Since Stevie Wonder.. (R.I.P. Roc Raida)

When the 1-Year Anniversary of Michael Jackson's passing happened a little while back, it sort of caught me by surprise...not like I keep track of these things or anything, but it just felt like time flew by in the past year. The impact of Michael Jackson is surely hard to describe, but needless to say he changed the game in a major way.

I've heard many folks describe Roc Raida's influence on DJs and turntablism similarly. Dude was truly an innovator and someone who pushed things forward in his time. It's been a year since Grandmaster Roc Raida passed, and in that time I've read the thoughts of many other DJs who were inspired by and had the opportunity to meet Raida over the years. I too have been inspired and influenced by Raida, but I really think pretty much all DJs were who came up in the 80s, 90s and even the new generation. The X-Men were just superstars in my mind. I remember copping the X-Men videos with tons of live footage from Fat Beats in NY and at Raida's and Rob Swift's cribs, etc. They were just incredible! And then to be able to see them live and get to meet and speak with Raida and the guys at a show? It doesn't get much better... Soo dope! Dude was extremely humble and just willing to listen and talk with you like he really cared to be a part of the conversation. That says a lot about who he was.

Anyways, I love the X-Men and what they mean to DJing...and I got to speak with Raida a couple times in my life, the last of which was early in 2009 when he was on the road with Busta Rhymes and Spliff Star and they came thru the XM studios here in DC. I was watching Busta and Spliff perform in our studio, and I noticed from afar, a DJ that looked familiar in back of them...rockin a BIG L t-shirt...sure enough, the one & only Roc Raida! This made perfect sense to me (and I told him it after the show when I spoke with him,) for him to be working with Busta...I've seen Busta on-stage before, and this cat is a MONSTER!!! Busta and Spliff put on a DOPE SHOW, no question..so to see one of hip-hop's all-time greatest DJs working with them for their live show was a match made in heaven in my mind. In speaking with Raida, he was very gracious, humble, and always open to talk.

Below I've posted a bit that shows how funny Raida and the longtime homie Lord Sear are. If you're not familiar with the WHAT FM GONG SHOW, you're about to get familiar...Roc Raida was a genius, an incredibly funny man and also an ill DJ...and so much more. Enjoy this...and if you're not up on Raida's history and what he meant to the game, do a little searching, because there's plenty of stuff online that showcases how great he was...



Roc Raida - WHAT FM Gong Show


Put the guns up, word up word up...

Shout out to Lil Pookie, Thug Doug, Stack Chedda, Roland the Home Studio, Smoke Low, Lord Sear and of course the one and only GM Roc Raida...RIP!

Live from New York...

Considering how bad SNL was for the longest time, I have to imagine that NBC (and probably Lorne Michaels as well) are counting their lucky stars these days to have some of the new writers and talent on their weekly staff. In fact, I'd be curious to see the ratings over the years for the show, just to see how many viewers they lost over the past 5-10 years. There are certainly still some weak links on the cast (I see you Kenan), but with cats like Andy Samberg and those other two dudes, the show is in a much better place. Anyways, it's about time they got their act together.

These digital shorts are as close to must see as it gets:

As I was saying, SNL has only become watchable again in the past few years really. Kanye's post-Katrina appearance in 2005 was dope, and then he killed it again on the 2007 season premiere hosted by Lebron James. If you can find them online, check the videos of Kanye's performances from either 2005 (Gold Digger/Touch the Sky & Heard Em Say) or 2007 (Stronger/Good Life & Champion/Everything I Am)...in all cases, pretty sick, especially with the live string section. But with that said, it must be said that Lebron definitely showed his acting chops as well.

Another name that definitely needs to be mentioned as we talk about the reemergence of SNL is Justin Timberlake. For those of you J. Timberlake haters out there, check your ego at the door because his stints as host on SNL have been quite possibly the most memorable shows in recent years...consistent throughout.

Finally, since I'm on the topic, this is something I got off a mixtape from some friends years ago. From May 7, 1983...

Stevie Wonder - Overjoyed (Live on Saturday Night Live)