,\u201d or culture back then. Cats were doing their own individual thing back then and jamming in the park. But when you give the title, \u201cFather of Hip Hop,\u201d you give it to Herc.
\n \"Lightning<\/p>\n

But a lot of cats were playing funk music and R&B music. But I think when it came to the dj mixing records together, and the emcee, and the break dancers mixed in, that is what brought on the name hip hop… the culture.<\/p>\n

But back then we didn\u2019t say \u201cLet\u2019s go to a hip hop party!\u201d That name didn\u2019t even exist.<\/p>\n

Troy – I understand that, but were you guys doing it at the same time that Herc was doing it?<\/h5>\n

Lance \u2013 Yes, 73, 74, 75. They say Herc went back to 73, but s— was going down on our side also.<\/p>\n

Troy – Now who else went to school with you back in the days?<\/h5>\n

\"LightningLance – Well I guess all of the Jazzy 5 was in the there with me. Master Dee was younger and Master Bee was one of the older ones that was down with the Jazzy 5. I went to Stevenson High School and Tony Tone of the Cold Crush was in there with me. I didn\u2019t know him then, but I seen him a lot because he was running with Break Out and Baron (djs for Funky Four Plus 1). In fact, they used to play in 131 (school yard) back then.<\/p>\n

\"LightningTroy – So when did you get the urge to want to dj?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well it\u2019s hard to pinpoint, because I was always involved with music, but I first plugged up my mother\u2019s Gerard turntable to get it all started.<\/p>\n

Troy – Was that the thing everyone in the Bronx was trying to do, hook up their mother and father\u2019s record player?<\/h5>\n

\"LightningLance – (Lance laughs) Word! That is how it was.<\/p>\n

Troy \u2013 So all up in Lafayette Morrison everyone had a turntable and was trying to make something happen?<\/h5>\n

Lance – It was like that.<\/p>\n

Troy – How many people in your building were trying to be a dj?<\/h5>\n

\"LightningLance – Oh my Lord! The twins named Anthony and Andre Thomas\u2026 God bless the dead, both of those brothers died and we were real close. My man Kev, a disco dj\u2026 he didn\u2019t have any strong emcees, but they were into it.<\/p>\n

Troy – So your building had about 20 floors? Would you say at least ten djs came out of your building, and it\u2019s the same situation in all the other buildings in your complex?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well I can\u2019t speak for the other buildings, but definitely our building. Plus many emcees came out of my building also.<\/p>\n

Troy – So how many buildings made up your complex?<\/h5>\n

Lance – First it was four buildings, and then later on they built another four. Today it is ten all together.<\/p>\n

Troy – Ok, I am trying to get an idea of how popular being a dj was up in the Bronx back then.<\/h5>\n

Lance – (Lance laughs) Yo, it was crazy on my side, but even by the Hunts Point section it was crazy with djs.<\/p>\n

Troy – So during the summer of the early days, would you say on any given night of the week cats were bringing out their equipment and partying?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well over where I lived at you couldn\u2019t do that. I got away with it a couple of times, but it was not recommended to think that you could do it anytime you wanted to. But go to the Soundview section and it was Mardi Gras every night\u2026 I don\u2019t want to exaggerate, because it wasn\u2019t on any Monday or Tuesday, but guaranteed every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday \u2026and sometimes Sundays, they was jamming in the park. They used to come out early and play music. We used to play to like four in the morning, and this was the early 80\u2019s not the 70\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Troy – So what was the first club you got on at?<\/h5>\n

\"LightningLance – I would say the Ecstasy Garage. My cousin Cool Clyde got in first with these two djs named Cisco and Buck-O. This was like from the summer into the fall of 1980 when I got up in there.<\/p>\n

I might have just graduated from high school when this went down. I got a job working for the city and kept on djing. On a side bar I want to say this: I worked for the city 15 years doing human resources, and then transferred over to transit, and all the while I was djing.<\/p>\n

And I can honestly say that there is one thing about djs [in regard] to rappers: Rappers get that money when they are popular and they are out there, but when you are a dj, you live that stage maybe two, three times longer than maybe a rapper\u2026 But it\u2019s all good. Big up to the djs!
\n \"Lightning<\/p>\n

Troy – So when you played at Ecstasy Garage did you perform right next to the Cold Crush Brothers and the Fantastic Romantic 5 since this spot was considered to be home turf for both at one time or another?<\/h5>\n

Lance – For sure. \u00a0I have tapes with us and them. I have a couple of flyers as well.\u00a0But coming up with those guys, it was a pleasure meeting and sharing the stage with them. But you have to understand the pressure I might have been going through coming around all these soon to be legends: I come in your house and you\u2019re popular, and I have to play on your turntables. And they might not be to my liking, but I still got to rock and do my best.<\/p>\n

My cousin Cool Clyde and myself did that hard grind. Can\u2019t nobody deny that. \"Lightning<\/p>\n

Troy – So what was the first crew that you got down with when you first started spinning at the Ecstasy?<\/h5>\n

\"LightningLance – Well once I got in through my cousin, I started playing and meeting cats, and a group put me down – and we did a couple of shows there. Also, when the Ecstasy had dj competitions I was right there. There were other times I would play behind Busy Bee and AJ.<\/p>\n

Greg-Ski used to be there also rocking. He was the house dj along with Mean Gene. The Tantalizing 2 used to come through, along with Special K of the Treacherous 3.<\/p>\n

\"Lightning\"LightningTroy – Did Special K live close by? I ask because I never hear the history of his Bronx roots.<\/h5>\n

Lance – Yes. I believe he was a couple of blocks away or over by 183rd Street. His brother T La Rock used to come through too.<\/p>\n

Theodore (as in Grand Wizard Theodore & the Fantastic Romantic 5, also Mean Gene\u2019s younger brother) would come in there some nights with the Five, and sometimes the Five would come in there without Theodore and Kevie-Kev (there were actually two people named Kevie-Kev down with Fantastic) would be the dj. Sometimes you would even see Wayne and Charlie come up in there.<\/p>\n

Troy – What was up with that Wayne and Charlie thing? Would they actually stop the show and let this cat rock a ventriloquist show and the audience would be locked in?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Oh yeah. \u00a0I even have some audio of that when he came up in there on DJ AJ\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n

But even if I wasn\u2019t on the card or playing that night, I started getting cool with Arthur Armstrong. He would ask could he use my big speakers for big events, like say if it was a big show that had Fantastic or CC4.<\/p>\n

See Armstrong was the manager and owner, meanwhile Mean Gene was the manager of the place and he went out and got the different groups that played there. Gene would say “What up, I need your speakers.\u201d I would say \u201cOk,\u201d and he would give me $50 for that night\u2019s use.<\/p>\n

Troy – Did you ever have problems with getting on to dj, being that there were all of these veterans in the place and you were a relatively new dj?<\/h5>\n

\"Lightning<\/p>\n

Lance – Not really, but one night we were having an in-house emcee contest in the Ecstasy Garage. \u00a0Cold Crush was on the list to perform and I was able to get my crew, Hypnotizing, in that contest too because we had some routines that we had practiced together. Well Gene told me that I couldn\u2019t cut for my crew, Hypnotizing, and that he would do it. We were like, \u201cNo,\u201d because the emcees had routines that I knew and Gene didn\u2019t. But Gene ended up djing for them that night. I was tight, but it was alright because they still rocked even though it didn\u2019t go the way it was planned\u2026. I think I got that on tape too.<\/p>\n

\"LightningTroy – Now what was the deal with Armstrong, was he selling quarts of beer in the back of the Ecstasy?<\/h5>\n

Lance – (Lance starts laughing real hard)<\/p>\n

Troy – Why are you laughing kid?<\/h5>\n

Lance – (Lance is still laughing) You are putting me on the spot. I guess if you heard that was going on\u2026<\/p>\n

Troy – Hold up. How am I putting you on the spot if that was going on 25 years ago? Ain\u2019t nobody going to jail for that, who cares? Everybody knows that story!<\/h5>\n

Lance – (Still laughing) This is a new one on me. I might have seen it, but over looked it, because all this was really something different for me being as I was way over on the eastside of the Bronx and now coming over to the westside of the Bronx to rock\u2026 You know – make good music, get my tape collection up, and checking out the honeys!<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know. I probably wasn\u2019t even in the back of the club, period\u2026maybe once or twice to get paid some money or something.<\/p>\n

Troy – So you had no problems getting paid from Armstrong?<\/h5>\n

Lance \u2013 No, but I only really dealt with Gene or Cisco, and they were never a problem to me when it came to getting my money.<\/p>\n

Troy – What was one the most high powered moments that you have seen at the Ecstasy Garage?<\/h5>\n

Lance – To see the Cold Crush and Fantastic rhyme together, one at a time, passing the mic to each other, rocking! They were all in a line, and that was dope. And Theodore and Chase were cutting right after each other.<\/p>\n

Troy – Sounds hot! Do you think that was a set routine that both crews had made together?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well it might have been. But another time was when Wayne and Charlie came in. I didn\u2019t expect that!<\/p>\n

\"Lightning<\/p>\n

Troy – So how did the crowd receive him?<\/h5>\n

Lance – The people in there were cheering him on. He was kind of funny. That was the first time I seen something like that.<\/p>\n

One time on Theodore\u2019s birthday, in I think 1981, there was a big party in there. I was right by the set, and on the low Flash slipped in and it appeared that Flash hit Theodore off with some money for his birthday and then slipped back out. That was kind of dope.
\n \"Lightning \"Lightning<\/p>\n

Another high powered night for me was at the Audubon, and that was 81 too. It was an emcee competition. The Crash Crew was there and they did their record High Powered Rap. Cold Crush performed, as well as Fantastic 5, and maybe Busy Bee. My whole crew, Super Sonic, was there with my cousin Lil Sha. We came in third place.<\/p>\n

Troy – So who won that night?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Grand Wizard Theodore & The Fantastic 5!<\/p>\n

\n

Go to Part 2<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Part 2<\/h3>\n
Troy – They beat the Cold Crush?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well they beat everybody, and to be honest, Crash Crew just did their record.<\/p>\n

Troy \u2013 Alright, I am going to move on to your record. How did Live Convention 81 come about?<\/h5>\n

Lance – \u00a0My cousin Sharon, who is Lil Sha – aka – Lil Sha Rock, she met a guy named Johnny Soul who owned a record store. He wanted to do a track, so he asked her was she part of a group or a solo artist. At that time, I believe I had just started djing with the Hypnotizing\u2026. so Lil Sha comes to me and says she met this guy that wanted to do this record with her, but she didn\u2019t want to do it by herself, she wanted to do it with a group. So she asked me about Hypnotizing, and I said I don\u2019t know because I didn\u2019t know if the guys wanted a female in the group. So I said, \u201cI will talk to them about it.\u201d When I spoke to them about it they said \u201cNo!\u201d But I told them you don\u2019t know where this record might take them. So they thought about it and said, “F— it, what the hell!”<\/p>\n

Troy – So Lil Sha choose Hypnotizing instead of Super Sonic?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well Hypnotizing and Lil Sha had history together because, along with Sharon and Clyde, the whole Hypnotizing went to Truman High School. So she knew them.<\/p>\n

Troy – Wasn\u2019t Super Sonic making a name for themselves up in the Ecstasy Garage?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Yes at the Garage, but Kev and Dynamite of Hypnotizing were making a name for themselves over here in the Soundview section.<\/p>\n

Sharon told me about Johnny Soul and she knew about the Hypnotizing 5 and the word was they were nice, and she wanted me to be down with the project also. So I said I will talk to them and see if I can change their mind.<\/p>\n

Then one day Mr. Soul called the house and we spoke to him. He said come over to his store in Harlem. So I said let me take my turntable and mixer with me and see how this works out. So me and the whole crew met him over at the record shop on 125th Street.<\/p>\n

Mr. Johnny Soul, he was maybe in his late 30\u2019s – early 40\u2019s, was a dark skin gentleman, medium built, and close to your height Troy (6’4″). He seemed like a nice slick talking guy with a gold tooth. (Lance laughs)<\/p>\n

From there we all went to this studio in downtown Manhattan, somewhere on 8th Avenue. The studio wasn\u2019t big, but it had a 16 track. Back then to make a song you didn\u2019t need a 16 track, but there was some advanced stuff in there. When we got there, there wasn\u2019t any music made up. In other words, there was no track to do it to. There was no band there, but there were about two engineers there.<\/p>\n

Troy – Well how did you guys pick Taana Gardner\u2019s \u201cHeart Beat\u201d?<\/h5>\n

Lance – It might have been just coming out, or I might have gotten it before it was blowing up on the radio. I say that because I was getting records from record pools. Plus, I was rocking with the Thomas twins, who I told you about earlier, and they were getting records from Bam.<\/p>\n

Troy – How did you get the name Lightning Lance?<\/h5>\n

Lance – I am not 100 percent sure, but I think Bam named me that. \"Lightning<\/p>\n

Troy – So you and Bam were pretty cool?<\/h5>\n

Lance \u2013 Yeah, Bam used to come around Lafayette a lot back then.<\/p>\n

\"LightningTroy – So back to Tanya Gardner. She didn\u2019t try and come at you guys for using her record?<\/h5>\n

Lance – No, and thank God because we never made any money off of that.<\/p>\n

Troy – So he didn\u2019t give you guys an advance?<\/h5>\n

Lance \u2013 No! We were so young back then that we didn\u2019t even think about a contract back then. We got some money, but I don\u2019t remember how much it was.<\/p>\n

Troy – How long did it take for you guys to get the record together in the studio?<\/h5>\n

Lance – It didn\u2019t take us too much time to prepare. It was our first time in the studio, so it took a little time for us to get it together. It took my cousin Sharon a little bit more time to get her parts together because she was new to the group.<\/p>\n

Troy – Did you guys ever tour with this record?<\/h5>\n

Lance \u2013 No. We did a few shows together, but not based on the record. The emcees might have said rhymes from the record, but they would do their rhymes to other records. They did the routines off of say \u201cMardi Gras\u201d or something.<\/p>\n

Troy – What was the deal with the metal sticks that I hear tapping in the record?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well we were in the studio for awhile trying to get it together when Johnny Soul said he wanted to make this energized like a party or a club track with crowd participation and all that going on. After awhile, we did the track over and Mr. Soul gave emcees Domain and Divine those metal sticks that you hear in the record\u2026 and Mr. Soul said clack them together on a certain down beat, and that was how that went down. That idea came while we were in there putting it all together.<\/p>\n

Troy – So you guys had already recorded the piece, then he recorded it again to overdub that metal tapping sound?<\/h5>\n

Lance \u2013 Yes, but when I was scratching, they were doing their lyrics live.<\/p>\n

It took about 4 or 5 hours to put the whole thing together. It\u2019s a long song that was chopped up [and mixed up] into two parts on the record when it was issued. The first part should have been the latter part, and the second part of the record is supposed to be the beginning of the record. \u00a0But that was how he choose to do it.<\/p>\n

Troy – Now onto this \u201cWho was the first to scratch on wax situation?\u201d You went first, but who went second, and are people trying to say you wasn\u2019t that first person?<\/h5>\n

Lance – The next person would probably be Flash and his record \u201cThe Adventures of Flash.\u201d
\n \"Lightning<\/p>\n

I guess what it is is sometimes people confuse it with [who is] the inventor of scratch (Theodore), as if I was the first to do the art of scratching. The first to do scratching is like saying you are the inventor. So when you say that you are the first to put scratching on a studio record, then people take a step back and analyze it and say that is a little different though. Sometimes people say, \u201cSo what you was the first to put it on a record! \u2026 You are not the inventor of scratching.\u201d So they might overlook it, but it is what it is.<\/p>\n

Troy – Ok., in terms of the record, who are all the people involved? Please include side B which appears to be from a live tape.<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well on the first side, that we had, the members of the Hypnotizing were Dynamite D, Prince Domain, Divine, Little Sha Rock and myself. We took up the first side.<\/p>\n

Now the scratching you hear [on side 2] is from Flash. This is from a live show, but from a tape. And it might have been before I did my scratching on the record, but his is from a tape.<\/p>\n

Troy – When you guys finished making the record how long did it take before it hit the streets? Maybe a month?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Not even. It could have taken a couple of days. We had this s— planned, yo! (Lance is laughing)<\/p>\n

Troy – When Live Convention 81 came out, side B had Flash and other performers from a live tape included on the record. How did you and the Hypnotizing feel about this? Did Johnny Soul tell you this in advance?<\/h5>\n

Lance – No, he did not tell us anything about other people being on side B! At that time I felt it was kind of wrong, it wasn\u2019t like it was ours. We wanted our own single, we didn\u2019t want any compilation. But that was how it was back then.<\/p>\n

Troy – So how did he respond to you and the crew after you asked him about that?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well he was talking like there was going to be a second record.<\/p>\n

Troy – So when you asked him about why he had these other guys on side 2, he just kind of scratched his head and walked away?<\/h5>\n

Lance – (Lance laughs) Something like that.<\/p>\n

Troy – So who else was on side B?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Flash, Melle Mel, I believe Smiley is on there. I hear Chief Rocker Busy Bee, KG from the Cold Crush, Sha Rock. I don\u2019t know if it is Break Out or Baron mixing. I think AJ is on there too.<\/p>\n

Troy – Did any of these people on side B say anything to you about the record? Like, \u201cWhy did Johnny Soul do that, why didn\u2019t he ask us?\u201d Or, \u201cWhere is he at so I can get some money out of him?\u201d Did anybody say anything?<\/h5>\n

Lance – No, but I believe Flash and Melle Mel\u2019s manager had problems with Johnny Soul. I believe Bobby Robinson was the one that had a problem with it because Flash and Mel were signed to Enjoy at the time.<\/p>\n

Troy – What about Ray Chandler who was also involved with Flash and them at the time?<\/h5>\n

Lance – I don\u2019t know, I can\u2019t quote anything. It could have been, I know Ray Chandler personally, but he never told me. But with Bobby Robinson, allegedly he came over to Johnny Soul\u2019s record shop with some dudes and told him stop issuing the record!<\/p>\n

\"LightningTroy – Hold up, Bobby Robinson went to another record dealer with some tough guys and told him to stop selling the record?<\/h5>\n

Lance – (Lance laughs) Yeah, that was what I heard.<\/p>\n

Troy \u2013 Alright, now Johnny Soul didn\u2019t give you or the other group members a kernel of money after he gave you guys this one shot deal?<\/h5>\n

Lance \u2013 Exactly. I do remember signing some consent forms. It was something we signed, but I can\u2019t remember exactly.<\/p>\n

Troy – On the cover of your record who is that guy supposed to be?<\/h5>\n

Lance – That is an animated cartoon of Johnny Soul with the record in his hand. On the back it is advertised with \u201cThe Chief Rockers and DJ Wheels of Steel, and Cut Creators and Number One Rappers, Hottest Rappers. \u201c<\/p>\n

Troy – But it doesn\u2019t have any of your names on it?<\/h5>\n

Lance – No it doesn\u2019t, but on the label of the record, which is Disco Wax, it says \u201cDifferent Strokes for Different Folks- Lil Sha Rapp and The Hypnotizing 3.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was disappointed about that. I felt like I did all this work for nothing. My name is not on there! But he kept saying there is going to be some more projects. That gave us the initiative to start doing more parties. We started doing more centers and talent shows. We even got up in the T! (T- Connection.)<\/p>\n

Troy – Were people giving you the bookings because of the record or because you guys were now out doing more parties because you were now hungry for it?<\/h5>\n

Lance – People gave us the bookings on the strength of the record.<\/p>\n

Troy – Today do any of you guys get royalties for the record?<\/h5>\n

Lance – No! We don\u2019t get anything.<\/p>\n

Troy – Not even Lil Sha Rock since her name is on it?<\/h5>\n

Lance – No!<\/p>\n

Troy – How have you guys dealt with this situation?<\/h5>\n

Lance – I have tried to look into it. I was trying to get some cake, but one of the lawyers said it might not be worth pursuing. And he said that because of the fraction of the record I used was already made. It was prerecorded -meaning I used somebody else\u2019s record.<\/p>\n

Troy – Referring to Taana Gardner?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Right. Plus none of us have the contract that we signed. Also the record has been rereleased on a different label now. So we was like we don\u2019t know what deal went down with Johnny Soul, being as we didn\u2019t have any contact with him after awhile\u2026I don\u2019t even know if he is still alive.<\/p>\n

But I am pretty sure that record sold a lot of copies. That record has been on a lot of turntables and in a few magazines. It still sells today. In fact, a couple of times cats wanted to give me $200 right on the spot for my record.<\/p>\n

Troy – It is considered a collector\u2019s item.<\/h5>\n

Lance – See what I am saying? That\u2019s some classic s— there. And the thing about it is somebody came to me and told me \u201cYo, nobody was doing scratching back then on records. You were the first.\u201d Then I thought about it and I said, \u201cYou are right!\u201d And when I first did it, I didn\u2019t think about, \u201cYeah I am going to be the first to scratch on wax.\u201d I just did it because Johnny Soul told me to bring the turntables\u2026. And when we got there, there wasn\u2019t any music! So I was like we have to make our own music. Then after the fact, I was like damn this record could have came out better. It should have been better\u2026it should have been this\u2026it should have been that!<\/p>\n

Troy – Did you ever go to Tuff City and talk to them about the whole situation now that they are distributing Live Convention 81?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Yes we did. Cool Clyde called them because they had The Treacherous 3\u2019s name in our track. As if we were the Treacherous 3! I was like how in the hell they are going to think that? Treacherous 3 don\u2019t have any girl down or no Lightning Lance down as a dj. It says who we are right on the track.<\/p>\n

Clyde called them and told them that they need to change that. If I knew back then what I know now, it would have turned out different.<\/p>\n

Troy – So how did you guys react when Johnny Soul came out with the next album, Live Convention 82, and it had nothing to do with you guys and was just a live tape put on vinyl?
\n \"Lightning\"Lightning<\/h5>\n

Lance – He was still saying something was coming even after that record came out! Then we heard he was doing a record for Theodore and The Fantastic 5.<\/p>\n

Troy \u2013 Right, \u201cFresh out The Pack.\u201d<\/h5>\n

Lance – Ours was before Fantastic. So we were like, ok, this guy is putting out people. So we really thought we were going to have another joint. We stayed in contact with him. Then one day after about a year after we finished the project with him, we lost contact with him.<\/p>\n

Troy – So how did you guys lose contact with him if his store was still on 125th Street in Harlem?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Many times we went down to the store and he wouldn\u2019t be there! Somebody else would be running the store. I don\u2019t know, but he might have been in some financial trouble.<\/p>\n

Troy – I ask you that because Dotta Rock and Theodore once told me they had a tour bus when they came out with \u201cFresh out The Pack\u201d with Johnny Soul.<\/h5>\n

Lance – They did? (Sounding surprised) Ok, their joint made some noise too. I was listening to their record the other day\u2026my man dj Spinback was playing that. But like I said, if we knew what we know now back then, it would have been different. But then again, at the end of the day, history was made. Who\u2019s to say we didn\u2019t make an opportunity out of that? And the thing is, if I say \u201cThe first to scratch on wax,\u201d then somebody might say, \u201cWell these guys must have been out there way back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Troy – So now when this issue came about, of you being the first to scratch on wax, a lot of people looked the other way about it. How did you feel about that?<\/h5>\n

See, by me talking to you about this record, I have a better understanding of it all now. Before you informed me of this info, I thought the whole record was done from live cassette tapes of parties. Especially since the next record Live Convention 82 is done from a live tape, and not to mention side B of your own record with Flash and them is from live tapes as well.<\/p>\n

All I could do is just ask them well who is the first to scratch on wax then? Who was! But mostly they might get it screwed up as if I am saying I am the inventor of scratching, which I am not. But mostly it\u2019s like if we are getting any type of shine or notoriety, why is it all of a sudden! But I say to myself – everybody gets their time.<\/p>\n

The only people I can probably say have animosity towards it is cats that have been there when you was there. They know that you have been there doing stuff before them, with them, and you are still doing it. And now it\u2019s like you\u2019re getting some type of notoriety all of a sudden and it\u2019s a problem. But it shouldn\u2019t be a problem, because everybody gets their time.<\/p>\n

Even back then we were getting our shine. Man we rocked the convention at the Audubon, killed the Ecstasy, 100 Park, etcetera. We were strong up in Lafayette projects. It was a new crew and lots of us djs and we was backed up by Bambaataa. It was me, my cousin Cool Clyde, The Amazing Twins, Ricky Dee from Monroe, Lil Sha Rock, Dynamite D from Hypnotizing, Sluman, etcetera. Sluman was nice on the mic.<\/p>\n

Troy – Why did he name himself Sluman?<\/h5>\n

Lance – I don\u2019t know, but that boy was nice and he talked like a preacher. Homeboy was definitely nice. Back then he had a style of his own and he didn\u2019t bite other people\u2019s rhymes. You know how you listen to other emcees and they sound good and they are flowing, but you know they took somebody\u2019s rhyme? Well Sluman never had to do that, he was that nice with his.<\/p>\n

Troy – So how did that piece about you and your record get into the Source magazine?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Through K Born of the Classical 2 who made the hit \u201cRaps New Generation.\u201d It was really to prop up what we do up in Rosedale every summer for Disco King Mario,
\n which Queen Anita originally started.<\/p>\n

\"LightningAnd basically it is to honor Mario, but also preserve hip hop, because it does have a black eye at times.<\/p>\n

So our thing is to bring out all age groups, as well as all ethnicities. Put them all under one umbrella, and once we get them with the music, we pass off as much positive information as we can. And to be honest we got down because of two reasons: One – Anita wanted us to be part of it. Two – before we got down with her, we were doing our own promoting with a non-profit organization called United We Stand Entertainment.<\/p>\n

See the duties of these events is you have to have some type of organization or belong to an organization, and through that be affiliated with elected officials. Because in certain areas of the Bronx, you can\u2019t just bring your music out anymore. It\u2019s really rough now. We really had to fight for ours and go through many channels and avenues. We\u2019re still fighting today. Every second Sunday in August we do a big event in Burke Park here in the Bronx and sometimes there is an after party. Then the following weekend we would do an event with Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. This event was big too and it would be two blocks down between Watson and Morrison. That was like a street fair. The crowd got so big they didn\u2019t want us in the park any longer, so we had to take it to the street.<\/p>\n

Troy – So it\u2019s just you and your cousin doing these big events?<\/h5>\n

Lance – Me and my cousin, as well as another partner, Shawn Web. Shawn Web is a woman and she is the CAO. She keeps track of all the books and contacts. She has been down for about four years. We are also trying to get a hip hop museum location.<\/p>\n

Troy – Where would you guys try and have it at?<\/h5>\n

Lance \u2013 They\u2019re talking about over by Yankee Stadium, on 161st Street, over by the stadium, or the old court house.<\/p>\n

Troy – I always thought that would be by a great tourist attraction, if not in the Bronx, then in Harlem, but nowhere else but those two places.<\/h5>\n

Lance – Well to have it up in the Soundview area would have been kind of slick too.<\/p>\n

Troy – Well I think that would be too far over in the Bronx to really attract people.\u00a0 But long as we get it, I am happy. Peace my brother. Thank you.<\/h5>\n

Lance – Thank you.<\/p>\n

I want to thank the Lord God Jesus Almighty for my two sons, Shemar and Troy Jr, my beautiful wife India, and our baby on the way.<\/p>\n

Praise God and God bless you all.<\/p>\n

Thank you John G and the message board at www.oldschoolhiphop.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring of 2008 Troy – Thank you for your time Lance. Please, where were you born and raised? Lance – The Boogie Down Bronx of New York City, the Soundview area\u2026. Big ups to Castle Hill and Bronxdale! I was born on Boynton Avenue, Building 880 in Lafayette Morrison complex. I went to P.S. 93, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[17,33],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2934"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2934\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}