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FORWARD: If, in fact, the Bronx is considered to be the birthplace of hip hop, then certainly Manhattan would be the place where this art form came of age before being thrust out into the big bad (corporate) world.\u00a0 There can be no better parallel of this transition from inner city to industry than that of one Alonzo Brown a\/k\/a Lonnie Love a\/k\/a Mr. Hyde. \u00a0As one half of the infamous duo known as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Brown graduated from essentially playing records at the local skating rink to becoming a regular personality at the legendary Harlem World night club and on to a successful recording career before making his mark in the often cutthroat music and movie industry.<\/span><\/p>\n The tendency in the world of hip hop is to only accept something as being \u201clegit\u201d if it comes from the streets and stays true to the streets.\u00a0 And, being from the Bronx, I always clung to the notion that the Harlem club scene tended to be a more \u201csophisticated\u201d type of clientele.\u00a0 While most of us self-proclaimed b-boys were shopping at apparel hot spots like Simpson Street in the Bronx, AJ Lester\u2019s in Manhattan or Delancey St. in lower Manhattan, Jekyll and Hyde were more likely spending time in Barney\u2019s on Madison Avenue or Brooks Brothers.\u00a0 So naturally when I saw Jekyll and Hyde perform in the early 80\u2019s dressed in suits at a b-boy party, I questioned whether they could give this hip hop crowd a reason not to run them out of the place.\u00a0 That didn\u2019t happen on this night.\u00a0 While the less juvenile influences of downtown clubs like the \u201dRenny\u201d and later Bentley\u2019s were clearly evident in their delivery, that didn\u2019t diminish the \u201cstreet cred\u201d of songs like \u201cGenius of Rap\u201d and \u201cA.M\/P.M.\u201d\u00a0 Energy is infectious and these brothers could bring it!\u00a0 This fact was certainly not lost on this fat laced, gold chain and kangol wearing audience.\u00a0 With one foot firmly planted in the streets and the other geared toward the \u201cgrown and sexy,\u201d Jekyll and Hyde had an answer for whatever flavor we craved.<\/span><\/p>\n With rap becoming a legitimate force in entertainment worldwide, the logical next step for both members was clearly behind the scenes, albeit no longer as a team.\u00a0 The position of A&R (artist and repertoire) at A&M records was indeed that step, which allowed Hyde to help in guiding up and coming acts to success.\u00a0 Business and organizational skills complimented his knowledge of the needs of the performing artists.<\/span><\/p>\n But, clearly the creative bug is ever-present in Hyde.\u00a0 His involvement in the police drama New York Undercover and writing the script of the Jessica Alba movie \u201cHoney\u201d serve as a nod to his creative muses.\u00a0 Rarely have we seen such a balance between the business and creative sides of the hip hop entertainment industry.\u00a0 But this seems to be Hyde\u2019s modus operandi, showing us that he is as proficient behind the scenes as he is comfortable at center stage.<\/span><\/p>\n In this, the 21st<\/sup> century, the streets are big business and the infamous rapper-turned-exec known to us old school heads as Mr. Hyde has been a staple in every aspect of its being as well as acting as a symbol of where it comes from and certainly where it has gone.<\/span><\/p>\n <Peace and Awareness,<\/span><\/p>\n AND one<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I was born in Harlem Hospital in 1961. We were living in Delano Village in Harlem and then moved to Spanish Harlem about six years later to Dewitt Clinton projects right on 110th street. I went to P.S. 86 which was right on 109th street between 2nd and 3rd avenue, Luis Munoz Rivera School. As far as Junior High school I went to I.S. 29 and they use to call it The Castle, it was 93rd street and Park Avenue. Their use to be a candy store there and we literally took them out of business because we use to go up in there and steal the candy on the regular. They had the penny candy and the guy that ran the store would leave the jars up on the counter and that was a no no.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I went to Charles Evans Hughes first and that is where I met Andre Harrell. (Dr. Jekyll.) Hughes was down on 19th street and 8th avenue.<\/p>\n I went there because my brother went there. I originally wanted to go to Norman Thomas and I had good grades.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah Norman Thomas had all the fine girls there but I wanted to go where my brother went.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well my brother is 2 years older than me and it’s just me and him. His name is James Brown and he was our D.J. His D.J. name was D.J. Diamond Touch. I wanted to go to Hughes I guess because of the transition from Jr. High to high school. Love Bug Star Ski went to Hughes too and it seemed like half of Harlem went there. Either they went there or they went to King high school. But Hughes had a lot of people from way uptown and I always found it strange why they would go all the way downtown to go to school because for me I had to take the 6 train to the 4 train, take the 4 train to 14th street and then catch the double L (Today just known as the L train.) train to the last stop which was the 8th avenue stop on 14th street and then walk 3 blocks to my school. It was a long way for me to go to school every day.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes, definitely. Now Barry Michael Cooper went there with us also, he is a year younger than me. I didn’t really know Barry at the time.<\/p>\n The great thing about Charles Evans Hughes is even before we started rapping all the players were there. Cats use to take O.J.’s down there and you would be standing in front of the joint and see like a deuce and a quarters pull up or 98’s. Ronnie Green use to know this dude who was a driver name Star Ski. His name was 63 Star Ski that was his number. So I use to walk over to King Towers every once and awhile and we use to take the car down to Hughes. Ronnie didn’t go there but some of his crew did. So we use to take an O.J. down to Charles Evans Hughes and that was a big deal. (Hyde chuckles.)<\/p>\n Hyde- That’s right the black with red doors on the side with the red plush valor seats inside.<\/p>\n Hyde- 98’s were fly.<\/p>\n Hyde- Yeah if you could find one.<\/p>\n Hyde- Yeah Love Bug was the king! At the time he was really doing the Renny and that was the place to be at the time. That place also inspired us.<\/p>\n Hyde- Well what happen was I use to hang out with these kids that ice skated with me and my brother at this ice-skating rink on 110th street and Central Park. I also D.J.ed there. It was the Lasker Ice skating rink.<\/p>\n 110th street Central Park North, Harlem.<\/p>\n I met these dudes name Kevin and Wendell and they lived on 140th street and Lenox Avenue. So we use to go uptown on Saturday nights and hangout with them drinking brew, smoking weed and had a hook up to get in the Renny (The Renaissance Ball Room.). So we get in the Renny and that was the first time I ever been in anything that big. When I walked in I couldn’t believe my eyes, dudes had on gold chains girls had on Jordache and\u00a0 Sergio Valente\u00a0 jeans.<\/p>\n Dudes were drinking splits of champagne and this guy walks on to the stage and says, “Throw your hands up in the air, everybody say oh yeah!” And like 200 people said, “Oh yeah.” (Troy laughs.) I was like what the f— is this!<\/p>\n Hyde- Let me tell you something Troy my hand to God I looked at him like…everything else stopped in my life. I said to myself, “I’m going to do that.” I didn’t know what was going on but I said that is what I want to do. He had so much power over the people. I was like, “This mother f—– was bigger than any drug dealer, ballplayer anything I have ever seen!”<\/p>\n Hyde- Love Bug Star Ski!<\/p>\n Hyde- Nah this was Love Bug and then he went to my school so I was following this n—- around like a puppy dog. And Love Bug stayed fly he use to come to school driven in an OJ, 98 Oldsmobile! That was his thing he was already like Harlem royalty because of the parties he was doing. He was the first rapper I knew but he was the biggest in Harlem. I would see him in the halls but he was older than me by about a year or 2.<\/p>\n Hyde- I think I was about 16 and I was just starting to go to high school. So this was about 1977.<\/p>\n Hyde- Well yeah, see my neighbor whose name is Miriam and she was Spanish invited me and my brother to ice skate when we were young and she was so fine I would go with her anywhere. So from us going Ice skating with her we started digging it so we started going a lot, so much so that we bought hockey skates. It was something for us to do as kids to get out during the winter time. We didn’t have any money so we use to sneak over the fence. The foreman of the skating rink got so tired of busting us, you know sometimes you get in sometimes you didn’t but if you didn’t get in you just waited until the shift changed and then you would try again. So he got so tired of it, at the time the rink had like these giant like horn speakers that you would see on the Mr. Softy trucks or like what the army would have. So the owner would play this rinky dink mall type music, so the foreman made a deal with us, he said, “I will let you guys in free if you guys play the music.” We was like, “What, we can get in free and d.j.!”\u00a0 So we started to d.j. in there and we started bringing all of our crates of music over to the rink.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No we didn’t have all that we had to grow into that. What happen was we had one turntable, but we had records like 5th of Beethoven, Trans Europe Express and Barry White, those types of records. We would pick the needle up and put the next record on, that kind of stuff. There wasn’t any rapping, known of that kind of stuff. Along with us having a turntable we would also play our tape deck of music. Also it was cold so we d.j.ed inside of a room that over looked the skating rink and what was mostly said was, “And you don’t stop, and you don’t stop. How’s everybody doing out there” etc. It was mostly that but the Foreman was having no rhyming once I got me some rhymes. White people were still coming up in there. Rap was very new and you had children in there so it was a family thing in there. We were like 15, 16 years old.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah or something like that, but we would ignore their ass. We were like we’re going to play what we want to play, \u201cyou in Harlem!\u201d But this was the beauty of it, further downtown in Central Park was the Wolman Rink which was f—ed up, it was f—ed up for years because the city didn’t want to fix it up so Lasker was the only skating rink in Manhattan until Donald Trump got involved.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No we would go to house parties. Hip hop wasn’t started yet, at least not in our part of Harlem.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes and we actually got a grant. A guy from The New Yorker Magazine came…and you can do the research on this, we called our selves the Lasker Skate crew, the place was called Lasker Rink.<\/p>\n ABSTRACT: Talk story about the Lasker Skate Crew and disco music played at Lasker Rink in the northern end of Central Park. The Skate Crew is a group of Harlem teenagers who help smooth down the ice and run the sound system, which consists of their own record player and records. James Brown, the unofficial crew leader, told the writer he plays the music people like. One hundred people were out skating, moving with the music, which was heavy on the percussion. Writer talks with several crew members and records many of the current popular songs. Writer also visits Wollman Rink in the southern end of the park, where the crew would not be caught dead, and where the music is taped organ arrangement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- So we use to just skate all the time and we use to get high smoking dust and get on the ice and skate.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well I went home and I started to write my rhymes. I would take instrumentals like Barry Mr. Hyde- No, what happen was Andre was in my brother\u2019s technical electricity class in high school and that was how we met. I found out Dre was listening to rap up in the Bronx. He had the opportunity to listen to guys like Busy Bee, Bam etc. because he was from Bronx River. So Andre had a love for the music as I. So we use to cut classes and play spades in the lunch room, that’s how we really got tight.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right and it probably still goes on today in schools. So from there we started talking about music and everything connected to rap. We use to compare each other’s rhymes although I don’t know what he was doing as far as what clubs he might have been hitting at the time, but he loved rap, so we would rhyme together in the stair cases and from there we decided we were going to make up a group.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well you know why because hip hop was really starting to happen downtown in Harlem by this time. I guess it wasn’t really happening for him in the Bronx or he just didn’t want to deal with it, plus my mom’s cooked great lasagna. This dude would come down and hangout all day, and for him Harlem was the fly s— not the Bronx. So the aspiration of wanting to be downtown, hip hop gave him the avenue for that plus we had the center. We moved from the sweatbox to another center in Clinton Projects. This community center was right behind my building. So once that opened up we had our own home, we use to be their every weekend and pack it with n—— from Lehman, Johnson and Clinton projects.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- All that.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Schomberg for sure, Schomberg had the girls. That’s where we met D.J. Spivey and the rest of his crew the M7 short for The Magnificent 7.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Sometimes.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- It was alright but to me it wasn’t as cool or as sexy. Later on we battled up in the Bronx. At one point we were D.J. A.J.s M.C.s and I remember one night doing a gig at Mitchell gym and we battled Flash. It was me, Busy Bee and Andre battling Flash and The Furious Four and immediately gun shots rang out. See the Bronx was scary, that s— was still burning! You ever heard of that saying? N—– it was still burning so you had to really be careful, the Bronx was the most violent borough in the history of mankind!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Shiiiittt, I use to walk down the street in The Bronx were whole blocks were gone except for one building and that was burnt out.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes, you could jump in an O.J. from 110th street to 125th street and you in the mix. You could go to A.J. Lester (infamous men’s clothing store in Harlem.) and get your champagne cologne. Where you going to do that in the Bronx?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I got a bottle of Champagne about a month ago I was in this club and this girl who is a friend of mine she was like you want some cologne I was like yeah o.k. she opened up a box of champagne cologne I was like n—– give me that s—!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes all that and Lagerfeld. But Polo was it.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Let me tell you something you could wear it right now and no one would know what it is.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- You have to go to department stores to buy that right.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- You go down to say like 28th street you are going to get had.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes your right.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well for one we shared the same passion about hip hop, we both loved it and he was doing his thing in the Bronx. The thing that we had in common was he was in my brother\u2019s class, like I said he introduced us and we also use to play spades together in the lunch room that really solidified everything for us. And see the thing is we were both young kids who had aspirations for a better life. As far as our name what happen was we were in the stair case talking about who we were going to be, Andre D and Ronnie B and all this s— but it just didn’t ring, Batman and Robin, nothing hit the way we wanted it to. Finally we were like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and we were like oh that s— is a cool name. He was like I am going to be Dr. Jekyll I said o.k! I felt the only way this was going to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was if I was going to be Mr. Hyde and that was because I thought he was the cooler of the two because he was the mean, evil one.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I know you are right, it\u2019s interesting.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No, I was a truant. I was so into hip hop that I just didn’t care about school anymore. I was cutting class so sooner or later they were going to kick me out. My mother was a teacher\u2019s aid and she was serious about education so she was like n—– you going to school. So she got me into Franklin, and that was because it was closer to home.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah, but Franklin was like worst then Hughes as far as the grade point average for the entire school was concern. They had one of the worst scores in the whole city.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- That’s right Gary Springer, Steve Burt and the rest of them. But as far as Andre he stayed at Hughes and graduated.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No I never sold any drugs. My mom’s was a single mother and not that she was strict but I always loved my mom’s so I never wanted to disappoint her. See I watched my father die in front of me so my mother went through a lot of pain and loneliness. It also changed my life were as one day I have a father and the next day at 12 years old my father is dead and gone.<\/p>\n As far as me and Andre we stepped our game up as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde after high school when we met D.J. Louie Lou who was a big D.J. in Johnson Projects. Louie Lou had equipment so we use to go to his house to practice. He was like “yo I will pay ya’ll” and he would hit us off. So we would do park jams and basement parties with Louie Lou. But the thing about him is he was cheap and we still carried the equipment. But because Louie Lou was a bad mother f—– on the turntables we use to be on fire. See my brother was cool but he wasn’t a d.j., he didn’t love it like Louie Lou did and like I said Louie Lou had equipment. So the game went from the Los Angeles Clippers to well it wasn’t the Lakers but like the Denver Nuggets. (Carmelo with Billups at the point.)<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- He was black, blacker then this mother f—– stove. (Troy starts laughing.) I think he died.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- More money and we didn’t have to carry equipment any more. What happen was we battled Ronnie Green. Ronnie Green had a crew called Bat Man and Robin at the time.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- One of his boys was Robin. Ronnie was Batman the d.j. and the rapper was Robin! I don’t know his government name. But I remember we battled them on 118th and First Avenue. Listen you know how you have an archer set and you fire into hay, well I remember big piles of hay in this mother f—— club that we battled them in, and I don’t know why!<\/p>\n Ronnie Green<\/p>\n But I remember seeing it and we ripped them n—— so hard that Ronnie Green and them n—– came to me and Andre and surrounded us afterwards. We thought they were going to f—- us up because Ronnie Green was a big cock diesel n—– back then.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes and I love Ronnie Green by the way. So they got us locked in this circle surrounded, Ronnie Green said whatever Louie Lou is paying ya’ll I will pay ya’ll double and ya’ll don’t have to carry any equipment. We said bet. (Mr. Hyde laughs.)<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- It didn’t matter because we were beefing a little bit with Louie Lou because we were like we the stars. See at that point D.j.s thought they were still the stars but people came to see us.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I was about 16 or 17, so that would be about 1978 or 1979. After awhile Louie was cool, it wasn’t no beef once he seen we were not running with him anymore and if it was a beef Ronnie Green would have been the one to handle it. (We both start laughing.) And see Ronnie wasn’t gangster or nothing like that but he just wasn’t having it! Plus he had some crazy n—- around him too. Later on Ronnie Green was running King Towers summer basketball tournament.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well all the tournaments ran out the King Towers Center so Ronnie was like a Donald Trump type n—–, ghetto style for us. We had the beach chairs on the side lines of the basketball courts with people all around, “Shout outs to Jekyll and Hyde”, all kinds of fly s— was jumping off.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes, and we were like Stars there. Guy Fisher had a team in there.<\/p>\n My first girl friend Wanda Major who I was in love with was walking around with a sweatshirt that said Mrs. Hyde. So those were some beautiful days for us.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes but that was more Ronnie Green and his boys.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I think what happen was we broke away from Ronnie Green and we really started getting real paper. And when I say real paper, people were hiring us to do big parties. I think what happen as far as us and Ronnie and his crew, people would pay us like $500 and we would have to split it with the crew. We were like f—- that people were coming to see us. Although Ronnie was the main guy from his crew he had like 7 other people with him but they were all just body guards you know what I am saying, just dudes hanging on. It wasn’t like they were doing anything, carrying equipment, behind the ropes making sure s— didn’t happen, that was the crew.<\/p>\n Harlem World 116th street Lenox Avenue<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- What happen was there was a rap competition for $1000.\u00a0 Everybody was on the bill. But what happen was after the show they really liked us so we use to hang around the club and it started to feel like home for us. But in terms of rocking the crowd and everything it was cool and it was more sophisticated of course because it was Harlem World but it wasn’t as energetic as like The Audubon or The Renny. (The Renaissance Club.)<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- A little bit but not really once we did Harlem World we never went out of Harlem too much, but I forgot we did Star Dust Ballroom a lot up in the Bronx. We never did Black Door or any of that. See Harlem World wasn’t just about a hip hop party for us we use to go in there and watch the close circuit fights. Like one night we caught the Thomas Hearn’s Sugar Ray Leonard fight.<\/p>\n But to be honest the edge started falling from us because we were growing up. But what happen was we met the Aleems and they were down with Fat Jack the owner of Harlem World.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes that is right their hit song was Release Yourself. It was two brothers, two big Muslim guys!<\/p>\n Identical twins Taharqa Aleem and Tunde Ra Aleem and they became like my fathers. I am very tight with them. So what happen was in those early days when cats were getting record deals I got one with them on NIA Records. Then they sold that record to Profile and that was the beginning.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Correct I did a solo record called Young Lady and my name was Lonnie Love! This was before Andre and I ever did a record as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I think he was cool with it, I am not too sure you would have to ask him. We have always been friends and brothers so you would have to ask him. I just know that some people came to me and said we want to make a record with you. I said I am in and I was the one that pulled Andre in afterwards and I said we need to make a record together. To be honest I was already writing records, I did one for O.C. called Where were you.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right. O.C. was also a preacher back in the days in the South, he also was like a father to me. O.C. really recognized my talent more than anybody. Fat Jack would be there but O.C. was the one running Harlem World.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well Fat Jack was of course the master mind behind it but O.C. was day to day running s—. But Harlem World became a home to us. They cooked and I remember you fixed up this, you painted that, you moved something over here, whatever but you never got paid. It just became a place for you to go to and it was safe and you were a part of something, it was family.<\/p>\n D.J. Randy and Charlie Rock<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Absolutely.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I remember people living up there other then Harlem world Crew members, I remember n—— doing drugs up there! That’s where Fat Jack had his office at. It was another world. Harlem World was a place where there were two worlds! There was the disco down stairs. And there was the other world were people were living and stuff like that. Fat jack took care of a lot of people. He had a crew, he traveled with a lot of people. He bought a lot of people in, and then there were a lot of people who were like us they became family for Fat Jack. So people did live up there. They had comforters, beds and s— like that. But there were a lot of drugs up there too. A lot of ho’s, a lot of everything. but for the most part we weren’t in that life and we didn’t see a lot of that up there for us. I took a ride with Fat Jack and his people to Detroit and I seen a lot of that street life but I didn’t see as much in Harlem World.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No just hanging out taking a trip up there and that was when I seen like what they were doing and they really had Detroit locked down.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well they just seemed to be running the city. They had a lot of crew and everything like that…I wasn’t privy to all the dealings of all that, but it certainly opened my eyes to the Ho’s and the Pimps! I didn’t see it moving like that until I got up there. But I realized how big their life was in Detroit because that was where they were from.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right, people who worked. But he took care of people. If he liked you he took care of you.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Or they worked at Harlem World on some level whether they cleaned up, cooked or whatever. They were a part of the Harlem World work family, whatever their capacity was. Listen Troy Harlem World was the greatest time of my teenage life. It really was.<\/p>\n The inside of Harlem World<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- After hanging out so much we decided to make like a crew (posse.) record.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- He was fine. Here’s how Andre and I always operated. We operated as independent contractors; you know what I mean like we were bigger than the crews we were in. It was always Jekyll and Hyde and…So we would always move along to whatever suited us, and at the time we naturally grew apart. I mean we were at Harlem World and Harlem World didn’t need a D.J.! meaning we didn’t need Ronnie because they already had Randy. But please put this in because I love Ronnie Green, after we did that record we wrote Captain Rock. So we were always tight and we still are.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- That’s right.\u00a0 Andre and I were on a plane to St. Louis and we had this idea for a record and we wrote it for him and got him his deal.<\/p>\n Cold Crush Brothers and Mr. Magic…<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- They were incredible. First of all as far as Grand Master Flash there is no one musically that means more to me than Grand Master Flash. Nobody, he is a god in my eyes and even more so because of the way he handles himself. He’s just cool, he’s soave and he’s a gentleman. He’s always been great to me and his talent is unmatched in my eyes. You have Theodore, you have a lot of people, there’s no question about that. But Flash, just the name Grand Master, you know he is such a mythical figure. When we were growing up and we played them and Creole had the echo machine, (Mr. Hyde mimics Kid Kreole’s voice when using the echo chamber.) those n—— was out of here! We were looking at them like god damn! They were like the Jackson 5 or something.<\/p>\n Yo we thought they were the Jackson 5, they were, they were the Jackson 5 of hip hop. Like Cold Crush, all of them. Andre and I ran the streets but we weren’t running the streets like they were and their music reflected that. We thought we were hot and I think they thought we were hot too, but we had so much respect for those guys like even the Cold Crush Brothers and all of that, you know they were always really into it. Andre and I just looked at it as what can we get out of it, how does it serve a purpose. Not like this is life and death and this is what I am going to do for the rest of my life, we never looked at it like that and our careers after held testament to that because we always had one foot… especially towards the end of our career…one foot in the game and one foot out. That other foot was solidly planted on the road ahead. We didn’t know that hip hop was going to be anything but we certainly knew when this mother f—– was going to end and it is going to end for us but life is going to go on.<\/p>\n Rayvon- E Man and Johnny Wa<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well we grew up in the same neighborhood.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Good question, I don’t know if we knew them before that, but we met them through D.J. Spivey. Like when we were doing Clinton Center they were rapping and doing their thing too so we had friendly competition and I loved Rayvon more than anybody, like he really has always been cool with me. (Mr. Hyde starts laughing.) Like he was so funny. Johnny Wa was smoother and he was about the girls! Rayvon was too, but Rayvon was crazy.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Like he would do crazy things, like the things he would say, like he had a more care free attitude about things. He was more free spirited and he would fight too.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah and he knew how to fight so he was like a rebel but at the same time he was funny to me, so we would laugh and joke and kid and hangout and everything. Johnny Wa wasn’t that, Johnny Wa was smooth, calculating at all times. Johnny Wa went to school with me and we all use to hang out at the Pisces Sweet Shop on Madison avenue. This kid we knew name Pisces family owned this pizza shop and it had pinball machines, candy and all that between 109th and 110th street and Madison Avenue.\u00a0 As far as their D.J. Spivey he was a real head. A real rap d.j. head, like all he did was eat, sleep drink hip hop. It was just like whoa, but he was good though.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well during the early 80’s Andre was working at 1010Wins as an account executive and I was working at the American Stock Exchange.\u00a0 I took an internship there while going to Lehman College. I would go downtown and I would see these guys in these suites with this and that and they just looked like they had their s— together. They looked professional and they commanded respect and Dre was on the other side doing the same thing. He wore a suit and a bow tie and all of these things in terms of dealing with business. So it was the thing that we saw that made us go, “We want to be there!” Alright living in Harlem back in those days your aspiration was to get a good job you know what I mean!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Bingo, and I was there! I worked at the American Stock Exchange. I was on the trading floor being a runner not a stock holder or anything like that. But I would work with all of these ballers. So I said I want to dress like the ballers and it became like a normal thing for us. We didn’t wear that in Harlem World because we couldn’t afford it then but we slowly graduated into that.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Basically.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well not in Harlem World we started hanging out in Bentley’s, Leviticus, the Silver Shadow etc. and we use to rap there. So we moved into the circle of the after party, six o’clock crowd. So brothers use to go from work to clubs on Thursday and Friday nights. So that was how we got the term the suit and tie rappers. Have you seen the album cover?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- And that was part of the reason why we did it. How could you tell us apart from Grand Master Flash and all of these guys and this and that?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I think they really enjoyed it. I never ever heard anybody say what the f— ya’ll doing!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes and I think it was all in the positive…<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No, never. Not one time was there any hating with the way we dressed. We had at that time 4 or 5 suites and we would change up and have on the shark skin, then I would have on the black as well as the cream or blue. Then you would change up your ties. So we had outfits. See Andre was the one that really seen the potential in marketing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as keeping the suits on and everything.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah, I remember we were getting ready to perform at The Tunnel and I came in with this sweat suit on and him and I got into a big argument about that. He was like, “Yo where’s your suit? I was like I don\u2019t have my suit!” So we got into a big argument about that. He was like \u201cYo Mr. Hyde you have to wear your suit.” That was one of the biggest arguments we ever had actually. But he was right, he was right about that. He said that early.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Again my thing was it was always about the rap, it was about the music, it was about that. It wasn’t about all that other stuff. I was really about getting on stage and being comfortable. I had seen everybody else getting on stage and doing their thing. So I was like the hell with it, this is what I want to do. But to Andre’s credit he was the one that really said, “No we need to do this!” And it was really an extension of who we were. Like I said at 21 years of age I was going to my regular 9 to 5 wearing a suit and tie. So it wasn’t a stretch for us to do what we did as suit and tie rappers.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well like I told you earlier with the Aleems I wrote and produced that Lonnie Love record and they sold that record to Profile records. The record did some business and after that I bought Andre in and we did Jekyll and Hyde’s Genius of Rap.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No what happen was after Harlem World I was just like forgot this, I am ready to do something with my life because I wasn’t going to be in Harlem, like that wasn’t going to be my thing, I was going to make something of my life and so I enlisted in the Air Force and I was working at the time. But what happened was Genius of Rap came out! And soon as I heard that I was like forget that I am not going!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I just called them up and said I am not going, my mother has a brain tumor. Thank God it wasn’t any draft.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah these days it’s a lot harder to do. I took the test to get in and they were like you’re in.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right it wasn’t any draft or anything like that. I was very fortunate because I had committed to going.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- There wasn’t any band. Eric Nuree or Matthews who was a disco d.j. or something, don’t quote me, because I am not sure, but he was the one who took the record, the actual sample and made Genius of Rap. There wasn’t any band.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Profile took care of that, they paid the royalties.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes it was and we sold a quarter of a million singles in New York alone. We saved the record label because they were about to go under. They were doing Disco records.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Like cheap dudes that they were. “Mean while let’s make another record.” I should have said we want $10,000 a piece! But back then you just wanted to make a record; you didn’t know anything about any lawyers.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Nope<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Not really and I am sure there were but we didn’t have that type of persona to be battling. We liked everybody, everybody liked us. I remember some Queen\u2019s dudes came at us and we ripped them apart at the P.A.L. here in Harlem and then later that night they got beat up and then we had to go out to Queens to perform at a party Chuck D and Shock Lee promoted, damn.<\/p>\n Well those same guys we battled at the P.A.L. showed up but they realized me and Andre really didn’t have anything to do with that because me and Andre were just about the girls and I think that was why we never had any beefs because we didn’t have knuckle heads with us.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- We didn’t have that; we didn’t care about known of that. I hate to say it but we were like good kids in terms of we grew up in the streets but I didn’t move like that and Andre and I were happy to be with each other. It wasn’t like, \u201cYo your crew is from your block, so your crew goes where you go.\u201d But I didn’t take my crew from my block with me, I took my brother, that was it.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No, not really but we did have the Young Lords, but they were way older and that was a real gang.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah, The Young Lords were a mother f—–!\u00a0 Those dudes took over a Church. How many dudes take over a church? They took it over and then barricaded themselves in it and held two people hostage so the cops had to go get John Johnson of Eyewitness News to get them out. That was some radical stuff!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Man John Johnson aided a bank robber also on 135th street. Brothers trusted John Johnson.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I am not sure about that but wow.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde (starts laughing at the idea the place got shot up.) What else is new!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- But to be honest the only real wild dudes that ran with us was Ronnie Greens Crew. There was this guy down with Ronnie name Peter Sweet and another named John Bruce. My cousins who lived up on 140th street Kevin and Wendell also ran with us and they carried guns.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Between 7th and 8th.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Really!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I know what you mean but my cousins were big up in there and after skating we would go up to 140th to hang out. We use to jump the roofs and dudes would come out with their pit bulls and chase you around.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I think we were towards the end of our segment of Jekyll and Hyde and Captain Rock was starting to heat up. I always felt that when Ronnie Green use to jump on the mic he had the most phenomenal energy, like he was m.c. Hammer before Hammer. So we use to always say, \u201cYo I am going to make a record for you.\u201d We always said that to him. One day we came with the lyrics and once we had the lyrics we went to Aleem and said yo ya’ll need to make a record with Ronnie Green. Let’s put him on a track and see what he does and the record Cosmic Glide came out in 1982 and it was a hit.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well I was already signed to NIA Records through Aleem.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah and there is a lot of the dark side to that that they don’t want me to get into. But basically they were running with Fat Jack and their first love was music, so Fat Jack would appease them by letting them go into the record studio and pay for their sessions. So they became real musicians and they actually played with Jimi Hendrix. In fact they got so cool with Jimi Hendrix they owned one of his guitars. So they approached me about making a record and I said o.k. cool. They then took that record and made a deal with Profile and I became assigned to Profile at that point.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well its two sides to that coin of course. Profile got us out there during the day of big time rapping and all that kind of stuff but it was no money, we had to make our own singles and they were great but we wanted to make an album.<\/p>\n Whodini had made an album and we wanted to make an album but we had to put up our own money to make an album and they would distributed it.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Not all of them, no. The publishing was excluded. They paid us a small amount of money.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Exactly nothing else matters, you know what Troy it doesn’t matter on a larger scale.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I agree.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right, but it was up to us to educate ourselves too but we were so hungry to get in the game like all musicians, “o.k., yeah, when do we get in the studio” you know what I mean. But now a days you like what a minute “I own all of this.” And to a degree hip hop created the business end, the black entrepreneur, musician, producer or executive. That didn’t exist before, you had one guy, Barry Gordy.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Correct, we saved their label.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- They loved us.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Nothing much, a couple of dinners here and there nothing like…<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right, let’s do another record.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No and we didn’t even request it. We wanted to work with Larry Smith who was doing all the Whodini records because Whodini is what we really wanted to be. They had joints and the production was crazy. I felt like we didn’t have the right production at all.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Ah Pumpkin from Pumpkin and the All Stars. Kurtis Blow also, he did Fast Life and then A.M. P.M. but still when you listen to the sound of those records it wasn’t what Larry was making.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Believe me we chased him down but he was not having it and Larry was cool with us.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Because he was getting too much paper and to be honest I don’t think he believed in Jekyll and Hyde.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No Profile did.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- That’s a good question…(pauses for a moment thinking.) I think it was because of the record label. I think the record label was kind of trying to put this whole thing together to kind of make a super group. Why didn’t they make another record after this I don’t know. I guess every one scattered into the wind. Also record labels weren’t thinking back then like they are today. It was a single business and not an album business until RUNDMC proved that rap albums can sell. So I guess the guys Cory and Steven were really short sighted at the impact hip hop was having even though they were selling records.<\/p>\n My question to you Troy is who the hell sang “The All Stars need no music, The all stars need no music?” Who was that Kool Kyle Star Child or somebody, who was that?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Probably T.J. Swan or somebody.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah but mostly the east coast of course because the music was east coast, Philly, D.C. you know that kind of stuff.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Actually, now this is some funny s— we toured with a lot of people such as L.L. and Biz Marky. We did the first date at Madison Square Garden for the Fresh Fest Tour and it was jammed pack. Two things I can put on my resume I played the Apollo and I played Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Wow, Bobby Womack!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- We played Bobby Womack twice. You know back when we were doing it Hip-hop was brand new on tour so what they would do is they would have their R&B artist and then they would slip a rapper in there.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Of course they were.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Of course.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- He was cool, he was totally cool. Bobby Womack was a complete gentleman, I love Bobby Womack. When he use to sing he would take his shoes off and perform in his socks and he was incredible.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Dana Dane loved us and he looked up to us a little bit because he was younger. I loved him too.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Probably but Profile didn’t like roll us out on tour together like the Profile All Stars. It wasn’t nothing like that and RUNDMC soon as they got on they were gone, they were like a rocket ship out of space. Dudes were still on their bicycles.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- We didn’t want to make a record with them and they didn’t want to make a record with us. They had RUNDMC and they were taking off and that was the end of it. So we filed for a release and after about 2 months they released us.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well it depends because it is tough to negotiate out with the record label, they were like wait a minute we own this and that, so it was nothing, the publishing wasn’t worth anything, the masters they owned that. We were like go ahead, look we didn’t like them but we didn’t hate them we were cool with them. We did Corey Robinsons brothers Bar Mitzvah. So we always had a rapport with them. It wasn’t like, “Yo I’m going to come up there and if I don’t get mines its going to be some gun blaze!” It wasn’t that, we weren’t that and they weren’t that, they were just two Jewish kids.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No I worked at the Wiz electronic store for a while over on 47th street that was what we called electronics row and while there I sold Walter Cronkite a television, that’s my highlight. While I was there Andre was working at Rush.<\/p>\n He hooked up with Russell and kept going and that might be one of the reasons why the group dismantled because Dre became really interested in the business side of it more than I did and he wanted to see what was going on and he knew that the end was coming. So he hooked up with Russell and they became tight friends and did that. So from there Tyrone Williams called me and said, “Yo I know you know this business come over here and work with me at Cold Chilling Records.”<\/p>\n Fly Ty<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I was his promotion man first, this was when they first signed Big Daddy Kane. Biz, Shante and Shan were there.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Oh my God, long live the Kane. My job was to get the Vapors played on BLS. (We both laugh.)<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Let me tell you something they were like who the hell are you first of all and why the hell are you here! It was just so bad at that time because rap wasn’t being played. Especially black radio, they really shunned it. You talked earlier about black musicians shunning rappers try black program directors shunning rappers. So it just wasn’t successful, but every week I would go down there and then one week Tyrone called me at WBLS and said come back to the office and let me talk to you. I said whoa. Usually I take the train back, this time I walked back. When I got there he said I am firing you from promotions but listen I am hiring you as a publicist. So that was how I became the publicist over there. This was because he missed an important interview with Cynthia Horne of Right on Magazine so that was the reason why I was the publicist. My job to move all the artist around, I was also coordinating everybody with the publicity department at Warner Brothers. I guess I was doing a pretty good job with them as I became tight with them and Warner brothers hired me to run black publicity.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yo Troy I went from my desk facing a window with an air conditioner facing me, to a window looking out an Office on 75 Rock, overlooking Central Park and a credit card.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well I think it is the ability to communicate plus I was young and I had the energy. The guy that recruited me saw my energy and he knew rap was going to be big. At that time they had Ice Tee over there and the whole Cold Chilling label over there. They didn’t know too much about all this so they was like lets hire this guy, bring him over and he can work with some of the bigger acts and still manage Cold Chillin.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- It was great, I remember we went to Nashville Tennessee and I was like I am in Nashville which use to be the firecracker capital of the United States as far as fire workers are concern. So we decided to get us some fire workers and we went inside a place that looked like a Wal-Mart, you could take these shopping carts and load up all these fireworks, you can’t do this today post 911. We went back to our hotel and it was shaped like an L. Some balcony’s can face each other and we started firing rockets into each room as well as firing at each other. What happen, the hotel room caught on fire and we got kicked out.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Me, Marly, M.C. Shan, Kane, Scob and Scrap you might as well said all of them. And Biz homeboy T.J. Swan he was something else! So there were lots of crazy but funny situations. Tyrone was tough but he was fair. Tyrone was everybody’s father.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Magic was cool, remember when I told you about Lasker Rink? When we went to go get the speakers we went down to Canal street. It was Mr. Magic that sold us the speakers, this was earlier on but he sold us some speakers with no crossovers that burnt out on us and we went back angrier then a mother f—–! But he fixed the problem.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- He was arrogant but he was Mr. Magic, he use to be with Frankie Croker! The whole city is on yours and at that time he was getting 2 grand a night to show up somewhere plus, what n——s were giving you money on the side just to play their record. Mr. Magic was pulling down 300 Grand! Some stupid number probably and he was the king of New York. “Come to my party and d.j. Magic, come to my party Magic just to show up.” He was getting paid.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Apollonia, George Benson, Chaka Khan, Al B Sure, Christopher Williams, Rick James.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Rick and I had fun, my first job was to take Cynthia Horner up to Buffalo to hang out and interview Rick James.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yo Troy we got snowed in and I ended up being there for two days with Rick James. He’s incredible with a great spirit. He was the first person to introduce me to sushi.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well the Juice Crew was there but they needed someone to communicate that, but at that point they were grooming me to be an executive. I would fly back and forth to L.A. and New York. I would fly with the artist, maybe Chaka Kahn or George Benson I would be at the concerts. I was beyond Cold Chilling. From there I went to A&M of records. Gill Friesen of A&M Records did a headhunter search and called me at my office. He said this is Gill Friesen President of A&M Records I want to talk to you. From there I became head of A&R at A&M Records. Dealing with the A&R I dealt with Barry White but not too much with Janet Jackson. There were a lot of old artiest they wanted me to deal with. I dealt with Tragedy. You remember the Intelligent Hoodlum?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well I signed him. I signed Groove be Chill. So A&M was great they were the ones that moved me into the film business.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Correct I was doing film with Barry Michael Cooper and then Andre called me and he did a bigger deal for me at Universal to do film and TV. and Andre said I want you to come and run it. Being as I was already in L.A. I was like cool I’ll run it.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well I think of it this way, I think of my career as steps on a ladder and each one is a small step and you don’t know where it is going to take you. When I started as a publisher I didn’t know I was going to write\u00a0 a movie. When I wrote a movie I didn’t think I was going to publish a book but I know I am now. You know your life is in water and a lot of people live their lives on a ramp with a motorcycle and jet skis. I don’t live my life like that and I am very fortunate and very blessed I believe.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Jessica Alba in the movie Honey. That was my first screen play ever written.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Never.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well it doesn’t depend on the medium it depends on the message and I think you can plug that message into any medium if you can communicate it right and that is why I believe the education part is important in terms of getting people to understand.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes absolutely, I think that is the case, you grow more confident. Let me tell you something I didn’t talk to girls before I started rapping.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well I want to make it clear I was involve with the development of the show but I don’t have a producers credit on it. One of the things that happened was when I came out to L.A. in the early 90’s Hip Hop was at its high point, not only musically but from the business stand point as well. Like the boutique record labels were at an all time high with L.A. Face, Def Jam, Uptown etc. and these were like really big power houses that had like big acts with big money behind them. This was during the time half a million dollar video budgets weren’t nothing. So because of the power hip hop had Hollywood was starting to take notice, just as they did in the 70’s, they were taking notice of black power and the coolness.\u00a0 The new cool became hip hop and of course Hollywood was going to take advantage of that. So you started seeing movies like Boys in the Hood, New Jack City, Colors, Fresh Prince etc and it was really reflecting the life that was going on in the streets.<\/p>\n So we got there in the height of it and Andre and I decided that I was going to go out there and run the Film company and Andre was going to stay in New York and run the record company. The reason why we decided to do that because he could have hired…let me put it to you this way a lot of people were clamoring for that job to be President of Uptown Entertainment for television because Andre was on fire and the record label was on fire. We had access to all of the acts on the label.<\/p>\n So there were a lot of Black executives in Hollywood already that were like “ah me me me me!” And to Andres credit he said no to them and said, “you’re going to do it Alonzo.” Because I was just going to go and eventually kind of over see it and then have some one run it that had expertise. But the more I thought about it I was like look the only thing I do not know is how to make moves in Hollywood. I do have the instinct for what is right. My only learning curve is how I maneuver in this town so being from New York I thought this is a hustle! All it is is selling, the product is different so I just put my hustle hat on. The first thing I decided I was going to do was open up a restaurant because I knew if I opened up a restaurant all the stars are coming because there was no Black restaurants at the time.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- So I found a spot in Beverly Hills<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- What I did was I found a spot in Beverly Hills and walked into the restaurant and it was empty on a Thursday night, there might have been 3 people in there. I was like what’s is this, so I made a deal with the owners, I said look I will bring the people just put some chicken on the menu and whatever else you got on the menu is cool just get some fried chicken on it. (We both laugh.) I told him that’s all you got to do. I said we are going to rename the restaurant and reopen it under me and my partners name. We are going to call it The Pyramid. We named it that after the pyramids in Egypt. For us it meant the pinnacle, the top. The first night Andre came and Vanity Fair was following him. Russell came, Suzanne Dupasse came, Vanessa Williams, Wesley Snipes, Dr. Dre, Snoop all came.<\/p>\n It was crazy, everybody came. Word of mouth was so big that people from New York were coming to open a restaurant in Hollywood that it was a tremendous night. So all of a sudden we have all this energy, so I said alright I got these people so now fast forward to New York Undercover. Our first year on the lot at Universal we had some successes. The way the television business works is this, you go and you pitch a project, the studio says yes and then you go find a writer or you bring a writer in. Then you option a script, if the script is approved then they shoot a pilot, if the pilot test well then they put it on the air.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- So what happened with me and Andre is we would get to the script part every time. We did things with Chris Cross and Heavy Dee but nothing happen. The one with Heavy Dee was one with a fat over weight lover, and it was about him raising his kids or whatever. Chris Cross was really hot at the time. It was a half hour show.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- But it didn’t work. The premise was two rambunctious kids trying to get in the music business.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right and we wanted to do something with him but it just didn’t come about. So we were very frustrated because it was our first year. We got close to the door but it never really happened.\u00a0 So we said this is what we are going to do we are going to find the baddest mother f—– on the lot at Universal. Like who was the biggest fish because obviously the big fish was the one that was moving the whole thing around. So we found Dick Wolf. Dick Wolf started on Miami Vice which was one of our favorite shows. He also had the Law and Order series. So we sat there with Dick Wolf and said suppose you sat Miami Vice in Harlem!<\/p>\n Dick Wolf<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well what I would do is I would throw the line out there so to speak and fish and once I knew I hooked it Andre would come in and we both would reel in the fish.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Sure that’s how we operated. So Dick Wolf loved the idea and that’s how we got started. So we tested it and it went through the roof at Fox and at that time Fox was big on Black programming. They had Living Single, Living Color, Martin, you know, they were on the come up. If you look at SVU Ice Tee started on Undercover.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- ….(Mr. Hyde pauses thinking.)<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Malik came out of nowhere. I wish I had the audition tapes for you. The first choice we had was Allen Payne aka G Money from New Jack City and Jason’s Lyric.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right. Al was G Money and we knew if we got G who wouldn’t watch that! So we were real excited about that. So originally we wanted two Black men, then they wanted a white boy in there so we brokered in the middle with a Puerto Rican.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well yeah in the end it balanced itself out and television shows find their groove and certainly New York Undercover found its groove. As well it was our insistence that we have Mtume do the music. There has never been another music supervisor other then Mike Post on the Law and Order show or the Dick Wolf show.<\/p>\n Bob Pickett, Bob Slade and Mtume<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Mtume did a record with us called Lucy’s Rap. We loved Mtume and he won a Grammy for music compositions. So we were like let’s give it to Mtume.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Real heavy cat, I love him. So that is how we got Mtume. I am very proud of that show. We shot the pilot and a guy name Kevin Arkadie he was a great writer and he wrote the pilot. There were a lot of afro American input and work and jobs because of New York Undercover.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- At the moment all I can remember was Miguel Nunez coming in the room and he put his leg up and opened up his jacket like a cop about to interview. He had the badge on his belt just like a real DT. (Undercover Police Officer or Detective.) I was like this dude is serious.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes he was good people.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well it’s because I already worked for Uptown and one of the things I didn’t want to do was hem myself into one project. Like I would have had to move back to New York and like you know the show was being shot in New York. I didn’t want to do that and I felt like there was more work to be done out in California. Because we had success and it opened up so many doors. There were two guys that came out to L.A. and in two years they have a television show on the air. Its unheard of. “Who is this!” So I knew more fruit was on the tree to pick. If I left I would be leaving the tree. Of course 4 years later the show was cancelled because of contract issues with Dick Wolf but by that time me and Dre were already out and Dre was now President of Motown Records. Now when Dre got that spot I became President of Motown Entertainment and my job was to use the Motown brand to make some television shows. When I moved over their my daughter was about 8 years old at the time and because I am watching a lot of television with her I got to really notice Nickelodeon which was really starting to come off at that time. So as I am watching I said you know there is really nothing here that reflects a Black family, Disney never did it.<\/p>\n Nickelodeon was suppose to be the alternative and it is the alternative to Disney. So out of nowhere I thought about this idea…remember Alf?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well remember little Penny that was like a puppet to who was suppose to be the real Penny Hardaway?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde-\u00a0 Right and it had the voice of Chris Rock. Penny Hardaway was his cousin or whatever. I was looking at this saying to myself man this is a movie, a movie about a puppet who’s cousin was a basketball player and everybody will treat him like a regular. So the basketball player leaves for a weekend and the puppet throws a party so I say to myself damn that’s a great idea. So I call Chris Rock and he says it ain’t going to happen. I say why and he says because I got the voice, Nike owns the rights and it’s about Penny Hardaway and he’s got rights too. So I go in another direction.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well I was pitching Lil Penny and let’s make a movie, I didn’t tell him about the Cousin Skeeter part. When you tell somebody something and they reject it two things happen. Either you pull back and say to yourself ah man that’s messed up I guess it’s not going to happen or you figure another way around it. I knew dealing with Chris, Nikey, Denny and others it would be nothing but a headache. So why not start fresh. Remember this, television is not about stars, televisions makes stars! Nobody knew Jackie Gleason, nobody knew Lucile Ball or Archie Bunker you know what I mean?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Bingo and now people are coming back to television because people don’t go to the movies.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes and now you have premium television with HBO and Showtime so you see a lot of actors and actress going heavy because they can still exercise their craft.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yes, exactly. So like I said I went in another direction, remember Alf well I had a Black Alf that lives with the Cosby family and that is My Cousin Skeeter. So I pitched it to a friend of mine name Brian Robins a big time director now and he loved the idea. So we pitched it to Nickelodeon and they loved it. So we went on and started shooting it and Bill Bellamy was the voice of Skeeter.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- It was the first urban kid show that Nickelodeon ever had besides Keenan and Kel, and the same guy that produced that produced My Cousin Skeeter.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- PolyGram already owned Motown and they are a multimedia company at the time. They owned Island records as well as Motown and a bunch of others and they had a couple of television and films companies as well. So they had these media entity’s and they saw me as an extension. So I got a deal with them and they were actually in the process of producing a show called Motown Live. With Motown Live we were going to combine the classic artist with artists of today. So we had Destiny’s Child with Chaka Kahn. George Clinton with somebody like maybe Usher. So we had different combinations which were really weird but each one would pay homage to each other and then they would do something together.<\/p>\n So that was an interesting business for me because it took me into the syndication business which was different then the network business. Syndication business is you create a product and then you sell it to the stations. The network business is we own the network and we are going to produce it ourselves out of our pocket. So that happened and two years later a friend of mines invited me to The House of Blues. I was sitting in this chair and next to me was this young judge. So we started talking and come to find out we had a lot in common. He was down here pitching, he had a book idea that he was pitching to HBO. So after listening to him I realized this guy is a personality. At the time there was only two judge shows on television Judge Judy and Judge Brown.<\/p>\n So I took Judge Mathis over to Warner Brothers and introduced him to the people over there and in one day made that deal. One day and he has been on Television every since. It was shot in Chicago so I had a chance to live there for a while also, see I didn’t want to pigeon hole myself like that. So as time goes by my deal at PolyGram fell out because Universal came and bought it. So I was informed my contract was over. So there I was having a desk and office to go to for years and now it was over. You know the security blanket a lot of executives enjoyed, credit card, car allowance, expense account, hotel all that was over. I was like whoa, what am I going to do! So I thought about it and I knew I still wanted to be in the entertainment business of course but I can’t direct yet because nobody is going to hire me to direct yet. I don’t want to act because that is too painful.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah, I don’ t like people telling me no, the hell with ya’ll. But I said I can write so I decided to write and again I decided to look back at my daughter and by this time she was 15 and she was a young lady and at the time music video was really big and just like I said early I would take Miami Vice and bring it into Harlem I thought about the music video business which was fun, electric, exciting all that tied up and the dancing was always good. I said why don’t we make Flashdance for this generation using music video and I sat down and wrote Honey. Now let me say this Troy here is the power of getting up off your ass too. You know my job has always been to go on the road and pitch an idea to somebody and somebody else does all the work? I went around to 7 people that I knew who were big writers and said what about this idea and they were not thrilled with it, they all rejected it and it wasn’t because it wasn’t a good idea, it was because they had their own work and maybe some of them didn’t like it but the point I am trying to make is I had to sit down and write and that made me a writer.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- If everybody had not rejected my idea I would never have written a movie. You know more than anything in this interview I wanted to tell my story, but I wanted to teach a lesson.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Very important to me.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- We did.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde-\u00a0 Yes<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well thank you I appreciate it, but what we did was we made the party a business. That’s what we did you know what I mean, we weren’t just partying. Sure there were times we got in trouble but it was also an extension of the brand just like Playboy!<\/p>\n Playboy was about having fun and having women but it was really about extending the Playboy brand. That’s what we did.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Yeah and that’s what we did. It was always about extending the brand. Look at Puffy he gets paid to party, he is the ultimate extension of the brand, think about it.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- He partied so much and made it a business, they pay him to come and party, no one has ever did that before. Nobody!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- I enjoyed it. I like it like that. I don’t…listen there is a price to pay for everything and I am not prepared to pay those prices. It was never about money for me Troy, it was never about money. I live a simple life and I am cool with that. I am back in New York, but when I was in L.A. I played golf every day. I own a surf board and a Mercedes convertible. I drive up and down the coast. I jump in the water, I don’t have to work. I don’t have millions of dollars but to me quality of life is not about millions of dollars it’s about what’s valuable to you.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Right and what you find important. I am 50 years old now my kids are grown, beautiful and successful at what they do and don’t have to work, there’s nothing wrong with that.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- See people don’t know there was a lot of pressure put on Dre.\u00a0 Dre started out with a boutique music label, meaning like when you walk through a hat boutique store, which means I own this hat store. Uptown Records was a boutique as well as La Face was a boutique, it was run and owned by individuals not a corporation. Even though Universal and MCA owned Uptown, at Uptown they took their time to make the records they wanted to make. There was no agenda from the corporate side. So when Jodeci first came out everybody said let’s put out the up tempo record and Dre said no the ballads are hot.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- They put out the up tempo record and it bombed. If that was a major label Jodeci might have been over but they had time to pull it back regroup and put this other record out. But when Andre got to Motown you couldn’t do stuff like that. You had schedules, it was cookie cutter at that point it was not about creating a great hotel experience for your hotel guest, it’s about putting the hotel up!<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No question it was 3 presidents before Andre got there. So those were the type of dynamics he had to deal with.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- No<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Listen I thank God that I had the life that I had as a rapper. I am so thankful for all of that but as far as going back to that it’s not something I feel at the moment, I have to feel it.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Nope! I listen to CD’s. Here’s what I think and I think it’s a great analogy people ask me that all the time. Hip Hop to me is a like a supermarket. You walk in and you have different types of fruit, you have apples, oranges, pears, banana’s, cherries and the analogy is is you have LL Cool Jay, Public Enemy RUNDMC, Queen Latifah and Big Daddy Kane they all looked sounded and acted differently. You didn’t even have to be in the room, you could be in your kitchen and the record is playing in the living room and you knew who it was. Today you walk into that same supermarket and you have nothing but apples. Nobody looks different, nobody acts different and nobody sounds different! Give me a description of 5 mother f—–, their all the same and I dare anybody to tell me different and show it to me.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- It was generational that is what you are saying.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Nope, nope no.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Thank you. I want to know, where the f— is R&B? R&B has been around 50 to 100 years, where’s R&B?<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- When he first came out he was Neo- Soul. Now we have to qualify cats in R&B to have something.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- So once again where is R&B? Maybe its generational. My son is 17 he let me listen to one of his favorite hip hop artist and he sad this guy is the next Jay Z. I say really! Show some records. Don’t tell me about your hits on You Tube. When people buy your work then you are important.<\/p>\n Mr. Hyde- Well check this there is nothing that has not already been said. Show me something. Show me something new. Like Queen Latifiah said who you calling a B—-! LL said I need love and Momma Said knock you out. Public Enemy said Fight the Power. RUNDMC said were the King of Rock. Think about those different thoughts and positions that’s total universal right there. Hip hop is a tree of many branches. Today we got a little bush in my opinion. But I want to end this piece with this “I Owe It All to Hip Hop.”\u00a0 Thank you Troy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Want to give thanks to Alonzo Brown aka Mr. Hyde of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and they are definitely Legends in the Hip Hop Game. <\/em><\/p>\n Also want to give thanks to Joey Conzo photographer for the Cold Crush Brothers for his pictures added to this interview as well as Doug Taylor and Chuck Foster for those two beautiful Harlem World pictures.<\/em><\/p>\n Much props always has to go out to my brother Sure Shot La Rock for his contribution of his flyers to this interview. <\/em><\/p>\n As well much respect is due to the members of the oldschoolhiphop.com message board. A very knowledgeable group of members who have contributed to many of my interviews. I always look forward to sharing what I know and what I have learned with them as well as pick their brain. <\/em><\/p>\n I want to thank The Lord for my beautiful Wife India my two son’s Shemar and Troy jr. and my daughter L’Oreal! <\/em><\/p>\n Praise God and God Bless you all. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Troy’s Back with another Hip Hop Legend… Mr Hyde!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[58,57,17,56],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3275"}],"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=3275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/h5>\n
Troy- Alright my brother thank you for your time today. I like to get right to the beginning of time. Where were you born and raised?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So what high school did you go to.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde02.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Norman Thomas would have been beautiful for you with all those girls in there. It was like eight girls to one guy.<\/h5>\n
Troy- How many years does your brother have on you and how many brothers and sisters do you have?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Was it co-ed?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde03.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- That is correct, those cars were fresh back then.<\/h5>\n
Troy- My man Rick that use to run numbers from around the way had a white 98 with white interior.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Sometimes I wonder if you could rock a 98 today.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So you said Love Bug Star Ski was in there with you also.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So when did you first start hearing hip hop?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde04.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde05.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde06.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- You caught the bug immediately?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Do you remember who that was that night that said, \u201cThrow your hands up in the air\u201d?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde07.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- O.K. I thought that might have been Donald Dee or Bee Fats, but Love Bug was a star up in there as well.<\/h5>\n
Troy- How old were you at this time?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So you never heard anything about hip hop before that, everything else was R&B and stuff like that?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So how old were you guys at this time and did you actually have two turntables, speakers and everything else that came with a system?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So you also took requests from the Ice skaters?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So once in a while you might get some request for some Burt Bacharach or something like that?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde08.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Yes you are right, the city tried to fix up Wolman but they kept doing it wrong so Trump took over after looking at this eye sore from his window facing the park and he took care of it.\u00a0 So this was just before you went into high school. Did you hear anyone else playing music out in the street?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So the skating rink was getting pack now?<\/h5>\n
The Talk of the Town<\/h4>\n
Jams<\/h1>\n
by Mark Singer February 6, 1978<\/h4>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde09.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde10.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde11.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nTroy- So you guys rock the skating rink and you get super open going up to The Renaissance to see those guys play, what followed?<\/h5>\n
\nWhites records or whatever I could find and take the needle back every time he started to sing and write my own rhymes. Then I would rehearse them in the mirror, you know s— that kids do now I was doing back then, but n——s thought I was crazy. Like I would be walking down the street talking to myself, or talking to myself on the train, you know s— like that. At that time we had a community center called the sweat box in Clinton Projects, building 1505.\u00a0 My man Champ who was the promoter of the sweat box and that was because his mother had the key to the place because she worked for housing. So he use to throw parties in this joint. There was nothing in this place but they use to kind of d.j. and whatever. I begged my mom’s to buy me a microphone and I got up on a school chair and started rapping and this was the first time I ever did it out side of my room and this wasn’t with Dre or nothing, this was just me. So after that I just started going and going and going. I got so good that Champ had to start paying me and then I met Andre in high school.<\/p>\nTroy- So you guys didn’t know each other before Hughes?<\/h5>\n
Troy- I\u2019m going to front I use to love playing spades in Brandies high. I guess all schools played cards in the lunch room back then.<\/h5>\n
Troy- O.k. so now you over there in Clinton Projects but for some reason I always thought Andre was from over there as well.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde12.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde13.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde14.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde15.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Taft and King Towers as well?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Schomberg?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So when you first started hanging out with Andre did you go up to the Bronx as well to hangout?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So how did you feel about the sound being as you coming from Harlem and people are saying it started in the Bronx?<\/h5>\n
Troy- (Troy busts out laughs.) You know a lot of people would have said Brooklyn but I understand where you are coming from.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde16.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde17.jpg\")
Maybe it was in Brooklyn but I certainly wasn’t going to Brooklyn, there was no reason for me to go to Brooklyn. I was from Harlem and Harlem was right. Harlem would definitely scare you but Harlem had everything you needed close by.<\/p>\nTroy- Harlem was like a great big mall itself!<\/h5>\n
Troy- Damn Champagne Cologne that’s right.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Yeah that was a nice joint. Polo and Royal Copenhagen were my favorites back then.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde18.jpg\")
<\/h5>\nTroy- That is correct I wore it practicality every day in high school.<\/h5>\n
Troy- No doubt but the thing is is you have to get the right bottle, because if you go to the wrong store it doesn’t smell the same as if they cut it wrong.<\/h5>\n
Troy- That’s right and the best place for that would be Macy’s and maybe Bloomingdales.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Yeah that’s the bootlegging snake\u2019s location. Even if you go to a drug store it is cut wrong.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Alright so what solidified your relationship with Andre that you were going to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and where did the two of you get the name?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde19.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde20.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- I got you, but to be honest you and Andre never did any routines pertaining to that type of persona.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So did you and Andre leave together to go to Franklin high school?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Did it help a little?<\/h5>\n
Troy- But all the ball players were there.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So there was no hustling aka selling drugs for you?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde21.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/h5>\n
Troy- Was Louie Lou Spanish or Black?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde22.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- (back to seriousness.) Sorry to hear that. How did you guys go from D.J. Louie Lou to D.J. Ronnie Green (Aka Captain Rock later on.)<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde23.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Damn I never heard of this crew. Who were the members?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde24.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- I remember Ronnie Green very well from when I use to play for the Riverside Warriors for one year and he was playing running back for us.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So how did Louie Lou and his entourage feel about you and Andre leaving to go to Ronnie Green?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So what year would you say this was?<\/h5>\n
Troy- I remember seeing him refereeing the basketball games as well as doing the books for the games along with funny ass Gumby.<\/h5>\n
Troy- The King Towers basketball tournament was the bomb.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde25.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Although you guys continued to call yourselves Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde you also went under the name The Get High Crew once you got with Ronnie Green.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So now you guys take it to the next level and go across the street from King Towers into Harlem World!<\/h5>\n
Troy- How did you and Andre get to Harlem World and be a part of The Harlem World Crew?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde26.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So now you guys are making a name for yourselves, did you also perform up in the Bronx at The T- Connection or say Ecstasy Garage?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde27.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde28.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- I am surprise to hear that, those are the brothers that made Release Yourself.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde29.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- O.K. and you did a solo record with Aleem but you were still with Andre?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So how did Andre feel about it?<\/h5>\n
Troy- This O.C. you are referring to is one of Fat Jack’s right hand men or tough guy?<\/h5>\n
Troy- I read about him, nothing really jumped off for him until he left Fat Jack or after Fat Jack died.<\/h5>\n
Troy- This is the first time I am hearing this I was always under the impression Fat Jack did more of the running of it then even D.J. Randy.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So after reading the interview I did with Charlie Rock about Harlem World do you feel he was pretty accurate?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde30.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Charlie told me that only a few select people knew about him, Son of Sam and others living on that 3rd floor.<\/h5>\n
Troy- He said you and Andre knew as well as Caz and Busy Bee, just the more popular guys in the game at that time. What do you remember back in those days of Harlem World?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So you took that ride to Detroit was it to promote one of your records?<\/h5>\n
Troy- In what matter would you say that?<\/h5>\n
Troy- But as far as the living arrangements on the 3rd floor there were times he was housing people that had nothing to do with hip hop down stairs in the living room?<\/h5>\n
Troy- The point I am trying to make is some people that stayed on that 3rd floor had nothing to do with hip hop, they weren’t even going to the parties. They were staying there sleeping and probably going to work the next day and coming back as if it was an apartment.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde31.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So what bought on your first record with The Harlem World Crew?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Ronnie Green was cool with this?<\/h5>\n
Troy- In fact you guys actually inspired the whole Captain Rock idea and bought it to Ronnie Green.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So as you guys are making your bones in the streets of Harlem and other places how did you guys feel about the groups like Cold Crush, Furious, Treacherous etc.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde32.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde33.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde34.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So while you and Andre were thinking so positive about your careers how were you still able to stay so close to Johnny Wa and Rayvon who at that time were attached to the streets and when I say that meaning attached to the life of crime while still doing shows and parties up in Harlem World and other places along the circuit of hip hop during that time.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde35.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Did you know them before the four of you touched the mic?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Give me an idea of crazy.<\/h5>\n
Troy- I heard.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Yes I heard a lot of good things about Spivey as a D.J. back in those days. What turned you guys on to wearing suites regularly during shows?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde36.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Brothers wanted to get money hustling but the real American dream for us was to come uptown with that suit and tie from Wall Street. That was the real American dream for us because it meant legit money and you could dress fresh and the police wasn\u2019t chasing you.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So it is safe to say both of you were getting off of work from downtown kind of late and went into Harlem World with your same suit on…<\/h5>\n
Troy- …and started rocking the party!<\/h5>\n
Troy- Yes I remember when I was a young teenager and you two were doing your thing. Ya’ll stood out very much, in fact I don’t even remember seeing your face, I just remember seeing the suits!<\/h5>\n
Troy- You and Andre’s name was very interesting in itself but the suits took you guys over the top. How did the competition feel about you guys dressing like that?<\/h5>\n
Troy- The reason why I say that because the Fantastic I am pretty sure were the first to perform in the tuxedos, then Cold Crush followed with suits, ties and machine guns, as well as Funky Four plus one more rocked suits also. Was there ever a time people noticed you with those fly suits on or whatever and people were like damn look at these dudes.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So no hate?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So is there anything you can remember Andre saying to you pertaining to the suits?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So what came across your mind before you seen him? Did you feel, “Man I am tired of these suits and ties, I got this dope warm up suit I’m going to rock this instead!”<\/h5>\n
Troy- Why did the two of you leave the Harlem World Crew?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Before we get to Genius of Rap was there a time you were almost about to become a pilot in the Air Force?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So how was you able to finagle out of that?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Also with the Air Force you had to go to college.<\/h5>\n
Troy- I guess they are on a different level then the Army.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Now with that Genius of Rap that was a beautiful jam it sounded better musically than any other Genius of Love attempt.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Did a live band do the mix for you guys?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So there wasn’t any repercussions from that, like someone trying to sue you?<\/h5>\n
Troy- O.K. and I didn’t realize that was your first one and I guess because the first one out the box was a hit as Jekyll and Hyde.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde37.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde38.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So being as you saved the company how did they respond to that?<\/h5>\n
Troy- I understand, you didn’t realize what you had until afterwards.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Before we get deeper into Profile do you recall any battles with two men crews or any one such as Caz and J.D.L. or L.A. and Moe Dee etc.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde39.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde40.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde41.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Well that was my next question, what was your entourage like because all crews had gangs behind them whether they wanted them or not. Flash had The Casanovas, B Fats and Donald Dee had The Sapphire crew, Johnny Wa and Rayvon had The Cigar Mob etc.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So do you remember the name of the gang or crew from your project?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So by the time you were making music they we breaking apart?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde42.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- I remember when I was young at different times of my life someone would say, “Get me John Johnson!”<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde43.jpg\")
<\/h5>\nTroy- John Johnson was a cool brother with his signature afro. One day I was talking to D.J. M.C. Les Love of the crew Solo Sounds who today owns the bowling alley here in Harlem known as Harlem Lanes and he told me back to the days of Harlem World, all of you guys were up in there and Mr. Magic had did a show similar to Soul Train on WHT, which back then was known as Wometco Home Theater. It use to be on channel 67 or 68 I believe this is during the time when there was no cable television.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde44.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- O.k. but he said it was a one hour show and it was similar to Soul Train but it was a hip hop thing and Cold Crush and other known crews participated and it was going to be a real good look but quite naturally someone came in and shot up the place.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Exactly<\/h5>\n
Troy- What avenue on 140th street did they live in?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Legendary 7th and 8th avenue on 140th street! (We both laugh.) I thought you were going to say that.<\/h5>\n
Troy- It was unbelievable how one block had so much power as say a whole housing project would.\u00a0 Yo I use to always hear dudes say “yo be careful going into that block.” I knew dudes that hustled in that block that got killed. I even heard stories about people even driving their cars real fast through the block so the light would not catch them so they would not get robbed or shot if they had to stop because the light.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So were you guys in the middle of the Jekyll and Hyde movement when you inspired Ronnie Green to do Captain Rock?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde45.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So how did you and Andre met these guys to get on Profile Records?<\/h5>\n
Troy- I was very surprised that Aleem was connected to Fat Jack and that they went that far uptown.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So what was it like working for or with Cory Robbins and Steve Plotnicki?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde46.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Were you able to keep all of your rights.<\/h5>\n
Troy- And that was the main one.<\/h5>\n
Troy- No I don’t mean it like that and I understand what you are saying but just the idea that they did it like that and we were all young and no one knew, but they knew.<\/h5>\n
Troy- And this was going on long before Hip hop so it’s no excuse like they all didn’t know. “No you label owners did know!”<\/h5>\n
Troy- So with the record Genius of Rap you and Andre saved the company by bringing them out of the red?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So what was there response at that moment when they realized you and Dre helped them better than anyone could?<\/h5>\n
Troy- How did they show it?<\/h5>\n
Troy- …so there were expectations of greater things to come behind what the two of you did for them.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Did you guys ever switch over to production for Profile towards the end?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So who was doing production for you guys at that time?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde47.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Yeah Larry is in a whole different ball field. Did ya’ll try and do at least one or two tracks with Larry?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So why not?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Did you guys bring Pumpkin over to Profile from Enjoy?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So how did you get on the cut Pumpkins All Stars?<\/h5>\n
Troy- You know something I never thought about asking anyone about that. That’s a good question.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Nah I hear what you saying but I always got the impression it was Pumpkin that was singing those chorus lines.\u00a0 (Note: Props to TG of the Oldschool Radiohour he told me during one of his shows he invited me on that it was Fly Ty singing the chorus. Thanks Buddy.) So did you do a lot of touring with Profile?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So who were some of the groups or crews you were touring with?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Who played the Apollo with you?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Word Bobby Womack from Across 110th street?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde48.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde49.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So how was it working with Bobby Womack because in my travels of interviewing often I have learned that the acts were jealous of the hip hop artist.<\/h5>\n
Troy- As well they looked at ya’ll as less then true musicians.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So how did Bobby respond to you and Andre, was he cool with it?<\/h5>\n
Troy- What about Dana Dane?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Did you do any shows with him?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So what bought on the end of Jekyll and Hyde and Profile?<\/h5>\n
Troy- I am glad to hear that because some dudes take a year or 2 and others never get released.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So when you walked away from Profile did you and Andre go through a hiatus and you guys went back to your 9 to 5’s or did you go straight to Uptown Records?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde50.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde51.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- What part did you play over there?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde52.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So you came at the right time.<\/h5>\n
Troy- How did that work out for you?<\/h5>\n
Troy- You went from Fly Ty to Warner Brothers, damn that was a good jump!<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde53.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So what bought on the switch?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So before we get into Warner Brothers how was that for you working with Cold Chillin?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Who were some of the dudes involved?<\/h5>\n
Troy- What about Mr. Magic?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde54.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- From time to time people have told me he was pretty arrogant, how was it for you working with him?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So who was actually on the roster at that time when you were at Warner Brothers?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Damn Rick James. I just read his book he was off the hook.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde55.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- (Troy starts laughing.)<\/h5>\n
Troy- So at that time there was no hip hop at Warner Brothers, were you there to inspire Warner Brothers to bring hip hop acts or were you there to bring the hip hop acts?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde56.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Yes.<\/h5>\n
Troy- And the next step was New York Undercover.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde57.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Did Andre complete Lehman College?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Do you ever from time to time say to yourself I didn’t complete college and it was just a few years ago I was in Harlem World wilin out with Ronnie Green and others and today I am the man!<\/h5>\n
Troy- For sure. What was the movie that you wrote?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde58.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- And you never went to school for writing?<\/h5>\n
Troy- So you just ready to be the renaissance man, you got your hand in everything.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So do you ever consider yourself as one of those people with a gift for gab or did your confidence just grew and grew over time?<\/h5>\n
Troy- I know how you feel, sweat use to roll down my arm pit when I use to try and talk to a girl. Now I tell brothers what to say to a girl because I fell so confident saying what I want to say. Alright the next thing that came up was New York Undercover.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde59.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Uhm, damn brother go ahead I’m listening.<\/h5>\n
Troy- (Troy starts laughing with a feeling of respect for Alonzo’s hustle.)<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde60.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde61.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- O.k.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde62.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde63.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- And what happened?<\/h5>\n
Troy- I’m surprised Heavy Dee didn’t work because he’s a pretty good actor or a talent on the come up at that time.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde64.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- So Andre was in L.A. working with you on this too? I say that because I know you said earlier Andre stayed in New York while you worked L.A..<\/h5>\n
Troy- I got you. Damn that’s your brother forever.<\/h5>\n
Troy-\u00a0 I know about Ice Tee, he played on probably 4 or 5 episodes as a bad guy. But was Malik Yoba your first choice?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde65.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- I ask you that because Malik Yoba as far as I know didn’t have a name at that time and ya’ll blew him up.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde66.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde67.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Damn, good actor right now he is playing in the sitcom by Tyler Perry called House of Payne.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Maybe it would have been cool with two black brothers but I dug the show just the way ya’ll had it.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Damn so how did you get Mtume because that is one deep brother, I listen to him on his Sunday morning radio show called Open Line with Bob Slate and Bob Picket. (98.7 FM Sunday mornings 10am.)<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde68.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- I know about Mtume, he use to run with Miles Davis.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Anyone else you can remember that tried out for New York Undercover?<\/h5>\n
Troy- He’s a good dude too. I like his work.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So now why would you keep your name out instead of putting it out there that you were the produce?<\/h5>\n
Troy-\u00a0 Right the puppet on a half hour sitcom.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde70.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde71.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Oh yeah, the Spike Lee commercial.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So Chris Rock said it was hot but we can’t because of these reasons…?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde72.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde73.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde74.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- For sure. Stars are made on t.v. and then they move on to the movies.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Yeah it cost too much and the material is not as good as it once was.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Yes and a lot of them are going back to theater as well.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde75.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- I remember that.<\/h5>\n
Troy- So what happened after My Cousin Skeeter?<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde76.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- You said it’s too painful? (Troy laughs.)<\/h5>\n
Troy- I understand.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Right<\/h5>\n
Troy- Well let me tell you something I have done many interviews and there is only a small percentage of you. Where Fellas or women’s lives have stepped up even more higher then when they were on a stage in Harlem World, The T- Connection, The Ecstasy Garage etc. Even though standing on that stage must have been the greatest feelings in the world you Mr. Hyde took your life what seems like 3 levels even higher and there is a small percentage of fellas in the game that have done that, but at the same time I like telling your story as well as the other legends because it seems as though a lot of times you guys partied every weekend…<\/h5>\n
Troy- …practically till the sun came up and you had no responsibility when it came to Monday through Friday as far as when it came to going to a 9 to 5 during the week. Not you personally but in general. Guys mostly hung out during the week and were dam near delinquents because they had the world at their feet…<\/h5>\n
Troy- …you were Kings at that moment, the drugs were free as well as the girls and whatever and after that hip hop life they still had that funky attitude and they never really did anything else. So it is always great to hear or for me to tell that story of a brother like yourself and other legends that have crossed over to something more.<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde77.jpg\")
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde78.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- Yes, Hugh Heffner kept that robe on but he was taking care of financial business behind closed doors.<\/h5>\n
Troy- You are exactly right.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Well let me ask you this why do you think you always stayed in the back ground when you were always there with your boy Andre Harrell?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Peace of mind.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Well I really appreciate you telling me your story because we watched you and Dre over the years but I never knew everything like the ins and outs of how all that was going and mostly we seen what Andre was going through with like all the rumors and stuff like that or the troubles he might have faced with Uptown Records and then with Motown and you cleared that part because I use to think, “I know Andre didn’t leave Motown just because he could not get any acts!”<\/h5>\n
![\"mrhyde\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/mrhyde79.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTroy- That’s right.<\/h5>\n
Troy- And Berry Gordy was gone by the time Andre got there.<\/h5>\n
Troy- I have to ask this question is there ever a time you and Andre talked to each other and say man one day we should get back on the stage and perform one of our records at a show or go to the Zulu Nation Anniversary and do a show?<\/h5>\n
Troy- (We both start laughing.) A whole different world you live in now.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Well let me ask you this how do you feel about hip hop today? Like do you turn to HOT97 today to listen to your hiphop?<\/h5>\n
Troy- Well I have to share this with you there are guys on these interne sites that will say if you listen you will find it, that hip hop is still out there and he is referring to that hip hop that we love and that hip hop that we miss because me personally Alonzo I miss it. I miss hip hop a great deal. It’s almost like a girl friend or a best friend is gone and you wondering when this person is coming back if that person is coming back at all. Then you have some people that will say, “you ain’t nothing but an old fogy.” So it makes me think back to the days when I first use to listen to the Cold Crush and my mother use to say what the hell is that you listening to because she did not understand it.<\/h5>\n
Troy- Right so that’s what I am thinking now, but my mother never heard hip hop before the Cold Crush, I heard hip hop before Lil Wayne. So is it generational and that’s why we are not feeling it because you got young boys that are loving it….<\/h5>\n
Troy- Plus there isn’t any hip hop track rocking the summer anymore or any season!<\/h5>\n
Troy- That’s crazy because I feel the same way. Maxwell is my dude but he doesn’t come out enough. John Legend doesn’t come out enough either. No one comes out every year like they use to.<\/h5>\n
Troy- (Troy laughs.)<\/h5>\n
Troy- I remember I would hear a hit on the radio and I would go outside right away and go to Bobby Robinsons record shop and buy the 45 and play it 20 times in a row. Today a person would go and buy a bootleg CD in a minute but you don’t even want that now because the music to me is that bad.<\/h5>\n