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1
00:00:06,965 --> 00:00:08,258
[cars honking]
2
00:00:17,392 --> 00:00:19,060
[Ralph] Video Music Box
is the place to be.
3
00:00:19,102 --> 00:00:20,895
And you can see
they got it going on.
4
00:00:20,937 --> 00:00:22,480
I'm VJ Ralph McDaniels
doing my thing.
5
00:00:23,940 --> 00:00:28,528
[indistinct rapping]
6
00:00:28,570 --> 00:00:31,406
[Ralph] Recorded live from
Miss Jones' birthday party,
7
00:00:31,448 --> 00:00:33,783
Nas and Biggie Smalls
getting wrecked.
8
00:00:33,825 --> 00:00:36,786
[indistinct rapping]
9
00:00:50,008 --> 00:00:54,095
So what happened was somebody--
they was fighting behind me.
10
00:00:54,137 --> 00:00:55,805
-[Ralph] Yeah.
-And stuff flew.
11
00:00:55,847 --> 00:00:58,183
And my boy tried to be smooth
with it in wiping me off.
12
00:00:58,224 --> 00:01:00,435
They say, "Yo, why is he
touching your head like that?"
13
00:01:01,811 --> 00:01:04,564
[indistinct rapping]
14
00:01:04,606 --> 00:01:06,107
[Nas] And me and Big
were starting a crew
15
00:01:06,149 --> 00:01:07,776
called The Goodfellas
at the time.
16
00:01:07,817 --> 00:01:09,861
That-- That's why we said that,
Goodfellas.
17
00:01:09,903 --> 00:01:11,905
When I look
at clips like that,
18
00:01:11,946 --> 00:01:15,617
I'm, like, it's, like,
a miracle that someone knew
19
00:01:15,658 --> 00:01:19,079
that they should
be taping that.
20
00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,122
Those are lost moments,
you know?
21
00:01:21,164 --> 00:01:23,625
They could easily be forgotten
moments forever
22
00:01:23,666 --> 00:01:26,086
if nobody had a camera.
23
00:01:26,127 --> 00:01:28,963
But Ralph McDaniels
and Video Music Box
24
00:01:29,005 --> 00:01:31,925
were there, capturing it.
25
00:01:31,966 --> 00:01:35,637
I go back in a time
where there being a chance
26
00:01:35,678 --> 00:01:40,016
to get seen, get noticed,
be heard.
27
00:01:40,058 --> 00:01:42,018
That was big.
28
00:01:42,060 --> 00:01:44,604
This is a story
that needs to be told.
29
00:01:44,646 --> 00:01:47,315
A story that I've always
wanted to tell.
30
00:01:47,357 --> 00:01:48,483
[Gladys] Hey, you know,
everybody is talking
31
00:01:48,525 --> 00:01:50,110
about the good old days, right?
32
00:01:50,151 --> 00:01:51,986
Everybody, the good old days,
33
00:01:52,028 --> 00:01:53,780
the good old days.
34
00:01:53,822 --> 00:01:56,866
Well, let's talk
about the good old days.
35
00:01:56,908 --> 00:02:00,120
Come to think of it
as bad as we think they are,
36
00:02:00,161 --> 00:02:03,998
these will become the good
old days for our children.
37
00:02:07,335 --> 00:02:08,336
[record scratches]
38
00:02:11,172 --> 00:02:13,174
Backstage,
Spitkicker's tour.
39
00:02:13,216 --> 00:02:14,175
Mos Def, what's up, baby?
40
00:02:14,217 --> 00:02:15,677
What's up, Ralph?
41
00:02:15,718 --> 00:02:17,095
Now what were you saying
about Dream?
42
00:02:17,137 --> 00:02:20,181
Shit. I'm on Video Music Box.
43
00:02:20,223 --> 00:02:23,309
-Fuck everything.
-[laughs]
44
00:02:23,351 --> 00:02:25,854
This is a magic moment.
45
00:02:25,895 --> 00:02:27,272
Like fireworks and shit
46
00:02:27,313 --> 00:02:28,982
-should be going off.
-You just arrived.
47
00:02:29,023 --> 00:02:31,025
Oh, man, I'm here.
48
00:02:31,067 --> 00:02:32,527
-Hey, look, man.
-I want give a shoutout.
49
00:02:32,569 --> 00:02:35,488
-Oh, shit!
-Yes! Go! Go!
50
00:02:35,530 --> 00:02:37,866
[upbeat music plays]
51
00:02:37,907 --> 00:02:39,701
Video Music Box
got it going on.
52
00:02:39,742 --> 00:02:40,743
We in here at the Ark.
53
00:02:40,785 --> 00:02:42,203
We got some shoutouts.
54
00:02:42,245 --> 00:02:43,997
-[Tuffy] How old are you?
-I'm 22.
55
00:02:44,038 --> 00:02:46,332
Just got off the plane from LA.
56
00:02:46,374 --> 00:02:49,210
Praise God I made it
without crashing.
57
00:02:49,252 --> 00:02:51,588
It's Greg Nice and Scooter D
And we came to rock a spot
58
00:02:51,629 --> 00:02:53,173
So won't you
take our advice
59
00:02:53,214 --> 00:02:54,215
And turn to the box
60
00:02:54,257 --> 00:02:56,384
-[man] Go, Biggie.
-What?
61
00:02:56,426 --> 00:02:59,345
[indistinct rapping]
62
00:03:03,057 --> 00:03:04,726
Yo, what's up? We're Run-D.M.C.
63
00:03:04,767 --> 00:03:06,561
When we ain't chillin'
in Jamaica Park,
64
00:03:06,603 --> 00:03:08,438
we chillin' out looking
at Video Music Box .
65
00:03:08,479 --> 00:03:09,898
-Word.
-Word.
66
00:03:09,939 --> 00:03:11,733
Yeah, to all the killers
67
00:03:11,774 --> 00:03:13,735
And a hundred dollar billas
68
00:03:13,776 --> 00:03:15,486
What's up? This is 50 Cent
on Video Music Box ,
69
00:03:15,528 --> 00:03:16,654
the number one video show.
70
00:03:16,696 --> 00:03:18,573
Bet, take that. What!
71
00:03:18,615 --> 00:03:20,742
I'm just an addict
addicted to music
72
00:03:20,783 --> 00:03:22,911
Maybe as a habit,
I gotta use it
73
00:03:22,952 --> 00:03:24,245
[Daymond]
Coming home, racing home,
74
00:03:24,287 --> 00:03:25,580
and getting in there and hearing
75
00:03:25,622 --> 00:03:26,831
that opening theme song...
76
00:03:26,873 --> 00:03:28,249
[vocalizing]
77
00:03:28,291 --> 00:03:29,709
[vocalizing]
78
00:03:29,751 --> 00:03:31,044
[vocalizing]
79
00:03:31,085 --> 00:03:32,253
[vocalizing]
80
00:03:32,295 --> 00:03:33,421
[vocalizing]
81
00:03:33,463 --> 00:03:35,423
It's like you look up.
82
00:03:35,465 --> 00:03:36,674
Video Music Box is on.
83
00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:37,842
And then, you know, that's it.
84
00:03:37,884 --> 00:03:38,843
You're shutting down.
85
00:03:38,885 --> 00:03:41,971
[upbeat music plays]
86
00:04:14,254 --> 00:04:15,630
[Ed] Give you a little history
87
00:04:15,672 --> 00:04:18,132
about television in New York.
88
00:04:20,510 --> 00:04:22,303
We didn't always have cable.
89
00:04:22,345 --> 00:04:25,974
There was Channel 2,
Channel 4, Channel 5.
90
00:04:26,015 --> 00:04:27,976
7, 9, 11.
91
00:04:28,017 --> 00:04:29,435
13, educational.
92
00:04:29,477 --> 00:04:30,895
And then for some reason,
it jumped
93
00:04:30,937 --> 00:04:32,897
from 13 to 31.
94
00:04:32,939 --> 00:04:34,732
Nas, why did you do it?
95
00:04:34,774 --> 00:04:36,317
You know you got the mad
fat fluid
96
00:04:36,359 --> 00:04:38,069
When you rhyme,
it's halftime
97
00:04:38,111 --> 00:04:39,821
[Nas] And the U Channel,
whatever that meant,
98
00:04:39,862 --> 00:04:41,656
you go to the other knob
99
00:04:41,698 --> 00:04:43,741
and find these
outer space channels
100
00:04:43,783 --> 00:04:45,910
that don't-- just white noise.
101
00:04:45,952 --> 00:04:48,454
Empty channels.
They were empty channels.
102
00:04:48,496 --> 00:04:50,957
Dance,
get up and get with it
103
00:04:50,999 --> 00:04:53,334
Shante is here
to take care of business
104
00:04:53,376 --> 00:04:55,670
So plug up the mic
and stack the dough, yo
105
00:04:55,712 --> 00:04:57,005
[Roxanne] It's almost like
cracking a safe.
106
00:04:57,046 --> 00:04:58,965
When you finally get that right
107
00:04:59,007 --> 00:05:00,591
little combination, you be like,
108
00:05:00,633 --> 00:05:02,302
"Don't touch it.
109
00:05:02,343 --> 00:05:03,803
So this way
when Video Music Box comes on,
110
00:05:03,845 --> 00:05:05,680
we can see it clear.
111
00:05:05,722 --> 00:05:08,099
I got it made,
I got it made, I got it made
112
00:05:08,141 --> 00:05:09,392
[Tuffy] You'd pick up
the telephone,
113
00:05:09,434 --> 00:05:10,476
"Yo, Video Music Box .
114
00:05:10,518 --> 00:05:13,396
Channel 31 on the UHF dial.
115
00:05:13,438 --> 00:05:15,440
He's playing music videos
right now.
116
00:05:15,481 --> 00:05:17,150
He's playing hip-hop."
We were going crazy.
117
00:05:17,191 --> 00:05:18,234
We were losing our minds.
118
00:05:18,276 --> 00:05:20,236
You was fly once
119
00:05:20,278 --> 00:05:21,487
Now you're losing
all your fronts, yeah
120
00:05:21,529 --> 00:05:22,822
Started off light
121
00:05:22,864 --> 00:05:24,198
On the tip of woolie blunts
122
00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:25,533
But now you get a stripe
123
00:05:25,575 --> 00:05:26,868
Graduated to the pipe
124
00:05:26,909 --> 00:05:29,037
Took a long pull, hype, yeah
125
00:05:29,078 --> 00:05:31,706
You started off,
R. Kelly produced you.
126
00:05:31,748 --> 00:05:34,375
-Mm-hmm.
-And you got out there.
127
00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:36,127
And, I mean, he's produced
a couple of projects this year
128
00:05:36,169 --> 00:05:38,338
but yours was the most
successful outside of his own
129
00:05:38,379 --> 00:05:39,505
-that he's done.
-[Aaliyah chuckles]
130
00:05:39,547 --> 00:05:41,174
And, of course, you know,
131
00:05:41,215 --> 00:05:43,217
there was some controversies
going on,
132
00:05:43,259 --> 00:05:44,886
so I'm gonna cut to the chase
and we're gonna get it off.
133
00:05:44,927 --> 00:05:46,721
I know everybody asks it.
134
00:05:46,763 --> 00:05:48,723
What is the situation
'cause we don't know?
135
00:05:48,765 --> 00:05:50,725
Okay. Well, I'll let you know--
136
00:05:50,767 --> 00:05:54,228
-to let you know-- no.
-[laughter]
137
00:05:54,270 --> 00:05:55,813
But, no, really. I wanna
let everybody know
138
00:05:55,855 --> 00:05:57,023
that it's not true.
139
00:05:57,065 --> 00:05:59,233
I'm Aaliyah, not Aaliyah Kelly.
140
00:05:59,275 --> 00:06:02,570
Video Music Box in the '80s
was must-see TV.
141
00:06:02,612 --> 00:06:05,198
You made an appointment.
You watch Video Music Box .
142
00:06:05,239 --> 00:06:07,450
You watch Ralph's interviews.
143
00:06:07,492 --> 00:06:09,827
LL Cool J. Well, LL
stands for ladies love,
144
00:06:09,869 --> 00:06:11,496
legend in leather,
long and lean,
145
00:06:11,537 --> 00:06:13,623
love of ladies,
last of the red hot lovers.
146
00:06:13,664 --> 00:06:15,750
Looking for little,
level-headed leader.
147
00:06:15,792 --> 00:06:17,877
[Wendy]
And you watch the videos.
148
00:06:17,919 --> 00:06:19,504
And then he gets into parties.
149
00:06:19,545 --> 00:06:22,340
Video Music Box
broadcasting live
150
00:06:22,382 --> 00:06:24,467
from the Peppermint Lounge
in East Orange, New Jersey.
151
00:06:24,509 --> 00:06:25,551
I'm Wendy Williams.
152
00:06:25,593 --> 00:06:26,677
You can see the parties.
153
00:06:26,719 --> 00:06:28,596
...in full effect
154
00:06:28,638 --> 00:06:30,223
[Wendy] And you know where
you wanna be the next week
155
00:06:30,264 --> 00:06:31,724
if you can gain access.
156
00:06:31,766 --> 00:06:34,268
[Shaggy] Mr. Lover lover
157
00:06:34,310 --> 00:06:37,188
Mr. Lover lover. Oh
158
00:06:37,230 --> 00:06:40,024
Mr. Lover lover. Hmm
159
00:06:40,066 --> 00:06:41,275
Sexy mothafucka
160
00:06:41,317 --> 00:06:43,069
[crowd cheering]
161
00:06:43,111 --> 00:06:44,404
She call me Mr. Boombastic
162
00:06:44,445 --> 00:06:45,905
Tell me fantastic
163
00:06:45,947 --> 00:06:47,532
We've been
in the gutters together.
164
00:06:47,573 --> 00:06:48,950
-Exactly.
-It's nice to do all of this.
165
00:06:48,991 --> 00:06:50,118
And now we back up in here.
166
00:06:50,159 --> 00:06:51,953
I did a song called "Big Up".
167
00:06:51,994 --> 00:06:54,247
And that's how I got
the whole idea for "Big Up"
168
00:06:54,288 --> 00:06:56,040
by everybody going
on the mic saying...
169
00:06:56,082 --> 00:06:58,126
Big up. Big up. Easy.
170
00:06:58,167 --> 00:07:00,211
This just came together
like my man, Doug E Fresh.
171
00:07:00,253 --> 00:07:01,754
And all of the beautiful
women out here
172
00:07:01,796 --> 00:07:03,589
who came together just to have
a good time,
173
00:07:03,631 --> 00:07:05,049
celebrate the overweight
lovers' party.
174
00:07:05,091 --> 00:07:06,050
We out.
175
00:07:06,092 --> 00:07:07,510
Actually seeing people
176
00:07:07,552 --> 00:07:08,845
that look like you,
177
00:07:08,886 --> 00:07:12,390
unapologetically hip hop
178
00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:14,350
and, and Black,
179
00:07:14,392 --> 00:07:17,311
it empowered the whole,
you know, culture.
180
00:07:17,353 --> 00:07:19,564
We got the Wu right here,
my man Raekwon up in this piece.
181
00:07:19,605 --> 00:07:21,190
Peace. Peace. What's poppin'?
182
00:07:21,232 --> 00:07:22,859
-Good to see you, brother.
-He had perfect pop.
183
00:07:22,900 --> 00:07:24,026
He's the first uncle.
184
00:07:24,068 --> 00:07:25,194
Everybody thought hip-hop
185
00:07:25,236 --> 00:07:26,779
wasn't really gonna do nothing.
186
00:07:26,821 --> 00:07:28,114
They thought it was just
going to be a phase,
187
00:07:28,156 --> 00:07:29,866
like, "Man, it's over with."
188
00:07:29,907 --> 00:07:33,369
No, Ralph carried it
on his back like Santa.
189
00:07:33,411 --> 00:07:35,329
[Ralph] Heavy D and The Boyz.
190
00:07:35,371 --> 00:07:37,165
I'm rough and tough
and all that stuff
191
00:07:37,206 --> 00:07:38,291
I'll make you dance
and prance
192
00:07:38,332 --> 00:07:39,834
As a rapper, you had to get
193
00:07:39,876 --> 00:07:41,669
your videos on his show.
194
00:07:41,711 --> 00:07:43,588
If you didn't get on there,
you didn't matter.
195
00:07:43,629 --> 00:07:45,423
Sucker you missed
I put feelings aside
196
00:07:45,465 --> 00:07:47,842
I know who I am
My name is Lyte
197
00:07:47,884 --> 00:07:49,510
Is your name Sam?
198
00:07:49,552 --> 00:07:50,636
[Willie] My earliest
memories of hip-hop
199
00:07:50,678 --> 00:07:53,681
are frankly from Ralph McDaniels
200
00:07:53,723 --> 00:07:55,600
and Video Music Box .
201
00:07:55,641 --> 00:07:57,810
And he was playing music
202
00:07:57,852 --> 00:07:59,770
that we couldn't get
our hands on.
203
00:07:59,812 --> 00:08:01,731
I try to explain this to my kids
204
00:08:01,772 --> 00:08:03,608
that we didn't have everything
at our fingertips.
205
00:08:03,649 --> 00:08:07,195
We all knew
there was no coverage
206
00:08:07,236 --> 00:08:09,322
of our rap heroes.
207
00:08:09,363 --> 00:08:14,076
And that if they would
just give us five seconds
208
00:08:14,118 --> 00:08:18,206
of The Fat Boys
on-- on national television,
209
00:08:18,247 --> 00:08:20,374
we were waiting, I was waiting.
210
00:08:20,416 --> 00:08:22,251
Somebody had to start it.
211
00:08:22,293 --> 00:08:25,421
It's like Moses
and the apostles.
212
00:08:25,463 --> 00:08:27,673
Video Music Box
has that impact.
213
00:08:27,715 --> 00:08:31,969
It's that biblical for us,
you know?
214
00:08:32,011 --> 00:08:36,474
These legends that gave birth
to a whole world.
215
00:08:36,516 --> 00:08:39,310
Summer Jam, really,
you need to be like--
216
00:08:39,352 --> 00:08:41,229
to have like the records ready.
217
00:08:41,270 --> 00:08:44,398
It just always kept
its credibility.
218
00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:46,025
[Ralph]
Welcome to Video Music Box .
219
00:08:46,067 --> 00:08:47,401
Today a special show
220
00:08:47,443 --> 00:08:49,403
recorded
at Rahway State Prison.
221
00:08:49,445 --> 00:08:52,573
[Sabrina]
It was always authentic.
222
00:08:52,615 --> 00:08:56,827
Whatever was happening
in the neighborhood
223
00:08:56,869 --> 00:08:59,080
was gonna happen
on Video Music Box.
224
00:08:59,121 --> 00:09:02,083
[Willie] Video Music Box to me
is an underrated piece,
225
00:09:02,124 --> 00:09:04,001
not just of the story of hip-hop
226
00:09:04,043 --> 00:09:06,170
but of the story
of American culture.
227
00:09:06,212 --> 00:09:08,089
Like that, I gotta like that
228
00:09:08,130 --> 00:09:10,049
I need it like that,
I love it like that
229
00:09:10,091 --> 00:09:12,093
I made it like that,
I know it like that
230
00:09:12,134 --> 00:09:14,220
I don't feel like that,
I hide it like that
231
00:09:14,262 --> 00:09:15,846
I'm rockin' like that,
I'm feeling like that
232
00:09:15,888 --> 00:09:17,557
I'll take it like that, yeah
233
00:09:17,598 --> 00:09:20,351
Yo, you're looking at the best
MC in the world.
234
00:09:20,393 --> 00:09:22,186
-You know what I'm saying?
-Yo, what's up?
235
00:09:22,228 --> 00:09:24,480
This is Kool Keith
from the Ultramagnetic MCs.
236
00:09:24,522 --> 00:09:25,982
And I'm with my main protégé.
237
00:09:26,023 --> 00:09:27,567
Money D.
You know what I'm saying?
238
00:09:27,608 --> 00:09:29,694
Yo, this is my man Craig G.
239
00:09:29,735 --> 00:09:31,153
And this is DJ Mister Cee.
240
00:09:31,195 --> 00:09:32,572
He DJs for Big Daddy Kane.
241
00:09:32,613 --> 00:09:34,740
Hello, everybody.
My name is Doug E. Fresh.
242
00:09:34,782 --> 00:09:37,118
-And we are...
-The Get Fresh Crew.
243
00:09:37,159 --> 00:09:38,536
Yo, I'm Teddy Ted.
244
00:09:38,578 --> 00:09:40,204
And I'm Special K
of the Awesome 2.
245
00:09:40,246 --> 00:09:41,581
And we're chilling
with triple number one.
246
00:09:41,622 --> 00:09:42,873
This my man Steady Pace.
247
00:09:42,915 --> 00:09:44,417
And this my man, Masta Ace.
248
00:09:44,458 --> 00:09:46,919
I'm MC Shan,
the crowned prince of rap.
249
00:09:46,961 --> 00:09:49,505
And I'm the royal microphone,
Lord Big Daddy Kane.
250
00:09:49,547 --> 00:09:52,133
And I'm Cutmaster Cool V
and you know I do damage.
251
00:09:52,174 --> 00:09:53,801
And we're rocking
with the box.
252
00:09:53,843 --> 00:09:55,636
When we ain't out
cooking hibachi...
253
00:09:55,678 --> 00:09:57,221
[laughter]
254
00:09:57,263 --> 00:09:59,557
-With Barry Manilow...
-[laughter continues]
255
00:09:59,599 --> 00:10:01,976
And stealing gummi bears from
grocery stores.
256
00:10:02,018 --> 00:10:03,811
You are watching Video Music Box
257
00:10:03,853 --> 00:10:06,397
with Ralph McDaniels
and the VidGrownup.
258
00:10:06,439 --> 00:10:07,982
[laughter]
259
00:10:08,024 --> 00:10:10,234
It basically became a religion,
all jokes aside.
260
00:10:10,276 --> 00:10:11,611
It was something
that we couldn't miss.
261
00:10:11,652 --> 00:10:13,654
You turned Video Music Box on,
262
00:10:13,696 --> 00:10:15,489
you was like,
"This happened Saturday.
263
00:10:15,531 --> 00:10:17,408
That happened Friday. This--"
264
00:10:17,450 --> 00:10:20,119
and then he was there
and they was there.
265
00:10:20,161 --> 00:10:22,330
It was revolutionary.
266
00:10:22,371 --> 00:10:24,123
It was revolutionary.
267
00:10:24,165 --> 00:10:26,292
-You know we didn't have WHT...
-That's right.
268
00:10:26,334 --> 00:10:28,127
Well, Mecca Home Theater
for you--for you guys
269
00:10:28,169 --> 00:10:29,462
-that don't remember that.
-That's right.
270
00:10:29,503 --> 00:10:31,964
And HBO.
You know we had Ralph McDaniels.
271
00:10:32,006 --> 00:10:33,633
That's the only thing we had.
272
00:10:33,674 --> 00:10:35,176
You know, Video Music Box .
The VidKid.
273
00:10:35,217 --> 00:10:36,510
I'm VJ Ralph McDaniels.
274
00:10:36,552 --> 00:10:38,012
And I'm the VidKid.
275
00:10:38,054 --> 00:10:40,181
Right here
where you keep the music at.
276
00:10:40,222 --> 00:10:42,850
-Video...
-Music Box.
277
00:10:42,892 --> 00:10:46,479
[Sway] Ralph McDaniels
and his partner, visionaries.
278
00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,690
Man, I guarantee you, they had
no idea where this would lead.
279
00:10:49,732 --> 00:10:52,526
There was something divine
speaking through them.
280
00:10:52,568 --> 00:10:54,362
Yeah. Video Music Box
doing it up,
281
00:10:54,403 --> 00:10:56,906
backstage
at the Spitkicker's tour.
282
00:10:56,947 --> 00:10:58,366
It's going down
like that. My man Black
283
00:10:58,407 --> 00:10:59,992
throwing the place.
What's up, baby?
284
00:11:00,034 --> 00:11:01,535
What's the word?
What's the word, baby?
285
00:11:01,577 --> 00:11:03,287
[Lionel] Video Music Box
started with Ralph.
286
00:11:03,329 --> 00:11:05,331
It was Ralph's idea.
It was Ralph's baby.
287
00:11:05,373 --> 00:11:08,376
[Ralph] Three, two, one.
288
00:11:08,417 --> 00:11:11,379
New York City,
in the place to be.
289
00:11:11,420 --> 00:11:13,881
Hi. I'm your VJ,
Ralph McDaniels.
290
00:11:13,923 --> 00:11:18,052
Tonight, Video Music Box kicks
it live from the South Bronx.
291
00:11:18,094 --> 00:11:20,721
It's the 10th anniversary
of the Disco Fever.
292
00:11:20,763 --> 00:11:23,391
So if you're ready,
let's get busy.
293
00:11:26,268 --> 00:11:27,728
[Nas] State your name, gangster.
294
00:11:27,770 --> 00:11:29,647
[chuckles] Ralph McDaniels,
295
00:11:29,689 --> 00:11:34,235
R-A-L-P-H M-C-D-A-N-I-E-L-S.
296
00:11:39,073 --> 00:11:41,784
I was born in Brooklyn,
Brooklyn Hospital,
297
00:11:41,826 --> 00:11:43,703
in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
298
00:11:43,744 --> 00:11:45,287
My parents are from the--
299
00:11:45,329 --> 00:11:47,289
one is from the Caribbean,
Trinidad,
300
00:11:47,331 --> 00:11:50,376
and one is from down south,
American Indian.
301
00:11:50,418 --> 00:11:52,545
[singer]
We live in Brooklyn, baby
302
00:11:52,586 --> 00:11:54,755
[Ernie] Brooklyn was rough.
303
00:11:54,797 --> 00:11:57,091
A lot of people talk
about the '60s
304
00:11:57,133 --> 00:11:59,427
as though it was all
hippies and love.
305
00:11:59,468 --> 00:12:02,930
Nah. That never reached
to where we were.
306
00:12:02,972 --> 00:12:04,515
There was no hearts and flowers
307
00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:07,768
and girls with long hair
singing-- no, no.
308
00:12:07,810 --> 00:12:10,104
It was-- It was rough.
309
00:12:10,146 --> 00:12:13,107
[Ed] Totally different
from what it is today.
310
00:12:13,149 --> 00:12:16,777
You know, you had a lot
of heroin back then.
311
00:12:16,819 --> 00:12:20,614
In the projects,
it was pretty intense.
312
00:12:20,656 --> 00:12:22,032
A lot of street life.
313
00:12:23,993 --> 00:12:25,870
[Ralph] My grandmother
and grandfather
314
00:12:25,911 --> 00:12:27,872
owned the house that
we lived in in Brooklyn.
315
00:12:27,913 --> 00:12:29,540
A brownstone.
316
00:12:29,582 --> 00:12:31,250
Everybody that lived
in our house was family.
317
00:12:31,292 --> 00:12:33,461
You know, a cousin lived
on the top floor.
318
00:12:33,502 --> 00:12:35,546
My uncle lived
on the second floor.
319
00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:37,339
You know, everybody had their
own entrance and everything.
320
00:12:37,381 --> 00:12:39,008
But we knew each other.
321
00:12:40,843 --> 00:12:44,972
My mom is born
in the United States.
322
00:12:45,014 --> 00:12:46,432
She's the first generation.
323
00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:48,476
Everybody else
came from Trinidad.
324
00:12:48,517 --> 00:12:51,979
She's like a hard worker.
325
00:12:52,021 --> 00:12:55,816
Trinidadians have 20 jobs,
if you don't know.
326
00:12:55,858 --> 00:12:57,735
I'm a Trinidadian.
I have that in me too.
327
00:12:57,777 --> 00:13:00,196
I have 20 jobs all the time.
328
00:13:00,237 --> 00:13:02,114
My grandmother's house
is also the spot
329
00:13:02,156 --> 00:13:03,616
where if you're coming
from the Caribbean,
330
00:13:03,657 --> 00:13:05,785
you can use our address.
331
00:13:05,826 --> 00:13:07,620
So-- 'cause you had to, "Where
you going?"
332
00:13:07,661 --> 00:13:09,330
You get to the Immigration,
"Well, what's the address
333
00:13:09,371 --> 00:13:11,123
that you're going to?
You need an address."
334
00:13:11,165 --> 00:13:14,585
So all of these people
were coming from Trinidad.
335
00:13:14,627 --> 00:13:16,086
One of them is Geoffrey Holder.
336
00:13:16,128 --> 00:13:17,505
Never had it, never will.
337
00:13:17,546 --> 00:13:19,965
-Why?
-Why?
338
00:13:20,007 --> 00:13:22,176
Why? Good question.
339
00:13:22,218 --> 00:13:23,344
[chuckles]
340
00:13:23,385 --> 00:13:26,972
[upbeat music plays]
341
00:13:27,014 --> 00:13:29,809
[Yvonne] My cousin Geoffrey
came to New York,
342
00:13:29,850 --> 00:13:32,019
and where was he going to stay?
At Uncle Johnny's.
343
00:13:32,061 --> 00:13:34,855
And that was, you know-- he
lived with us for quite a while.
344
00:13:37,066 --> 00:13:40,027
[Geoffrey laughs]
345
00:13:42,238 --> 00:13:43,823
He's in the Bond movie.
346
00:13:43,864 --> 00:13:44,907
He's in-- He's in, you know,
347
00:13:44,949 --> 00:13:46,534
all of these different things.
348
00:13:46,575 --> 00:13:48,869
And it's like Geoffrey's
a big deal, man.
349
00:13:48,911 --> 00:13:50,246
Like he's a painter.
350
00:13:50,287 --> 00:13:51,747
He's a writer, you know?
351
00:13:51,789 --> 00:13:54,208
And he's become
this New York socialite.
352
00:13:54,250 --> 00:13:57,378
And that's, you know,
my mother's cousin.
353
00:13:57,419 --> 00:14:00,047
And I think that
that's where I got
354
00:14:00,089 --> 00:14:02,883
the idea to wanna do TV.
355
00:14:04,718 --> 00:14:07,179
So my dad worked
at the shipyard in Brooklyn,
356
00:14:07,221 --> 00:14:10,057
the Brooklyn Navy Yard,
and he drew the drafts of them,
357
00:14:10,099 --> 00:14:14,478
the schematics of, you know,
of-- of the aircraft carriers.
358
00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:16,730
You know,
those are pretty decent jobs
359
00:14:16,772 --> 00:14:19,191
for Black folks
around that time, you know?
360
00:14:19,233 --> 00:14:21,360
We weren't rich,
but we had enough money
361
00:14:21,402 --> 00:14:23,028
to have something
in the refrigerator
362
00:14:23,070 --> 00:14:25,573
and I had, you know,
some decent sneakers
363
00:14:25,614 --> 00:14:27,575
at the time, you know?
So we were cool.
364
00:14:27,616 --> 00:14:28,993
The Jackson 5.
365
00:14:29,034 --> 00:14:30,536
So let's have
a fine welcome.
366
00:14:30,578 --> 00:14:31,745
[applause]
367
00:14:34,748 --> 00:14:36,584
[Ralph] As a kid I watched--
of course,
368
00:14:36,625 --> 00:14:38,085
everybody watched Ed Sullivan.
369
00:14:38,127 --> 00:14:39,587
That was where
the music was at.
370
00:14:39,628 --> 00:14:41,422
Please, please, please...
371
00:14:41,463 --> 00:14:43,048
[Ralph] I love James Brown.
372
00:14:43,090 --> 00:14:46,218
I love the soul.
I love the way he danced.
373
00:14:46,260 --> 00:14:49,054
And James Brown was considered
like rebellious back then.
374
00:14:49,096 --> 00:14:50,639
You know, like, "Say it loud.
I'm Black and proud."
375
00:14:50,681 --> 00:14:51,807
People were like, "Oh, oh, oh."
376
00:14:51,849 --> 00:14:53,267
And then Dick Clark,
377
00:14:53,309 --> 00:14:55,102
American Bandstand,
I watched that.
378
00:14:55,144 --> 00:14:56,645
People all over the world
are just beginning
379
00:14:56,687 --> 00:14:58,188
to talk about The Beatles.
380
00:14:58,230 --> 00:14:59,440
[Ralph] Dick Clark
was like amazing.
381
00:14:59,481 --> 00:15:01,233
He knew all this information.
382
00:15:01,275 --> 00:15:03,694
I was like this guy is cool
and he's smooth as hell.
383
00:15:03,736 --> 00:15:05,112
[Todd] We saw The Jeffersons.
384
00:15:05,154 --> 00:15:06,989
We saw Good Times.
385
00:15:07,031 --> 00:15:10,117
But we didn't see
too many people that,
386
00:15:10,159 --> 00:15:12,620
that looked like us
on television.
387
00:15:12,661 --> 00:15:16,248
[Ralph] Anytime there was
a, a Black person on a show,
388
00:15:16,290 --> 00:15:18,042
we'd be like,
"Oh, shit. Aretha Franklin
389
00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:20,127
is gonna be on tonight.
Yay." We'd be happy.
390
00:15:20,169 --> 00:15:21,378
[Ed] Stand up
and take a bow there.
391
00:15:21,420 --> 00:15:23,213
-Diana Ross.
-[APPLAUSE]
392
00:15:23,255 --> 00:15:25,799
[Ralph] We saw The Supremes,
a lot of Motown,
393
00:15:25,841 --> 00:15:27,468
The Temptations,
394
00:15:27,509 --> 00:15:29,470
Ellis Haizlip who had
this show called Soul!
395
00:15:29,511 --> 00:15:32,306
which was amazing to me.
396
00:15:32,348 --> 00:15:33,641
[man] Live and in color
from of New York...
397
00:15:33,682 --> 00:15:35,142
[Ralph] But then later on,
398
00:15:35,184 --> 00:15:36,936
I started
to get into Soul Train.
399
00:15:36,977 --> 00:15:38,938
Always in parting,
we're gonna wish you love,
400
00:15:38,979 --> 00:15:41,440
peace, and soul.
401
00:15:41,482 --> 00:15:43,442
[Ralph] Black people was having
a good time on the Soul Train.
402
00:15:43,484 --> 00:15:45,945
I'm like, "What club is--
what club do they go to?
403
00:15:45,986 --> 00:15:47,613
They look mad happy."
404
00:15:47,655 --> 00:15:49,406
'Cause you didn't see it
too often.
405
00:15:49,448 --> 00:15:50,741
There wasn't too many
Black people on TV.
406
00:15:53,869 --> 00:15:57,039
We moved into Queens
when I was 11.
407
00:15:57,081 --> 00:15:59,750
[Yvonne] We wanted a different
environment to raise him
408
00:15:59,792 --> 00:16:00,918
and we felt that
moving to Queens
409
00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:03,212
would be a nice surrounding.
410
00:16:03,253 --> 00:16:04,672
The idea of going to Queens
411
00:16:04,713 --> 00:16:07,800
was that Brooklyn
was kind of crowded.
412
00:16:07,841 --> 00:16:09,343
Let's go to Queens
where we can have
413
00:16:09,385 --> 00:16:10,928
our own home, first of all.
414
00:16:10,970 --> 00:16:12,638
They didn't
have their own home.
415
00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:14,181
Better schools in Queens.
416
00:16:14,223 --> 00:16:15,766
The education
is gonna be better.
417
00:16:15,808 --> 00:16:17,017
The community
is gonna be better.
418
00:16:19,561 --> 00:16:24,191
In the '60s, early '70s,
there was a lot of movement
419
00:16:24,233 --> 00:16:27,486
as African Americans
made more money
420
00:16:27,528 --> 00:16:30,030
or had better jobs.
421
00:16:30,072 --> 00:16:31,699
They were looking
to purchase homes.
422
00:16:31,740 --> 00:16:33,033
[Roxanne]
When it comes to Queens,
423
00:16:33,075 --> 00:16:34,702
you can literally find someone
424
00:16:34,743 --> 00:16:36,537
from everywhere in the world.
425
00:16:36,578 --> 00:16:38,706
And we've always been
very accepting.
426
00:16:38,747 --> 00:16:41,792
[Lance] Queens was nice, man.
It was residential.
427
00:16:41,834 --> 00:16:43,961
It was a neighborhood.
It was a community.
428
00:16:44,003 --> 00:16:48,632
Everybody on the block
knew each other type of thing.
429
00:16:48,674 --> 00:16:52,386
[Ralph] When we get to Queens,
there's not a lot of people
430
00:16:52,428 --> 00:16:54,805
that I see that look like me.
431
00:16:54,847 --> 00:16:58,017
In fact, we're the third
Black family on the block.
432
00:16:58,058 --> 00:17:00,894
In the early 1970s, a few
middle-class Black families
433
00:17:00,936 --> 00:17:03,063
with very much
the same idea in mind
434
00:17:03,105 --> 00:17:04,732
began to move too.
435
00:17:04,773 --> 00:17:06,734
The Whites saw their coming
as a threat.
436
00:17:06,775 --> 00:17:08,861
[Ralph] All right. No big deal.
I'm gonna get on my bike
437
00:17:08,902 --> 00:17:11,530
and I'm gonna ride around
and we're gonna have fun.
438
00:17:15,034 --> 00:17:17,327
So I'm riding
and this White kid,
439
00:17:17,369 --> 00:17:19,079
sitting on his stoop,
440
00:17:19,121 --> 00:17:20,748
and it's him sitting there
with his mother.
441
00:17:20,789 --> 00:17:23,083
And the kid goes,
"Look, Ma. A nigger."
442
00:17:23,125 --> 00:17:25,002
And I looked at him and I--
443
00:17:25,044 --> 00:17:26,962
now, I've never been called
a nigger in my life
444
00:17:27,004 --> 00:17:28,464
up to that point,
445
00:17:28,505 --> 00:17:30,549
and I didn't even know
it was bad.
446
00:17:30,591 --> 00:17:32,342
I just knew that it wasn't good.
447
00:17:32,384 --> 00:17:33,969
We don't want that.
We want to keep
448
00:17:34,011 --> 00:17:35,429
the neighborhood
the way it is.
449
00:17:35,471 --> 00:17:36,597
We love our neighbors.
We're all--
450
00:17:36,638 --> 00:17:38,265
we're very, very close.
451
00:17:38,307 --> 00:17:41,268
So I was like,
"Okay." I kept riding.
452
00:17:41,310 --> 00:17:43,103
Came back to the crib, told mom,
453
00:17:43,145 --> 00:17:45,105
"The kid down the block
called me a nigger."
454
00:17:45,147 --> 00:17:48,108
[indistinct shouting]
455
00:17:52,488 --> 00:17:54,865
We were riding down this block
and, and these white people
456
00:17:54,907 --> 00:17:57,076
started saying,
"Get out of here, niggers."
457
00:17:57,117 --> 00:17:59,620
And my mother looked
at me like,
458
00:17:59,661 --> 00:18:01,705
"We come all the way
from Brooklyn
459
00:18:01,747 --> 00:18:03,248
for a better life."
460
00:18:03,290 --> 00:18:06,543
At that time, I was--
my concern was
461
00:18:06,585 --> 00:18:11,298
did we make the right move
moving here to Queens Village
462
00:18:11,340 --> 00:18:13,884
because now he's exposed
to a different environment
463
00:18:13,926 --> 00:18:17,054
than he was exposed to
when we lived in Bed-Stuy.
464
00:18:17,096 --> 00:18:18,764
I just wanted
a White neighborhood.
465
00:18:18,806 --> 00:18:20,849
No Blacks at all.
466
00:18:23,268 --> 00:18:25,813
[Ralph] We lived here.
There was a Black family.
467
00:18:25,854 --> 00:18:29,233
My friend Dawn and her family
lived over there, and JJ.
468
00:18:29,274 --> 00:18:31,026
Maybe one other Black family
down there.
469
00:18:31,068 --> 00:18:32,444
It was all White people.
470
00:18:32,486 --> 00:18:35,447
Within 10 years,
it was all Black.
471
00:18:35,489 --> 00:18:37,032
White people probably was like,
472
00:18:37,074 --> 00:18:38,826
"Damn, why did
all the White people leave?"
473
00:18:38,867 --> 00:18:40,536
[chuckles]
But that was it.
474
00:18:40,577 --> 00:18:41,829
They was outta here.
475
00:18:41,870 --> 00:18:43,288
-White flight.
-White flight.
476
00:18:43,330 --> 00:18:44,832
There was some people
that you saw
477
00:18:44,873 --> 00:18:47,292
that were blatantly racist.
478
00:18:47,334 --> 00:18:49,670
And then there were other people
that were White people
479
00:18:49,711 --> 00:18:52,172
that were like the connection
was the music.
480
00:18:52,214 --> 00:18:55,509
[upbeat music]
481
00:18:55,551 --> 00:18:57,344
[Ralph] Me and Lionel, we used
to go buy records together.
482
00:18:57,386 --> 00:19:00,973
That's how we started
our relationship as friends.
483
00:19:01,014 --> 00:19:03,016
He'd buy a certain amount.
I'd buy a certain amount.
484
00:19:03,058 --> 00:19:06,103
We'd be like, "Yo, I need
a second copy of that.
485
00:19:06,145 --> 00:19:07,896
You know, you can hold mine."
486
00:19:07,938 --> 00:19:10,190
I was just buying records.
That's all I was doing.
487
00:19:10,232 --> 00:19:13,193
And I see this guy next to me
488
00:19:13,235 --> 00:19:15,154
when you're going to pay for it
489
00:19:15,195 --> 00:19:18,031
and I have a stack of records
literally about this thick.
490
00:19:18,073 --> 00:19:20,576
We've created a DJ group
491
00:19:20,617 --> 00:19:23,579
and it was called
The Brothership Connection.
492
00:19:23,620 --> 00:19:26,623
[upbeat music]
493
00:19:26,665 --> 00:19:28,542
[Fred] New York late '60s,
early '70s
494
00:19:28,584 --> 00:19:31,128
was a hotbed of, of music
495
00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:33,463
like Parliament-Funkadelic
496
00:19:33,505 --> 00:19:36,258
and Sly and the Family Stone,
James Brown.
497
00:19:36,300 --> 00:19:38,010
Then, of course,
you had the music
498
00:19:38,051 --> 00:19:40,846
out of Philadelphia,
The Delfonics.
499
00:19:40,888 --> 00:19:44,057
And then you had
the Latin fave man,
500
00:19:44,099 --> 00:19:46,727
Joe Cuba, Joe Bataan,
501
00:19:46,768 --> 00:19:49,271
you know,
the Jimmy Castor.
502
00:19:49,313 --> 00:19:51,982
So we were very plugged in
503
00:19:52,024 --> 00:19:53,775
with music across the board.
504
00:19:55,569 --> 00:19:58,530
[Ralph] So my Uncle Michael
is my hero.
505
00:19:58,572 --> 00:20:00,991
He's the guy who got me started
in this whole music thing.
506
00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:05,746
And he would buy vinyl,
45s, LPs.
507
00:20:05,787 --> 00:20:09,082
So there were all these cool
clubs he used to go to.
508
00:20:09,124 --> 00:20:13,670
One summer, he said,
"We're going to Riis Beach,"
509
00:20:16,256 --> 00:20:17,716
which is in Brooklyn.
510
00:20:17,758 --> 00:20:20,719
And there was an outside jam
511
00:20:20,761 --> 00:20:23,430
and a basketball tournament
going on.
512
00:20:23,472 --> 00:20:26,600
And you got like pro players
there like Clyde,
513
00:20:26,642 --> 00:20:28,727
Frazier's there,
Earl Monroe is there.
514
00:20:28,769 --> 00:20:30,979
You know, I'm like,
"This is amazing."
515
00:20:31,021 --> 00:20:33,732
But more amazing to me
than that was
516
00:20:33,774 --> 00:20:35,984
there was a guy playing music
and he had crates
517
00:20:36,026 --> 00:20:40,322
of records, speakers,
and turntables, and these amps.
518
00:20:40,364 --> 00:20:42,491
I was just like,
"What is this?"
519
00:20:42,532 --> 00:20:45,160
I heard records
I never heard in my life.
520
00:20:45,202 --> 00:20:47,579
And the crowd is going crazy.
521
00:20:47,621 --> 00:20:49,414
Especially if you play
Love Is the Message.
522
00:20:49,456 --> 00:20:52,292
[upbeat music]
523
00:20:55,170 --> 00:20:57,839
[Ralph] Love Is the Message
by MFSB is like the song
524
00:20:57,881 --> 00:20:59,383
that will never go away.
525
00:20:59,424 --> 00:21:02,886
And back then,
you know, party's poppin'
526
00:21:02,928 --> 00:21:05,138
and then, boom,
comes Love Is the Message
527
00:21:05,180 --> 00:21:09,101
[upbeat music]
528
00:21:09,142 --> 00:21:10,936
[Ralph] And the place goes nuts.
529
00:21:10,978 --> 00:21:13,897
And I'm like,
"That's what I wanna do.
530
00:21:13,939 --> 00:21:15,732
I like that."
531
00:21:15,774 --> 00:21:18,151
I want to make
the people go nuts.
532
00:21:21,029 --> 00:21:22,823
[Lionel] There was a club
in Queens called the Blue Ice
533
00:21:22,864 --> 00:21:24,658
where Ralph started.
534
00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:26,493
And all I could tell you,
like, it was amazing.
535
00:21:26,535 --> 00:21:29,663
It was a little bar,
a corner bar.
536
00:21:29,705 --> 00:21:32,666
It was always crowded,
and, uh, and we were playing,
537
00:21:32,708 --> 00:21:35,794
like, disco, R&B.
538
00:21:35,836 --> 00:21:37,629
[Fred]
Ralph was playing the R&B,
539
00:21:37,671 --> 00:21:39,298
some of the dance records
that were happening,
540
00:21:39,339 --> 00:21:40,882
coming out of the '70s.
541
00:21:40,924 --> 00:21:43,635
And in the '80s,
we had the Furious Five,
542
00:21:43,677 --> 00:21:46,221
Spoonie Gee,
and Donna Summer records.
543
00:21:46,263 --> 00:21:48,056
Whatever was hot,
he was playing it.
544
00:21:48,098 --> 00:21:49,891
[upbeat music]
545
00:21:49,933 --> 00:21:51,518
As a matter of fact,
a lot of the rhymes
546
00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,062
that people were doing
in the streets
547
00:21:54,104 --> 00:21:57,065
were off the beats
of these big street bands.
548
00:21:57,107 --> 00:21:59,109
Ralph shined
like nobody else.
549
00:21:59,151 --> 00:22:02,946
I mean, I've just never seen
a guy command a room
550
00:22:02,988 --> 00:22:04,698
the way Ralph commanded
a room.
551
00:22:04,740 --> 00:22:06,491
[Ralph] People always talk
about Studio 54
552
00:22:06,533 --> 00:22:08,368
in that particular time
and I'm like,
553
00:22:08,410 --> 00:22:10,203
"Oh, they were Black discos."
Like there were like--
554
00:22:10,245 --> 00:22:12,873
there was a whole
Black disco scene where like--
555
00:22:12,914 --> 00:22:15,876
like if you like Chic,
Chic came out of that scene.
556
00:22:15,917 --> 00:22:17,544
And those people
weren't going--
557
00:22:17,586 --> 00:22:19,463
they weren't even allowed
to go into Studio 54.
558
00:22:19,504 --> 00:22:22,215
Like, if we went to Studio 54,
we weren't getting in.
559
00:22:22,257 --> 00:22:24,217
Steve Rubell was not
checking us right now.
560
00:22:24,259 --> 00:22:27,387
He was like, "You all
definitely at the wrong club."
561
00:22:27,429 --> 00:22:29,139
[Lionel] And then slowly
but surely rap started
562
00:22:29,181 --> 00:22:31,308
to come into the picture.
563
00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:34,895
Every disco that died
turned into a hip-hop club.
564
00:22:34,936 --> 00:22:37,022
Hip-hop here. No, no!
Don't Close the venue.
565
00:22:37,064 --> 00:22:39,107
We'll take that over.
Set the DJ up.
566
00:22:39,149 --> 00:22:41,610
[Ralph] Russell Simmons and I
became friends
567
00:22:41,651 --> 00:22:44,404
because I was into the music,
playing music.
568
00:22:44,446 --> 00:22:46,198
He was into giving parties.
569
00:22:46,239 --> 00:22:48,241
And Russell had already
went up to The Bronx.
570
00:22:48,283 --> 00:22:50,285
He saw what hip-hop
was all about.
571
00:22:50,327 --> 00:22:52,871
I remember he gave me a record
with somebody rapping on it.
572
00:22:52,913 --> 00:22:55,374
"Yo, Ralphie, play this."
And I was like,
573
00:22:55,415 --> 00:22:58,710
"So why would people
buy this record?"
574
00:22:58,752 --> 00:23:00,379
He said, "What do you mean?"
I said,
575
00:23:00,420 --> 00:23:02,839
"We, we rap in the park
for free every day.
576
00:23:02,881 --> 00:23:04,508
Like why are people
gonna buy these?
577
00:23:04,549 --> 00:23:06,051
They can just come
and hang out with us."
578
00:23:06,093 --> 00:23:07,427
He stood there for a minute,
he looked at me,
579
00:23:07,469 --> 00:23:09,054
and he was like,
580
00:23:09,096 --> 00:23:11,431
"Everybody is not coming
to the park."
581
00:23:11,473 --> 00:23:14,518
And I said, "Oh."
582
00:23:14,559 --> 00:23:17,354
You mean that this is happening
in other parts of the world
583
00:23:17,396 --> 00:23:19,439
or could, could potentially
be happening
584
00:23:19,481 --> 00:23:21,191
in other parts of the world?
585
00:23:21,233 --> 00:23:23,402
I didn't even imagine
that that could happen.
586
00:23:23,443 --> 00:23:26,446
[hip-hop music]
587
00:23:26,488 --> 00:23:29,074
[DJ Chuck] Flash and,
and Bambaataa, and, and Herc--
588
00:23:29,116 --> 00:23:31,618
gotta talk about Herc.
Can't leave him out.
589
00:23:31,660 --> 00:23:33,954
Herc's the godfather.
But everybody
590
00:23:33,995 --> 00:23:35,872
had their own little crews.
591
00:23:35,914 --> 00:23:37,791
So the MC was on the mic.
592
00:23:37,833 --> 00:23:42,421
The MC was really the one
who got the party hyped.
593
00:23:42,462 --> 00:23:44,589
Everybody starts
going to, to this dance
594
00:23:44,631 --> 00:23:45,841
called the freestyle.
595
00:23:47,676 --> 00:23:49,469
In The Bronx,
they called it breakdancing.
596
00:23:49,511 --> 00:23:51,346
In Brooklyn,
they called it freestyling.
597
00:23:51,388 --> 00:23:53,390
So that became the new thing.
598
00:23:57,018 --> 00:24:00,063
Then everybody started
wanting turntables
599
00:24:00,105 --> 00:24:02,023
at that point,
but everybody couldn't
600
00:24:02,065 --> 00:24:05,318
afford turntables
until we had the '77 blackout.
601
00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:07,863
[siren blaring]
602
00:24:07,904 --> 00:24:09,406
[DJ Scratch]
Once the blackout happened,
603
00:24:09,448 --> 00:24:11,533
my brothers came home
with turntables,
604
00:24:11,575 --> 00:24:13,201
speakers, you name it,
605
00:24:13,243 --> 00:24:15,662
and we had our DJ equipment.
606
00:24:15,704 --> 00:24:18,748
The b-boy was the kid who may
not have had shoestrings.
607
00:24:18,790 --> 00:24:22,085
They may have had
some fly slip-on sneakers.
608
00:24:22,127 --> 00:24:24,796
Some may have gloves on
for like a spin and--
609
00:24:24,838 --> 00:24:26,673
it's like a crew,
610
00:24:26,715 --> 00:24:28,800
Rock Steady and all these guys.
611
00:24:28,842 --> 00:24:31,303
[hip-hop music]
612
00:24:31,344 --> 00:24:33,680
[DJ Chuck] Back then, like
I said, it was territorial.
613
00:24:33,722 --> 00:24:35,348
The streets was buzzing.
614
00:24:35,390 --> 00:24:37,100
The home of hip-hop
was in The Bronx.
615
00:24:37,142 --> 00:24:40,187
And, um, and then
it moved around
616
00:24:40,228 --> 00:24:41,980
to, you know,
other parts of the city,
617
00:24:42,022 --> 00:24:43,690
Queens, Long Island.
618
00:24:43,732 --> 00:24:45,442
And then it branched on.
619
00:24:45,484 --> 00:24:47,486
Listen, if you're--
if you're a hip-hop guy,
620
00:24:47,527 --> 00:24:51,865
the majority of the guys
that engaged in this music
621
00:24:51,907 --> 00:24:55,202
at that time are criminals,
of the criminal nature.
622
00:24:55,243 --> 00:24:56,578
It's just the tough era.
623
00:24:56,620 --> 00:25:00,707
[hip-hop music]
624
00:25:00,749 --> 00:25:04,002
You know, we were sort
of like influencers of that era.
625
00:25:04,044 --> 00:25:06,671
When rap really started
to become popular,
626
00:25:06,713 --> 00:25:09,591
we were kind of, like,
the supporters and sponsors.
627
00:25:09,633 --> 00:25:13,261
Back then, you know,
we was rich, you know?
628
00:25:13,303 --> 00:25:15,388
[Shadi] Why were you guys rich?
629
00:25:15,430 --> 00:25:18,391
From that street
entrepreneurship, you know?
630
00:25:18,433 --> 00:25:21,186
And so one thing about us,
we're not braggadocious.
631
00:25:21,228 --> 00:25:23,897
We don't kind of glorify
our past history,
632
00:25:23,939 --> 00:25:25,690
but, you know,
for folks that's viewing,
633
00:25:25,732 --> 00:25:27,234
I would say just Google us.
634
00:25:30,237 --> 00:25:33,532
[Fat Joe] A big misconception
is that hip-hop
635
00:25:33,573 --> 00:25:35,867
was always nice guy music.
636
00:25:35,909 --> 00:25:37,744
You know,
every block party I went to
637
00:25:37,786 --> 00:25:39,829
ended up with violence.
638
00:25:39,871 --> 00:25:42,082
Somebody got robbed,
they turned off the music,
639
00:25:42,123 --> 00:25:44,334
or some shots in the air.
640
00:25:44,376 --> 00:25:46,419
[Ralph] The Feurtados,
they weren't flashy at all.
641
00:25:46,461 --> 00:25:47,879
They weren't--you know,
there was some people that,
642
00:25:47,921 --> 00:25:50,257
you know, they had
all the flash, fly gear.
643
00:25:50,298 --> 00:25:52,759
They was regular dudes,
but they were everywhere.
644
00:25:52,801 --> 00:25:54,594
-[Nas] Serious business.
-Serious business.
645
00:25:54,636 --> 00:25:57,597
[upbeat music]
646
00:26:04,312 --> 00:26:06,815
[Ralph] By the time I got
to my first year of college,
647
00:26:06,856 --> 00:26:08,567
they had
this internship program.
648
00:26:08,608 --> 00:26:10,235
One was communications.
649
00:26:10,277 --> 00:26:12,362
I said, "I'll take that.
What does that mean?"
650
00:26:12,404 --> 00:26:14,948
"Oh, you might get a job
at a-- a TV station."
651
00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:17,492
"Oh, sounds exciting.
Yeah, I'm down for that."
652
00:26:17,534 --> 00:26:20,620
And so my first internship
was at this company
653
00:26:20,662 --> 00:26:23,290
called Manhattan Cable TV.
654
00:26:25,333 --> 00:26:28,003
It was on 23rd Street
and I would go there
655
00:26:28,044 --> 00:26:29,546
two or three times a week.
656
00:26:29,588 --> 00:26:31,798
And there was
all these little monitors.
657
00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:33,925
And my job was every hour,
658
00:26:33,967 --> 00:26:36,136
there's a microphone there
and you say,
659
00:26:36,177 --> 00:26:37,887
"Hi. You're watching
Manhattan Cable
660
00:26:37,929 --> 00:26:39,472
and it's 6:00 PM,"
661
00:26:39,514 --> 00:26:40,890
or, "You're watching
Manhattan Cable
662
00:26:40,932 --> 00:26:42,100
and it's 2:30 AM."
663
00:26:42,142 --> 00:26:43,935
And I was like, "I talk?
664
00:26:43,977 --> 00:26:46,229
Ooh. Nice.
665
00:26:46,271 --> 00:26:48,148
Nice. I get to talk on a mic."
666
00:26:48,189 --> 00:26:50,275
And there were shows
like The Robin Byrd Show.
667
00:26:50,317 --> 00:26:53,737
If Santa can't come down
your chimney,
668
00:26:53,778 --> 00:26:55,822
you just may be able to see me.
669
00:26:55,864 --> 00:26:57,657
[Ralph] It was like porn.
670
00:26:57,699 --> 00:27:00,076
And I was like,
671
00:27:00,118 --> 00:27:02,579
"Yo, this is dope."
672
00:27:02,621 --> 00:27:04,789
[Coca] And what you do is,
you light up your hash pipe
673
00:27:04,831 --> 00:27:06,291
and get it going.
674
00:27:06,333 --> 00:27:07,792
Al Goldstein.
675
00:27:07,834 --> 00:27:09,961
Fuck you, Carlyle Hotel.
676
00:27:10,003 --> 00:27:11,504
[Ralph] Oh, man. This is crazy.
We don't have this
677
00:27:11,546 --> 00:27:13,131
on my regular TV.
678
00:27:13,173 --> 00:27:15,300
[upbeat music]
679
00:27:15,342 --> 00:27:17,260
[Ralph] It was enlightening
because I realized
680
00:27:17,302 --> 00:27:20,513
there were other things going
on outside of Queens,
681
00:27:20,555 --> 00:27:22,182
'cause I was in Manhattan
every day.
682
00:27:22,223 --> 00:27:23,475
I'm in 23rd Street.
I'm getting
683
00:27:23,516 --> 00:27:25,101
on a train, getting off.
684
00:27:25,143 --> 00:27:26,728
I'm looking
at different people.
685
00:27:26,770 --> 00:27:27,729
People come
from different places.
686
00:27:27,771 --> 00:27:28,813
They look different.
687
00:27:28,855 --> 00:27:30,440
They-- They act different.
688
00:27:30,482 --> 00:27:31,775
You know,
and I'm at the age where I'm--
689
00:27:31,816 --> 00:27:33,777
I'm-- I'm-- I'm able to get it.
690
00:27:33,818 --> 00:27:37,781
[upbeat music]
691
00:27:37,822 --> 00:27:39,991
[Ralph] Channel 31
was my third internship.
692
00:27:40,033 --> 00:27:42,452
A bunch of Black folks
are now starting to get hired
693
00:27:42,494 --> 00:27:45,830
at networks, ABC, NBC, CBS.
694
00:27:45,872 --> 00:27:48,208
Oh, I met Ralph,
695
00:27:48,249 --> 00:27:50,335
back in the early '80s.
696
00:27:50,377 --> 00:27:53,296
We was just two young brothers
697
00:27:53,338 --> 00:27:54,673
trying to figure out how--
698
00:27:54,714 --> 00:27:56,800
after graduating from college,
699
00:27:56,841 --> 00:27:59,886
how we was gonna get a job
in this TV industry.
700
00:27:59,928 --> 00:28:02,430
One day,
these tapes came in from a--
701
00:28:02,472 --> 00:28:04,391
and it said Sony
or something on it.
702
00:28:04,432 --> 00:28:06,101
I said,
"Yo, Ed, let's put this in.
703
00:28:06,142 --> 00:28:07,852
Let's see what we got here."
704
00:28:07,894 --> 00:28:09,270
Ed puts in it.
And it's all of these groups
705
00:28:09,312 --> 00:28:11,231
performing in a soundstage.
706
00:28:11,272 --> 00:28:13,274
Now, I'm starting to see MTV .
707
00:28:13,316 --> 00:28:15,985
But I realize that
they don't play any Black music
708
00:28:16,027 --> 00:28:18,279
other than Michael Jackson.
709
00:28:18,321 --> 00:28:20,949
I was like, "Why don't
we just play this on TV?"
710
00:28:20,990 --> 00:28:24,577
Ralph would sit down
and write a little script
711
00:28:24,619 --> 00:28:26,913
of what he was gonna be saying.
712
00:28:26,955 --> 00:28:31,042
And basically it started out
where we had the videos...
713
00:28:31,084 --> 00:28:33,044
And we put it together,
and like,
714
00:28:33,086 --> 00:28:35,046
like we were making
a mixtape, really.
715
00:28:35,088 --> 00:28:36,756
That's what we thought we was
doing. But it was for video.
716
00:28:36,798 --> 00:28:39,300
So it was really a, a video
mixtape in the beginning.
717
00:28:39,342 --> 00:28:41,720
I was like, "Boom box,
718
00:28:41,761 --> 00:28:44,431
music, video.
719
00:28:44,472 --> 00:28:46,391
We're gonna call it
Video Music Box ."
720
00:28:46,433 --> 00:28:48,768
And everybody looked
at me like, "You sure?"
721
00:28:48,810 --> 00:28:50,186
I'm like...
722
00:28:50,228 --> 00:28:51,771
"Sure it's not
Music Video Box?"
723
00:28:51,813 --> 00:28:54,357
"Nah, son.
It's Video Music Box ."
724
00:28:54,399 --> 00:28:56,943
And that's it.
It's a big boom box
725
00:28:56,985 --> 00:28:59,487
and it shows videos."
And that's what we're gonna do.
726
00:28:59,529 --> 00:29:01,364
And that's when
Video Music Box was born.
727
00:29:08,496 --> 00:29:10,874
[hip-hop music]
728
00:29:10,915 --> 00:29:12,959
[man] Hello, Video Music Box .
729
00:29:13,001 --> 00:29:16,129
We keep it on the block,
the house, yo.
730
00:29:17,714 --> 00:29:19,716
[Ralph] Yo, kid,
it's about that time.
731
00:29:19,758 --> 00:29:22,010
-Whose time?
-Box time.
732
00:29:22,051 --> 00:29:24,262
Lionel didn't wanna do
the video thing either.
733
00:29:24,304 --> 00:29:26,014
Half of Video Music Box.
734
00:29:26,055 --> 00:29:28,016
He didn't want to be on screen
or nothing like that.
735
00:29:28,057 --> 00:29:30,351
[laughs]
736
00:29:30,393 --> 00:29:33,813
He brought me in to, uh, kind
of check out what was going on.
737
00:29:35,940 --> 00:29:37,609
When I went to the station WNYC,
738
00:29:37,650 --> 00:29:39,444
it was on Channel 31,
739
00:29:39,486 --> 00:29:42,489
that was the first time
that I ever was in a TV studio.
740
00:29:42,530 --> 00:29:44,532
I saw the monitors,
the waveform monitors,
741
00:29:44,574 --> 00:29:47,160
cameras, and I was hooked.
I was like, "Wow."
742
00:29:47,202 --> 00:29:49,621
Lionel was getting ready to go
to the service.
743
00:29:49,662 --> 00:29:51,289
He didn't figure--
he was trying to figure out
744
00:29:51,331 --> 00:29:53,166
what to do with his life.
And I'm like,
745
00:29:53,208 --> 00:29:55,335
"Yo, you might wanna mess
around with this TV thing.
746
00:29:55,376 --> 00:29:57,170
It's kind of like deejaying,
but it's video."
747
00:29:57,212 --> 00:29:59,172
Everything
was like deejaying to me.
748
00:29:59,214 --> 00:30:00,673
[Nas] It's crazy where hip-hop,
749
00:30:00,715 --> 00:30:02,175
you can say
it started with a DJ.
750
00:30:02,217 --> 00:30:04,344
-Yeah.
-[Nas] And video shows
751
00:30:04,385 --> 00:30:06,513
for hip-hop started
with a DJ too.
752
00:30:06,554 --> 00:30:08,306
-So it's, it's attached.
-Yeah.
753
00:30:08,348 --> 00:30:09,849
[Nas] And the way the show ran
754
00:30:09,891 --> 00:30:11,434
-was like records.
-Right.
755
00:30:11,476 --> 00:30:13,144
You know, Video Music Box
756
00:30:13,186 --> 00:30:15,855
brings you the best
and the latest first.
757
00:30:15,897 --> 00:30:18,775
Here's Talking Heads,
"Once in a Lifetime."
758
00:30:18,817 --> 00:30:22,529
And you may find yourself
living in a shotgun shack
759
00:30:22,570 --> 00:30:25,698
Basically, he was playing
music videos
760
00:30:25,740 --> 00:30:27,534
and he was doing a voiceover.
761
00:30:27,575 --> 00:30:29,202
[Ralph]
I never wanted to be on camera.
762
00:30:29,244 --> 00:30:30,912
I didn't wanna be a celebrity.
763
00:30:30,954 --> 00:30:32,205
I didn't wanna do none of that.
764
00:30:32,247 --> 00:30:33,498
I just want it to be my voice.
765
00:30:33,540 --> 00:30:35,333
[hip-hop music plays]
766
00:30:35,375 --> 00:30:38,211
It's gonna be, like,
a video radio show.
767
00:30:39,712 --> 00:30:43,758
[indistinct chatter]
768
00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,219
[indistinct chatters]
769
00:30:46,261 --> 00:30:48,596
What's up, man?
Nice to meet you.
770
00:30:48,638 --> 00:30:49,889
Hi, Video Music Box.
771
00:30:49,931 --> 00:30:51,724
[indistinct chatters]
772
00:30:51,766 --> 00:30:53,852
How you doing, Music Box? I'm
with Salt-N-Peppa.
773
00:30:53,893 --> 00:30:55,103
This is Salt and this is Peppa.
774
00:30:55,144 --> 00:30:56,813
You got Sandy D
right here.
775
00:30:56,855 --> 00:30:58,815
We used to hold the mic
like this.
776
00:30:58,857 --> 00:31:00,650
So we hold the mic out and--
to the artists we would talk to.
777
00:31:00,692 --> 00:31:02,318
So you never saw the person.
778
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:03,736
You just saw the microphone
779
00:31:03,778 --> 00:31:05,572
and the artist, like,
saying whatever.
780
00:31:05,613 --> 00:31:07,407
Yo, The Afros are gonna tell us
what the next video
781
00:31:07,448 --> 00:31:09,868
is gonna be on Video Music Box,
show what they wanna see.
782
00:31:09,909 --> 00:31:11,911
Believe that, baby.
783
00:31:11,953 --> 00:31:13,746
[Lionel] I was like, "Well,
why don't we get in the shot
784
00:31:13,788 --> 00:31:16,416
with them and hold the mic
and stuff like that."
785
00:31:16,457 --> 00:31:17,876
And the camera person was like,
786
00:31:17,917 --> 00:31:20,086
"One, two, three."
And Ralph said...
787
00:31:20,128 --> 00:31:21,421
Video Music Box in full effect.
788
00:31:21,462 --> 00:31:23,006
I'm VJ Ralph McDaniels...
789
00:31:23,047 --> 00:31:25,758
And I was like, "Uh."
I just, like, froze.
790
00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:27,427
I had no idea what to say.
791
00:31:27,468 --> 00:31:29,554
I pulled out the sunglasses,
put them on my face.
792
00:31:29,596 --> 00:31:30,805
I said, "All right.
Let's do it again."
793
00:31:30,847 --> 00:31:32,265
He goes,
"I'm VJ Ralph McDaniels."
794
00:31:32,307 --> 00:31:33,808
And I said,
"And I'm the VidKid."
795
00:31:33,850 --> 00:31:35,643
And I went like this.
And I said, "Word."
796
00:31:35,685 --> 00:31:37,770
That's right. Keep on rocking
with the Box with yours truly,
797
00:31:37,812 --> 00:31:39,397
VJ Ralph McDaniels.
798
00:31:39,439 --> 00:31:42,609
-And, of course...
-The VidKid.
799
00:31:42,650 --> 00:31:44,277
And that caught on.
800
00:31:44,319 --> 00:31:46,279
And that's how
VJ Ralph McDaniels
801
00:31:46,321 --> 00:31:48,239
and the VidKid was born.
802
00:31:48,281 --> 00:31:51,826
[DMC] Ralph on camera
comes across like your brother
803
00:31:51,868 --> 00:31:53,661
or your uncle, Uncle Ralph.
804
00:31:53,703 --> 00:31:57,790
He didn't come across like
a, uh, a media personality.
805
00:31:57,832 --> 00:32:00,585
The term uncle mean
another level
806
00:32:00,627 --> 00:32:03,421
where you're elder to them,
807
00:32:03,463 --> 00:32:05,214
but they look at you
as you're cool,
808
00:32:05,256 --> 00:32:07,634
you're hip,
you impact it with them.
809
00:32:07,675 --> 00:32:09,052
But you have a respect.
810
00:32:09,093 --> 00:32:10,553
And I start calling Ralph that
811
00:32:10,595 --> 00:32:12,388
because I saw how people
was taking to Ralph.
812
00:32:12,430 --> 00:32:15,475
Ralph was the one who took uncle
and made it mean something.
813
00:32:15,516 --> 00:32:17,435
Ralph became
Uncle Ralph for real.
814
00:32:17,477 --> 00:32:19,228
And he deserved that
because that was a title
815
00:32:19,270 --> 00:32:21,314
of endearment, for sure,
and respect.
816
00:32:21,356 --> 00:32:23,816
I like to say what's up
and peace to Uncle Ralph first.
817
00:32:23,858 --> 00:32:25,318
- Video Music Box.
-Uncle Ralph.
818
00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,111
Uncle Ralph...
everybody love y'all.
819
00:32:27,153 --> 00:32:29,405
[Ralph]
From our reggae spectacular,
820
00:32:29,447 --> 00:32:32,617
he is Moja Nya
with Rise Up.
821
00:32:32,659 --> 00:32:34,452
[indistinct singing]
822
00:32:34,494 --> 00:32:36,162
[Ralph] There were certain
videos that we played
823
00:32:36,204 --> 00:32:37,830
that you didn't see
anywhere else.
824
00:32:37,872 --> 00:32:40,166
[Fat Joe] We were exposed
to other cultures.
825
00:32:40,208 --> 00:32:42,126
Ralph used to play
the Caribbean stuff,
826
00:32:42,168 --> 00:32:44,837
the-- the-- the reggae stuff
before we even knew Jamaicans.
827
00:32:44,879 --> 00:32:46,839
[DJ Scratch]
I would see Jimi Hendrix,
828
00:32:46,881 --> 00:32:50,343
Madonna, Run-DMC.
We saw Whodini.
829
00:32:50,385 --> 00:32:51,719
Of course, we know
what they look like
830
00:32:51,761 --> 00:32:53,554
but we never seen them like in,
831
00:32:53,596 --> 00:32:56,724
in-- in physical form performing
and stuff like that.
832
00:32:56,766 --> 00:33:01,229
[Diddy] You gots Tha Chill,
Big Daddy Kane, and Rob Base.
833
00:33:01,270 --> 00:33:04,023
[singer] It takes two
to make a thing go right
834
00:33:04,065 --> 00:33:05,608
[Diddy] I remember
just being in my room,
835
00:33:05,650 --> 00:33:07,068
going back and forth,
836
00:33:07,110 --> 00:33:08,569
trying to learn
the choreography.
837
00:33:08,611 --> 00:33:10,363
The first artist
I saw on the Box
838
00:33:10,405 --> 00:33:13,199
was probably the Force MDs,
Force MCs,
839
00:33:13,241 --> 00:33:15,451
Roxanne Shante, UTFO...
840
00:33:15,493 --> 00:33:17,370
[singer] Gizmo's scratching
Milk Dee's rhyming
841
00:33:17,412 --> 00:33:19,038
Milk is chillin',
Giz is chillin'
842
00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:21,666
[Tuffy] Milk and Giz
all day, MC Lyte.
843
00:33:21,708 --> 00:33:25,003
It was just amazing to watch
all these new artists.
844
00:33:25,044 --> 00:33:26,963
There wasn't enough
hip-hop videos,
845
00:33:27,005 --> 00:33:28,047
so I had to fill up the time.
846
00:33:28,089 --> 00:33:30,133
I was on six days a week.
847
00:33:30,174 --> 00:33:32,051
- Say...
- Tell me what you want...
848
00:33:32,093 --> 00:33:33,720
[Ralph] We would say, "Okay,
let's play Hall & Oates
849
00:33:33,761 --> 00:33:35,555
because that's some funky soul,
White boy shit,
850
00:33:35,596 --> 00:33:37,056
but we love it," you know?
851
00:33:37,098 --> 00:33:38,808
We-- We-- We loved that
right there.
852
00:33:38,850 --> 00:33:40,977
"Or let's play Bernard Wright,
Who Do You Love."
853
00:33:41,019 --> 00:33:42,395
Who do you love?
854
00:33:42,437 --> 00:33:43,563
Girl I'm in love with you
855
00:33:43,604 --> 00:33:44,897
Are you for sure?
856
00:33:44,939 --> 00:33:46,566
Sure as the sky is blue
857
00:33:46,607 --> 00:33:48,568
So all of these things
was coming into my head
858
00:33:48,609 --> 00:33:50,945
as I was putting
the show together.
859
00:33:50,987 --> 00:33:53,239
And I think we gathered that
from being DJs.
860
00:33:53,281 --> 00:33:55,074
[upbeat music plays]
861
00:33:55,116 --> 00:33:56,701
Are you ready
to go 'cause...
862
00:33:56,743 --> 00:33:59,203
The streets dictated
to what we were doing.
863
00:33:59,245 --> 00:34:01,205
The streets would tell you if
you're playing something wack
864
00:34:01,247 --> 00:34:02,915
on the radio
or on the television,
865
00:34:02,957 --> 00:34:04,876
"Yo, that shit is wack, son.
866
00:34:04,917 --> 00:34:06,753
What you doing?"
867
00:34:06,794 --> 00:34:08,504
[Ralph] So one day,
I'm on the train
868
00:34:08,546 --> 00:34:12,216
and these dudes are, like,
grilling me on the train.
869
00:34:12,258 --> 00:34:14,177
Like, like, you could easily
get jumped
870
00:34:14,218 --> 00:34:16,763
on a train like quick.
871
00:34:16,804 --> 00:34:20,099
So I'm like, this is going to be
a problem, you know?
872
00:34:20,141 --> 00:34:23,019
And as I'm about to get off
the train,
873
00:34:23,061 --> 00:34:24,771
the dude goes,
874
00:34:24,812 --> 00:34:28,066
"You're the dude on that show
that played the videos?"
875
00:34:28,107 --> 00:34:29,442
And I'm like, "Yeah."
876
00:34:29,484 --> 00:34:30,777
"Yo, we like that shit."
877
00:34:30,818 --> 00:34:33,071
And I'm like, "Damn, man.
878
00:34:33,112 --> 00:34:35,406
We sat here for 10 stops.
879
00:34:35,448 --> 00:34:36,949
Like, I thought
it was about to go down--
880
00:34:36,991 --> 00:34:39,285
why you ain't say that
10 stops ago?"
881
00:34:39,327 --> 00:34:41,454
And so that's when I knew
that the streets
882
00:34:41,496 --> 00:34:42,622
was checking for me.
883
00:34:42,663 --> 00:34:45,374
[hip-hop music plays]
884
00:34:45,416 --> 00:34:47,752
[Lord Black] Big gettin' wide
Gettin' money up in honies
885
00:34:47,794 --> 00:34:49,921
Not funny, you're my sonny
Or your honey
886
00:34:49,962 --> 00:34:51,964
- We're getting large
- On Video Music Box
887
00:34:52,006 --> 00:34:54,133
- With Ralph McDaniels
- And the VidKid
888
00:34:54,175 --> 00:34:56,761
[Todd] Ralph stayed
steadfast his commitment
889
00:34:56,803 --> 00:34:58,012
that this is
what he is going to do.
890
00:34:58,054 --> 00:34:59,722
Because once you are visionary,
891
00:34:59,764 --> 00:35:01,432
you can see things
that you really don't realize
892
00:35:01,474 --> 00:35:03,726
that's in your psyche
until it manifests.
893
00:35:03,768 --> 00:35:06,604
That this is gonna be something
that's gonna not only set
894
00:35:06,646 --> 00:35:08,564
the world on fire
but it's gonna get people
895
00:35:08,606 --> 00:35:11,150
who look like me
a fair opportunity
896
00:35:11,192 --> 00:35:14,195
to get into the world
and make some money.
897
00:35:14,237 --> 00:35:16,072
Video Music Box doing it right.
898
00:35:16,114 --> 00:35:18,157
Got my man Funkmaster Flex
in the house.
899
00:35:18,199 --> 00:35:19,784
[Roxanne] I remember
when everybody was dying
900
00:35:19,826 --> 00:35:21,244
to get on
Video-- Video Music Box.
901
00:35:21,285 --> 00:35:22,829
Like if you heard
it was gonna be filming
902
00:35:22,870 --> 00:35:24,664
somewhere at a club,
everybody went to go.
903
00:35:24,705 --> 00:35:25,832
They'd look for
that bright light
904
00:35:25,873 --> 00:35:26,916
and wanna get right over there.
905
00:35:26,958 --> 00:35:28,751
Why? Because you knew
906
00:35:28,793 --> 00:35:30,503
everybody's gonna know
you was at the party.
907
00:35:30,545 --> 00:35:32,338
Now, the same effects happen
to people who don't want
908
00:35:32,380 --> 00:35:33,840
people to know that they
was in the motherfucking party.
909
00:35:33,881 --> 00:35:35,174
That's what he brought to
910
00:35:35,216 --> 00:35:36,676
even the darkest times
of hip-hop.
911
00:35:36,717 --> 00:35:38,636
He brought that bright light.
912
00:35:38,678 --> 00:35:40,471
And now you see me jiggy,
you puzzled
913
00:35:40,513 --> 00:35:41,806
He ain't sellin'
no records, is he?
914
00:35:41,848 --> 00:35:44,642
That nigga gotta hustle
915
00:35:44,684 --> 00:35:46,519
[Jay-Z] It's super important,
you know, for us to be seen in,
916
00:35:46,561 --> 00:35:50,148
in a light by someone who
truly understands us,
917
00:35:50,189 --> 00:35:51,983
you know,
'cause once we're in the room,
918
00:35:52,024 --> 00:35:53,860
then we-- you know,
we're gonna-- we're gonna--
919
00:35:53,901 --> 00:35:55,903
we're gonna navigate that
and do what we have to do.
920
00:35:55,945 --> 00:35:59,031
[Nas] Hey, man.
This is Ralph McDaniels.
921
00:35:59,073 --> 00:36:00,616
And everybody's on pins
and needles
922
00:36:00,658 --> 00:36:02,743
for what you're about
to introduce next.
923
00:36:02,785 --> 00:36:04,495
And this is--
and we didn't know,
924
00:36:04,537 --> 00:36:06,122
we just have to sit here
and wait,
925
00:36:06,164 --> 00:36:08,541
and then you would introduce us
to new videos.
926
00:36:08,583 --> 00:36:10,626
[Ralph]
...with Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
927
00:36:10,668 --> 00:36:12,753
and the all-stars
from Cold Chillin'.
928
00:36:12,795 --> 00:36:14,755
[Nas] And then you would do
all the shoutouts which--
929
00:36:14,797 --> 00:36:17,550
you brought--
you brought the radio to TV.
930
00:36:17,592 --> 00:36:19,177
-Yeah.
-[Nas] You start to get--
931
00:36:19,218 --> 00:36:20,386
I don't think anybody else
did shoutouts.
932
00:36:20,428 --> 00:36:21,804
No. No.
933
00:36:21,846 --> 00:36:23,431
I wanna give a shoutout
to all my family
934
00:36:23,472 --> 00:36:25,808
and all my true friends.
Love you, Janet.
935
00:36:25,850 --> 00:36:28,102
I'd like to give a shoutout
to my daughter, Ratisha.
936
00:36:28,144 --> 00:36:30,313
Big shoutout to my moms,
my girl, my son,
937
00:36:30,354 --> 00:36:33,566
my nephew, my brother...
Yeah!
938
00:36:33,608 --> 00:36:35,568
Everything originates
from the hood.
939
00:36:35,610 --> 00:36:37,403
The shoutout, it's all of that.
940
00:36:37,445 --> 00:36:39,530
Happy birthday, Jennifer.
I love you.
941
00:36:39,572 --> 00:36:41,240
[Michael] Yo!
Shoutout to every nigga
942
00:36:41,282 --> 00:36:43,201
that came from the projects
that's behind the wall
943
00:36:43,242 --> 00:36:45,036
in Rikers, we love you.
944
00:36:45,077 --> 00:36:48,414
Whatever that is, that resonates
and moves through the city.
945
00:36:48,456 --> 00:36:50,416
And it touches down and lands.
946
00:36:50,458 --> 00:36:52,084
I wanna give a shoutout
to the Bronzeville
947
00:36:52,126 --> 00:36:54,045
south side posse.
948
00:36:54,086 --> 00:36:56,422
Yo, I'd like to give a shoutout
to everybody's girl.
949
00:36:56,464 --> 00:36:57,715
It's priceless.
950
00:36:57,757 --> 00:36:59,091
[indistinct]
951
00:36:59,133 --> 00:37:00,426
...working out of
Rikers Island.
952
00:37:00,468 --> 00:37:02,303
Yo, my name Monique.
I'm from AC.
953
00:37:02,345 --> 00:37:03,471
I'd like to give a shoutout
to everybody at Rutgers
954
00:37:03,512 --> 00:37:05,264
and New Brunswick!
955
00:37:05,306 --> 00:37:07,892
Yo, I wanna give a shoutout
to lockdown brothers, word up.
956
00:37:07,934 --> 00:37:10,019
Sea-cacus, Yards-ville.
957
00:37:10,061 --> 00:37:12,730
Motherfuckin' Northern State.
All that good stuff.
958
00:37:12,772 --> 00:37:14,190
[Mike Tyson] That's our world.
959
00:37:14,232 --> 00:37:15,983
Sometime when you get
a shoutout from my--
960
00:37:16,025 --> 00:37:19,278
my husband in C76
or whatever it may be,
961
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:22,323
or he might be upstate,
somebody in Green Haven,
962
00:37:22,365 --> 00:37:24,617
Comstock,
that makes them feel good,
963
00:37:24,659 --> 00:37:26,285
makes them feel like
someone's thinking about them,
964
00:37:26,327 --> 00:37:28,412
especially if they're--
they doing time.
965
00:37:28,454 --> 00:37:31,999
Say peace to my cousin, Jazzy,
back in A Town. PA.
966
00:37:32,041 --> 00:37:34,502
I'd like to give a shoutout
to my daughter, Janika,
967
00:37:34,543 --> 00:37:37,088
my moms, my pops,
and the 40 Crew.
968
00:37:37,129 --> 00:37:38,923
Everybody in Flatbush, yo. In
the house.
969
00:37:38,965 --> 00:37:42,051
Video Music Box
shoutout is your moment,
970
00:37:42,093 --> 00:37:43,636
is your moment in the sun.
971
00:37:43,678 --> 00:37:45,304
...Akeem, Ameen,
my boyfriend, Hale.
972
00:37:45,346 --> 00:37:47,640
Growing up and being able to see
images of myself,
973
00:37:47,682 --> 00:37:50,393
especially on Video Music Box
was a blessing,
974
00:37:50,434 --> 00:37:52,561
'cause you didn't see
too many kids
975
00:37:52,603 --> 00:37:54,313
who looked like me.
976
00:37:54,355 --> 00:37:56,482
I'm, like, really not too much
of a partier anyway,
977
00:37:56,524 --> 00:37:58,985
so, you know, it was the Box
was perfect for me
978
00:37:59,026 --> 00:38:00,486
so I could just watch it,
you know, say,
979
00:38:00,528 --> 00:38:01,946
from the comfort of the home
and just be like,
980
00:38:01,988 --> 00:38:03,990
"Okay, yeah."
Feel like I'm there.
981
00:38:04,031 --> 00:38:07,326
I'm in the middle
of thousands of people sometimes
982
00:38:07,368 --> 00:38:08,786
with the camera.
983
00:38:08,828 --> 00:38:10,579
They grabbing at the camera.
984
00:38:10,621 --> 00:38:13,833
They--everybody was just trying
to get on film and...
985
00:38:13,874 --> 00:38:15,584
-Lot of classy people in here.
-I'm feeling it.
986
00:38:15,626 --> 00:38:17,712
-All right. I'm feeling it.
-I'm feeling--
987
00:38:17,753 --> 00:38:19,380
I'm feeling you out,
for truth.
988
00:38:22,174 --> 00:38:25,303
So you're just standing here,
making a fashion statement,
989
00:38:25,344 --> 00:38:27,680
interrupting the flow
of the party.
990
00:38:27,722 --> 00:38:30,599
[Ray] It was just an exciting
part of what we did,
991
00:38:30,641 --> 00:38:33,352
which is the core
of Video Music Box.
992
00:38:33,394 --> 00:38:36,856
"Let's go to France,
Egypt where we came from!"
993
00:38:36,897 --> 00:38:40,026
Crazy Sam was doing this thing
called the Uptown Comedy Club.
994
00:38:40,067 --> 00:38:42,695
Went up there,
I ain't hear no comedy.
995
00:38:42,737 --> 00:38:46,615
And then finally, Crazy Sam
came out and he just talked.
996
00:38:46,657 --> 00:38:48,034
And people would laugh.
997
00:38:48,075 --> 00:38:49,785
I wanna give a shout out
to my man,
998
00:38:49,827 --> 00:38:51,620
you know who you are.
999
00:38:51,662 --> 00:38:53,497
I like when y'all
say that shit,
1000
00:38:53,539 --> 00:38:55,541
"And you know who you are,
nigga.
1001
00:38:55,583 --> 00:38:58,002
All six of y'all." [laughs]
1002
00:38:58,044 --> 00:39:02,506
And he did these characters,
Billy Strong Boy,
1003
00:39:02,548 --> 00:39:04,759
and this lady,
the Spanish lady on the bench
1004
00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:06,635
who talks about everybody.
1005
00:39:06,677 --> 00:39:09,513
[yawns]
1006
00:39:09,555 --> 00:39:11,015
[Lionel] He was a character.
1007
00:39:11,057 --> 00:39:13,184
Best way I can describe him
is like,
1008
00:39:13,225 --> 00:39:16,103
what Flava Flav is to Chuck D
and Public Enemy, you know?
1009
00:39:16,145 --> 00:39:17,938
And-- And that was something
interesting too,
1010
00:39:17,980 --> 00:39:19,523
for the fans, you know,
they liked it.
1011
00:39:19,565 --> 00:39:21,150
He became his own personality
1012
00:39:21,192 --> 00:39:23,277
and he developed on that show.
1013
00:39:23,319 --> 00:39:27,073
I come from a family
of religious gangsters.
1014
00:39:27,114 --> 00:39:29,492
I mean, I buy crabs for, like,
a whole city block.
1015
00:39:29,533 --> 00:39:32,453
You got crabs, you got lobster,
you got everything out there.
1016
00:39:32,495 --> 00:39:35,122
Welcome to Nervous Thursdays.
1017
00:39:35,164 --> 00:39:36,832
Where everything is nervous.
1018
00:39:36,874 --> 00:39:38,584
[Ralph] Started out
as alternative videos,
1019
00:39:38,626 --> 00:39:41,712
and he was so hot
that he was like,
1020
00:39:41,754 --> 00:39:43,714
"Why are you giving me
the wack videos?"
1021
00:39:43,756 --> 00:39:45,174
[chuckles] He was like,
1022
00:39:45,216 --> 00:39:46,675
"Ralph, I need the good videos."
1023
00:39:46,717 --> 00:39:49,428
Welcome. I am here
with my home boys.
1024
00:39:49,470 --> 00:39:51,013
And we're all chilling.
1025
00:39:51,055 --> 00:39:53,224
We would send him
out with a-- with a camera,
1026
00:39:53,265 --> 00:39:55,726
and he'd just come back
with the craziest shit ever.
1027
00:39:55,768 --> 00:39:57,228
Oh, I don't like the wind
1028
00:39:57,269 --> 00:39:59,271
It's strong, it's going...
1029
00:39:59,313 --> 00:40:00,856
[Ralph] He was a nutcase.
1030
00:40:00,898 --> 00:40:03,734
This lady right here.
She's so short.
1031
00:40:03,776 --> 00:40:06,278
Don't get me upset or nervous.
1032
00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:08,614
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
1033
00:40:08,656 --> 00:40:11,075
Tim Dog.
Tim Dog's in the house.
1034
00:40:11,117 --> 00:40:12,785
[laughter]
1035
00:40:12,827 --> 00:40:14,787
Hello.
1036
00:40:14,829 --> 00:40:17,623
[group] We're Five Star
and you can see our video
1037
00:40:17,665 --> 00:40:21,252
"All Falls Down"
on Video Music Box .
1038
00:40:21,293 --> 00:40:24,630
[Ralph] Video Music Box
continues with a hot one
1039
00:40:24,672 --> 00:40:27,133
from Billy Ocean
"Mystery Lady".
1040
00:40:27,174 --> 00:40:28,467
[Billy Ocean's
"Mystery Lady" playing]
1041
00:40:28,509 --> 00:40:30,136
Na, na, na, na, na, na
1042
00:40:30,177 --> 00:40:32,263
[Evelyn] I actually met Ralph
on a blind date.
1043
00:40:32,304 --> 00:40:33,639
I don't think
he'll remember this,
1044
00:40:33,681 --> 00:40:35,307
but he came, like,
with a teddy bear.
1045
00:40:35,349 --> 00:40:38,144
[chuckles] And we met,
1046
00:40:38,185 --> 00:40:40,604
and then my cousin left,
1047
00:40:40,646 --> 00:40:42,815
and he left--
they left us by ourselves.
1048
00:40:42,857 --> 00:40:44,984
And then the rest is history,
1049
00:40:45,025 --> 00:40:46,569
Thirty-five years here together.
1050
00:40:48,821 --> 00:40:50,448
[Ralph] Three, two, one.
1051
00:40:50,489 --> 00:40:52,867
No, this is not-- ugh.
1052
00:40:52,908 --> 00:40:54,952
Three.
1053
00:40:54,994 --> 00:40:58,497
-[man] Rolling.
-Three, two, one.
1054
00:40:58,539 --> 00:41:02,001
No, this is not MTV,
it's Video Music Box.
1055
00:41:02,042 --> 00:41:05,671
A great program
with positive informa-- sorry.
1056
00:41:05,713 --> 00:41:07,673
No, I'm gonna do
something else here, hold up.
1057
00:41:07,715 --> 00:41:10,676
I'll tell you when to start then
I'm just gonna turn to you so.
1058
00:41:10,718 --> 00:41:12,428
Go.
1059
00:41:12,470 --> 00:41:14,930
We take the beat to the street
with the top 40 sounds
1060
00:41:14,972 --> 00:41:16,849
of Madonna,
New Kids on the Block,
1061
00:41:16,891 --> 00:41:18,642
and Bruce Springsteen.
1062
00:41:18,684 --> 00:41:20,019
Let's do another one.
1063
00:41:20,060 --> 00:41:22,688
It was just in the midst
of the beginning
1064
00:41:22,730 --> 00:41:26,192
of Video Music Box,
so he prepared me for it.
1065
00:41:29,528 --> 00:41:30,863
[Lionel] Red,
how'd you like the party?
1066
00:41:30,905 --> 00:41:34,200
Yeeeeeaa, what's up?
1067
00:41:34,241 --> 00:41:36,035
You know what?
This is a spectacular party.
1068
00:41:36,076 --> 00:41:37,745
I enjoyed it very much,
1069
00:41:37,786 --> 00:41:39,538
and, you know, I hope things
keep on going strong.
1070
00:41:39,580 --> 00:41:41,999
And you guys,
y'all are the best.
1071
00:41:42,041 --> 00:41:44,043
[Ralph]
Video Music Box continues
1072
00:41:44,084 --> 00:41:48,923
with Boogie Down Productions
featuring KRS-One.
1073
00:41:48,964 --> 00:41:50,883
To let us into your skin
1074
00:41:50,925 --> 00:41:52,426
Why?
1075
00:41:52,468 --> 00:41:54,428
'Cause then you'll begin...
1076
00:41:54,470 --> 00:41:56,263
-Yeah.
- ...To master
1077
00:41:56,305 --> 00:41:59,266
Rhymin', rhymin', rhymin'
1078
00:41:59,308 --> 00:42:01,894
Criminal minded,
you've been blinded
1079
00:42:01,936 --> 00:42:03,395
Lookin', for a style
like mine
1080
00:42:03,437 --> 00:42:05,231
You can't find it
1081
00:42:05,272 --> 00:42:07,399
They are the audience,
I am the lyricist
1082
00:42:07,441 --> 00:42:09,860
Sometimes the suckers
on the side gotta hear this
1083
00:42:09,902 --> 00:42:12,530
Page, a rage
and I'm not in a cage
1084
00:42:12,571 --> 00:42:15,366
Free as a bird
to fly up out on stage...
1085
00:42:15,407 --> 00:42:17,201
[Professor] Oh, man.
The live performances
1086
00:42:17,243 --> 00:42:20,412
on Video Music Box
were like a treat.
1087
00:42:20,454 --> 00:42:22,665
Yo. The Jazzy Jeff
1088
00:42:22,706 --> 00:42:24,833
and Fresh Prince
early joint at
1089
00:42:24,875 --> 00:42:26,585
uh, Union Square.
1090
00:42:26,627 --> 00:42:28,921
Music, and make parents
and children
1091
00:42:28,963 --> 00:42:31,423
All sit down and they both
be willing to...
1092
00:42:31,465 --> 00:42:33,592
[Professor]
These are memorable moments
1093
00:42:33,634 --> 00:42:37,763
for like New York
hip-hop dudes.
1094
00:42:37,805 --> 00:42:39,473
Yo! What's up?
I'm The Fresh Prince.
1095
00:42:39,515 --> 00:42:40,975
And this is a brand new group
coming out of Philly
1096
00:42:41,016 --> 00:42:42,601
called 2 Too Many.
1097
00:42:42,643 --> 00:42:44,603
And here's their video.
1098
00:42:44,645 --> 00:42:46,647
-[group] Where's the party?
-Y'all took too long.
1099
00:42:46,689 --> 00:42:48,440
All right. Go ahead,
do it again. Take seven.
1100
00:42:48,482 --> 00:42:50,442
[shouts]
1101
00:42:50,484 --> 00:42:52,403
Yo! What's up?
I'm The Fresh Prince.
1102
00:42:52,444 --> 00:42:54,613
And there's a brand new group
coming out of Philly called...
1103
00:42:54,655 --> 00:42:56,282
...2 Too Many.
1104
00:42:56,323 --> 00:42:57,575
I don't like that.
1105
00:42:57,616 --> 00:42:59,493
-[laughs]
-I don't like that.
1106
00:42:59,535 --> 00:43:01,328
[Ralph] We didn't make no money
off of the TV show
1107
00:43:01,370 --> 00:43:03,038
because we was non-commercial.
It was a non-commercial station.
1108
00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:05,207
If it became money, it would
turn into something else
1109
00:43:05,249 --> 00:43:06,959
that I wouldn't have
control over.
1110
00:43:07,001 --> 00:43:08,794
And I liked the idea
that I could play
1111
00:43:08,836 --> 00:43:11,130
what I wanted to play
and not have to worry about it.
1112
00:43:11,171 --> 00:43:13,132
I said, "We'll, make money
somewhere else."
1113
00:43:13,173 --> 00:43:15,718
The only way we made money
was doing the parties.
1114
00:43:15,759 --> 00:43:17,428
I love New York. This is the--
1115
00:43:17,469 --> 00:43:19,054
I mean, no place parties
like New York, baby.
1116
00:43:19,096 --> 00:43:20,139
I'm ripped for real.
1117
00:43:22,016 --> 00:43:23,892
[Ralph]
These promoters was out here.
1118
00:43:23,934 --> 00:43:25,769
And we're seeing--
we were doing the math like,
1119
00:43:25,811 --> 00:43:28,147
you know, "Wait a minute,
they charged $20.
1120
00:43:28,188 --> 00:43:30,482
It was a thousand people
in that was $20,000.
1121
00:43:30,524 --> 00:43:32,318
Oh, let's do that,
we could do that."
1122
00:43:32,359 --> 00:43:34,111
And so we started
doing the parties.
1123
00:43:34,153 --> 00:43:36,614
All right, y'all ready
for Tribe Called Quest,
1124
00:43:36,655 --> 00:43:38,490
New York City?
Put your hands together.
1125
00:43:38,532 --> 00:43:39,950
[Wendy] I did go to the parties
that Ralph promoted
1126
00:43:39,992 --> 00:43:42,953
and they'd always be packed.
1127
00:43:42,995 --> 00:43:45,331
[cheering]
1128
00:43:45,372 --> 00:43:47,541
Right now is about New York.
1129
00:43:47,583 --> 00:43:50,127
And that's what we--you know,
we all about New York right now.
1130
00:43:50,169 --> 00:43:52,129
You could see
the Wu Tang Clan over there.
1131
00:43:52,171 --> 00:43:55,090
[rapping indistinctly]
1132
00:44:02,181 --> 00:44:04,183
Tribe Called Quest over there...
1133
00:44:04,224 --> 00:44:06,143
Well, can I get a level
on the bass and on the treble
1134
00:44:06,185 --> 00:44:08,479
Footin up and down
like a UNLV Rebel
1135
00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:11,440
The answer be amongst us cause
we rarely dig acoustics
1136
00:44:11,482 --> 00:44:13,567
Can't be too much flackin',
not too much packin'
1137
00:44:13,609 --> 00:44:15,527
You must container that at
least to dip your hand in rap
1138
00:44:15,569 --> 00:44:17,613
Foxy Brown getting ready
to warm up over there.
1139
00:44:17,655 --> 00:44:20,574
[crowd cheering]
1140
00:44:26,330 --> 00:44:27,831
[Wendy] And a few White people
were in there,
1141
00:44:27,873 --> 00:44:29,291
like, you could feel them
1142
00:44:29,333 --> 00:44:32,169
trying to steal
our flavor again.
1143
00:44:32,211 --> 00:44:33,545
You could feel it.
1144
00:44:33,587 --> 00:44:35,673
Black comedy is blowing up.
1145
00:44:35,714 --> 00:44:37,549
You know, what I'm saying
it's blowing up, word up.
Def Jam.
1146
00:44:37,591 --> 00:44:39,218
We got the power,
we got Uptown Comedy.
1147
00:44:39,259 --> 00:44:40,803
You know what I'm saying?
1148
00:44:40,844 --> 00:44:42,137
And there was a lot
of Black comics out there
1149
00:44:42,179 --> 00:44:43,222
that's just as good as me, man.
1150
00:44:43,263 --> 00:44:44,723
We need places to work out.
1151
00:44:44,765 --> 00:44:46,141
Please look out for us, man.
1152
00:44:46,183 --> 00:44:49,061
Check us out
and support Black comedy.
1153
00:44:49,103 --> 00:44:51,271
And I got Beast
over here hiding.
1154
00:44:51,313 --> 00:44:52,856
Beast found this man for me
1155
00:44:52,898 --> 00:44:54,608
'cause it was hectic
to get to them.
1156
00:44:54,650 --> 00:44:56,443
[Sam] Beast was, uh,
the head of our security.
1157
00:44:56,485 --> 00:44:59,238
And, um, we had a team
called the Gorilla Force.
1158
00:44:59,279 --> 00:45:01,448
And it was a no nonsense crew.
1159
00:45:01,490 --> 00:45:02,991
So artists would come,
1160
00:45:03,033 --> 00:45:05,744
we were able to get
A-list artists
1161
00:45:05,786 --> 00:45:07,454
to come even to Brooklyn.
1162
00:45:07,496 --> 00:45:09,581
Ooh, la, la, la
1163
00:45:09,623 --> 00:45:12,501
It's the natural law
that the refugees bring
1164
00:45:12,543 --> 00:45:16,630
Ooh, la, la, la, la, la, la,
la, la la, la, lah
1165
00:45:16,672 --> 00:45:18,799
- Sweet thing
- Yeah, yeah
1166
00:45:18,841 --> 00:45:20,259
- Yeah, yeah
- Yeah, yeah
1167
00:45:20,300 --> 00:45:22,219
Yeah, yeah, yeah
1168
00:45:22,261 --> 00:45:23,929
Yeah, in saloons
we drink Boone's
1169
00:45:23,971 --> 00:45:25,681
And battle goons
till high noon
1170
00:45:25,723 --> 00:45:29,143
[indistinct rapping]
1171
00:45:34,398 --> 00:45:37,192
[Beast] So when you see
like the Fugees and Lauryn Hill
1172
00:45:37,234 --> 00:45:39,611
and Wyclef perform,
1173
00:45:39,653 --> 00:45:41,447
again, it's breathtaking
because, remember,
1174
00:45:41,488 --> 00:45:44,241
you were in a neighborhood
that people don't expect
1175
00:45:44,283 --> 00:45:46,577
nothing to come out
of a neighborhood like this.
1176
00:45:46,618 --> 00:45:48,245
We never had any casualties.
1177
00:45:48,287 --> 00:45:50,456
People had a great time
and a great experience.
1178
00:45:52,249 --> 00:45:53,917
Oh, yeah, Video Music ...
1179
00:45:53,959 --> 00:45:55,794
[Fat Joe]
This is the guy on TV.
1180
00:45:55,836 --> 00:45:58,464
Like, how many times
do you see the guy from TV,
1181
00:45:58,505 --> 00:46:00,007
let alone the number one show?
1182
00:46:00,048 --> 00:46:01,842
Video Music Box,
Pete Rock, CL Smooth.
1183
00:46:01,884 --> 00:46:04,344
And he's in your neighborhood
hosting the party.
1184
00:46:04,386 --> 00:46:06,680
We're in the inner city.
We're poor as hell.
1185
00:46:06,722 --> 00:46:08,932
We're watching TV.
This is the guy.
1186
00:46:08,974 --> 00:46:11,018
Guess what, he's in the spot
down the block.
1187
00:46:11,059 --> 00:46:13,812
-[indistinct screaming]
-We going.
1188
00:46:13,854 --> 00:46:15,397
[Ralph] You know there's some
old people sitting out there
1189
00:46:15,439 --> 00:46:17,024
watching going,
"How can that young man now
1190
00:46:17,065 --> 00:46:19,026
wear that thing
around his neck like that?"
1191
00:46:19,067 --> 00:46:20,944
[laughing]
1192
00:46:20,986 --> 00:46:23,447
He's just fulfilling his dreams.
That's all, you know.
1193
00:46:23,489 --> 00:46:26,158
[Wendy] Video Music Box
definitely was very,
1194
00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:28,660
very influential
in terms of fashion as well.
1195
00:46:28,702 --> 00:46:30,662
[Havoc] You'll see
a certain artist,
1196
00:46:30,704 --> 00:46:31,914
you'd be like "Yo,
what's that hat right there?
1197
00:46:31,955 --> 00:46:33,165
Oh, I wanna get that hat.
1198
00:46:33,207 --> 00:46:35,083
You know,
I wanna get that jacket."
1199
00:46:35,125 --> 00:46:37,628
[Wendy] We saw everything
from the jewelry
1200
00:46:37,669 --> 00:46:40,422
to, you know,
Ghostface in his robes
1201
00:46:40,464 --> 00:46:43,008
to, you know, Mary
with her hair pulled out
1202
00:46:43,050 --> 00:46:45,636
of the top of her hat.
And we were all doing that.
1203
00:46:45,677 --> 00:46:48,347
Well, hip-hop started
on independent labels,
1204
00:46:48,388 --> 00:46:51,350
you had all these local hits.
1205
00:46:51,391 --> 00:46:54,311
It went from that
to more serious deals
1206
00:46:54,353 --> 00:46:55,938
with better labels,
1207
00:46:55,979 --> 00:46:57,523
it became more normal
1208
00:46:57,564 --> 00:46:59,691
to see the artists
that you were buying,
1209
00:46:59,733 --> 00:47:02,236
put out videos
with those albums.
1210
00:47:02,277 --> 00:47:04,571
Now, we know
there's no reason
1211
00:47:04,613 --> 00:47:07,282
these records can't reach
the masses anymore.
1212
00:47:07,324 --> 00:47:09,827
1213
00:47:09,868 --> 00:47:11,537
[Ralph] Up the block from me
were these guys
1214
00:47:11,578 --> 00:47:13,288
named Full Force.
1215
00:47:13,330 --> 00:47:16,375
And Full Force was a group
that came out early days.
1216
00:47:16,416 --> 00:47:19,127
And they knew
where I lived so,
1217
00:47:19,169 --> 00:47:21,547
they would come and knock
on my door in my house,
1218
00:47:21,588 --> 00:47:24,216
I'm like, "How did you guys
even get in the building?"
1219
00:47:24,258 --> 00:47:26,760
And I'm like, "All right.
What's about to happen?"
1220
00:47:26,802 --> 00:47:29,388
And so, "Did you get our video,
Ralph?"
1221
00:47:29,429 --> 00:47:31,265
And I'm like,
"No, your record company
1222
00:47:31,306 --> 00:47:33,392
is not giving it to me
because they want me
1223
00:47:33,433 --> 00:47:35,894
to pay for it."
"We'll fix that".
1224
00:47:35,936 --> 00:47:38,230
The next week, the woman
from the record company
1225
00:47:38,272 --> 00:47:40,649
calls me, "Hi, Ralph,
I'm gonna send you
1226
00:47:40,691 --> 00:47:42,317
all the videos
that we have out."
1227
00:47:42,359 --> 00:47:45,237
And that's how
my relationship got better
1228
00:47:45,279 --> 00:47:48,031
with the labels
and as well with the artists,
1229
00:47:48,073 --> 00:47:51,201
because now, we were working
hand in hand with each other.
1230
00:47:51,243 --> 00:47:52,911
[crowd cheering]
1231
00:47:52,953 --> 00:47:54,246
[man] Ah, yeah.
1232
00:47:54,288 --> 00:47:55,914
When I say "Can I kick it?"
1233
00:47:55,956 --> 00:47:58,333
I want everybody to say
"Yes, you can!"
1234
00:47:58,375 --> 00:48:00,460
One, two, three, go.
1235
00:48:00,502 --> 00:48:01,962
- It's like that, y'all
- What!
1236
00:48:02,004 --> 00:48:03,630
It's like that, y'all
1237
00:48:03,672 --> 00:48:05,215
It's like that, y'all
1238
00:48:05,257 --> 00:48:06,675
It's like that, y'all
1239
00:48:06,717 --> 00:48:08,218
It's like that, y'all
1240
00:48:08,260 --> 00:48:09,386
It's like that, y'all
1241
00:48:09,428 --> 00:48:11,179
Come on, come on
1242
00:48:11,221 --> 00:48:12,973
- Can I kick it?
-[crowd] Yes, you can!
1243
00:48:13,015 --> 00:48:15,267
- Can I kick it?
-[crowd] Yes, you can!
1244
00:48:15,309 --> 00:48:17,811
- Can I kick it?
-[crowd] Yes, you can!
1245
00:48:17,853 --> 00:48:20,397
- Can I kick it?
-[crowd] Yes, you can!
1246
00:48:20,439 --> 00:48:22,232
Can I kick it?
1247
00:48:22,274 --> 00:48:24,443
[Ralph] This is
the Video Music Box collection,
1248
00:48:24,484 --> 00:48:26,445
You know, this is where
we keep everything.
1249
00:48:26,486 --> 00:48:29,156
This is what we used
at TV stations back in the days.
1250
00:48:29,197 --> 00:48:31,158
And this is how I did
Video Music Box
1251
00:48:31,199 --> 00:48:32,659
most in the '80s, that's...
1252
00:48:32,701 --> 00:48:34,578
classic Ralph
with the-- with the high--
1253
00:48:34,620 --> 00:48:36,288
with the high-top
1254
00:48:36,330 --> 00:48:38,749
talking to the legendary
Dizzy Gillespie.
1255
00:48:38,790 --> 00:48:41,793
What influence
did Charlie Parker have on you?
1256
00:48:41,835 --> 00:48:44,463
The greatest influence.
1257
00:48:44,504 --> 00:48:48,050
The biggest influence
on my playing.
1258
00:48:48,091 --> 00:48:50,427
[Ralph] And how do you feel
about the music business now,
1259
00:48:50,469 --> 00:48:52,137
in general right now?
1260
00:48:52,179 --> 00:48:55,641
In comparison to before
when you first started?
1261
00:48:55,682 --> 00:48:57,935
Well, there's
much more respect.
1262
00:48:57,976 --> 00:49:01,772
They respect it
as an art form now.
1263
00:49:01,813 --> 00:49:03,607
[Ralph] How, what
were the feelings back then
1264
00:49:03,649 --> 00:49:04,983
when you first started?
1265
00:49:06,610 --> 00:49:08,320
Nigger music.
1266
00:49:09,988 --> 00:49:12,366
It's not hot tracks
or U68
1267
00:49:12,407 --> 00:49:14,534
It's a video show
that we think is great
1268
00:49:14,576 --> 00:49:16,703
- Fresh...
- Fresh out of the pack...
1269
00:49:16,745 --> 00:49:18,330
- From eight to nine...
- Video Music Box
1270
00:49:18,372 --> 00:49:20,958
It will blow your mind
1271
00:49:20,999 --> 00:49:23,919
[Ralph] Good evening and welcome
to Video Music Box.
1272
00:49:23,961 --> 00:49:26,421
Tonight, Fresh Fest 85.
1273
00:49:26,463 --> 00:49:28,757
Taped live
at the Nassau Coliseum.
1274
00:49:28,799 --> 00:49:31,218
[DMC]
It was the Fresh Fest tour
1275
00:49:31,259 --> 00:49:34,054
that put us
in the big coliseums
1276
00:49:34,096 --> 00:49:36,431
and once again,
1277
00:49:36,473 --> 00:49:38,266
Ralph was the only camera
in the room.
1278
00:49:38,308 --> 00:49:41,561
1279
00:49:41,603 --> 00:49:43,480
[Chuck Chillout] Him filming
1280
00:49:43,522 --> 00:49:46,066
the Fresh Fest
in Nassau Coliseum.
1281
00:49:46,108 --> 00:49:48,151
Run-DMC,
1282
00:49:48,193 --> 00:49:50,362
18,000 people.
1283
00:49:50,404 --> 00:49:52,114
It was crazy.
1284
00:49:52,155 --> 00:49:54,032
Everybody in the world
was there.
1285
00:49:54,074 --> 00:49:56,034
[Ralph] I think that's
the first press conference
1286
00:49:56,076 --> 00:49:57,369
-I ever went to in my life.
-[reporter] Run-DMC, you guys
1287
00:49:57,411 --> 00:49:58,829
got anything to say
to the...?
1288
00:49:58,870 --> 00:50:00,038
[Ralph] And we get there
and we see
1289
00:50:00,080 --> 00:50:01,540
all the different cameramen.
1290
00:50:01,581 --> 00:50:03,500
I mean, like,
national networks.
1291
00:50:03,542 --> 00:50:05,711
And we just set our cameras
down right there.
1292
00:50:05,752 --> 00:50:07,671
We just fit in,
like that's the thing
1293
00:50:07,713 --> 00:50:11,008
that Russell and Run-DMC did,
they brought every new first,
1294
00:50:11,049 --> 00:50:13,176
a press conference you know,
1295
00:50:13,218 --> 00:50:15,804
a press pass to be backstage,
1296
00:50:15,846 --> 00:50:18,724
[electronic music]
1297
00:50:18,765 --> 00:50:20,642
[Ralph] The Fresh Fest
was amazing.
1298
00:50:20,684 --> 00:50:22,602
Come on, clap your hands.
Come on, clap.
1299
00:50:22,644 --> 00:50:25,272
[Chuck Chillout]
Kurtis Blow, Fat Boys,
1300
00:50:25,313 --> 00:50:26,898
Whodini,
1301
00:50:26,940 --> 00:50:28,734
they had these break dancers.
1302
00:50:28,775 --> 00:50:31,236
Chad and Jermaine Dupri
were breakdancers.
1303
00:50:31,278 --> 00:50:33,739
This is my brother Dynasty...
1304
00:50:33,780 --> 00:50:36,533
We had a good time.
1305
00:50:36,575 --> 00:50:39,411
[Chuck Chillout] They was like,
probably 10, 11 back then.
1306
00:50:39,453 --> 00:50:43,749
But that tour went shit,
like, 40 some cities.
1307
00:50:43,790 --> 00:50:46,084
[upbeat electronic plays
on speaker]
1308
00:50:46,126 --> 00:50:48,628
[DJ Scratch] Grandmaster Flash
is on the turntables.
1309
00:50:48,670 --> 00:50:51,798
This is actually
the first time I seen him.
1310
00:50:51,840 --> 00:50:53,884
Like I see him
on the album covers
1311
00:50:53,925 --> 00:50:57,429
but I never seen him DJ.
1312
00:50:57,471 --> 00:51:00,057
And he had a dude next to him,
he was going like this.
1313
00:51:02,225 --> 00:51:04,436
While Flash was cutting
and scratching.
1314
00:51:04,478 --> 00:51:06,354
That was epic to me.
1315
00:51:06,396 --> 00:51:08,440
[DJ] From Hollis Queens,
1316
00:51:08,482 --> 00:51:10,442
Jam Master Jay
1317
00:51:10,484 --> 00:51:15,363
and Run-DMC!
1318
00:51:15,405 --> 00:51:17,407
[Ralph] After I saw
the Fresh Fest. I was like,
1319
00:51:17,449 --> 00:51:19,910
"Oh, White people are into this
hip-hop thing heavy."
1320
00:51:19,951 --> 00:51:21,912
Because I went to Fresh Fest
in Long Island.
1321
00:51:21,953 --> 00:51:23,413
And it was mixed.
1322
00:51:23,455 --> 00:51:25,624
And everybody knows
the lyrics the same way.
1323
00:51:25,665 --> 00:51:28,460
[crowd singing]
1324
00:51:31,797 --> 00:51:34,466
"Oh, this is crossover.
This-- This-- This has--
1325
00:51:34,508 --> 00:51:35,926
no, there's no color
on this anymore.
1326
00:51:35,967 --> 00:51:37,844
This is just rap.
This is just hip-hop."
1327
00:51:37,886 --> 00:51:40,764
1328
00:51:40,806 --> 00:51:42,516
So, went to MTV.
1329
00:51:42,557 --> 00:51:44,309
I said, "I got to get
Video Music Box on,
1330
00:51:44,351 --> 00:51:46,645
it's time
for a hip-hop show."
1331
00:51:46,686 --> 00:51:49,106
[groans]
1332
00:51:49,147 --> 00:51:50,690
"You don't understand, Ralph.
1333
00:51:50,732 --> 00:51:53,610
Middle America's
not ready for no hip-hop."
1334
00:51:53,652 --> 00:51:55,821
And I said,
"What are you talking about?
1335
00:51:55,862 --> 00:51:57,322
I just came from--
1336
00:51:57,364 --> 00:51:59,199
let me show you the footage
of Fresh Fest.
1337
00:51:59,241 --> 00:52:00,408
Let me show you this."
1338
00:52:00,450 --> 00:52:02,494
White kids are singing, Asian,
1339
00:52:02,536 --> 00:52:04,830
Latino, Black.
We all together.
1340
00:52:04,871 --> 00:52:08,583
[upbeat music]
1341
00:52:08,625 --> 00:52:11,586
And they said
"Nah, you don't understand.
1342
00:52:11,628 --> 00:52:13,171
That's in New York.
That's not how
1343
00:52:13,213 --> 00:52:14,965
the rest of the country works."
1344
00:52:15,006 --> 00:52:17,342
I don't know about that.
These dudes is on tour, bro.
1345
00:52:17,384 --> 00:52:19,010
They're going on--
ain't just in New York,
1346
00:52:19,052 --> 00:52:20,804
they're doing these shows,
they're touring."
1347
00:52:20,846 --> 00:52:23,473
"Nah. Not ready.
I don't want to scare nobody."
1348
00:52:23,515 --> 00:52:25,016
And I was like,
"I think you're wrong."
1349
00:52:31,398 --> 00:52:33,275
-[rapper] Yo!
-[Evelyn] A year later,
1350
00:52:33,316 --> 00:52:35,902
they came out with Yo! MTV Raps.
1351
00:52:35,944 --> 00:52:38,572
[Tuffy] Their blueprint
was Video Music Box.
1352
00:52:38,613 --> 00:52:41,032
Video Music Box
was the essential show
1353
00:52:41,074 --> 00:52:42,826
for hip-hop on television.
1354
00:52:42,868 --> 00:52:44,744
A lot people want artists
to live up
1355
00:52:44,786 --> 00:52:46,329
to a certain standard,
you know, like,
1356
00:52:46,371 --> 00:52:48,206
be role models
and all that kind of stuff.
1357
00:52:48,248 --> 00:52:50,208
I'm sure, that's put on you
all the time.
1358
00:52:50,250 --> 00:52:52,002
Yeah. But it's kinda hard,
I mean...
1359
00:52:52,043 --> 00:52:55,046
[Diddy] It was-- It was never
a competition
1360
00:52:55,088 --> 00:52:57,382
with MTV
with Video Music Box
1361
00:52:57,424 --> 00:53:00,177
because Video Music Box
was its own thing.
1362
00:53:00,218 --> 00:53:03,221
[crowd cheering]
1363
00:53:07,893 --> 00:53:10,729
You know,
just the love of the art,
1364
00:53:10,770 --> 00:53:13,523
and it was still important
and needed,
1365
00:53:13,565 --> 00:53:15,233
the job wasn't done,
1366
00:53:15,275 --> 00:53:16,568
You want to know
the star status
1367
00:53:16,610 --> 00:53:18,904
When I walk in the studio
1368
00:53:18,945 --> 00:53:20,739
Mic's there, tracks spare,
and I'm ready to do me some
1369
00:53:20,780 --> 00:53:22,908
[Diddy] You know, new artists
needed to be put on,
1370
00:53:22,949 --> 00:53:24,910
people that don't get the chance
1371
00:53:24,951 --> 00:53:27,495
even before YouTube.
You know what I'm saying?
1372
00:53:27,537 --> 00:53:30,165
To really get a light
shined on them.
1373
00:53:30,207 --> 00:53:31,166
We're getting ready
to steam roller,
1374
00:53:31,208 --> 00:53:32,751
so here we go with Ice-T
1375
00:53:32,792 --> 00:53:35,045
and High Rollers on Yo! MTV.
1376
00:53:35,086 --> 00:53:37,839
[DMC] The difference
is Video Music Box
1377
00:53:37,881 --> 00:53:39,549
was us showing us,
1378
00:53:39,591 --> 00:53:41,635
and MTV was them showing us.
1379
00:53:41,676 --> 00:53:43,428
That's the bottom line
difference.
1380
00:53:43,470 --> 00:53:45,222
That's a different vibe
sitting there watching it.
1381
00:53:45,263 --> 00:53:46,890
So I'm not worried about it,
you know.
1382
00:53:46,932 --> 00:53:48,475
I'm like, "Nah, we good."
1383
00:53:48,516 --> 00:53:50,936
So finally,
now, they're getting speed.
1384
00:53:50,977 --> 00:53:52,729
I can see
they getting comfortable
1385
00:53:52,771 --> 00:53:54,564
with they doing what they do,
they getting better
1386
00:53:54,606 --> 00:53:57,484
at Yo! MTV Raps.
So I'm watching it, and I said,
1387
00:53:57,525 --> 00:54:00,612
"Okay, we got to go deep, deep,
1388
00:54:00,654 --> 00:54:03,073
deep to the underground."
1389
00:54:03,114 --> 00:54:06,034
And we start pulling out
all these underground artists,
1390
00:54:06,076 --> 00:54:09,704
guys that nobody's heard of,
Jay-Z.
1391
00:54:09,746 --> 00:54:13,291
[indistinct rapping]
1392
00:54:15,460 --> 00:54:17,254
When I first got
my little interview,
1393
00:54:17,295 --> 00:54:19,047
I was happy as hell.
It was like a,
1394
00:54:19,089 --> 00:54:20,966
you know, a badge
to get that Ralph interview.
1395
00:54:21,007 --> 00:54:23,802
I know you got new thing
going on with a new label.
1396
00:54:23,843 --> 00:54:25,470
-Yeah.
-Production's growing, huh?
1397
00:54:25,512 --> 00:54:27,806
Yeah, yeah. We doing
the same thing as these cats.
1398
00:54:27,847 --> 00:54:30,558
That's why I came down,
you know,
I mean, represent them.
1399
00:54:30,600 --> 00:54:32,060
They did a priority thing,
1400
00:54:32,102 --> 00:54:33,895
we doing that too
Roc-A-Fella Records
1401
00:54:33,937 --> 00:54:35,772
on their priority also,
you know?
1402
00:54:35,814 --> 00:54:37,816
G Rap.
1403
00:54:37,857 --> 00:54:39,985
To be a billionaire
takes hard work for years
1404
00:54:40,026 --> 00:54:41,945
Some nights I shed a tear
while I said my prayers
1405
00:54:41,987 --> 00:54:45,824
[Ralph] The most incredible
hip-hop artist to me ever.
1406
00:54:45,865 --> 00:54:48,451
You know, we're looking
for that dope shit
1407
00:54:48,493 --> 00:54:50,495
that's in the clubs,
that's in the street
1408
00:54:50,537 --> 00:54:52,622
that we hear in the cars.
Luke...
1409
00:54:52,664 --> 00:54:54,165
Doo Doo Brown
Doo Doo Brown
1410
00:54:54,207 --> 00:54:55,875
Doo Doo Brown
Doo Doo Brown
1411
00:54:55,917 --> 00:54:57,544
Doo Doo Brown
Doo Doo Brown
1412
00:54:57,585 --> 00:54:59,462
Doo Doo Brown
Doo Doo Brown
1413
00:54:59,504 --> 00:55:01,923
[Ralph]
You know Miami bass music.
1414
00:55:01,965 --> 00:55:03,883
Nobody's playing Miami bass
in New York.
1415
00:55:03,925 --> 00:55:05,427
[Luther]
Nobody was playing our videos.
1416
00:55:05,468 --> 00:55:07,178
Oh, it's too much ass.
1417
00:55:07,220 --> 00:55:08,888
Oh, too many crotch shots.
1418
00:55:08,930 --> 00:55:11,057
Well, Ralph was not playing
the same videos
1419
00:55:11,099 --> 00:55:12,434
that MTV was playing.
1420
00:55:12,475 --> 00:55:14,185
Straight outta Compton!
1421
00:55:14,227 --> 00:55:16,062
Crazy motherfucker
named Ice Cube
1422
00:55:16,104 --> 00:55:17,981
From the gang called Niggaz
With Attitudes
1423
00:55:18,023 --> 00:55:20,066
[Ralph] Like, by '88,
we're playing N.W.A.
1424
00:55:20,108 --> 00:55:22,277
Nobody--
who the hell is N.W.A.
1425
00:55:22,319 --> 00:55:24,321
and why are you playing that
in New York?
1426
00:55:24,362 --> 00:55:28,616
So we're-- we're going
after hardcore music
1427
00:55:28,658 --> 00:55:29,868
that's for the ghetto.
1428
00:55:29,909 --> 00:55:31,161
All night-a
1429
00:55:31,202 --> 00:55:32,370
All right-a
1430
00:55:32,412 --> 00:55:33,621
All night-a
1431
00:55:33,663 --> 00:55:35,373
Ay, sing with it. Ay!
1432
00:55:35,415 --> 00:55:37,375
Oh! Give it up. [laughs]
1433
00:55:37,417 --> 00:55:39,210
[Luther]
What people don't realize
1434
00:55:39,252 --> 00:55:41,379
is because it's a show,
1435
00:55:41,421 --> 00:55:42,839
they really made me--
1436
00:55:42,881 --> 00:55:44,466
it really made New York
1437
00:55:44,507 --> 00:55:46,217
my number one selling market.
1438
00:55:46,259 --> 00:55:48,636
I don't really play
no keyboards and instruments.
1439
00:55:48,678 --> 00:55:50,638
My man,
I'll hum him song things.
1440
00:55:50,680 --> 00:55:52,557
He'll come with ideas,
we work together,
1441
00:55:52,599 --> 00:55:54,893
we make hits together,
we make money together.
1442
00:55:54,934 --> 00:55:58,104
The first video
that I begged Ralph to play
1443
00:55:58,146 --> 00:56:00,940
from Bad Boy was Craig Mack
"Flava In Ya Ear".
1444
00:56:00,982 --> 00:56:04,110
Just like Uniblab,
robotic kicking flab
1445
00:56:04,152 --> 00:56:05,904
My flavor bidder badder
chitter-chatter
1446
00:56:05,945 --> 00:56:07,697
Madder than the Mad Hatter
1447
00:56:07,739 --> 00:56:10,575
[Diddy] You know, on that day,
it broke the video.
1448
00:56:10,617 --> 00:56:12,702
And that video
and that piece of art
1449
00:56:12,744 --> 00:56:14,871
was so impactful
1450
00:56:14,913 --> 00:56:16,831
that it launched Bad Boy.
1451
00:56:16,873 --> 00:56:18,458
[Khalid] Have you forgotten
1452
00:56:18,500 --> 00:56:19,626
that once we were brought here,
1453
00:56:19,667 --> 00:56:21,586
we were robbed of our name?
1454
00:56:21,628 --> 00:56:23,838
[Nas] Why did you care
so much about community?
1455
00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:25,840
Because, you know,
it was violence
1456
00:56:25,882 --> 00:56:28,510
going on in our community.
1457
00:56:28,551 --> 00:56:30,345
Here it is. Bam!
1458
00:56:30,387 --> 00:56:32,222
In your face goddamn
1459
00:56:32,263 --> 00:56:33,932
This is the dope jam
1460
00:56:33,973 --> 00:56:36,393
Crack tore the neighborhood
to shreds.
1461
00:56:36,434 --> 00:56:37,936
[Shaggy] A lot of gun violence.
You know, it was--
1462
00:56:37,977 --> 00:56:39,854
it was tough times and times,
You know I mean.
1463
00:56:39,896 --> 00:56:42,190
Some of us,
we sold the drug
1464
00:56:42,232 --> 00:56:44,776
and some of us
was victim to the drug.
1465
00:56:44,818 --> 00:56:48,071
But the drug
made you do things for $5
1466
00:56:48,113 --> 00:56:49,739
that you wouldn't do for 500.
1467
00:56:49,781 --> 00:56:53,284
So because Ralph
had complete editorial control,
1468
00:56:53,326 --> 00:56:55,912
in between the videos,
he could drop some knowledge.
1469
00:56:55,954 --> 00:56:57,622
You know we're here to talk
about-- we're gonna have,
1470
00:56:57,664 --> 00:56:59,791
you know, like a conversation,
on what I think
1471
00:56:59,833 --> 00:57:01,751
is probably one
of the major problems
1472
00:57:01,793 --> 00:57:03,837
is young Black men
killing themselves off.
1473
00:57:03,878 --> 00:57:06,047
And, uh, I wanna first
talk to you Guru
1474
00:57:06,089 --> 00:57:08,216
about the, uh, the video
that you have out,
1475
00:57:08,258 --> 00:57:09,843
it's called "Just to Get A Rep".
1476
00:57:09,884 --> 00:57:12,137
And this is how
the story goes
1477
00:57:12,178 --> 00:57:14,347
Brothers are amused
by others brother's reps
1478
00:57:14,389 --> 00:57:16,599
But the thing they know best
is where the gun is kept
1479
00:57:16,641 --> 00:57:18,601
Young brothers are just, like,
1480
00:57:18,643 --> 00:57:20,145
everybody's frontin'
on each other. Everybody--
1481
00:57:20,186 --> 00:57:22,147
like, it's a lack
of self-esteem.
1482
00:57:22,188 --> 00:57:23,982
And to gain esteem,
1483
00:57:24,023 --> 00:57:25,650
they want to take something
from the next man.
1484
00:57:25,692 --> 00:57:27,068
Bring him down so,
1485
00:57:27,110 --> 00:57:28,945
to gain more respect,
to gain a rep.
1486
00:57:28,987 --> 00:57:30,864
I believe it was Ralph
that came up
1487
00:57:30,905 --> 00:57:32,991
-with Word.
-[Ralph] Word.
1488
00:57:33,032 --> 00:57:34,909
That's what they were saying
on the street.
1489
00:57:34,951 --> 00:57:36,661
That's what we was saying,
"Word?"
1490
00:57:36,703 --> 00:57:39,456
Behind that slang,
1491
00:57:39,497 --> 00:57:41,916
came information.
1492
00:57:41,958 --> 00:57:43,793
If I'm real sad,
I just cry about it.
1493
00:57:43,835 --> 00:57:46,171
Just get it all out,
you know, my system.
1494
00:57:46,212 --> 00:57:49,007
I think crying is a good way
to get a lot of things out.
1495
00:57:49,048 --> 00:57:50,675
[Sabrina]
So we-- we-- we would drop
1496
00:57:50,717 --> 00:57:52,510
in stopping teen pregnancy.
1497
00:57:52,552 --> 00:57:55,346
It was important for me
to get information across
1498
00:57:55,388 --> 00:57:57,807
in the show like edutainment.
1499
00:57:57,849 --> 00:57:59,809
You know, it was like,
we can educate you
1500
00:57:59,851 --> 00:58:01,060
at the same time
as entertain you.
1501
00:58:01,102 --> 00:58:04,439
He also was the voice
of kind of reason
1502
00:58:04,481 --> 00:58:06,316
and bringing
to you social issues,
1503
00:58:06,357 --> 00:58:08,985
very-- not as speaking down
to you,
1504
00:58:09,027 --> 00:58:11,154
speaking with you
and just kind of sharing
1505
00:58:11,196 --> 00:58:13,239
with you what's going on.
1506
00:58:13,281 --> 00:58:15,283
And I think
he's probably the only person
1507
00:58:15,325 --> 00:58:16,951
we trusted
about what's going on.
1508
00:58:16,993 --> 00:58:19,496
It's Uncle Ralph.
He was Uncle Ralph,
1509
00:58:19,537 --> 00:58:20,914
he was bringing it to you.
1510
00:58:20,955 --> 00:58:24,167
[indistinct rapping]
1511
00:58:26,044 --> 00:58:30,965
[indistinct rapping]
1512
00:58:31,007 --> 00:58:34,677
[Ray] I would say
that 10% for me
1513
00:58:34,719 --> 00:58:38,932
of Video Music Box
at the time was artists.
1514
00:58:38,973 --> 00:58:41,392
The other 90%,
1515
00:58:41,434 --> 00:58:43,853
we were in the community
or doing an event.
1516
00:58:43,895 --> 00:58:45,897
I live in Brooklyn, people from
outside Brooklyn say,
1517
00:58:45,939 --> 00:58:47,815
"Our Brooklyn niggas is wild.
Them niggas is just crazy."
1518
00:58:47,857 --> 00:58:49,400
-Now, we ain't wild.
-Why is that?
1519
00:58:49,442 --> 00:58:51,152
Because every time
something bad happened,
1520
00:58:51,194 --> 00:58:52,737
they put it on the news.
But when something happens in
1521
00:58:52,779 --> 00:58:54,572
other places, they don't
bring it out like that.
1522
00:58:54,614 --> 00:58:56,991
[Bryan] Video Music Box
is based on family.
1523
00:58:57,033 --> 00:58:58,910
It might've really
come from my parents.
1524
00:58:58,952 --> 00:59:00,578
You know,
they were really active
1525
00:59:00,620 --> 00:59:02,705
in community-based issues.
1526
00:59:02,747 --> 00:59:04,374
Families is-- is bigger--
1527
00:59:04,415 --> 00:59:06,376
is a bigger word
than business to him.
1528
00:59:06,417 --> 00:59:09,128
Well, I think, um,
the security is good.
1529
00:59:09,170 --> 00:59:11,089
I think everybody feel
more safe
1530
00:59:11,130 --> 00:59:13,216
and they need to just
leave those guns home
1531
00:59:13,258 --> 00:59:14,801
and, you know, just chill.
1532
00:59:14,842 --> 00:59:16,636
Get their education
so they can get there
1533
00:59:16,678 --> 00:59:17,845
and make something
out of their self.
1534
00:59:17,887 --> 00:59:21,891
1535
00:59:21,933 --> 00:59:25,144
[Professor X] Via survival,
you have become a victim.
1536
00:59:25,186 --> 00:59:26,896
A war victim.
1537
00:59:26,938 --> 00:59:29,649
They're not even being respected
1538
00:59:29,691 --> 00:59:32,527
under the guidelines of wartime.
1539
00:59:32,569 --> 00:59:35,363
[Ralph] So we would go
to Rikers Island all the time.
1540
00:59:35,405 --> 00:59:38,032
You know, we had relationships
with corrections,
1541
00:59:38,074 --> 00:59:40,076
and they would let us come in
1542
00:59:40,118 --> 00:59:42,036
because the inmates watched
Video Music Box all the time.
1543
00:59:42,078 --> 00:59:43,788
They would-- uh,
the correction officers
1544
00:59:43,830 --> 00:59:45,540
that I knew would be like, "Yo,
1545
00:59:45,582 --> 00:59:47,250
when Video Music Box
comes on,
1546
00:59:47,292 --> 00:59:49,711
no stabbings, no nothing.
Nothing's going on."
1547
00:59:49,752 --> 00:59:51,462
Soon as it's over,
it's back to business.
1548
00:59:51,504 --> 00:59:53,047
Everything's crazy again.
1549
00:59:53,089 --> 00:59:54,966
[]
1550
00:59:55,008 --> 00:59:57,302
[news reporter] Prosecutors say
they were part of a gang
1551
00:59:57,343 --> 00:59:59,804
of about 30 youths,
so we're on a wilding attack
1552
00:59:59,846 --> 01:00:01,598
in Central Park last April.
1553
01:00:01,639 --> 01:00:05,101
[Ralph] Korey Wise,
when this thing comes out
1554
01:00:05,143 --> 01:00:07,645
about these guys
the Central Park Five,
1555
01:00:07,687 --> 01:00:08,813
you got some five Black kids
1556
01:00:08,855 --> 01:00:10,398
and you got one White woman
1557
01:00:10,440 --> 01:00:11,733
and it's just--
you can't win.
1558
01:00:11,774 --> 01:00:13,651
These Black kids
are gonna lose,
1559
01:00:13,693 --> 01:00:15,320
it's not gonna-- it's not gonna
work out for them.
1560
01:00:15,361 --> 01:00:17,322
Later on in life,
I'm watching this tape
1561
01:00:17,363 --> 01:00:19,490
of Korey Wise talk
1562
01:00:19,532 --> 01:00:23,536
and he's in-- he says
"I was in, um Rikers Island
1563
01:00:23,578 --> 01:00:25,538
and watched Video Music Box."
1564
01:00:25,580 --> 01:00:27,832
So I'm like,
"What did he just say?"
1565
01:00:27,874 --> 01:00:31,336
After I found myself,
uh, becoming incarcerated,
1566
01:00:31,377 --> 01:00:33,546
that's when I found
myself embracing--
1567
01:00:33,588 --> 01:00:35,381
embrace the Video Music Box.
1568
01:00:35,423 --> 01:00:38,384
Video Music Box, it just--
it just--
1569
01:00:38,426 --> 01:00:41,137
it spoke to my soul.
1570
01:00:41,179 --> 01:00:44,057
I guess it helped raised me.
1571
01:00:44,098 --> 01:00:46,559
[man] "Video Music Box
would like to thank the staff
1572
01:00:46,601 --> 01:00:48,895
at Rahway State Prison
for allowing us
1573
01:00:48,936 --> 01:00:51,189
to come in and do this story."
1574
01:00:51,230 --> 01:00:52,857
[Ralph] Rahway prison
used to write me.
1575
01:00:52,899 --> 01:00:54,359
The guys used to write me
all the time.
1576
01:00:54,400 --> 01:00:56,569
And then they got
a record deal.
1577
01:00:56,611 --> 01:00:58,863
And-- And traditionally,
over the years,
1578
01:00:58,905 --> 01:01:00,948
people have come out
of Rahway with record deals.
1579
01:01:00,990 --> 01:01:03,368
With a charge
and our system locked
1580
01:01:03,409 --> 01:01:05,286
When you don't wanna live
1581
01:01:05,328 --> 01:01:06,996
[Ralph] And they had a record
deal when I was a kid.
1582
01:01:07,038 --> 01:01:08,873
I used to listen
to their records.
1583
01:01:08,915 --> 01:01:10,291
It would say "Recorded
in Rahway State Prison."
1584
01:01:10,333 --> 01:01:12,043
We call this the house of pain.
1585
01:01:12,085 --> 01:01:13,628
Because prison
is about suffering,
1586
01:01:13,670 --> 01:01:16,547
it's about living
in pain 24 hours a day.
1587
01:01:16,589 --> 01:01:18,383
[Ralph] And it was the real
deal. These was lifers.
1588
01:01:18,424 --> 01:01:20,551
Like, these was cats
that they wasn't getting out
1589
01:01:20,593 --> 01:01:21,552
no time soon.
1590
01:01:21,594 --> 01:01:24,847
[somber music playing]
1591
01:01:24,889 --> 01:01:27,058
[Hakeem] Yeah,
the Rahway presentation
1592
01:01:27,100 --> 01:01:30,728
was particularly searing,
1593
01:01:30,770 --> 01:01:33,189
because it was sort
of an indication
1594
01:01:33,231 --> 01:01:35,692
without being lectured to,
1595
01:01:35,733 --> 01:01:39,070
you probably wanna avoid
going down this path.
1596
01:01:39,112 --> 01:01:40,196
Because this is a circumstance
1597
01:01:40,238 --> 01:01:42,031
that you may find yourself in,
1598
01:01:42,073 --> 01:01:44,909
if things
go the wrong direction.
1599
01:01:44,951 --> 01:01:46,744
I'm trying to make babies,
I'm trying to raise babies
1600
01:01:46,786 --> 01:01:48,746
with a strong mother
and a strong father figure,
1601
01:01:48,788 --> 01:01:50,289
and I can't do that
when you're behind bars.
1602
01:01:50,331 --> 01:01:51,290
-Go ahead.
-So respect.
1603
01:01:51,332 --> 01:01:52,917
But I need you here, too.
1604
01:01:52,959 --> 01:01:54,752
So, maybe you recognize
the fact that I need you,
1605
01:01:54,794 --> 01:01:56,254
if you know what I'm saying?
To build our young
1606
01:01:56,295 --> 01:01:57,755
and create that army.
1607
01:01:57,797 --> 01:01:58,881
If we don't make it
this generation
1608
01:01:58,923 --> 01:01:59,924
but the next generation will.
1609
01:01:59,966 --> 01:02:01,551
We tried to find a balance
1610
01:02:01,592 --> 01:02:04,762
in presenting
Video Music Box over the years.
1611
01:02:04,804 --> 01:02:07,265
You know, we can get
as hood as you wanna get,
1612
01:02:07,306 --> 01:02:09,100
we can give you some knowledge
1613
01:02:09,142 --> 01:02:10,893
in between there, you know,
1614
01:02:10,935 --> 01:02:13,438
and we can have some fun.
However, you wanna mix it up.
1615
01:02:13,479 --> 01:02:15,189
I mean, Ralph,
we come from an era
1616
01:02:15,231 --> 01:02:17,400
where it was really a dream
to get on at this time.
1617
01:02:17,442 --> 01:02:18,943
-Yeah.
-You know?
1618
01:02:18,985 --> 01:02:21,446
You know, to become
and maybe get some love
1619
01:02:21,487 --> 01:02:23,906
from Rey, get some love
from you, you know.
1620
01:02:23,948 --> 01:02:25,575
That was a part
of the dream, right?
1621
01:02:25,616 --> 01:02:27,243
-That's right.
-Just to make it that far
1622
01:02:27,285 --> 01:02:29,245
and just have a record
in the neighborhood,
1623
01:02:29,287 --> 01:02:31,080
who would've thought
it'd be a major
1624
01:02:31,122 --> 01:02:33,291
business conglomerate
like it is today.
1625
01:02:33,332 --> 01:02:35,418
[hip-hop music playing]
1626
01:02:35,460 --> 01:02:38,004
[reporter] Rap has arrived!
The music and the culture
1627
01:02:38,045 --> 01:02:39,797
has been absorbed
into many parts
1628
01:02:39,839 --> 01:02:41,466
of mainstream America.
1629
01:02:41,507 --> 01:02:43,426
Rap music and hip-hop culture
1630
01:02:43,468 --> 01:02:45,011
have gone from being
an inner city
1631
01:02:45,052 --> 01:02:47,764
homeboy lifestyle
to a popular music.
1632
01:02:47,805 --> 01:02:49,682
Craved even by suburbia.
1633
01:02:49,724 --> 01:02:51,934
[reporter] At this school,
the kids learn the four Rs,
1634
01:02:51,976 --> 01:02:53,936
reading, writing,
'rithmetic, and rap.
1635
01:02:53,978 --> 01:02:56,647
Most of the expressions here
make quite a bit of sense.
1636
01:02:56,689 --> 01:03:00,526
Fat cables for example
means big gold chains.
1637
01:03:00,568 --> 01:03:03,863
Full moon,
that's a large back side.
1638
01:03:03,905 --> 01:03:05,406
[Steele] I think
the corporations started
1639
01:03:05,448 --> 01:03:07,617
to see the change,
the prospect of making
1640
01:03:07,658 --> 01:03:10,161
a lot more money
and being in more control.
1641
01:03:10,203 --> 01:03:12,246
You saw the money grabbing
1642
01:03:12,288 --> 01:03:14,165
and-- and the opportunity
for individuals
1643
01:03:14,207 --> 01:03:18,753
like myself, uh,
coming from these areas.
1644
01:03:18,795 --> 01:03:21,297
Uh, the-- the lane
started to kinda get
1645
01:03:21,339 --> 01:03:22,673
a little bit more narrow.
1646
01:03:22,715 --> 01:03:24,675
[Daymond]
Everything in the world
1647
01:03:24,717 --> 01:03:27,678
has some hip-hop tied to it,
1648
01:03:27,720 --> 01:03:29,430
and corporations
are making
1649
01:03:29,472 --> 01:03:32,683
an absolute killing off of it.
1650
01:03:32,725 --> 01:03:34,185
Once the inner city got you,
1651
01:03:34,227 --> 01:03:36,646
then the outer city
wanna get involved,
1652
01:03:36,687 --> 01:03:39,190
the Whites, whatever, the other
people that's living outside.
1653
01:03:39,232 --> 01:03:41,067
They say, "What the hell
are all those niggas doing?"
1654
01:03:41,108 --> 01:03:43,236
It's gotta be something.
Let's get involved.
1655
01:03:43,277 --> 01:03:45,196
That's the money
we can make out of this.
1656
01:03:45,238 --> 01:03:47,865
All these black motherfuckers
jumping around and shit.
1657
01:03:47,907 --> 01:03:49,367
How can we make some money
out of that?
1658
01:03:49,408 --> 01:03:52,245
And I am Cash Money,
the number-one stunna.
1659
01:03:52,286 --> 01:03:54,997
I'm the Birdman Jr.
Weezy, baby.
1660
01:03:55,039 --> 01:03:56,249
I mean, hip hop
in the '90s,
1661
01:03:56,290 --> 01:03:57,375
we got rich.
1662
01:03:57,416 --> 01:04:00,253
[laughs]
1663
01:04:00,294 --> 01:04:03,214
-[upbeat music playing]
-[indistinct singing]
1664
01:04:06,342 --> 01:04:07,510
[Diddy] We started
to know our worth.
1665
01:04:07,552 --> 01:04:09,345
You know what I'm saying?
1666
01:04:09,387 --> 01:04:12,431
So, you know, you--
you started to have people
1667
01:04:12,473 --> 01:04:15,685
that actually, you know,
became millionaires.
1668
01:04:15,726 --> 01:04:18,020
I'm a capitalist
1669
01:04:18,062 --> 01:04:20,690
and I'm about making money,
1670
01:04:20,731 --> 01:04:24,652
but definitely, uh,
when a corporation comes in,
1671
01:04:24,694 --> 01:04:28,239
that's when
the manipulation comes in.
1672
01:04:28,281 --> 01:04:30,992
And I'm happy for everybody
getting money,
1673
01:04:31,033 --> 01:04:32,660
but it corrupts the system.
1674
01:04:32,702 --> 01:04:37,707
[indistinct rapping]
1675
01:04:37,748 --> 01:04:40,543
You know, my era came in
with a sense of-of,
1676
01:04:40,585 --> 01:04:42,420
"We're not going
to work for you.
1677
01:04:42,461 --> 01:04:44,171
We're going to own
our own shit,"
1678
01:04:44,213 --> 01:04:49,427
[indistinct rapping]
1679
01:04:49,468 --> 01:04:51,262
And we had to figure it out
because there was a lot
1680
01:04:51,304 --> 01:04:53,055
of trickery in these contracts
1681
01:04:53,097 --> 01:04:55,558
and a lot of shit like that.
1682
01:04:55,600 --> 01:04:58,644
-[hip-hop music playing]
-Yo, show time, let's go!
1683
01:04:58,686 --> 01:04:59,770
What?
1684
01:04:59,812 --> 01:05:01,606
[DJ repeating beat on vinyl]
1685
01:05:04,901 --> 01:05:06,360
[DJ Scratch] When you
first start, you know
1686
01:05:06,402 --> 01:05:08,112
you're doing it
because you love it.
1687
01:05:08,154 --> 01:05:09,488
It's something new.
You're trying something,
1688
01:05:09,530 --> 01:05:11,032
and then it became
something epic.
1689
01:05:11,073 --> 01:05:13,492
Ralph McDaniels
went from becoming,
1690
01:05:13,534 --> 01:05:15,328
you know, somebody
that was doing this shit.
1691
01:05:15,369 --> 01:05:16,996
It was a great idea.
1692
01:05:17,038 --> 01:05:19,206
And then, now he's an activist
for the culture.
1693
01:05:19,248 --> 01:05:22,919
-[rap music playing]
-[indistinct rapping]
1694
01:05:29,675 --> 01:05:31,552
[Nas] Everybody deserves a shot.
1695
01:05:31,594 --> 01:05:33,763
He gave people that chance.
He gave people that shot.
1696
01:05:33,804 --> 01:05:35,598
That was part
of the building blocks
1697
01:05:35,640 --> 01:05:37,475
to get us to where
we needed to go.
1698
01:05:37,516 --> 01:05:38,893
Video Music Box,
all right.
1699
01:05:38,935 --> 01:05:41,062
We're here,
I'm in 125th Street.
1700
01:05:41,103 --> 01:05:43,481
Broad Money about to drop
this Tuesday.
1701
01:05:43,522 --> 01:05:45,316
I'm taking it's kinda like--
you know,
1702
01:05:45,358 --> 01:05:46,817
to the subways today,
that's kinda crazy right now.
1703
01:05:46,859 --> 01:05:48,486
Oh, yeah. You know
what I'm saying,
1704
01:05:48,527 --> 01:05:50,071
[clears throat]
ain't no artist get on the train
1705
01:05:50,112 --> 01:05:51,781
since MC Lyte,
you know what I mean?
1706
01:05:51,822 --> 01:05:53,282
-So...
-MOP up in the place!
1707
01:05:53,324 --> 01:05:54,825
It's going down like that.
1708
01:05:54,867 --> 01:05:56,327
[Billy] I can't find
someone else
1709
01:05:56,369 --> 01:05:58,663
outside of our immediate family
1710
01:05:58,704 --> 01:06:01,415
that's in the business
that supported MOP
1711
01:06:01,457 --> 01:06:04,377
as much as Ralph McDaniels
and Video Music Box.
1712
01:06:04,418 --> 01:06:06,754
- How about some hardcore?
- Yeah, we like it raw!
1713
01:06:06,796 --> 01:06:09,507
- How about some hardcore?
- Yeah, we like it raw!
1714
01:06:09,548 --> 01:06:12,093
- How about some hardcore?
- Yeah, we like it raw!
1715
01:06:12,134 --> 01:06:14,136
[Billy] You never would think
that your video
1716
01:06:14,178 --> 01:06:15,721
is coming up next,
1717
01:06:15,763 --> 01:06:17,390
and he's gonna
actually say your name,
1718
01:06:17,431 --> 01:06:19,892
and he's gonna be excited
about your song.
1719
01:06:19,934 --> 01:06:21,852
[Lil Fame] He didn't care.
He's just doing a video.
1720
01:06:21,894 --> 01:06:23,229
The whole neighborhood
is hyped.
1721
01:06:23,270 --> 01:06:24,480
-Uh-huh.
-So we basically did
1722
01:06:24,522 --> 01:06:25,481
the video
for the neighborhood.
1723
01:06:25,523 --> 01:06:27,191
[hip-hop playing]
1724
01:06:27,233 --> 01:06:28,693
[Ralph] The reason why
we started making videos
1725
01:06:28,734 --> 01:06:31,112
is because I said sometimes,
1726
01:06:31,153 --> 01:06:33,197
"I don't like the videos
that we get that we play
1727
01:06:33,239 --> 01:06:34,365
on Video Music Box."
1728
01:06:34,407 --> 01:06:36,158
Sometimes it just doesn't work.
1729
01:06:36,200 --> 01:06:37,994
I always want the video
to take it to the next level.
1730
01:06:38,035 --> 01:06:40,538
So, your movement
can only be, like, right here,
1731
01:06:40,579 --> 01:06:42,289
you come back this block.
1732
01:06:42,331 --> 01:06:43,708
[Ralph] Me and Lionel
was sitting down one day
1733
01:06:43,749 --> 01:06:45,126
and we came up
with an idea of a name
1734
01:06:45,167 --> 01:06:46,877
of a company
called Classic Concept.
1735
01:06:46,919 --> 01:06:48,170
Then, we started,
like, really producing
1736
01:06:48,212 --> 01:06:49,714
and shooting our own stuff.
1737
01:06:49,755 --> 01:06:51,841
[record scratches]
1738
01:06:51,882 --> 01:06:53,801
Well, my name is Roxanne,
and don't ya know
1739
01:06:53,843 --> 01:06:55,720
-[Nas] Roxanne's Revenge.
-[Ralph] Roxanne's Revenge.
1740
01:06:55,761 --> 01:06:57,388
Right. That's the first
hip hop video we ever made.
1741
01:06:57,430 --> 01:06:59,849
We shot it in Queens,
Queens and Brooklyn. Yeah.
1742
01:06:59,890 --> 01:07:03,144
And I remember Ralph,
you know, doing his directing,
1743
01:07:03,185 --> 01:07:05,604
and Lionel Martin,
and he was like "Yeah."
1744
01:07:05,646 --> 01:07:07,023
And I was like,
"Oh, these are professionals
1745
01:07:07,064 --> 01:07:08,566
with three cameras.
This is great."
1746
01:07:08,607 --> 01:07:09,942
We weren't really in it
for the money.
1747
01:07:09,984 --> 01:07:11,652
[gentle hip-hop music playing]
1748
01:07:11,694 --> 01:07:13,529
[Beast] Ralph's
perspective is like,
1749
01:07:13,571 --> 01:07:15,281
let me get to know you.
What do you like,
1750
01:07:15,322 --> 01:07:16,824
let me hang around
your neighborhood.
1751
01:07:16,866 --> 01:07:18,284
Let me see how you eat,
how you move,
1752
01:07:18,325 --> 01:07:19,994
-how you walk.
-Ralph did everything.
1753
01:07:20,036 --> 01:07:22,997
MC Ren, we had
MC Rail, Steady B.
1754
01:07:23,039 --> 01:07:25,374
We shot music videos
for all these artists
1755
01:07:25,416 --> 01:07:27,251
and we made them matter.
1756
01:07:27,293 --> 01:07:28,586
I grew up on the crime side
1757
01:07:28,627 --> 01:07:30,129
The New York Times side
1758
01:07:30,171 --> 01:07:31,922
[Ralph] You know RZA
was like, "Yo,
1759
01:07:31,964 --> 01:07:33,299
I got a song that's called
C.R.E.A.M.
1760
01:07:33,340 --> 01:07:35,342
I want you to do it."
And I said, okay
1761
01:07:35,384 --> 01:07:37,094
and I-- I listened to it,
I was like wooh.
1762
01:07:37,136 --> 01:07:38,888
Cash rules
everything around me
1763
01:07:38,929 --> 01:07:40,264
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
1764
01:07:40,306 --> 01:07:42,266
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
1765
01:07:42,308 --> 01:07:43,726
[Raekwon] I'm telling him
things, like, yo,
1766
01:07:43,768 --> 01:07:45,895
catch the trees.
Catch the rocks.
1767
01:07:45,936 --> 01:07:47,605
-Yeah.
-He was just like, "Say less,
1768
01:07:47,646 --> 01:07:48,939
-I got it under control."
-He did what he had to do.
1769
01:07:48,981 --> 01:07:50,775
He made that shit
match the song.
1770
01:07:50,816 --> 01:07:52,193
-Yeah.
-[Nas] When I was starting,
1771
01:07:52,234 --> 01:07:53,778
you gave me my visuals
1772
01:07:53,819 --> 01:07:56,238
to show me to the world.
1773
01:07:56,280 --> 01:07:58,282
Sparkle like a diamond,
sneak a Uzi on the island
1774
01:07:58,324 --> 01:08:00,117
In my army jacket linin'
1775
01:08:00,159 --> 01:08:01,952
Hit the Earth
like a comet, invasion!
1776
01:08:01,994 --> 01:08:03,788
Nas is like
the Afrocentric Asian:
1777
01:08:03,829 --> 01:08:05,623
half-man, half-amazin'...
1778
01:08:05,664 --> 01:08:07,458
[Ralph] I saw us
as a renaissance
1779
01:08:07,500 --> 01:08:09,460
of young Black filmmakers.
1780
01:08:09,502 --> 01:08:11,295
[Nas] The buddha
monk's in your trunk
1781
01:08:11,337 --> 01:08:13,214
Turn the bass up
not stories by Aesop
1782
01:08:13,255 --> 01:08:14,882
Place your loot up,
parties I shoot up
1783
01:08:14,924 --> 01:08:16,926
Man, Ralph played
a-- a big part
1784
01:08:16,967 --> 01:08:18,677
in Nas' rise because he did
1785
01:08:18,719 --> 01:08:20,763
the press kit for Illuminati.
1786
01:08:20,805 --> 01:08:22,556
[reporter] The 20 year old
Nas is a product
1787
01:08:22,598 --> 01:08:24,100
of one of
the largest and toughest
1788
01:08:24,141 --> 01:08:25,601
housing projects
in New York City.
1789
01:08:25,643 --> 01:08:28,187
Queensbridge Houses,
AKA The Bridge.
1790
01:08:28,229 --> 01:08:31,690
It's full of crime,
full of all this crack, drugs,
1791
01:08:31,732 --> 01:08:34,151
all of that.
Just like every other ghetto.
1792
01:08:34,193 --> 01:08:37,446
[Raplh] You know what's funny?
Is, like, when we did your EPK,
1793
01:08:37,488 --> 01:08:39,323
-I don't know if you realize...
-[Nas] That was huge for me.
1794
01:08:39,365 --> 01:08:41,158
Right. Right.
1795
01:08:41,200 --> 01:08:43,828
[Nas] I don't know if I ever saw
one of those done...
1796
01:08:43,869 --> 01:08:46,163
-Right. Did not. Not on TV.
-[Nas] ...for anybody else. Nah.
1797
01:08:46,205 --> 01:08:49,166
Because nobody
played them on TV.
1798
01:08:49,208 --> 01:08:51,502
They just used
to give him to the...
1799
01:08:51,544 --> 01:08:52,837
you know, TV stations.
1800
01:08:52,878 --> 01:08:54,630
-"Oh, this is Nas...
-Yeah.
1801
01:08:54,672 --> 01:08:56,298
[Ralph] ...the new artist."
They'd look at it,
1802
01:08:56,340 --> 01:08:57,842
"Oh, this is cool,"
but they never put it on TV.
1803
01:08:57,883 --> 01:08:59,426
-Right.
-[Ralph] I was like,
1804
01:08:59,468 --> 01:09:00,970
"I'm gonna play it
on the TV."
1805
01:09:01,011 --> 01:09:03,889
Before even Sony even said it.
1806
01:09:03,931 --> 01:09:05,599
[Nas] You know, we was in--
we was like this,
1807
01:09:05,641 --> 01:09:07,059
it was like, "Oh, shit, bro.
1808
01:09:07,101 --> 01:09:08,477
We're, uh--
1809
01:09:08,519 --> 01:09:11,272
We're about to be--
Yo, we made it."
1810
01:09:11,313 --> 01:09:13,357
[Ralph] He has a lot of style,
you know what I'm saying?
1811
01:09:13,399 --> 01:09:17,153
He-- not only lyric-wise,
you know like, his person.
1812
01:09:17,194 --> 01:09:19,155
I don't even know
if you remember,
1813
01:09:19,196 --> 01:09:21,031
when they got me on the phone
with you, and I was like,
1814
01:09:21,073 --> 01:09:22,616
"Well, what's your idea? What do
you want it to look like?"
1815
01:09:22,658 --> 01:09:24,326
And you said,
"Just like Video Music Box,
1816
01:09:24,368 --> 01:09:26,162
like what you normally do."
So, I said, "Oh, okay.
1817
01:09:26,203 --> 01:09:28,497
We could do that." And that
was all I needed to know.
1818
01:09:28,539 --> 01:09:30,791
So, I said, "We gon' do that,
we might as well play it."
1819
01:09:30,833 --> 01:09:33,169
I'm a product of hip hop,
you know what I'm saying?
1820
01:09:33,210 --> 01:09:35,296
I'm a product from--
of the old school
1821
01:09:35,337 --> 01:09:37,173
and the newest of the new.
1822
01:09:37,214 --> 01:09:40,050
Ralph had his eyes
on everything that was moving,
1823
01:09:40,092 --> 01:09:42,386
so he knew who I was
1824
01:09:42,428 --> 01:09:45,097
even though I wasn't
anybody at that time.
1825
01:09:45,139 --> 01:09:48,184
But it's Ralph,
so he knows what's going on.
1826
01:09:48,225 --> 01:09:50,686
Thank God. [laughs]
1827
01:09:50,728 --> 01:09:52,062
It was simple back then right?
1828
01:09:52,104 --> 01:09:53,230
Some of the things
that you see here,
1829
01:09:53,272 --> 01:09:54,899
I guess, are some of your items.
1830
01:09:54,940 --> 01:09:56,525
I don't know if you have
everything here today
1831
01:09:56,567 --> 01:09:58,319
but just give us the idea
or the audience an idea
1832
01:09:58,360 --> 01:09:59,528
of some of the other items
you might have
1833
01:09:59,570 --> 01:10:02,364
or the items in general.
1834
01:10:02,406 --> 01:10:04,158
Well, for-- as for right now,
1835
01:10:04,200 --> 01:10:06,243
we, uh-- we're testing
the New York market...
1836
01:10:06,285 --> 01:10:08,913
I tracked Ralph down
all the way into Virginia.
1837
01:10:08,954 --> 01:10:10,581
l saw him and I gave him
a couple of shirts.
1838
01:10:10,623 --> 01:10:12,333
Then, he did
this interview with us,
1839
01:10:12,374 --> 01:10:14,585
and he was the one
who, kind of, anointed us
1840
01:10:14,627 --> 01:10:17,379
right there and said,
"Check them out.
1841
01:10:17,421 --> 01:10:19,006
Good clothes.
1842
01:10:19,048 --> 01:10:21,926
And, you know, you need
to know who they are."
1843
01:10:21,967 --> 01:10:24,929
The phone the next day
was ringing off the hook.
1844
01:10:24,970 --> 01:10:27,473
Ralph started to put out
something called Fat Fashions.
1845
01:10:27,514 --> 01:10:28,933
A fashion show.
I didn't have any money.
1846
01:10:28,974 --> 01:10:30,809
He said, "No problem.
1847
01:10:30,851 --> 01:10:32,937
-You can just show in the show."
-[Ralph] Please give it up
1848
01:10:32,978 --> 01:10:35,105
for Team FUBU.
1849
01:10:35,147 --> 01:10:37,483
[Daymond] So,
when I approached NLL
1850
01:10:37,524 --> 01:10:40,277
or I approached anybody else,
1851
01:10:40,319 --> 01:10:41,654
Ralph had already basically
1852
01:10:41,695 --> 01:10:43,614
whispered in their ear
due to me airing.
1853
01:10:43,656 --> 01:10:45,407
He opened the door
for those artists
1854
01:10:45,449 --> 01:10:47,618
to believe in me,
and I don't care
1855
01:10:47,660 --> 01:10:49,286
what artists they are today,
1856
01:10:49,328 --> 01:10:52,498
they owe a large part
of their career to Ralph.
1857
01:10:52,539 --> 01:10:53,832
[dramatic music playing]
1858
01:10:53,874 --> 01:10:56,543
[Ralph] In 1998, or before 1998,
1859
01:10:56,585 --> 01:10:58,879
Giuliani decides
that he was gonna get rid
1860
01:10:58,921 --> 01:11:00,965
of some of the assets
the city had.
1861
01:11:01,006 --> 01:11:04,551
And one of them became
the city TV station, NYCTV.
1862
01:11:04,593 --> 01:11:07,554
Video Music Box. Ruff Ryders,
this is how it's going down.
1863
01:11:07,596 --> 01:11:09,306
My man, DMX, in the place,
1864
01:11:09,348 --> 01:11:10,724
it's a beautiful thing man
to see you, man.
1865
01:11:10,766 --> 01:11:12,142
-Once again, congratulations.
-Yeah.
1866
01:11:12,184 --> 01:11:13,644
Thank you very much to all.
[stammers]
1867
01:11:13,686 --> 01:11:15,312
And I don't think
they really understand
1868
01:11:15,354 --> 01:11:16,897
how beautiful it is.
You know what I'm saying?
1869
01:11:16,939 --> 01:11:18,607
'Cause for me, being a dawg,
lock down,
1870
01:11:18,649 --> 01:11:19,900
you know what I'm saying?
Watching you on the Box,
1871
01:11:19,942 --> 01:11:21,110
you know what I'm saying?
And now,
1872
01:11:21,151 --> 01:11:22,820
being a part of this?
I knew--
1873
01:11:22,861 --> 01:11:24,154
I just did what I had
to do. You know what I mean?
1874
01:11:24,196 --> 01:11:25,572
And, and I'm glad
to be here, man.
1875
01:11:25,614 --> 01:11:27,199
I am the streets.
I will be the force
1876
01:11:27,241 --> 01:11:28,659
of the streets till I die.
1877
01:11:28,701 --> 01:11:29,827
You have a fan out here.
1878
01:11:29,868 --> 01:11:31,453
-Thank you very much.
-For real.
1879
01:11:31,495 --> 01:11:33,163
Video Music Box.
You know what I'm saying?
1880
01:11:33,205 --> 01:11:37,126
You know I'm with it,
the branch, whatever...
1881
01:11:37,167 --> 01:11:40,045
[Evelyn] Channel 31
was the biggest outlet we had.
1882
01:11:40,087 --> 01:11:43,674
Everyone got to see
Video Music Box on channel 31.
1883
01:11:43,716 --> 01:11:46,510
So when they decided
to sell it,
1884
01:11:46,552 --> 01:11:48,846
it was a big loss for us...
1885
01:11:48,887 --> 01:11:50,723
I gotta stand right here, man.
1886
01:11:50,764 --> 01:11:53,183
Sixteen years, I had been
doing Video Music Box.
1887
01:11:53,225 --> 01:11:54,351
Can you get this
in the background?
1888
01:11:54,393 --> 01:11:56,186
So, when that day ended,
1889
01:11:56,228 --> 01:11:57,980
and we got all our tapes,
and we went,
1890
01:11:58,022 --> 01:11:59,690
put them in storage,
did whatever we did.
1891
01:11:59,732 --> 01:12:02,109
Video Music Box doing it
behind the scenes and...
1892
01:12:02,151 --> 01:12:03,694
And I went home
and I had nothing to do.
1893
01:12:05,821 --> 01:12:08,532
Oh, this is real,
like it's really not happening
1894
01:12:08,574 --> 01:12:10,367
no more, like.
1895
01:12:10,409 --> 01:12:13,287
And, you know, we were still
doing music videos
1896
01:12:13,329 --> 01:12:16,874
but Video Music Box was me.
1897
01:12:16,915 --> 01:12:18,334
[Lionel] I remember Ralph
was very upset
1898
01:12:18,375 --> 01:12:19,960
because it was like, now it's--
1899
01:12:20,002 --> 01:12:21,503
I got to start from scratch.
All the relationships
1900
01:12:21,545 --> 01:12:23,213
I developed,
all of this stuff
1901
01:12:23,255 --> 01:12:24,340
and everything like that.
1902
01:12:24,381 --> 01:12:25,716
[tape rewinds]
1903
01:12:25,758 --> 01:12:28,135
And now you got to start
all over again,
1904
01:12:28,177 --> 01:12:30,304
on a political side
as far as getting himself in.
1905
01:12:32,598 --> 01:12:34,767
It was like an empty hole.
1906
01:12:34,808 --> 01:12:36,226
I was like, "Okay.
What can I do?
1907
01:12:36,268 --> 01:12:37,353
Should I go to MTV again?"
1908
01:12:37,394 --> 01:12:39,355
I go to BET.
1909
01:12:39,396 --> 01:12:41,231
Maybe there's another
channel that's out here
1910
01:12:41,273 --> 01:12:43,108
that would take our show.
1911
01:12:43,150 --> 01:12:44,360
You know how like
you right here,
1912
01:12:44,401 --> 01:12:46,278
you was-- you was hot.
1913
01:12:46,320 --> 01:12:48,739
It wasn't like we did anything
wrong, like we fell off.
1914
01:12:48,781 --> 01:12:51,075
We was hot when we fell off
that channel.
1915
01:12:51,116 --> 01:12:52,743
-Come on, man.
-[crowd chanting]
1916
01:12:52,785 --> 01:12:55,287
[Ralph] And I was like,
"Damn, dudes is going
1917
01:12:55,329 --> 01:12:56,789
to be playing me when I come up
1918
01:12:56,830 --> 01:12:58,916
and start trying to get
a job over here.
1919
01:12:58,957 --> 01:13:00,542
They're gonna handle me."
1920
01:13:01,960 --> 01:13:03,962
My pride got in the way.
1921
01:13:04,004 --> 01:13:06,090
Like, no, I ain't
asking nobody for that.
1922
01:13:06,131 --> 01:13:08,425
We're gonna wait it out.
And I just waited it out,
1923
01:13:08,467 --> 01:13:10,010
and waited it out,
and waited it out.
1924
01:13:10,052 --> 01:13:12,012
It wasn't Ralph's fault
that the channel
1925
01:13:12,054 --> 01:13:13,764
was closing down.
He had nothing to do with that.
1926
01:13:13,806 --> 01:13:16,350
So, he was like,
"Okay, it's happening".
1927
01:13:16,392 --> 01:13:19,019
This is Ralph, Ralph was like,
"All right, no problem.
1928
01:13:19,061 --> 01:13:21,939
We're gonna figure it out."
1929
01:13:21,980 --> 01:13:24,441
And I remember
crazy Sam calling me.
1930
01:13:24,483 --> 01:13:26,193
What you think
the next move is?
1931
01:13:26,235 --> 01:13:28,695
I said, what the fuck you
mean what the next move is?
1932
01:13:28,737 --> 01:13:31,240
Hey, Ralph, you want me
to go in the streets
1933
01:13:31,281 --> 01:13:32,950
and promote
this shit everywhere,
1934
01:13:32,991 --> 01:13:35,077
every record label,
every fuckin' place
1935
01:13:35,119 --> 01:13:36,620
that moves, barbershops?
1936
01:13:36,662 --> 01:13:39,456
He said, "Nah,
I'm gonna lay back,"
1937
01:13:39,498 --> 01:13:40,958
I said, "What are you
gonna lay back for?"
1938
01:13:40,999 --> 01:13:42,501
I wasn't even going out.
1939
01:13:42,543 --> 01:13:44,128
I didn't even want
to talk to nobody.
1940
01:13:44,169 --> 01:13:45,629
I was like,
no, I gotta figure this out,
1941
01:13:45,671 --> 01:13:47,089
I gotta figure it out.
Don't talk to me.
1942
01:13:47,131 --> 01:13:50,759
And crazy Sam's,
"Yo, come on, nigga,
1943
01:13:50,801 --> 01:13:53,303
come outside. Come outside."
1944
01:13:53,345 --> 01:13:54,930
And I was like, "Fuck it."
1945
01:13:54,972 --> 01:13:56,473
So, let's see
what's going on.
1946
01:13:56,515 --> 01:13:58,142
And we're gonna proceed on,
all right?
1947
01:13:58,183 --> 01:14:00,769
But it didn't keep
Ralph from not taking
1948
01:14:00,811 --> 01:14:02,396
his show elsewhere.
1949
01:14:02,438 --> 01:14:05,482
It took a lot to search,
but he never gave up,
1950
01:14:05,524 --> 01:14:07,734
and he made sure
that he found an outlet
1951
01:14:07,776 --> 01:14:09,027
for Video Music Box.
1952
01:14:09,069 --> 01:14:10,779
And it was
this other station,
1953
01:14:10,821 --> 01:14:13,449
which was like channel 31.
It was channel 25...
1954
01:14:13,490 --> 01:14:14,992
He went down for a little while.
1955
01:14:15,033 --> 01:14:16,326
But then when he popped
back up again,
1956
01:14:16,368 --> 01:14:17,786
it was just like he never left.
1957
01:14:17,828 --> 01:14:19,788
I'm that same
brother, you know,
1958
01:14:19,830 --> 01:14:21,498
Untouchables, hunny-sixth.
1959
01:14:21,540 --> 01:14:24,585
I'm with Uncle Ralph
on Video Music Box.
1960
01:14:24,626 --> 01:14:26,628
[rap music playing
on speaker]
1961
01:14:26,670 --> 01:14:29,673
[rapping indistinctly]
1962
01:14:29,715 --> 01:14:31,300
You know who this lady is?
1963
01:14:31,341 --> 01:14:33,177
She goes by name
of Keyshia Cole.
1964
01:14:33,218 --> 01:14:34,845
You know, I prepare
for the worst and wish
1965
01:14:34,887 --> 01:14:37,139
for the best, you know?
1966
01:14:37,181 --> 01:14:40,392
[indistinct singing]
1967
01:14:42,561 --> 01:14:44,021
Can you introduce
yourselves, real quick?
1968
01:14:44,062 --> 01:14:45,939
-I'm Beyonce.
-I'm Kelly.
1969
01:14:45,981 --> 01:14:48,734
-Hello, I'm Michelle.
-And we're Destiny's Child.
1970
01:14:48,775 --> 01:14:50,652
It's getting hard for me
1971
01:14:50,694 --> 01:14:56,366
And I don't wanna leave
1972
01:14:56,408 --> 01:14:58,327
[indistinct rapping]
1973
01:15:01,455 --> 01:15:02,956
[Ralph] I said
you're the only guy
1974
01:15:02,998 --> 01:15:04,458
that I haven't seen
before live.
1975
01:15:04,500 --> 01:15:06,084
And when,
when you got on stage I said,
1976
01:15:06,126 --> 01:15:08,086
"This is incredible, man."
1977
01:15:08,128 --> 01:15:10,255
That'll be the same day
I give the game back
1978
01:15:10,297 --> 01:15:12,466
You know the next question
dog "Yo, where Dame at?"
1979
01:15:12,508 --> 01:15:14,593
This track the Indian dance
to bring our reign back
1980
01:15:14,635 --> 01:15:16,386
[Ralph]
Yo, go to the studio right now.
1981
01:15:16,428 --> 01:15:19,181
I got the legendary
cats out of Houston, Texas.
1982
01:15:19,223 --> 01:15:21,892
They go by the name
of the Geto Boyz. Check it out.
1983
01:15:21,934 --> 01:15:23,977
When these people's mind stop
playing tricks on them.
1984
01:15:24,019 --> 01:15:25,854
-You got that right.
-[laughs]
1985
01:15:25,896 --> 01:15:27,523
Every time you're think
you notice something, you know
1986
01:15:27,564 --> 01:15:30,234
no matter what your endeavor,
it is that you do.
1987
01:15:30,275 --> 01:15:33,403
I hated going on radio.
I hated the radio.
1988
01:15:33,445 --> 01:15:35,906
We played the same music over,
and over, and over again.
1989
01:15:35,948 --> 01:15:37,824
We're doing
the-- the radio show right now
1990
01:15:37,866 --> 01:15:39,493
for my people out there
that's listening.
1991
01:15:39,535 --> 01:15:40,911
But at the same time,
I got my video cameras
1992
01:15:40,953 --> 01:15:42,412
in here for my video show.
1993
01:15:42,454 --> 01:15:44,206
Yeah, coast-to-coast
hip hop countdown.
1994
01:15:44,248 --> 01:15:45,916
Your uncle Ralph--
DJ Ralph McDaniels.
1995
01:15:45,958 --> 01:15:47,584
Westside connection
in the building.
1996
01:15:47,626 --> 01:15:48,877
[cheering]
1997
01:15:48,919 --> 01:15:50,754
[Ralph] You needed rotation.
1998
01:15:50,796 --> 01:15:52,548
And people only listen
for a certain amount of time.
1999
01:15:52,589 --> 01:15:53,924
They wanna hear hit records,
and that whole concept.
2000
01:15:53,966 --> 01:15:55,592
I understood
what they were saying,
2001
01:15:55,634 --> 01:15:57,427
but I felt like people
still wanted more variety.
2002
01:15:57,469 --> 01:15:59,096
And we could throw
in and make the playlist
2003
01:15:59,137 --> 01:16:00,722
a little bit bigger,
and they go, "Nope.
2004
01:16:00,764 --> 01:16:01,557
It's only these songs
and that's it."
2005
01:16:01,598 --> 01:16:03,225
[dramatic music playing]
2006
01:16:03,267 --> 01:16:04,935
And I just felt
2007
01:16:04,977 --> 01:16:07,145
like I was trapped
in that space.
2008
01:16:07,187 --> 01:16:09,648
That's when the-- the whole
hip hop world shifted.
2009
01:16:09,690 --> 01:16:12,734
[man] Pioneering music retailer,
Tower Records,
2010
01:16:12,776 --> 01:16:16,530
one of several chains
closing its doors nationwide.
2011
01:16:16,572 --> 01:16:19,074
The internet destroyed,
the computer destroyed
2012
01:16:19,116 --> 01:16:20,951
the music business to me,
I think--
2013
01:16:20,993 --> 01:16:22,828
[man] The main culprit
in the decline of the brick
2014
01:16:22,869 --> 01:16:25,872
and mortar record store,
online music.
2015
01:16:25,914 --> 01:16:29,376
I watched how it destroyed first
of all the recording studios,
2016
01:16:29,418 --> 01:16:31,253
a lot of them all went out
of business,
2017
01:16:31,295 --> 01:16:32,796
ain't too many left.
2018
01:16:32,838 --> 01:16:34,423
The quality of music
got horrible,
2019
01:16:34,464 --> 01:16:36,300
you know what I mean?
2020
01:16:36,341 --> 01:16:38,760
The record stores dwindled,
and the people that I knew
2021
01:16:38,802 --> 01:16:41,930
that was getting those
six figure jobs lost their jobs.
2022
01:16:41,972 --> 01:16:43,599
There's a new artist
every time you turn on
2023
01:16:43,640 --> 01:16:46,059
your phone and you really
can't get into anyone.
2024
01:16:46,101 --> 01:16:47,728
Okay. So, we'll put up
some information,
2025
01:16:47,769 --> 01:16:49,771
uh, as well as online
information, so people--
2026
01:16:49,813 --> 01:16:51,732
'Cause everybody is online
right now. The game--
2027
01:16:51,773 --> 01:16:52,733
the game
changed a little bit, right?
2028
01:16:52,774 --> 01:16:53,984
Yeah, yeah, for sure. A lot.
2029
01:16:54,026 --> 01:16:56,653
Well, it-- it changed
because now,
2030
01:16:56,695 --> 01:17:00,157
we are part of the entertainment
2031
01:17:00,198 --> 01:17:02,492
exploitive monster.
2032
01:17:02,534 --> 01:17:05,245
In my day, I had to give
out flyers that said,
2033
01:17:05,287 --> 01:17:07,748
"Hey, I'm Fat Joe,"
at the train station.
2034
01:17:07,789 --> 01:17:09,916
I'm on the thug,
but never the drugs though
2035
01:17:09,958 --> 01:17:12,002
When all the kids said
that they hated me, Fat Joe
2036
01:17:12,044 --> 01:17:16,131
At night, we would
put up paste posters, glue.
2037
01:17:16,173 --> 01:17:18,842
I would go to the clubs
and give the DJ the vinyl.
2038
01:17:18,884 --> 01:17:22,012
It was just a real process
to really promote yourself
2039
01:17:22,054 --> 01:17:23,639
and get out there.
2040
01:17:23,680 --> 01:17:27,184
Now, you just press send
and it's in the air,
2041
01:17:27,225 --> 01:17:29,645
and whoever likes it likes it.
2042
01:17:29,686 --> 01:17:32,898
In one way, the internet
is a fantasy for a lot of us
2043
01:17:32,939 --> 01:17:36,735
because we get worldwide
recognition in minutes.
2044
01:17:38,737 --> 01:17:41,031
So, yes,
there's some bad that came out
2045
01:17:41,073 --> 01:17:44,201
of the internet into hip hop,
but there's some damn good
2046
01:17:44,242 --> 01:17:47,037
that came out of it
and went into hip hop.
2047
01:17:47,079 --> 01:17:48,830
Man, The Boogie Down Bronx
is in the house.
2048
01:17:48,872 --> 01:17:50,290
Brooklyn's in the house,
Queens is in the house.
2049
01:17:50,332 --> 01:17:51,958
We got it going on.
2050
01:17:52,000 --> 01:17:54,211
It gave Video Music Box
a different life because
2051
01:17:54,252 --> 01:17:57,839
Video Music Box has what,
30,000 hours of footage.
2052
01:17:57,881 --> 01:18:00,801
[cheering]
2053
01:18:03,804 --> 01:18:05,597
Video Music Box ,
I won't say it lost
2054
01:18:05,639 --> 01:18:07,432
its audience.
Its audience shifted...
2055
01:18:07,474 --> 01:18:09,935
Yup, come on.
It's Video Music Box.
2056
01:18:09,976 --> 01:18:12,479
We out here at Webster Hall
right now, for the launch party.
2057
01:18:12,521 --> 01:18:15,065
It's really, really,
really packed, turned up here...
2058
01:18:15,107 --> 01:18:17,818
[screaming]
2059
01:18:17,859 --> 01:18:20,070
We're in punk Brooklyn!
Brooklyn!
2060
01:18:20,112 --> 01:18:21,363
We're from the Bronx.
2061
01:18:21,405 --> 01:18:22,989
-Cali!
-Commack, Long Island.
2062
01:18:23,031 --> 01:18:24,157
Victor from Jersey!
2063
01:18:24,199 --> 01:18:27,202
[indistinct rapping]
2064
01:18:29,538 --> 01:18:31,665
[Lance] Ralph was dedicated
2065
01:18:31,707 --> 01:18:35,627
and focused on his goals
and his main objectives.
2066
01:18:35,669 --> 01:18:38,797
That's where the love
of what I'm doing,
2067
01:18:38,839 --> 01:18:41,883
not knowing where it's gonna go
played a major role.
2068
01:18:41,925 --> 01:18:44,428
Yeah, Video Music Box
backstage, Summer Jam '06.
2069
01:18:44,469 --> 01:18:46,346
I mean,
this is real exclusive.
2070
01:18:46,388 --> 01:18:47,889
And I mean, for, like,
six weeks we've been talking
2071
01:18:47,931 --> 01:18:50,183
about how this guy
was coming to New York,
2072
01:18:50,225 --> 01:18:51,893
and then he did it tonight.
2073
01:18:51,935 --> 01:18:54,271
-Jamie Foxx, come on, man.
-Oh, man, I had a blast.
2074
01:18:54,312 --> 01:18:55,939
You know, ultimately,
it's a family business
2075
01:18:55,981 --> 01:18:58,567
and we just like love
to contribute to it
2076
01:18:58,608 --> 01:19:00,110
and see it grow and prosper.
2077
01:19:00,152 --> 01:19:01,611
And I think,
when we talk about family,
2078
01:19:01,653 --> 01:19:03,488
we're talking
about the fans as well,
2079
01:19:03,530 --> 01:19:05,115
because they've been on this
ride with us the whole time.
2080
01:19:05,157 --> 01:19:07,033
[Biggie] Check it out
2081
01:19:07,075 --> 01:19:08,160
[man] ATL make some
motherfucking noise
2082
01:19:08,201 --> 01:19:09,911
B-I-G-G-I-E
2083
01:19:09,953 --> 01:19:11,496
AKA B-I-G
2084
01:19:11,538 --> 01:19:12,956
Get it, Biggie
2085
01:19:12,998 --> 01:19:14,708
[Hakeem]
It's the 20th anniversary
2086
01:19:14,750 --> 01:19:16,460
of Christopher Wallace's
passing,
2087
01:19:16,501 --> 01:19:19,713
and I said I'm going
to the floor of the house
2088
01:19:19,755 --> 01:19:24,468
and I'm going to give
a tribute to Biggie Smalls.
2089
01:19:24,509 --> 01:19:26,261
It was all a dream.
2090
01:19:26,303 --> 01:19:28,555
I used to read Word Up!
magazine.
2091
01:19:28,597 --> 01:19:31,183
Salt-N-Pepa
and Heavy D up in the limousine.
2092
01:19:31,224 --> 01:19:34,102
I think in many ways,
you know, hip hop's journey
2093
01:19:34,144 --> 01:19:37,773
has been the journey of
the African American community
2094
01:19:37,814 --> 01:19:39,483
over the last 50 years.
2095
01:19:39,524 --> 01:19:42,694
And as a result,
I think, you know,
2096
01:19:42,736 --> 01:19:44,446
the journey of this country,
because the African-American
2097
01:19:44,488 --> 01:19:46,448
community
is so intimately connected.
2098
01:19:46,490 --> 01:19:50,285
And President Obama's
rise and his election,
2099
01:19:50,327 --> 01:19:54,998
his cultural fluency,
his engagement with artists,
2100
01:19:55,040 --> 01:19:57,667
it was just an indication
for me as to how deeply
2101
01:19:57,709 --> 01:20:00,420
his election had penetrated
into the streets.
2102
01:20:00,462 --> 01:20:04,591
Because of what it represented,
not just in the suites.
2103
01:20:04,633 --> 01:20:06,259
But who would've ever thought,
2104
01:20:06,301 --> 01:20:08,428
whereas Christopher Wallace
said,
2105
01:20:08,470 --> 01:20:11,264
"You never thought that hip
hop would take it this far."
2106
01:20:11,306 --> 01:20:13,642
Now I'm in the limelight
'cause I rhyme tight
2107
01:20:13,683 --> 01:20:15,018
Time to get paid
2108
01:20:15,060 --> 01:20:16,686
Blow up like the World Trade
2109
01:20:16,728 --> 01:20:18,980
I like to give a shoutout
to my fellow nominees.
2110
01:20:19,022 --> 01:20:21,233
Shoutout
to a very special visitor.
2111
01:20:21,274 --> 01:20:23,193
Shoutout to team USA...
2112
01:20:23,235 --> 01:20:25,487
[Hakeem] And again,
it's how hip hop brings
2113
01:20:25,529 --> 01:20:29,032
to you parts
of, you know, civic life
2114
01:20:29,074 --> 01:20:32,035
in ways that you may not
have even had any understanding.
2115
01:20:32,077 --> 01:20:35,163
With that, I just have two
more words to say...
2116
01:20:36,623 --> 01:20:39,042
"Obama out."
2117
01:20:39,084 --> 01:20:41,378
[Daymond John] I think
that for the first time,
2118
01:20:41,419 --> 01:20:45,173
kids of all colors
revolted within the system.
2119
01:20:45,215 --> 01:20:47,884
I think because they understood
that this was a true
2120
01:20:47,926 --> 01:20:50,053
president of the people,
this was a hip hop president.
2121
01:20:50,095 --> 01:20:54,391
It's undeniable that
hip hop culture changed the lens
2122
01:20:54,432 --> 01:20:56,309
for a lot of people in this
country of who we look at,
2123
01:20:56,351 --> 01:20:59,563
who we see, who we listen to,
2124
01:20:59,604 --> 01:21:01,815
and to understand the cultures,
2125
01:21:01,857 --> 01:21:03,817
to understand the challenges,
2126
01:21:03,859 --> 01:21:06,570
to understand the triumphs,
and the heartbreak.
2127
01:21:08,530 --> 01:21:12,659
And to me Video Music Box
and Ralph McDaniels
2128
01:21:12,701 --> 01:21:14,578
were pioneers in, sort of,
2129
01:21:14,619 --> 01:21:16,913
planting this seed
of hip hop culture
2130
01:21:16,955 --> 01:21:19,082
that is so ubiquitous now.
2131
01:21:22,085 --> 01:21:23,420
[laughs]
2132
01:21:23,461 --> 01:21:24,921
We're back in Coney Island.
2133
01:21:24,963 --> 01:21:28,800
2134
01:21:34,264 --> 01:21:36,808
This is Brooklyn
right here.
2135
01:21:36,850 --> 01:21:39,644
[man] Boss shit,
your Lordship
2136
01:21:39,686 --> 01:21:42,314
Niggas talkin' yachts
since I'm on shit
2137
01:21:42,355 --> 01:21:44,816
I used to run the block,
now I'm corporate
2138
01:21:44,858 --> 01:21:48,236
Hoppin' out, you know
it's Son when the doors lift
2139
01:21:48,278 --> 01:21:50,405
Whole squad hide the burners
2140
01:21:50,447 --> 01:21:51,573
Mets hats in the sky like...
2141
01:21:51,615 --> 01:21:54,784
[indistinct chatters]
2142
01:21:54,826 --> 01:21:56,953
Put your face on the TV screen.
2143
01:21:56,995 --> 01:21:58,955
Put your ear on the speaker.
He gonna tell you what it is.
2144
01:21:58,997 --> 01:22:00,624
I love my brother
right here, yo.
2145
01:22:00,665 --> 01:22:01,958
Peace and love.
2146
01:22:03,835 --> 01:22:06,630
If you love hip hop music,
if you love R&B music,
2147
01:22:06,671 --> 01:22:08,298
make some noise up
in the piece right now.
2148
01:22:08,340 --> 01:22:09,591
[cheers and applause]
2149
01:22:09,633 --> 01:22:11,718
I grew up in,
uh, projects
2150
01:22:11,760 --> 01:22:14,054
in Brooklyn
and we didn't have outlets
2151
01:22:14,095 --> 01:22:15,388
where we really got to see
2152
01:22:15,430 --> 01:22:17,432
our own community perform
2153
01:22:17,474 --> 01:22:19,434
or have videos.
2154
01:22:19,476 --> 01:22:22,812
And Ralph McDaniels Video
Music Box provided that for us
2155
01:22:22,854 --> 01:22:24,648
and let us know
that we have the opportunity
2156
01:22:24,689 --> 01:22:27,233
to go out there
and do these same things.
2157
01:22:27,275 --> 01:22:30,236
[indistinct rapping]
2158
01:22:36,076 --> 01:22:38,828
He made us take
a look at our superheroes.
2159
01:22:38,870 --> 01:22:40,497
-Yeah.
-And really understand
2160
01:22:40,538 --> 01:22:42,332
who they are,
2161
01:22:42,374 --> 01:22:44,042
and what they bring to us,
and with what they was bringing
2162
01:22:44,084 --> 01:22:47,963
to us was knowledge, wisdom,
you know what I mean?
2163
01:22:48,004 --> 01:22:49,339
Understanding,
everything, just--
2164
01:22:49,381 --> 01:22:50,632
-The culture.
-It's an honor.
2165
01:22:50,674 --> 01:22:53,301
This is Killah Chuck,
right here.
2166
01:22:53,343 --> 01:22:56,012
I think Chuck got
a couple of bars, too.
2167
01:22:56,054 --> 01:22:57,514
He might have
some bars for us.
2168
01:22:57,555 --> 01:23:01,518
Ralph knows this,
the history of hip hop
2169
01:23:01,559 --> 01:23:03,186
started in the Bronx,
2170
01:23:03,228 --> 01:23:05,313
now it's all over
the whole world!
2171
01:23:05,355 --> 01:23:07,482
[cheering]
2172
01:23:07,524 --> 01:23:09,192
[DJ Chuck Chillout]
He's got the Mary J Blige
2173
01:23:09,234 --> 01:23:10,318
when she started.
2174
01:23:10,360 --> 01:23:11,861
Heavy D when he started.
2175
01:23:11,903 --> 01:23:13,863
LL Cool J when he started.
2176
01:23:13,905 --> 01:23:16,533
The number one rap song,
Video Music Box .
2177
01:23:16,574 --> 01:23:18,493
[DJ Chuck Chillout] He was there
when they were nobodies.
2178
01:23:18,535 --> 01:23:21,204
[chuckles] So, he--
so, he ate, drank
2179
01:23:21,246 --> 01:23:23,456
and slept it, still to this day.
2180
01:23:26,501 --> 01:23:28,128
I started
working at the library maybe
2181
01:23:28,169 --> 01:23:31,464
like five years ago,
as a Hip Hop Coordinator
2182
01:23:31,506 --> 01:23:34,175
and I wanted to see, like,
hip hop in institutions.
2183
01:23:34,217 --> 01:23:37,178
In Queens,
there's 65 different libraries.
2184
01:23:37,220 --> 01:23:38,680
-Right.
-And I was like,
2185
01:23:38,722 --> 01:23:40,724
if we can get
in these communities
2186
01:23:40,765 --> 01:23:42,559
and do something,
and put hip hop in there
2187
01:23:42,600 --> 01:23:44,769
just like they have
other cultures,
2188
01:23:44,811 --> 01:23:46,271
that would be kinda dope.
2189
01:23:46,312 --> 01:23:48,064
[Kev] We have events
in the libraries
2190
01:23:48,106 --> 01:23:49,357
where we actually bring in
some of the people
2191
01:23:49,399 --> 01:23:51,735
that were involved in hip hop,
2192
01:23:51,776 --> 01:23:54,446
and not just musically,
people that are writing books,
2193
01:23:54,487 --> 01:23:58,575
documentaries, and we show
that to the kids there.
2194
01:23:58,616 --> 01:24:02,704
So, in the last five years, I've
done over three hundred programs
2195
01:24:02,746 --> 01:24:04,956
with all types
of different people here.
2196
01:24:04,998 --> 01:24:09,085
We still keep our core
of what we've been doing,
2197
01:24:09,127 --> 01:24:11,629
because it's been working
since 1983.
2198
01:24:11,671 --> 01:24:13,757
We also have evolved
with things.
2199
01:24:13,798 --> 01:24:15,675
We're on social media.
2200
01:24:15,717 --> 01:24:16,760
New York's number one
video show, Video Music Box.
2201
01:24:16,801 --> 01:24:18,261
I'm DJ Ralph McDaniels.
2202
01:24:18,303 --> 01:24:19,512
Yeah. I gonna have Money Love.
2203
01:24:19,554 --> 01:24:20,597
She's gonna check in with us.
2204
01:24:20,638 --> 01:24:22,098
My girl from across the river.
2205
01:24:22,140 --> 01:24:23,683
First of all,
thank you for taking the time.
2206
01:24:23,725 --> 01:24:25,769
I know
you was on the radio today.
2207
01:24:27,145 --> 01:24:28,730
Oh, please, that's nothing, man.
2208
01:24:28,772 --> 01:24:31,107
Like, you're just--
who can say no to you?
2209
01:24:31,149 --> 01:24:32,901
The hardest working man
in hip hop.
2210
01:24:32,942 --> 01:24:34,694
Like, who can say no?
Like--
2211
01:24:34,736 --> 01:24:36,446
We're in the Smithsonian.
2212
01:24:36,488 --> 01:24:40,617
In Washington, DC,
where our mic is in the museum.
2213
01:24:40,658 --> 01:24:42,118
So, it's like an artifact.
2214
01:24:42,160 --> 01:24:44,079
[Ralph] I think that
young people need to see
2215
01:24:44,120 --> 01:24:46,581
this is all part of us
and this is where we came from.
2216
01:24:46,623 --> 01:24:48,124
That's amazing, man.
2217
01:24:48,166 --> 01:24:49,584
I love what you're doing,
Ralph, like,
2218
01:24:49,626 --> 01:24:51,294
this is what it's all about.
2219
01:24:51,336 --> 01:24:53,797
The next generation,
them having a better chance.
2220
01:24:53,838 --> 01:24:56,674
We have Video
Music Box Collection,
2221
01:24:56,716 --> 01:25:01,679
which is the digitizing
of videos of artists
2222
01:25:01,721 --> 01:25:05,183
from when they first began
that have been
2223
01:25:05,225 --> 01:25:08,686
in our basement
for so many years.
2224
01:25:08,728 --> 01:25:12,315
Man, Brooklyn.
Oh, yeah. Sup?
2225
01:25:12,357 --> 01:25:14,275
Okay.
2226
01:25:14,317 --> 01:25:16,778
Coming in our woods
Say rhymes that I invent
2227
01:25:16,820 --> 01:25:19,155
I'm about to recollect,
and inject
2228
01:25:19,197 --> 01:25:20,990
And knock you
out your socks
2229
01:25:21,032 --> 01:25:23,326
This is full
classic concept
2230
01:25:23,368 --> 01:25:25,286
Video Music Box
2231
01:25:25,328 --> 01:25:28,414
We're trying to put them
in schools and colleges.
2232
01:25:28,456 --> 01:25:29,999
They can see, "Okay,
2233
01:25:30,041 --> 01:25:31,501
this was what was happening
in the '80s."
2234
01:25:31,543 --> 01:25:33,002
or "This was happening
in the '90s."
2235
01:25:33,044 --> 01:25:34,921
Man, I would love to see
a Video Music Box
2236
01:25:34,963 --> 01:25:38,466
educational curriculum
that's been placed
2237
01:25:38,508 --> 01:25:40,009
in different junior colleges,
2238
01:25:40,051 --> 01:25:41,427
colleges, or high schools.
2239
01:25:41,469 --> 01:25:43,847
When I started Revolt,
I had called,
2240
01:25:43,888 --> 01:25:46,182
you know,
Ralph to tell him, you know,
2241
01:25:46,224 --> 01:25:48,768
thank you for just being
such an inspiration.
2242
01:25:48,810 --> 01:25:50,687
I wanted to be Video Music Box.
2243
01:25:50,728 --> 01:25:53,523
I want to be unapologetically
Black, do whatever we wanna do,
2244
01:25:53,565 --> 01:25:56,860
say whatever we wanna say,
be whoever we wanna be.
2245
01:25:56,901 --> 01:25:59,529
-[indistinct rapping]
-Oh, yeah. Yeah.
2246
01:25:59,571 --> 01:26:02,198
But it started
with Video Music Box .
2247
01:26:02,240 --> 01:26:05,869
2248
01:26:17,881 --> 01:26:19,549
[Ralph] The Ave has always
been important, you know,
2249
01:26:19,591 --> 01:26:21,092
because that's where
we got our gear.
2250
01:26:21,134 --> 01:26:23,595
You know, Shirt Kings
was down there.
2251
01:26:23,636 --> 01:26:25,180
[Nas] Yes.
2252
01:26:25,221 --> 01:26:27,849
The Shirt Kings,
the mighty Shirt Kings.
2253
01:26:27,891 --> 01:26:29,184
Um, Eddie Gold Caps.
2254
01:26:29,225 --> 01:26:31,978
-Yes.
-Barbershop.
2255
01:26:32,020 --> 01:26:34,480
-Uh, Benny the Jeweler.
-[Ralph] Yup.
2256
01:26:34,522 --> 01:26:37,066
You know what
the beauty of Ralph is,
2257
01:26:37,108 --> 01:26:39,319
Ralph doesn't demand respect.
2258
01:26:39,360 --> 01:26:40,904
He commands respect.
2259
01:26:40,945 --> 01:26:43,656
And that's truly respect.
2260
01:26:43,698 --> 01:26:44,991
Love, man.
2261
01:26:45,033 --> 01:26:46,075
Everybody grew up
on you, Ralph.
2262
01:26:46,117 --> 01:26:47,744
I know.
2263
01:26:47,785 --> 01:26:48,870
One of the things
that brought us together,
2264
01:26:48,912 --> 01:26:50,246
honestly, was hip hop.
2265
01:26:50,288 --> 01:26:51,497
We're right here
at the Coliseum.
2266
01:26:51,539 --> 01:26:53,666
Jamaica Coliseum.
2267
01:26:53,708 --> 01:26:55,710
You know,
hip hop was the culture
2268
01:26:55,752 --> 01:26:59,923
that allowed us a space
to communicate with each other
2269
01:26:59,964 --> 01:27:02,425
without being
extremely judgmental.
2270
01:27:02,467 --> 01:27:04,177
[indistinct chatters]
2271
01:27:04,219 --> 01:27:05,595
[Ralph] What store is it?
Which one?
2272
01:27:05,637 --> 01:27:06,763
I'll be back.
We'll come back.
2273
01:27:06,804 --> 01:27:09,098
-We'll come back.
-Yeah.
2274
01:27:10,725 --> 01:27:12,810
-This is a vibe, though.
-Right.
2275
01:27:12,852 --> 01:27:15,063
I'm Mike Tyson.
I'm kicking everybody's ass.
2276
01:27:15,104 --> 01:27:16,314
I'm the world's greatest.
2277
01:27:16,356 --> 01:27:18,858
But I wouldn't be who I am now.
2278
01:27:18,900 --> 01:27:21,236
It will be a little
different without hip hop.
2279
01:27:21,277 --> 01:27:22,528
Different cultures.
This is what--
2280
01:27:22,570 --> 01:27:23,780
-[woman] What's up, Nas?
-Hey.
2281
01:27:23,821 --> 01:27:25,740
--everything is all about.
2282
01:27:25,782 --> 01:27:28,243
And I love the fact that we are
able to reach these heights.
2283
01:27:28,284 --> 01:27:30,870
Now, we're looking beyond that.
2284
01:27:30,912 --> 01:27:33,122
You know, how you feel
about the effects
2285
01:27:33,164 --> 01:27:35,291
of these systems
that kept us from the money.
2286
01:27:35,333 --> 01:27:39,212
And create systems that's gonna
bring us to the money
2287
01:27:39,254 --> 01:27:40,713
because we're gonna need
that money
2288
01:27:40,755 --> 01:27:42,966
to build our communities.
2289
01:27:43,007 --> 01:27:44,425
-Yes, sir.
-[man] Peace to The God.
2290
01:27:44,467 --> 01:27:46,803
-Peace, peace.
-I love you...
2291
01:27:46,844 --> 01:27:50,306
And I think hip hop
culture has been incredible
2292
01:27:50,348 --> 01:27:52,308
in contributing
to the Black community.
2293
01:27:52,350 --> 01:27:54,811
Ralph McDaniels,
Video Music Box ,
2294
01:27:54,852 --> 01:27:56,646
this is what it's all about.
2295
01:27:56,688 --> 01:27:58,314
We're with the people
right here on Jamaica Avenue,
2296
01:27:58,356 --> 01:28:00,316
Queens, New York.
You dig me?
2297
01:28:00,358 --> 01:28:02,068
Turn around
and see the people, man.
2298
01:28:02,110 --> 01:28:04,946
2299
01:28:17,250 --> 01:28:18,584
-All right.
-[man] Oh, wait, wait,
2300
01:28:18,626 --> 01:28:21,796
-[indistinct chatters]
-Oh, yeah.
2301
01:28:21,838 --> 01:28:24,132
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like, like Uncle Ralph's joint.
2302
01:28:24,173 --> 01:28:26,175
Shout out...
You wanna give some shout outs?
2303
01:28:26,217 --> 01:28:28,803
[laughing]
2304
01:28:28,845 --> 01:28:30,430
I give a shout out to my mom.
2305
01:28:30,471 --> 01:28:31,848
I wanna give
a shout out little thing.
2306
01:28:31,889 --> 01:28:33,558
Shout out to...
2307
01:28:33,599 --> 01:28:35,977
Yo, shout out my first wife,
shout out my second wife.
2308
01:28:36,019 --> 01:28:37,270
I wanna shout out--
2309
01:28:37,312 --> 01:28:38,938
All you beautiful people
out there.
2310
01:28:38,980 --> 01:28:41,524
Oh, shout out everybody
from hip hop in Queens.
2311
01:28:41,566 --> 01:28:43,860
-I wanna give a shout out--
-Well, let me give a shout out.
2312
01:28:43,901 --> 01:28:45,695
Fredro used to cut my hair.
2313
01:28:45,737 --> 01:28:47,780
And the pioneers of hip hop
2314
01:28:47,822 --> 01:28:49,866
that made this possible.
2315
01:28:49,907 --> 01:28:51,117
Shout out to Kool Herc.
2316
01:28:51,159 --> 01:28:52,452
Yeah, yeah.
I wanna give
2317
01:28:52,493 --> 01:28:54,579
a shout out to Lauryn Hill.
2318
01:28:56,247 --> 01:28:57,874
I'm in the gym.
2319
01:28:57,915 --> 01:28:59,876
-I wanna give a shout out--
-[laughs] Shout out
2320
01:28:59,917 --> 01:29:02,462
I give a shout out to my family
that have been supportive of me
2321
01:29:02,503 --> 01:29:04,630
since day one.
2322
01:29:04,672 --> 01:29:06,591
I'm the nut that'd be standing
on the side of the stage...
2323
01:29:06,632 --> 01:29:08,426
Lauryn, I love you.
I'm sorry.
2324
01:29:08,468 --> 01:29:09,927
Did I make a confession?
2325
01:29:09,969 --> 01:29:12,764
-Um, okay. Yes, I did.
-All to Brooklyn.
2326
01:29:12,805 --> 01:29:14,349
My partners in FUBU.
2327
01:29:14,390 --> 01:29:15,933
Big shout out to my moms.
2328
01:29:15,975 --> 01:29:18,144
-LL.
-Buy my first turned tables.
2329
01:29:18,186 --> 01:29:20,730
-The Rock.
-And for keeping me
off the street.
2330
01:29:20,772 --> 01:29:23,441
-Onyx and Mr. Cheeks--
-Alala.
2331
01:29:23,483 --> 01:29:25,735
Alala. What's up, Alala?
2332
01:29:25,777 --> 01:29:27,403
Shout out to Ralph McDaniels.
2333
01:29:27,445 --> 01:29:29,197
Word, and the Vid Kid.
2334
01:29:29,238 --> 01:29:33,034
And the whole squad. Crazy Sam.
My man Tuffy.
2335
01:29:33,076 --> 01:29:35,578
All-- All the whole crew
that helped Video Music Box
2336
01:29:35,620 --> 01:29:38,498
And us down
all these years, man.
2337
01:29:38,539 --> 01:29:41,042
All right.
I'm sorry about the baby shower.
2338
01:29:41,084 --> 01:29:44,045
For what's-her-name, 'cause
I didn't give her the 10,000.
2339
01:29:44,087 --> 01:29:47,882
'Cause I don't think no baby
should get $10,000
2340
01:29:47,924 --> 01:29:49,050
for baby shower.
2341
01:29:49,092 --> 01:29:50,343
Unless he's my own baby.
2342
01:29:50,385 --> 01:29:53,346
To my husband.
To my mom.
2343
01:29:53,388 --> 01:29:57,558
To the fans
that have devoted themselves
2344
01:29:57,600 --> 01:29:59,018
to Video Music Box.
2345
01:29:59,060 --> 01:30:00,770
I wanna give
a shout out to my dad.
2346
01:30:00,812 --> 01:30:02,438
You are awesome.
2347
01:30:02,480 --> 01:30:04,273
I love you and
I'm forever proud of you.
2348
01:30:04,315 --> 01:30:06,192
I wanna give a shout out
to you, Ralph.
2349
01:30:06,234 --> 01:30:08,403
-Love.
-A shout out to Ralph.
2350
01:30:08,444 --> 01:30:10,780
Thank you for pushing
the culture forward
2351
01:30:10,822 --> 01:30:12,532
and preserving the culture, man.
2352
01:30:12,573 --> 01:30:15,118
To my husband Ralph McDaniels.
2353
01:30:15,159 --> 01:30:19,247
You have done an amazing,
amazing job.
2354
01:30:19,288 --> 01:30:21,457
I'm going to spiritually say it,
it's for me,
2355
01:30:21,499 --> 01:30:23,835
and I want to give
a shout out to Biz Markie.
2356
01:30:25,378 --> 01:30:26,671
We love you, Biz.
2357
01:30:26,712 --> 01:30:28,756
Forever.
2358
01:30:28,798 --> 01:30:30,299
Alicia Keys.
2359
01:30:30,341 --> 01:30:33,010
Um, God, I'm so proud of you.
2360
01:30:33,052 --> 01:30:34,971
Shout out to Alicia Keys.
2361
01:30:35,012 --> 01:30:37,265
Okay. Shout out
to her crazy husband
2362
01:30:37,306 --> 01:30:40,268
for giving us DMX and all
the other shit that he did.
2363
01:30:40,309 --> 01:30:41,853
And the new thing
that they doing
2364
01:30:41,894 --> 01:30:44,188
with the DJ thing
and all that shit is awesome.
2365
01:30:44,230 --> 01:30:48,484
And Marky D, of course,
and Spider D, and all the D's.
2366
01:30:48,526 --> 01:30:51,154
Big shout out to my wife.
You know, she holds me down.
2367
01:30:51,195 --> 01:30:53,239
You know, this is not easy,
this is a family business.
2368
01:30:53,281 --> 01:30:54,907
This is what we do.
2369
01:30:54,949 --> 01:30:56,576
Video Music Box for Life.
Thank you, honey.
2370
01:30:56,617 --> 01:30:58,161
Mwah. Love you.
2371
01:30:58,202 --> 01:31:01,372
I wanna give out
a shout out to Ralph.
2372
01:31:01,414 --> 01:31:03,749
Thank you for everything
you've done for me.
2373
01:31:03,791 --> 01:31:05,626
And for the hip hop community,
2374
01:31:05,668 --> 01:31:06,961
for the culture.
2375
01:31:07,003 --> 01:31:09,422
For New York City,
for the world.
2376
01:31:09,464 --> 01:31:12,508
Um, thank you, man.
276489
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