Hold up... I need your help. From the same tape that's labeled January 23rd, 1985 comes a portion of a show where there is a guest filling in for Mr. Magic. The question is, who is it? Anybody know? Could be obvious to some, but sometimes I just don't know these things. I hear Starchild on the mic, but he's not the main personality hosting the show. I dig how he has his own sign off, over New Edition's Is This The End -
We want you to keep the faith, keep the juice, and never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes, okay? Peace, love and happiness, and may the juice be with you. Ciao.
Mr. Magic: I can't wait to see that battle. I guess The Real Roxanne is not even included in this battle. I guess as they say, that's show biz. Meanwhile, that about raps things up for yours truly, Super Rockin' Mr. Magic, until I return to burn this coming Saturday night... starts at 2 o'clock in the AM. Anyone driving in their car please proceed with a little extra safety and care. Super listeners, whenever you do your homework, always do it as Fly Girl Shante does it, do it to the best of your ability and also remember that persistence ALWAYS overcomes resistance, and any fool can learn from his own mistakes, but it takes a wise man... a wise guy like you to learn from the mistakes made by others. Quick reminder, be yourself or you might find yourself by yourself, and... that's what happened to the Real Roxanne... so sorry.
(laughter in the studio)
For the entire Juice Crew, I am of course Mr. Magic. Special thank you to my engineer all star Marley Marl and Fly Ty Will on the vibe line.
Poetry right there.
Mr. Magic 01.23.1985 Sign Off with Real Roxanne dis -
Alright, so a couple early demos of Marley Marl Scratch dropped in recent years. That was something I had a hand in. To broaden the canvas and illustrate the context in which the first early version dropped, I wanted to share this excellent segment from early '85 on the Rap Attack. This demo has been noted as airing January 23rd, 1985, but upon closer examination, I'd have to say this was either that date or in the vicinity. The tape I have labeled January 23rd actually has audio from at least three Rap Attack shows, so sometimes it's impossible to decipher. This clip begins with Magic and Marley shifting out of Grandmaster Flash's Larry's Dance Theme and into the Shan demo. Immediately afterward, Roxanne Shante stops by the studio and lets the world know where she's been, where she's headed, and shares her thoughts on the up-and-coming rappers out there.
I hope they're good.
Magic and Roxanne rap about her newfound fame, her upcoming Soul Train appearance, and more, as the clock ticks toward four in the morning. Below is the full segment together, as well as the Roxanne segment by itself. Enjoy it...
Marley Marl Scratch - Early Demo Expanded - Roxanne Shante Rap Attack Interview - Jan or Feb '85 -
Roxanne Shante Rap Attack Interview - Jan or Feb '85 -
I'm back now with some quality bits and pieces from rap's better days. Most of it is going to be material that hasn't been heard since the night it was broadcast live, and it's going to be coming in a massive wave, so check back daily. Here we go...
From my tape labeled January 23rd 1985 (although this is a show from a week or two later), we have Mr. Magic running down the weather forecast before introducing his in-studio guests, The Fat Boys. A couple years back, I posted an interview with The Fat Boys from April 20th, 1984 from when they were just starting to blow up as the Disco 3 with a large record called Fat Boys. 9 months later, they're still on the rise and a little bit more animated as their newest single Can You Feel It is playing in the background.
The Fat Boys Rap Attack Interview From Late January or February '85 (A) -
Kool Rock-ski: We won the Tin Pan Apple Rap and Breakdance contest at Radio City Music Hall on May 23, 1983, and we recorded our first record. Our second record we recorded with Kurtis Blow, which was real big, and that was "Fat Boys." Now Kurtis is our producer from now on. We just released the album three months ago and so far it went gold.
Mr. Magic: Okay, so now, you've been together for about two years... I've had the pleasure of knowing you for a few years and I can see that you have grown up a lot. They got Cazals on, y'all chillin' most. Did you ever think it was gonna be this big when you put the group together?
Fat Boys: Not really.
Check this one out. If you're anything like me, you'll agree this is a hip hop moment in history to be cherished. I'm very grateful and happy that this broadcast was preserved for all of these years. A lot of people taped the Rap Attack, but either they're keeping them in shoe boxes or they perished long ago. It's always painful to think of how many legendary moments will never ever be seen or heard again. I was in a conversation not long ago where a few individuals were discussing a John Lennon appearance on the Mike Douglas show. How many Lennon fans would cherish seeing that appearance in broadcast quality? It should exist, but it doesn't. The tapes were wiped. Let's preserve this shit. If you're out there with tapes tucked away, I'm not mad at you if you're trying to keep them to yourself, but I say you get them out there eventually before you kick the bucket, or they'll most likely vanish with you.
Here's the tail end of The Fat Boys in-studio appearance!
The Fat Boys Rap Attack Interview From Late January or February '85 (B) -
What happens when the Rap Attack ends? Vaughn Harper grabs the mic for the Quiet Storm, of course. Here's a quick clip of Vaughn's signature baritone tipping his hat to Mr. Magic and Marley Marl. This one's from August 11th, 1984.
Alright so I just typed that out and realized it may not make any sense. I think I should stop assuming people know what I'm talking about when I rant. For those unfamiliar, The Quiet Storm is a show that would follow Mr. Magic's Rap Attack on WBLS 107.5 FM in NYC.
What is this Doug E. Fresh song? Unreleased or Overlooked?
Here's the final excerpt from the August 11th, 1984 broadcast of the Rap Attack, and it's a keeper. Here is the world premiere for a then-brand-new Doug E Fresh record. The only catch is, I've never heard it until now. My question for you is… have YOU heard it?! It is quite possible that this is a more obscure release of Dougie's that I've overlooked, but I wasn't able to find a link to something like this on Discogs, so I'm not sure. Doug E. Fresh die hard fans, chime in on this one!
It was fun unearthing the Howard Park Masta Ace track a couple months back. It would be fun if this was another rarity from a hip hop legend, but it's quite possible this is something that's out there and I'm getting ahead of myself. To be determined…
One morning I had a dream / that I could make young ladies scream / by making musical sounds with my mouth, listen! / so I tried it at a party / and people didn't even know it was me / and when they finally saw me I heard a shout...
Doug E. Fresh - Possibly Unreleased Track -
Magic chimes in at the end...
It's brand new, it's Doug E. Fresh, heard first with Sir Juice, and my engineer all star said he wants to be a DJ. Sounds like a winner!
Here's some more Rap Attack material. Just a little something... this is the show intro to the August 11th, 1984 edition of the WBLS Rap Attack. As showcased yesterday, Magic and Marley were on fire this particular night, in high spirits, rocking off their chemistry. I swear, this particular show would be a top contender for showcasing what Mr. Magic brought to the table for hip hop. His signature and bass heavy voice narrates the listener through the show as he introduces countless new hip hop records. It all sounds so official. The class of New York city serving as your guide in the era of rap music.
Rap Attack 08.11.1984 Show Intro (WBLS) -
"One for the treble, two for the bass, come on Marley Marl, let's rock three states!"
"We'd also like to let everyone know that we are celebrating Harlem week, and to do that, we begin with something brand new from Harlem's own king of rap. His name is Kurtis Blow."
(Cue 8 Million Stories). I'm glad this tape survived through the years!
Here's a great clip from the August 11th, 1984 edition of the Rap Attack on WBLS. An energetic and on-point Mr. Magic rocks off his chemistry with DJ Marley Marl on the wheels of steel. All this takes place over a Mr. Magic's own production, Jeckyll and Hyde's AM PM. Check it out -
Magic and Marley "Rockin' on the Radio" -
Magic: Tell 'em whatcha want them to do Marley Marl!
Marley: (cuts "AM PM") "Turn your radio up!"
Magic: WBLS FM 107.5 in a class by itself, Mr. Magic maxin' and relaxin', Marley Marl doing the waxing, and just to prove to you, juice, that it's all the way live, tell 'em Marley Marl what we're doing right now...
Marley: (cuts Crash Crew "On The Radio") "rockin' on your radio!"
Magic: Lemme hear ya cut up the "rock ... rock... rockin'!"
Magic: Often imitataded but never quite duplicated, as I said we are in a class by iteself... I hate to brag but it is definitely the TRUTH! Turn the boxes up, 30 minutes of non stop music continues...
(Above: A WBLS ad from the New York Subway System IRT line, circa 1978)
Here's some audio of Joeski Love and Doug E. Fresh performing live (venue unknown) on Mr. Magic's birthday. The clip comes from a Rap Attack show that broadcast portions of the live performance. The host of the live show was Mr. Magic as well.
Unfortunately, Joeski Love's portion is only the tail-end of Pee-Wee's Dance. Doug E. Fresh gives an always energetic performance of his biggest hit, The Show.
Joeski Love / Doug E. Fresh LIVE 1986 -
And just in case you haven't seen this, the story behind Pee-Wee's Dance. Joeski had never even seen Pee Wee's Big Adventure when he wrote the song -
This is the world premiere of Hold It Now, Hit It on Mr. Magic's Rap Attack. I would say nothing crazy special happens, but you need to play this audio file. There's something about this old tape and the LOW 808 kick on this classic record that may be creating the most satisfying bass kick I've ever heard in my life. I was going to bring up the highs, but nah, just listen to it on bass heavy speakers to get the full effect of this bass. It's also cool to think that this is probably the first time people had an opportunity to hear this Licensed To Ill-era cut.
Beastie Boys - Hold It Now, Hit It (World Premiere) -
Featuring Whistle, UTFO and Richie Rich, nonetheless.
Here's Mr. Magic sneaking in a jab at it in '88 (as Marley is coming out of a dope Big Daddy Kane Set It Off / Stetsasonic DBC Let the Music Play blend) -
So... I've never heard this Master Ace song before. This is the highlight of the March 21st, 1987 tape I've been posting audio from. Have any of you heard this?? This is probably the earliest Ace song I've come across. You'll hear that the "this is a Rap Attack exclusive" drop play over the beginning of the track. Has this appeared anywhere else? Either way, it's dope! Enjoy!
Master Ace - Unreleased 1987 -
And here's another part of the show where the dub version gets a little play...
Damn the irony here. This is an alternate mix of Eric B. and Rakim's classic My Melody. It seems like there's an alternate mix of this jam on a handful of tapes I have. It always sounds different. As for the irony... the old side A to side B switch is a kicker here. Right when Rakim says "but don't stop the tape recorder" side A maxes out. As dope as this is though, I still don't consider this to be the highlight of the 03.21.1987 Rap Attack tape. That "Rap Attack Exclusive" will be posted tomorrow.
Been going through this tape of the Rap Attack show from March 21st 1987, and I've found some great stuff. To kick it off, here's two exceptional world premiere's from the broadcast, The Classical Two's popular record New Generation, and the Dub remix of MC Shan's Down By Law. Check back soon for more highlights from the March 21st show... you won't be disappointed.
The Classical Two (World Premiere) -
MC Shan - Down By Law Dub Remix (World Premiere) -
As for the B-side to the Stretch and Bobbito tape I posted the other day, there wasn't much going on on it, so I decided to move on to more exciting material!
