Original subtitles

Stretch, my brother, what's good, man?

Wanted to learn a little bit more about you,

and I want you to learn a little bit more about me...

- Of course. - And our background, so...

(Both laughing)

I wanna say what's up to John on 105th St

and Trevor, and, uh-- (Man laughing)

He's a ball watcher.

Why you all up on my-- my lambus?

You lambus stackus, B.

(Radio tuning)

(Hip-hop beat playing) Jay Z: Oh, yeah, yeah it's in some stores,

but once we lock this distribution thing down,

it's gonna be in all stores.

- Yeah, just got rap pick of the week. - Bobbito: On what label?

Jay Z: Roc-A-Fella Records.

Bobbito: We gonna go with a little premiere.

This is the B.I.G.

KRS-One: This is all live, New York.

(Radio tunes) Nas: Yeah, the album's getting ready to come out in January,

the name of that is "Illmatic."

(Radio tunes, O.C.'S "Time's Up" playing)

O.C.: Time's up.

♪ You lack the minerals and vitamins ♪

♪ Irons and the niacin, fuck who that I offend ♪

♪ Rappers sit back, I'm bout to begin ♪

♪ Bout foul talk you squawk, never even walked the walk ♪

♪ More less destined to get tested ♪

♪ Never been arrested, my album will manifest ♪

♪ Many things that I saw, did or heard about ♪

♪ All told first-hand, never word of mouth ♪

♪ What's in the future for the fusion in the changer ♪

♪ Rappers are in danger ♪

♪ Who will use wits to be a remainder ♪

♪ Of course we gotta pay rent, so money connects but, uh, ♪

♪ I'd rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect ♪

♪ It's the principal of it ♪

♪ I get a rush when I bust some dope lines I wrote ♪

♪ That maybe somebody'll quote ♪

♪ That's what I consider real in this field of music ♪

♪ Instead of puttin' brain cells to work, they abuse it ♪

♪ Non-conceptual, non-exceptional ♪

♪ Everybody's either crime-related or sexual ♪

♪ I'm here to make a difference besides all the riffing ♪

♪ To traps I'm not sticking ♪

♪ Rappers stop flipping for those who pose lyrical ♪

♪ But really ain't true I feel ♪

♪ Their time's limited hard rocks, too ♪

Das EFX: It's like that, boy, it's like that, bust it.

And I'm gonna come like this. Check it.

♪ It's like eenie meenie, none of y'all can see me ♪

♪ 'Cause yo, I disappear and reappear like I'm a genie ♪

♪ It's the lunatic so bust the tourniquet it's just a warning ♪

♪ 'Cause I could go from am to pm like dawn and ♪

♪ I'm wicked, kick it, stick it in your brain ♪

♪ Like it's a tumor I roll with PMD, ♪

♪ So motherfuckers kill the rumor ♪

♪ Y'all can never stop my flow, there ain't nobody looser ♪

♪ I turn more kids to stone than that chick they call Medusa ♪

♪ When I wreck shit I'm on some next shit ♪

♪ Because I'm quicker, son, I turn more rappers to the ♪

Word up. Check it out.

Word 'em up, word 'em up, Bobbito, Stretch Armstrong.

(Voices fade)

It made sense that it was like a radio station

that you just couldn't go to really fast and find.

You had to go through static.

You go too far this way, you're gonna miss it.

You gotta come back, so it felt like you guys

were an island on this whole planet.

Where all these big giants were walking around,

a new island you had to find with your radio.

What's it-- transistor-- whatever that shit's called.

You guys had opened the door in New York

for us, the next generation, to come through.

We're here on the Upper East Side.

I actually grew up in that building, 60 96th Street.

It's kind of like almost the stereotypical,

you know, fancy neighborhood in Manhattan,

but we're on the edge of that.

This is like the last street of the Upper East Side

where the Upper East Side ends and Spanish Harlem begins.

So it's sort of a culturally mixed up place.

Our family lived in Douglass projects on the Upper West Side.

We moved to Westgate, that building right behind us

on 97th Street.

The building that I lived in was mixed-income.

So we had people on welfare, food stamps

who were neighbors to city councilmen,

lawyers and professionals.

I had really liberal parents.

They liked me to hang out with different types of kids.

When I was really young and afraid

to go to those neighborhoods, he would make me go there.

He would actually be like, "You're going--

you're going to your friend's house."

I'm like-- (Stammers) Not so crazy.

Like, my man Ivan Rivera liked on 109th and Park.

And I loved Ivan.

I was genuinely afraid of hanging out there

'cause the kids, they were rough.

I stood out crazy.

They used to chase me two blocks home, chase me,

try to beat me up, and they couldn't catch me.

I had the nickname for like three months, I was O.J.

- Word? - O.J. 'Cause I was like...

My dad was actually a Latin jazz musician.

He played the vibraphones. My dad was really a classical music aficionado.

Bob played piano at the age of 3.

What you don't know is he's a good piano player.

- Aww. - Mmm.

Ma, you're being kind. I sucked.

(Laughter)

I played drums all my life so that sort of helped me,

you know, in terms of rhythm and coordination,

independence with your hands and stuff like that.

By the time he was 11 or 12, he had a whole set.

We had to negotiate with the neighbors

about when he could play and when he could not play.

There was a lot of music in the family all the time,

from Bach to drumming. I got into hip-hop because I went

to this school on 96th Street. Called Manhattan Country School.

It was like this utopian school with kids

from all over New York City,

and everyone paid according to how much the family made.

So it was like you had rich kids, poor kids,

kids from the projects, kids from Park Avenue.

And there were a lot of kids from the Bronx who one day,

came into school, and they were all rapping "Rapper's Delight."

Everybody, you know-- whatever-- Puerto Rican kids,

white kids, Asian kids, they're all--

everyone just started getting into "Rapper's Delight."

It was like the thing, and it stuck to some people.

It stuck to me, and that's when I started buying rap records.

In 1977, I was classmates with a cat named Craig Raddix,

otherwise known as the original Rocker Crazy Craig.

And he was like, "Yo, I want to show you a dance move."

And he went down, and I was like, "That's cool."

I had never seen anybody dance and go to the floor.

I grew up listening to Red Alert, Marley,

you know, on the radio, staying up on the headphones

and it wasn't till I was a senior in high school

that I really wanted to start DJing.

I never had like a visual reference.

All I ever knew about was listening to DJs on the radio.

And that's all I knew. I didn't know any DJs.

First DJ that I ever knew was Clark Kent.

I am God's favorite DJ.

(Laughter) I remember meeting you,

and I remember liking you out the gate.

You seemed to care about the thing

that we were putting together,

so it made listening to you right.

(Hip-hop music playing)

I saw Stretch before I met him.

I had went to Mars.

I saw Stretch when he was Adrian B. At the time.

Mars was popping back then.

One night, I come downstairs to the basement,

and there's a tall skinny white dude,

and he's playing g rap, "Road to the Riches."

(Rap music playing)

And I'm like, oh, I'm in it! Like, word, okay!

I'm dancing. I was dancing back then, too.

I was a dancer.

(Rap music playing)

Shortly after, I'm at Def Jam.

(Hip-hop music playing)

I distinctly remember him walking down the hallway

and being like, oh, light bulb, yo, that's home dude

I saw rocking at Mars, and he's nice.

The moment that I saw Bobbito,

I experienced a sense of relief that I'm in the Def Jam office

and there's someone I can actually talk to.

From second one, me and Stretch clicked.

Bobbito: First time I met you and we go walking around,

you're like, "I gotta go meet my girlfriend.

She works at Ben & Jerry's down the block.

I thought you looked a little foolish back then.

(Laughs) You still wanted to be my friend.

I did want to be your friend! I just thought you were cool.

You exuded this air about you, and then we met

your girlfriend at the time, she was beautiful.

Yo, this dude was bonkers. How did he pull that?

I guess he got something special, you know...

I guess-- I don't know.

Maybe I should hang around him more often.

It's a pretty short amount of time between meeting Bobbito

at Def Jam, developing a really close friendship

really quickly, and then maybe a year later,

Bobbito, Nick quested and I become roommates.

(Rap music playing, indistinct conversations)

Stretch: I actually came up to Columbia

the summer before I went to school,

I went to WKCR because I was like, they have a radio station.

That'd be so cool to get on the radio, whatever,

and I spoke to somebody and said,

"I'm gonna be a student here in the fall.

I'd love to do a hip-hop show,"

and they just played me so hard.

They were like, "A hi-- (Laughs) He wants a hip-hop show!

Hey! Hey! Vanessa! He wants a hip-hop show!

Get the--"

I mean, it was like an emphatic "Never gonna happen."

We were just like talking out of the blue, like, yo--

just fantasizing. Fantasizing!

You were like, "Wouldn't it be cool

if we got a radio show together?"

And I was like, "Yo, that'd be crazy!

I could host, and you could DJ."

(Scratching record, rap music playing)

I got the show, I was like, "Yo, Bob, let's rock."

I didn't want to be the white boy talking on the radio.

Just wanted to play the music. I'm shutting the fuck up.

Bobbito: We had flyers for our show,

and I was taking the flyers and going on the 1 train uptown

taking the local on purpose and going car by car

left, right, here's a flyer, boom,

any kid that looked like he remotely liked hip-hop,

yo, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong.

I could clearly, clearly remember you telling me, like,

"Yo, Bob, let's take a mic break."

It's on you. And this is our first mic break of our first show.

I don't even know how far to bring the level.

All of a sudden, it just went through my head,

"Oh, my God, there are prison inmates listening.

There's like the hardest hardrock stickup kids listening.

Who am I to be on the mic for a hip-hop show?"

And I was just like, "What's up, New York?!"

And then I put the mic back down. (Laughs)

WKCR, 89.9 FM, many calls, many requests, many shout-outs.

DJ Premier: The first record I hear y'all play,

it was a B-side of Tribe Called Quest,

and then, you know, most people didn't play the B-sides,

and it wasn't the album cut.

It's just a record for a 12-inch.

♪ Yo skinny bonz give me the track ♪

♪ That's right coming off dope ♪

♪ Guaranteed to be rough ♪

♪ I'm showing Busta Rhymes never bluff ♪

♪ Huff puff like a magic dragon ♪

Then the next record comes

and it's something I've never heard before.

If I haven't heard it and it's from my era,

already, I'm like, who is that, and what's happening?

And y'all took that chance.

♪ Can I kick it JVC force intro to dance ♪

(Laughter) A new jam.

I found out about the show just because.

The talk was stupid all the time.

Every time y'all came on, we knew what was coming.

So all we would do is just wait. They on, they on!

In the '90s, major radio stations wasn't the shit.

It was all about college radio.

DJ Premier: You were on so late.

Not an hour, not two hours. You were on till 5:00.

Lord Finesse: Y'all had like the late-night, late-night.

Call your show like The Blade Show

for Vampire Listeners, you know?

Stretch: That's the graveyard shift.

I would literally be on the radio

in the middle of the night

and I would have you and Stretch on

a little radio on the side, so technically,

I was on the radio listening to you on the radio.

And it really put me in a zone, like, you know,

it made em feel like something was happening,

there was energy in the city.

Woman: Stretch Armstrong may look like an ordinary guy,

but he and others like him are preserving

a nearly extinct piece of American culture.

Man on telephone: And I like Stretch Armstrong!

(Laughter and shouting)

I think he's a nice white guy.

(Laughter)

DJ Rob Swift: I knew Stretch was white.

I didn't know, but I pictured a white guy for some reason.

I didn't think that white kids listened to hip-hop

or that they were interested or cared about it.

It wasn't like, oh, my God, Stretch Armstrong

is the white DJ, and that's why I'm listening.

That wasn't it, but there was no doubt

either consciously or subconsciously

where that was, like, a component.

There was an openness and an invitation

to just be yourself.

Battle Sounds: What do you know what to look for right now? The label.

What's the label? That's the first priority.

Step up front.

Stretch: For me the motivation

was really about having tons of music that I was nuts about.

I just created this network that was independent

of the record labels, getting demos and remixes

from producers to feed the show new music

you couldn't hear anywhere.

We changed what a mix show could be.

We were being broadcast into your homes,

but really, you were coming into our world.

♪ I don't know is where you ran or came ♪

♪ I know your vain, I hate your name ♪

♪ Your shame playing the game that drove you insane ♪

♪ You walk around puddles smelling the rain ♪

♪ With a cane nothing to gain but shame... ♪

Y'all didn't give us no limit on how long we could black out.

If you had bars, y'all just let niggas go.

♪ Why's my name the Large Professor ♪

♪ Cause I milked your cow, so go ask your heffer ♪

♪ Don't talk about how you can break Rambo ♪

♪ That's just a bunch of mambo you hambo ♪

♪ Propaganda, save it for Savanda, ♪

♪ Joe and Amanda, Zach and Alexandra ♪

♪ I'm high potent devoting much time ♪

♪ Into one rhyme, every line of mine is worth quoting ♪

♪ I'm like a college dorm ♪

♪ People will swarm for knowledge ♪

♪ Applicants chill out and fill out a form ♪

♪ Forget about the rest yo, the East is the best ♪

♪ When it comes to a battle, yo, the Jorge will never fess ♪

♪ Or front, I smoke blunts, line up the stunts on the wall ♪

♪ And then I give it my all ♪

♪ That means I bend them over with the quickness ♪

♪ and then I drop the lyrics with the slickness ♪

♪ Cause Jorge will never front off the top of the head ♪

♪ And when it comes to the skeezers ♪

♪ I take them to the bed ♪

♪ So what is the science as I kick the appliance ♪

♪ coming off dope as I form the alliance ♪

♪ Feminine fat coming nice and rough ♪

♪ I am the man showing you that I'm tough ♪

♪ Indeed I like the girls that do not lick the crack ♪

(Fades) ♪ She signs for her life that old fat contract ♪

We had niggas coming to school that recorded that episode

of Stretch and Bobbito freestlying on the box,

and niggas was dick-riding pause.

Confession-- niggas was scared to death

'cause I didn't want to fuck up.

Even though we knew we had to freestyle.

I would have been fine with y'all

forgetting to ask us to do it.

(Hip-hop music playing)

Stretch: The only reason why you could hear KCR

in the tri-state area was because we were being broadcast

from the top of the World Trade Center,

so that signal would travel, but it was a little signal

on a little rinky-dink fucked up station

with a board from the '60s.

Sometimes the left channel would drop out,

and I would have to punch the console, and it'd pop back up.

This guy is answering the doors, answering the phones,

opening the mailbox, making sure no one's doing graffiti,

Yo, what's up? Can I have my marker?

Yo, sh-- (Laughter)

Fucking graffiti, man!

They're gonna kick us off the air 'cause of this shit.

I'm there making music, go from 1:00 to 5:00.

No commercial break. I can't go to the bathroom.

(Laughs) I never thought about that.

It was hectic, man, or I did, I had to--

(Rolls tongue, imitates peeing)

Did you ever wash your hands though between?

I still don't. What's up?

(Rap music playing)

(Man laughs)

When I got to WKCR, we were in a station

that hadn't been renovated since it started.

We were in Ferris Booth Hall. It was pretty grimy.

It was pretty nasty to sit on a couch.

You weren't sure what you were gonna sit on.

You weren't sure what had happened there.

A lot of people slept in the studio

and probably did a lot of other stuff.

You prayed that the machines

and the consoles would actually work.

For literally decades, nothing had been touched.

For our listeners, it was a community.

Most of them didn't even realize they were listening

to a station that was run on the Columbia Campus by students.

Zuhirah: The coolest thing about the school

was that you guys were here.

Right outside my dorm room, Fat Joe was rolling up.

Fat Joe: I remember walking in and out of here

and I would just bump into whoever was the hottest nigga

in the world, like, yo, what's up, y'all?

Oh, you going in? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We gonna go rhyme and shit.

This is Fat Joe in the house.

I gotta say peace to the whole boogie down Bronx,

know what I'm saying?

I used to hear this rap station out of nowhere.

I used to be like, you know, just fine-tuning.

You know you turn your radio real slow

like you out in the desert, you trying to find the station.

'Cause I used to look for rap on them stations

that barely could come in the frequency, like,

you know, you be turning and it's like--

(Imitates static)

You know, you had to s-- do the eye

to get the dial tuned right on it.

Make you sure you move your antennas the right way

and stuff so you get it in.

DJ Premier: You got it. In New York, you got it.

And it was a beautiful thing.

Riggs: There was a kid in my class that was coming in

with all the exclusives.

I was like, yo, can I listen to it?

He really got stingy with 'em. Yo, where'd you get it?

You could tell it wasn't a mix tape.

He was like, yo, 89 tec 9, man. Kid of brushed me away.

I was like, yo, fuck you, bro.

(Laughter) Is that how you're doing this?

So did my little research, 89 tec 9.

That's all you knew it as.

Stretch: Even if you're listening to community or college stations

there's a certain blueprint that they follow.

If it's commercial, it's very slick and confident

and well-produced. Stay hot-97 weather. Kind of high clouds today.

Our show ended up being none of those things.

♪ It's like that and-ah ♪

♪ JVC can rock a party without a band and-ah ♪

♪ Step up, you get dissed in a rude manner ♪

♪ And I'm the a I talk more than Rosanna Danadana ♪

♪ And I'm the B I wet your whistle like tropicana and-ah ♪

♪ And he's the C, let him learn ♪

It was uncensored, you know, so for the first times,

you heard the curse words on the records,

and I'm like, yo, they're not gonna edit that shit?

I got a lot of cursing.

Yeah, that's all right. Bring it.

♪ This is for my niggas who ain't fuckin' with the system ♪

♪ Tired of arrest, doing the best ♪

♪ To try to dick 'em up the ass with no grease ♪

♪ The fuckin' police gots to go ♪

♪ Niggas feel the same from Maine to Chicago ♪

♪ California to New York, gotta warn ya bout the pork ♪

♪ They be on the fuckin' hawk ♪

♪ Lookin' for a nigga so they can dig another grave ♪

♪ My big brother was a slave but I'm like nat Turner ♪

♪ With two burners bustin' back 'cause I'm black ♪

♪ Now you learn a lesson on how to act ♪

Black people have not been given the chance

to express joy or anger.

So rap music is the expression of both.

♪ Then I peed on niggas, came the absolute worst ♪

♪ I lost compassion for humans, and then smacked up they moms ♪

♪ Fan and got the arms from under my mattress ♪

♪ My little man Satan got somethin' in his jacket ♪

Stretch: I've got a handful of records.

The idea was to match a beat to the artist

that would elicit the most inspired

and enthusiastic performance.

♪ The man on the mic when I kwon be ♪

♪ Ripping it and a dip to get her ass bursted ♪

♪ Cash is first with enough skill and I bust ♪

♪ Still she gotta thrust to-o-o my hotel ♪

♪ I told the bitch you know Cash and you know Del ♪

♪ And we gonna kick it ♪

♪ Don't even trip 'cause I'm wicked ♪

♪ I love this track, and so I'm gonna stick ♪

Stretch: I come from the school of never wanna hear

the same record twice at a gig or on a radio show.

Lord Finesse: The craziest thing you wanna do

is be the last person up on something.

Like, yo, Stretch, you played this joint!

Rob: If you fell asleep, you would hope

that when the tape deck stopped, it would wake you up

to flip it to the other side.

Gotta get your tapes ready, tape deck, sound checks.

I used to have this stack system directly to my right

so I was able to manipulate it while I was laying down.

(Laughs)

Manipulate the tape deck while I was laying down.

And I couldn't set alarms to keep me up.

(Laughs)

Why you gotta be stupid for?

Busta Rhymes: I would play shit so much, the tape would bust

so I could get the steak knife,

and I would turn them screws until I got the frame open, bro.

And I'd get a scissors, and I would just cut

a little edge off the fucking scotch tape.

I matched that bitch back up, put the frame.

I would wind the reel tight

to save my Stretch and Bobbito tape.

The Friday morning was you missed your first period,

so I almost failed out of gym.

Mrs. Vega, my Spanish teacher, she even commented a few times,

"Every Friday, you come in looking like a mess."

- Did you give her a tape? - No, I never gave her a tape.

I would go to school and front.

You want this tape? $5, nigga.

(Laughs)

Bobbito: You used to sell our tapes?

I sold y'all tapes. I made money.

That shit was drugs, B.

Thursday nights, I got no ass.

That was straight up Stretch and Bob's night.

Girls would beep me. It was beepers back then.

"No, no, I'm listening to the radio," like, "What?"

Greg nice would call me, "Yo, Tupac's over here, we'll hang."

KRS-One is coming over, "Which was a big deal,"

if KRS was coming to your house."

You know what I'm saying? Yo, I'm on my way.

What street? I'll be right there.

We'd listen to y'all all night until it went off,

every fucking week.

I vividly remember staying up late

listening to 89 tec 9.

You know, cassette in place powered and batteried, right?

Record.

It was like capturing pieces of history.

El-P: All of a sudden it was like all us weirdoes

who were obsessed with this music,

we have a place to be, and we don't know each other,

but we know that we're all sitting somewhere

late at night listening to this music together.

So it was like the collective consciousness of artists,

the kids who would become the next generation of rappers

all were being educated by you guys at the same time.

When I started working with MOBB and working with Nas,

I was thinking about making shit that would sound good

on your show specifically.

You weren't on Stretch and Bob, it wasn't official, flat-out.

The '90s was just like we was outer space with it

'cause it was like the colorful sounds from the records,

filtered bass lines, crazy-- (Imitates bass)

It just did something to our soul, you know what I mean?

It made us want to be a part of the culture even more.

This was freedom, man. This was freedom.

This wasn't the bureaucratic bullshit of, like,

you know, other stations.

We can't play that. We got a playlist here.

We were the playlist, you know what I'm saying?

The playlist came through the door.

(Rapping indistinctly)

It was just like rap-a-palooza.

First you was nice on your block.

Then it was nice in your neighborhood.

Then it was nice in the park,

and then you got to go on Stretch and Bob.

Busta Rhymes: It didn't matter how many battles

you had in the street.

It wasn't deemed official by you coming up

to Stretch and Bobbito's show and doing your dance

on that mic live with a freestyle?

You wasn't really no real mc, and that was the status quo.

We wasn't on that cool Fonzie shit

these niggas are on nowadays, shit.

We wanted to the fuckin' world know we was nice.

♪ I have to win, I'm 100% masculine ♪

♪ Standing tall like Christopher Reeve before the accident ♪

Bonz Malone: When I wasn't here, I'm tuning in Thursday night.

You crazy, who's there? It's jeru.

You know, it's MOBB deep. It's Nas, it's Wu, it's Big.

Yo, it was everybody who wasn't signed yet, man.

That was crazy.

You'd have everybody who was anybody on.

I'd hear somebody on your show,

and I'd wanna give them a record deal

it was uncanny.

♪ Shimmy shimmy ya, shimmy yam shimmy yay ♪

♪ Gimme the mic so I can take it away ♪

So I heard that.

I was in my house listening to that.

Something went off. I was like, oh, I gotta get him.

♪ Wu-Tang killer bees on the swarm ♪

♪ Rain on your college-ass disco dorm ♪

♪ For you to even touch my skill ♪

♪ You gotta go through one killer bee ♪

♪ And he ain't for the kill now ♪

I called up and I said, "Yo, I'm coming up."

♪ I get psycho, killer, Norman Bates ♪

♪ My producer slam my flow is like bam ♪

♪ Jump on stage then I dip down ♪

Old Dirty Bastard, Wu-Tang Clan coming at you...

I came up to sign Ol' Dirty Bastard.

I ended up signing him, and he went on to sell

millions of records and be a legendary character,

and I would never have signed him

if I didn't tune in that night.

Hearing that changed my life.

And I signed him before the Wu-Tang album came out.

The first time I heard "Protect ya neck," on y'all's show

I might have jumped half my height.

Y'all just threw it on-- (Grunts)

Once I heard that, turned it up.

(Backbeat playing)

When you from the projects, you don't think that far

like you gonna be able to be heard on the radio.

The radio was like, oh, shit.

All we know every day is seeing fiends in our faces

and holding guns and we stashing shit in the bushes

and all that.

At nighttime, that was the time

where we wanted to be rappers because y'all show came on.

These niggas is co-signing it,

and they playing it like it's the truth,

it's almost like getting that pass.

And y'all's show defined who was getting that pass.

You know, West Coast artists weren't really getting

too much love on the radio back there on the East Coast.

Especially us because of our marijuana issues

that we bring up.

You know, we've sold close to 20 million records.

And you guys were the guys who lit the fires for us.

We're making it on the west, but this is where it comes from.

Anytime you have an artist people just don't care about,

they need that one thing that gives them that pop,

that credibility.

That's something that we were really missing with the Fugees.

I said, "Stretch, I really want to have

the Fugees come up to the show."

And he was like, "Yeah, no, we're good.

Not gonna happen, but you can bring Big L and Nas."

After some strong negotiation, you relented.

♪ Yo, I and I is one and I and I is two ♪

♪ But I and I makes three ♪

♪ When you're fucking with the Fugee crew ♪

♪ I move like the phantom ♪

♪ They stalking like the beast I rise in the east ♪

♪ And if you fuck with me you'll be deceased ♪

Lauryn and Clef got on the mic and killed it.

And that's when Bobbito turned around,

and he was like...

And then I remember Stretch was like...

♪ Pump your first as I persist to diss ♪

♪ All of them critics that try to predict the Fugees shit ♪

♪ But hit or miss hit or miss just like my clitoris ♪

(Rapping fading)

For the Fugees to be able to not only get on the show

but then kill it, you guys are like star makers.

Tonight, something special happened.

The Fugees are on the map.

I remember KRS-One came up here one night,

and he was rhyming about the British troops in Angola.

♪ On January 30th, 1906 ♪

♪ 3,000 Africans were killed by some Brits ♪

♪ They don't quit British troops to be exact, ♪

♪ It's called the Bambataa Massacre ♪

♪ This took place in South Africa ♪

♪ May 4th, 1978, they still killing ♪

♪ 700 African men, women and children ♪

♪ Tell the world I told ya ♪

♪ This particular killing took place in Cassinga, Angola ♪

And I went and talked to a professor about it

the next day, like, yeah, trying to represent hip-hop.

"Hip-hop talks about history, and KRS was rhyming

about British troops in Angola,"

and she was like, "The British were never in Angola.

It was the Portuguese." (Laughter)

You must learn.

(Humming)

(Laughing)

Y'all guys are real hilarious.

Stretch, say something on the mic, kid.

Halalulu, hobbits.

Stretch: Pretty early on, Bobbito was the voice,

and I was the silent DJ.

Funkmaster Flex pulled me to the side unprompted

and said, "yo, Stretch, you're the DJ.

This is your show. DJ to DJ, you need to talk."

Reggie was at my house. And, uh, he didn't ask me.

He just went-- he was there for a long time.

He was smoking a lot of blunts and went to brush his teeth.

He used a toothbrush.

He used the old "Clean the sneaker" toothbrush.

(Laughter and overlapping voices)

It's hard to get sleep when you're laughing.

You ever laugh and sleep? It's kind of difficult.

♪ Breath hangs the rest ♪

♪ Your breath smells like burning flesh ♪

♪ And Lord Sear's left breast ♪

Ah, yeah, uh, it's like that. Uh, like that.

(Laughter and hooting)

Lord Sear's left breast.

You told me, yo, good friend of mine,

Stretch, on that show, Columbia University.

I know you like rap, and I know you like food.

You like soda. It's all there. Come through.

(Laughter)

"I'll go!" I became the resident jokester.

- Rosario, do you drink? - No, I'm not old enough.

You smoke? How old are you?

20.

You don't smoke no crack or nothing?!

What's your problem?!

No, baby, I'm clean, yo.

You could lick this.

(Laughter)

Y-y-y-y-y-yo.

(Rap music playing in background)

Man on telephone: This is Ralph, man.

Bobbito: Where you calling from, Ralph?

From D'agostino's, man. D'agostino's?

(Laughter and fart noises)

Crazy Legs: That was different because normally,

people didn't get snapped on.

That was very different.

Then Lord Sear came up with "AKA Jennifer Beals"

because I double for Jennifer Beals in "Flashdance."

(Laughter) You know, it's good.

Ciao, baby.

This is Rosie Perez, how y'all doing out there tonight?

You enjoying the show?

Yes, I am.

Hello? Hello? Am I here?

- You're here. - You did that so exquisitely.

I just would like to comment on the haircuts

that I'm peeping tonight.

- Uh-huh. - You guys use the same bowl?

(Laughter and shouting)

Oh, my gosh.

Remember there was this guy who did a poem

about "cungalingus" on your show,

and he dedicated it to me.

He was saying about the "cungalingus."

- Yeah. - You don't remember that? To me?

- Yeah. - He caught me totally off-guard.

That's the best kind of cunnilingus.

(Laughter)

What the--

Damn! Stretch and Bobbito show's incredible!

We had a snap battle with Lord Sear.

I remember big pun when he had the white doo rag

and a white t-shirt.

He looked like an overweight nurse back then.

Sear told Pun that he lived on the second floor

of a White Castle and he had a slide goes straight down the--

I walked in, I had shorts on.

The old-school shorts where it was like they were too long.

They looked like fake capris.

I'm like, "Yo, Pun, what's up," and he's like,

"What's up with them midget cowboy shorts you have on?"

The midget cowboy jeans.

Yo, they was going at it. Hard!

So I was like, "Yo, look at your forearms."

They were all fat and hairy.

I said his forearms look like an overweight pitbull's stomach.

(Laughter)

Just with a hand.

A hand and a pitbull's stomach with no tail.

I said, "Ruff."

(Barks)

He said, "You're so fucking fat I could squeeze

a jelly doughnut out your forehead."

Niggas was just going at it.

It remind a lot of cats who are right here in Harlem,

like, what it's like when they out on the corner

just shooting the shit with their homeboys,

laughing, looking at what somebody wearing, snapping.

Y'all had the corner in a box.

You'll be on in a second.

Dude, you're on, like, now. Dude, you're on.

- Mr. Bobbito, my man, I'm sorry. - You're on.

It's the Joe Cocker of hip-hop.

There was a time when you guys used to do something

called the Dick Olympics, do you guys remember that?

(Laughter)

- No. - You don't remember the Dick Olympics?

Where it was Benji and Sear and they would talk about

all these different type of-- I'm dead serious.

All these different type of olympic events

where somebody was using a dick.

Like hurdling over dicks, pole vaulting with dicks.

- The javelin. - The javelin. You remember.

Mimi: Truth be told, as much as I love you guys,

I wasn't really into the humor so much.

- Oh, my God. - Yeah, not really.

Press the eject button. (Imitates spring)

(Laughs) A lot of boy humor.

Zuhirah: Being a woman in the '90s into hip-hop wasn't easy.

The culture was so exciting and important

that I sort of looked at the misogyny

as something that comes along with it.

I never felt like, "They're not talking about me."

I always took it somewhat personally.

Random rappers being like, "Come sit in my lap."

A lot of the guests kind of thought you were there

for their amusement, so, you know,

you develop a thick skin, but you always treated

me and my friends respectfully

and sort of took us under your wings in a way,

and so other people treated us with respect because of that.

What the culture did offer sort of outweighed the bad.

I was just such a hip-hop fan. Like, I loved hip-hop so much.

Just everything about it, the music, the rhyme,

just the energy, I just realized you know what?

I want to hang out at the show and what I did specifically

was open the door because at the time,

they would ring the bell, we would hear it,

and somebody had to go downstairs and open the doors.

Like, hi, welcome to the show. We'll be with you in a minute.

Come upstairs. Follow me. That was literally what I did.

If they were on the list. If they were on the list.

Bobbito: Please don't come by unannounced.

We got too many people to deal with as it is.

Mimi just stepped into the house and we got some other guests.

We expecting the Wu-Tang Clan.

Man: Y'all was like the first ones to really be like,

yo, we want to see y'all, we want to meet y'all.

I remember going downstairs and opening the door,

and it was probably about 20 guys, maybe 30.

Raekwon: We here, man, we in the building.

All got masks on. Whoa, whoa.

Hold on, hold on, wait. Who's on the list?

20 of us, we just up in there.

Peace, everybody, Wu-Tang Clan representing,

baby, representing.

Specifically it was Method Man who just started breaking,

screaming, we on the list, we on the list,

we going upstairs, move out the way, move out the way.

I was irate. They violated you and called you the b-word.

I just told Meth, yo, B, that's our peoples.

Her role is to regulate the people that come in.

When he got on the air, that's when he apologized.

We want to apologize to this girl

that was down at the front door.

It was a little misunderstanding,

so I'm going to apologize to her on the air

and all that 'cause she got kind of offended.

Enough respect, baby.

I was still pissed off, but...

Let's get him on the phone.

1-800 Method Man.

Hey, Method Man! Method Man!

Is that Method Man? Method Man!

I eventually had to deal with Method Man and Wu-Tang

just as an editor at Vibe,

so it was always funny to me that they became so big.

Hey! Hey! What, what.

I got to get it going on. Yeah. Down the stair.

♪ Hey, hey, I swing funky rap routines ♪

♪ And tap the jaws spot you 20 points ♪

♪ And you still can't score ♪

♪ Fresh out the toilet, I got my shit together ♪

♪ When I'm good, I'm good, when bad, I'm better ♪

♪ All on my name but you can't pull my file ♪

♪ You don't know me, and you don't know my style ♪

♪ Remember that there like that, there, yeah ♪

♪ Even Grizzly Adams couldn't bear ♪

Ghostface Killah: Yo, check it.

Fresh joint from out the stash. Yo, yo.

♪ First of all son, peep the arson ♪

♪ Many brothers I be sparkin' and bustin' mad ♪

♪ Light inside the dark and call me dough snatcher ♪

♪ Just a brother for the rapture I hang-glide ♪

♪ Holdin' on strong, hard to capture ♪

♪ Extravagant, RZA bake the track ♪

♪ And it's militant then I react ♪

♪ Like a convict and start killin' shit ♪

♪ It's 9th chamber, you get trapped inside my hallway ♪

♪ You try to flee but you got smoked by the doorway ♪

♪ While I'll be trapped by sounds, locked behind loops ♪

♪ Throwin' niggas off airplanes cause cash rules ♪

♪ Everything around me black as you can see ♪

♪ Swallow this number-one verse like God degree ♪

♪ And analyze my soundtrack for satisfaction ♪

♪ And you adapt like a flashback chain reaction ♪

Method Man: Can't nobody, can't nothing come after that.

Ghostface blew up the spot.

Hip-hop was on KCR.

This was unsigned masterpieces, man.

We listen to the demos, me and Stretch.

And if we like them, then we play them on the air.

Bonz Malone: If you could get on the train

and get down here in time, we could battle right here.

Bob I remember having this idea

that we would have the demo battle.

This is one of my most favorite memories

about being involved with the show is this battle.

The Bronx Zu versus The Notorious B.I.G.,

and the Bronx Zu won.

♪ This is a recording, this is ain't a recording ♪

♪ Just a funky party to defeat the boredom ♪

♪ Lou Tan, Lou Tan get in to my mood swing ♪

♪ Oh, it's just my man, just a Bronx Zu thing ♪

That early in the show, a Bronx or Uptown artist

might have a home team advantage.

Bronx Zu: Who's running shit?

Men: 176th! Ho!

He was tight. He was tight.

Came in here talking about the Bronx Zu,

how, "They ain't better than me."

You'll hear some of it on the tape.

That's the weird thing about this night is that--

No one taped it.

Dude, like, me and Stretch used to tape

at least, you know, every other show.

It's the craziest thing that the most important artists

that came through these doors--

y'all ain't tape it 'cause you ain't know who Big was.

No, we knew who Big was.

We didn't know who he was gonna become.

Well, I know who did record it.

Let's do it.

It ain't got the date on it. But that's just 23 years ago.

Wow.

Bobbito: We got Notorious B.I.G. in the house.

- So what's up? - B.I.G.: Ain't nothing large. I'm just chilling, you know.

Bobbito: So what's up, yo? You rolled up here.

You know what I'm saying? You ready to rep?

B.I.G.: I was looking for them Bronx Zu brothers,

you know what I'm saying?

Niggas think they came off.

I just came to set the record straight.

(Speaking indistinctly)

All right, B, well, yo, you here to show and prove--

He was 16.

♪ Mumblin' and whisperin' is what I hear ♪

♪ When B .I .G. appear on the scene ♪

♪ Niggas get scared, why? I'm not the stick-up man ♪

♪ I don't want the rings on your hand ♪

♪ I don't understand ♪

♪ When I come through the avenue I must know voodoo ♪

♪ Cause all eyes are on you know who ♪

♪ And my so-called friends beg for ends for me to lend ♪

♪ But this bankroll, they won't spend ♪

♪ Open your eyes and realize ain't no sugar in my tank ♪

♪ Out of all my friends there's just one I want to thank ♪

♪ My man big d taught me a lesson that was great ♪

♪ That good things come to those who wait ♪

♪ And we've waited through the suffering and pain ♪

♪ And bitches ride the dick like the a-train ♪

♪ That's why I flip keep a burner to my hip ♪

♪ Take a hooker to the crib, you know she got to strip ♪

♪ Stay dipped, take out-of-state trips ♪

♪ Don't drink a lot of Hennessy, I only take a sip ♪

♪ I'm not a paper gangster of no sort ♪

♪ I do smoke Newports ♪

♪ When I get stressed I grab my vest ♪

♪ Damn, tried to give you the warning sign ♪

♪ When I said "chill," I wasn't saying ll's rhyme ♪

♪ I was telling ya not to tear up ♪

♪ 'Cause he will rip tear up, I'm telling you not to erupt ♪

♪ 'Cause he's just as corrupt as a DJ should be ♪

♪ 50 grand, and I'm the B.I.G. ♪

(Laughter) 23 years in the making.

(Shouts) 1991.

You are the man!

89.9 was our radio signal,

and 89 tec 9 became like our catchphrase,

and the tec in that was for techniques

like techniques on the turntables, skills on the mic.

Pharoahe Monch: If you were coming up in New York City

that's the way you had to go.

It's either that or "Da-ha, da-ha."

(Laughter)

♪ One nation under this rap shit indivisible ♪

♪ Never mess up-up anymore ♪

♪ Pharoahe the crit-ically acclaimed rap professional ♪

♪ Keeping computer digital but hark the best be ♪

(Laughs) ♪ This expert who could keep niggas alert ♪

♪ In a school for narcolepsy ♪

♪ When I'm in a innovative state of mind, I'm innovative ♪

♪ Never been afraid of rocking a microphone ♪

♪ I'm prone to be eliminating ♪

♪ Sing a song of six pence, it makes sense then sing along ♪

♪ Cling on to my nuts, if you got guts then bring it on ♪

(Laughter and clapping) Stretch: Watch out, he's coming!

I'm clinging to his nuts!

- Bring it on. - 25 years!

It was like the highlight of hip-hop at the time

as a lyricist, you know what I mean?

And come there and freestyle

and realize that the city

is listening to you right now in the moment.

This is different from the stage.

This is different from your room where you're writing

or the lab or the basement.

This is like broadcasting on air lyricism.

Just go?

Yo, this is Large Professor, Extra P.

I remember asking y'all, saying to one of y'all,

"Yo, I'm going to bring the drum machine.

Yo, we should get busy," and it was like,

"Yo, all right, cool, bring it through."

Bobbito: Large brought up his sampler, so guess what?

I think peoples need to get home right now,

get your tape decks ready, because we got some shit

for you tonight, that's word to my mother.

What radio show does that?

Lets a dude set up a SP 1200

and then has dudes rhyming over programmed beats?

What radio show is doing that now?

- Bobbito: Had you done that before at a radio station? - No, no.

I don't think anyone really had ever done that before.

My name is Bobbito.

(Drum machine playing randomly)

Yo, yo, this is Stretch Armstrong.

Stretch: Yeah, most definitely the Stretch Armstrong.

(Voices playing on sampler)

That was the large p beat, he had the sp up there.

♪ O.C., boy how you be-- ♪

He was right next to me saying this.

♪ Niggas can keep the booyaka ♪

♪ I call it the clod that's anonymous ♪

All right, this brings back memories.

♪ I'm reigning dominant over niggas that's rated raw ♪

♪ I figured they less, so hey, takes four metaphors ♪

♪ Peep lines out, I preach rhymes out my larynx ♪

♪ Use insight to invite what I'm slammin' next ♪

♪ Bickery, MC's gettin' off the trickery ♪

♪ tme will tell who will shine like Jew-els from Tiffany's ♪

♪ Those few who are chosen'll shine crystal ♪

♪ Let's go back to old slang like a pist-al ♪

♪ Thou fate shall go back to the prey ♪

♪ And I don't need effect to be like echo and decay ♪

♪ And my skill is pure, down deep from the root ♪

♪ At the same time I'll jam a microphone ♪

♪ Up like soot in your pipe ♪

♪ My poetry shows are right ♪

♪ Fuck hype from a promo or some ill ass snipes ♪

♪ I go raw dog, always on my off and defense ♪

♪ Workin' good with the two, leavin' niggas in intense ♪

♪ If O.C. lay low like ooh-la-la ♪

♪ You'll French kiss with my fist shooting a diss ♪

♪ Pass me the apparatus ♪

♪ Let me show you how to work a verse ♪

♪ The scientist, the mad scientist will first ♪

♪ Give a grammatical example, a sample of truth ♪

♪ Soon to be a mega legacy for all of you ♪

♪ Listen the lyrical physician is back, black ♪

♪ With stacks of props and outfox and mop ♪

♪ Niggas'll flop who's in town ♪

♪ Defend your title, bring it to me ♪

♪ The organism will bring your rhyme time to an end ♪

♪ Zone is called desert I resurrect ♪

♪ Intellect surrounds boundaries when I'm present ♪

♪ In Queens County still, trying to pursue ♪

I don't even need to hear no more, man.

Like, now I remember it. That's crazy.

It was like he threw me the rock,

and I almost fum-- know what I'm saying?

♪ Look what the night bought, this is night court ♪

♪ You charged with misuse of a mic like you're nice ♪

♪ Step into the o-zone ♪

I was nervous, and I didn't want to mess up in front of him.

That was the main thing on my mind.

I don't want to mess up in front of Large Professor.

I'm just going to take a bass note.

I was playing the bass then just making these cave beats,

and I just wanted to play it live.

And that's really where I was at my pinnacle

of just wanting to get busy.

Y'all caught me, like, really feeling it, like,

yo, I'm just going to be freestyling now and buggin'.

Regulation status, you know what I'm saying? (Laughs)

I appreciate the art of being able to just go off the top,

interacting with everybody and saying, "We all a part of this."

♪ On the mcrophone, I'm the kid plus the wiz ♪

♪ Got the brother Bobbito, I'm in like cognito ♪

♪ around the way, ha, just like Carlito ♪

♪ Plus Stretch Armstrong, I got the comm song ♪

More versus than a Kramer, go off like a pager

skills uglier than Craig Mac, in your ear, I'm the flavor.

My old girls say-- I'm gonna update it.

My old girls say, "Boy, you got flows."

I'm watching the Dulls again 'cause they got D Rose.

A million black men walking in one direction.

The cream of the planet's resurrection.

(Laughter) I got goosebumps.

I'll give you the written, and I'll give you the freestyle

that's like a player that's got real game

that can go to the dunk contest, too.

I like being able to just say something

that just happened right there.

♪ With slur style, word, I'm gonna kill ya ♪

♪ Feel ya to the cemetery ♪

♪ Then that's very, 'don't grab my hood ♪

♪ Yo, I stabbed you good, it's how I'm rapping ♪

♪ Yo, I smack men in the face like a mack do ♪

♪ Straight from East Oakland ♪

♪ Yo, I'm not gonna say smoke men ♪

♪ 'Cause the other MC said it ♪

♪ But we didn't read it ♪

♪ We made it up right here and now ♪

♪ WKCR, hey, we are the MCs ♪

♪ And nobody tempt these ♪

♪ Peace to Stretch and Bobby too ♪

♪ And I'm rhyming through your whole crew, that's true ♪

Dante: It's one of the craziest freestyle sessions ever.

They just fucking killed it, like killed it.

Just so you know, we made it up right here. Right here, right now.

I remember just fucking taping it and listening to it

the next day going, "Why am I not signing them?"

For us, it was important

to encourage cats to come up, rhyme.

Didn't matter if it was off the top of the head, written.

We didn't care if you were signed or unsigned.

Just create something that's special

because this isn't for the record sales,

this isn't for the charts.

This isn't for your album-release party.

This is hip-hop.

Black thought: One, two, one, two, okay

♪ No need to ask my initial ♪

♪ Illafifth P 5 D most official ♪

♪ Rip through fraudulent rappers like tissue ♪

♪ What's the whole issue? Don't mean to diss you ♪

The best part of this culture is freestyle.

The best part of hip-hop is an artist being put on the spot

and dropping those lyrics right then and there.

Through all the bullshit and through all the politics,

the artists that really shine are the ones

that just speak from the heart.

Hip-hop is the consciousness of oppressed people.

Hip-hop is the blues music

on a hyper-faster scale.

Attempting to conquer the problems that happened

throughout the course of the last week,

whether it was my homelessness,

whether it was this one that just lost his job.

By the time you get to this microphone here,

you want to express how you conquered your problems,

grabbed your woman, made love,

and came back and did it again.

I'm gonna play you something. Sure.

Put your headphone on, all right.

(Rapping indistinctly)

♪ Damn, it feels great to feel the wheels rotate ♪

Oh-h-h-h! ♪ with the 4-5-6 ♪

♪ Fantastic take as I ride through the avenue ♪

♪ Ooh, in the funky new ♪

Yo, I need a copy of this. Yo!

♪ Suckas so jel they just wanna flip ♪

♪ Freestylin' in the back seat... ♪

♪ Broke bitches on the dick 'cause now I'm the shit ♪

♪ I'm grand ghetto on the mic just havin' a fit... ♪

Oh, shucks.

Yo, I made this up on the spot.

♪ ...because you ain't no drug dealer ♪

Blues.

Those feelings were created

through experiences that I acquired

going through such situations in order to hustle

to pretty much keep going in spite of homelessness.

You gotta realize there's no such phrase as homelessness.

You are never less than the home that you make for yourself.

Old School Ran-Dee: I remember first listening to you guys' show,

I was in Fort Bragg. I was in the army at the time.

And I was getting ready for Operation Desert Shield.

North Carolina back then was like,

♪ Yippy-ay-ay ♪ on the radio, you know? (Laughter)

I called my cousin, I said, "Yo, man,

you need to send me a tape," and that tape circulated

throughout my whole unit.

Everybody there was like, "Yo, my God, this is crazy."

You know, it was a rough day, stuff happened,

people were injured, killed,

I could always just go back to my room

and play a tape and return back to my room,

my kitchen in the Bronx, and I would escape that.

You guys were an outlet, definitely.

It's like family.

A lot of people don't deal with that.

So when you have something that can bring you home,

it's a big thing, it's a big thing.

People have pictures, recordings,

of their children or wife or whatever.

I had a cassette.

Bobbito: That's why we would read the letters on air

from the dudes inside.

We would constantly be told, like,

"Yo, you're helping me get through

and keep a piece of sanity, a piece of outside."

In 1991, I was involved in a contract murder.

And I got sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

They would sell walkmans with no cassette, just radio.

So you got the little radio dial on it.

During the times I tuned in to the Stretch and Bobbito Show,

it provided me an intimate comfort

to just venture into myself to explore

the ranges of possibility artistically.

I would write poetry,

and this is one of the poems that I wrote.

"The diamonds in her eyes cuts me at the glance.

Her feminine stance sets the trance to begin.

Her skin shines with the feline type of mesmerizing

kind of sublime reflecting within the mind.

Flashes of her occur too short to grasp

and too clear to blur.

The mixture of her stir soothes my jagged edges.

Yes, a whisper coming in clearer and crisper in wedges

between memories of a femininity and lucidity.

The edges of her peaks are layered with streaks

of mystifying mysteries captivating me.

Her affluence is tremendous,

balanced by super-stupid stpupendous sentiments.

The flavor of her taste

is the taste of the ultimate experience.

This is a rhyme that I wrote listening to this radio program.

(Jazz music playing)

Fat Joe: I was like this big-time street guy,

you know, in the Bronx and in Harlem,

and I'm telling everybody

I'm retiring from the street business.

Now you got every drug dealer coming out of jail

with an artist.

I was the first Master P.

♪ I'd rather be feared than loved ♪

♪ Because the fear lasts longer ♪

♪ These bitch-ass niggas know we stronger than these weaklings ♪

♪ Seeking for respect that ain't there ♪

♪ Knuckleheads beware there's mad tension in the air ♪

That verse right there changed my whole life.

The first time anybody ever heard pun live

was here as well.

♪ So big dog on the M-I-C ♪

♪ Represent for the terror squad ♪

♪ Off the T-O-P ♪

Pun: ♪ Brothers are rappin' like Iraq and soldiers ♪

♪ Actin' like they crackin' boulders ♪

♪ Wouldn't pack a cap gun or attack a blowfish ♪

♪ Always talkin' shit, players that rather balk ♪

♪ Than pitch and often counterfeit ♪

♪ Kings of New York on Mr. Walken's dick ♪

♪ You make me sick to my stomach you don't really want it ♪

♪ Riffin' like you sniffin' coke to scare me ♪

♪ But you barely blunted ♪

♪ You really done it now, you got me mad ♪

♪ Boricuas be like, "Papi's bad," ♪

♪ Makin fakers caqui when I'm droppin' math ♪

(Laughter, music continues)

Pun, he was crazy, huh? Yeah.

(Fades) ♪ You don't ever wanna clash again with big dog ♪

♪ The master hand will never last ♪

Every day they come to me on Twitter

talking about do I have a Pun verse

that no one ever heard?

By the way, you got one.

Now I know all Pun versus.

Yo, my man, I know all Pun versus.

I listened to that shit right there,

I was like what the fuck-- I didn't even know

I was in the background, I was like, "Yo,

I never even heard this shit. This nigga's killing it."

In Miami, they got this festival they call Calle Ocho

I hear this little kid like four years old,

and some people are selling t-shirts.

And the little kid is tapping his father,

he says, "Papi, papi that's the legend.

That's the legend," and I'm looking,

and he's pointing at a fucking Pun shirt.

I was just like fucked up.

I was like, yo, that shit crazy, man.

He's a legend, man. He started here.

Taste: That shit is two hours old for the Bobbito show only.

What's up? Yo, the Bobbito show, though?

I mean Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito.

Yo, what's your name? Stretch? Nah.

It was Stretch's show,

but people kept calling it "The Bobbito Show."

I wanna say what's up to my man Bobbito.

He's up in here.

So unless you live under a rock,

you know what I'm saying, you've seen or heard

the flavor from my man Bobbito you know what I'm saying,

and his DJ Stretch Armstrong on the radio.

Stretch: Naturally, this didn't sit well with me.

If neither of us is getting any recognition, that's fine.

But if props are being handed out,

I want some of them.

We became "The Stretch Armstrong Babbito show,"

and then about six months after that,

it became "The Stretch Armstrong Show Hosted by Bobbito"

'cause there was a lot of confusion.

This is "The Stretch Armstrong Show," my name is Bobbito-o!

It's definitely our show, but he gets top billing.

In hip-hop, the DJ is the most important component.

(Record scratching)

Yo, awe were like these dope DJs, practice every day

really innovating the whole style

of making music with turntables

as opposed to just playing a song,

we were in this really small subculture

of DJ nerds that knew about us,

but the rest of New York really didn't know.

(Records scratching)

(Crowd shouts)

(Crowd shouts)

( Cheers and applause )

So we get to WKCR, we walking in,

and it was just dope because it's like "I'm here, yo."

I've been listening to the show every Thursday religiously,

and now I'm not home listening.

Like, I'm here at the show

and someone's gonna listen to me,

and someone's like with their cassette tape

about to press record and play.

And it was just the illest feeling.

We were just so ready to get on the turntables

and just get busy.

(Records scratching)

(All shouting and cheering)

These were cassette tapes that were being recorded,

so someone in New York that had a friend in L.A.

Was dubbing it, mailing it.

Talib: Those tapes, analog tapes,

made it all over the world.

Somebody in Sweden or Amsterdam or Japan could tell you about

something that happened on Stretch and Bob last week.

It was like you guys created your own Internet

before there was one.

Rob: We went from there to like touring the world

working with groups like Aerosmith, Linkin Park,

appearing in GAP commercials, and it's just so ill

when you think about just our humble beginnings

and how for us, being on the radio

was like the end all, be all to, like, exposure.

I had a kid call up one night

and tell me that he shot somebody.

I picked up the phone, and he was like,

"Yo," like, "What do I do?"

And I talked him through it.

There was another letter that I received

one time from New Jersey where the kid was like,

"Yo, I'm Puerto Rican.

There's no one in my town that's graduated from college.

I really look up to you.

You mentioned on the air that you play basketball.

You graduated from Wesleyan.

You don't smoke. You don't drink."

When he wrote that, I was like, oh, snap, like,

there's a little bit deeper responsibility

to being a public figure now.

We're creating a platform to change people's lives.

I'm trying not to suck y'all off or nothing right now,

but motherfuckers, really, you know, we, like,

really respected and idolized what y'all were doing

because we used to sit on the west coast

scratching our heads like, "What are these guys doing?

Are we doing what we're doing correctly?"

I say it helped inspire up in many ways

just to be brave and not be afraid to play artists

who you know probably are only gonna appeal

to, like, 50 people, but they're dope.

So dope should be heard.

Bobbito: Introduce yourself, yo.

Nas: Yo, this is the big motherfuckin Illmatic nas.

Know what I mean?

Yeah, the album getting ready to come out in January.

The name of that is "Illmatic," know what I'm saying?

Wow, I'm going to Bobbito Stretch Armstrong Show.

I made it.

By far, "Illmatic" was the most anticipated

album of the decade.

Cats were fiending for the release.

♪ The smooth criminal on beat breaks ♪

♪ Never put me in your box if your shit eats tapes ♪

You wound up playing like the world premiere

of that night.

You world premiered-- you remember what track?

I don't remember shit.

♪ Nas will rock well it ain't hard to tell ♪

(Repeating) ♪ Nas Nas Nas... ♪

At that point in time,

your show was the most important show.

In the world.

I wrote a lot of my first album listening to your show.

And when you would play a beat, I would dub it.

I remember being behind this board

and Stretch a little reluctantly

passing the headphones to Nas being like, "Yo,

what do you think of this beat to rhyme over?"

I don't even think you told him it was your beat.

No, I didn't, of course not. Why would I do that?

"Yo, yo, yo, it's my beat, man."

But then nas was like bobbing his head.

He was like, "Yeah, I'll rhyme over that."

And I remember your face lit up.

You were like-- that's when you were like,

"That's my beat." (Laughter)

Nas: ♪ How should I start this? ♪

What beat is this?

♪ To send, grab the microphone, and my rhymes'll win ♪

♪ Wheel of fortune spin around ♪

♪ Check it out, I'm not a rap clown ♪

♪ Get smacked down by the fuckin' 4-pound in your dome ♪

♪ Hit you with the nick-plate chrome ♪

♪ Queensbridge, that's my motherfuckin' home ♪

♪ Off the top of my head, yo, I'm a blunt head ♪

♪ Police, police want a nigga dead ♪

There was no down the road.

There was no lanes really open for this next generation.

It wasn't promised that I would make it.

I see you guys as like the ones that just like

threw me out there, like, "Here, let's go."

♪ Check it out now, one for the money ♪

♪ Two for pussy and foreign cars ♪

♪ Three for alizé niggaz deceased or behind bars ♪

♪ I rap divine gods check the prognosis ♪

♪ Is it real or showbiz? ♪

♪ My window faces shootouts, drug overdoses ♪

♪ Live amongst no roses, only the drama ♪

♪ For real a nickel-plate is my fate ♪

♪ My medicine is the ganja here's my basis ♪

♪ My razor embraces many faces ♪

♪ Your telephone blowin' black stitches or fat shoelaces ♪

♪ Peoples are petro ♪ ♪ dramatic automatic fo'-fo' ♪

♪ I let blow and back down po-po when I'm vexed so ♪

♪ My pen taps the paper then my brain's blank ♪

♪ I see dark streets ♪

♪ Hustlin' brothers who keep the same rank ♪

♪ Pumpin' for something, some will prosper, some fail ♪

♪ Judges hangin' niggas, uncorrect bails ♪

♪ For direct sales my intellect prevails ♪

♪ From a hangin' cross with nails ♪

♪ I reinforce the frail, with lyrics that's real ♪

♪ Word to Christ, the disciple of streets ♪

♪ Trifle on beats but chill ♪

♪ Bless the microphone and say peace ♪

You still make beats?

(Stretch laughs)

So why don't you show us some of your tapes?

Explain, uh-- show us what's in your box.

This is the night Big L and Jay Z went up,

and it's actually both sides because the tape ended

in the middle of one of Big L's verses,

then had to flip the tape over.

Big L: Check it out. Check it out. Bobbito: Yeah.

Uh-oh.

You wanna put your man on, too?

You can do it together.

Big L: I'm gonna set it off like this, check it out.

♪ Yo, check it, yo I got slugs for snitches... ♪

I listened to this the other day.

♪ Putting thugs in ditches when my trigger finger itches ♪

♪ I got a rep that make police jet ♪

♪ Known to get a priest wet I never beg for pussy ♪

♪ Like Keith sweat is Big L slow, hell no ♪

♪ Bitches get fucked on a roof ♪

♪ When I ain't got no hotel dough ♪

♪ I'm known for yokin' jacks ♪

♪ And beating 'em with smoking gats ♪

♪ Leaving token blacks with broken backs ♪

♪ And open caps so with that bullshit ♪

♪ Step to the rear, son, the last thing you want ♪

♪ With Big L is a fair one ♪

♪ 'Cause in a street brawl I strike men like lightning ♪

♪ You seen what happened in my last fight, friend ♪

♪ A'ight then ♪ ♪ A'ight then ♪

♪ All through high school I had braids ♪

♪ I kept mad blades stabbing teachers to death ♪

♪ That gave me bad grades ♪

♪ I cook the mic like a beef steak ♪

♪ 'Cause my technique's great ♪

♪ And I'm the nigga police hate in each state ♪

♪ 'Cause I'm the neighborhood lamper ♪

♪ Punk brother vamper fuck around ♪

♪ You'll find my silk boxers in your mother's hamper ♪

♪ Cops drop when my glock makes a pow sound ♪

♪ I'm from a wild town you know my style clown ♪

♪ So bow down... ♪ I was playing this the other day.

Turn on the mega bass.

♪ I got my man Jay-Z here ♪

♪ Brothers can beg and borrow, still feel sorrow ♪

♪ When Jay, Z like Zorro, get in that ass ♪

♪ Better luck tomorrow, I'm too much nigga ♪

♪ So never should you rush ♪

♪ You need to slow down or get your ass tore down ♪

♪ Check it out, I'm too cocky to stop me ♪

♪ You gotta kill me and when I'm gone ♪

♪ You can still feel me, on the real, B... ♪

That's a pretty good pocket, Jay Z.

♪ Even if they won't let me in heaven, I raise hell ♪

♪ Till it's heaven recognize ♪

♪ The black cat with the nine lives ♪

♪ Get up off me nigga, it's bad luck to cross me ♪

♪ I'm popping crystal, shooting game like missiles ♪

♪ As projected all ho's affected by this style ♪

♪ I mack like Goldie, go back like the oldie ♪

♪ But the goody pulling R&B bitches wearing hoodies ♪

♪ They don't be knowin' the way I be flowing ♪

♪ When I be going ♪

♪ I be running the track like Jesse Owens ♪

♪ Enticing when slicing through tracks you're screaming ♪

♪ Jesus Christ he's back and God knows he can rap ♪

♪ Me and l put rhythm on the map so give him his dap and me ♪

♪ I just take mine, gimme those, ♪

♪ Gimme this, gimme that, fuck that ♪

You'll never get this verse but on Stretch and Bobbito.

I raise hell till it's heaven. Pretty good verses.

(Laughter)

You know, I didn't realize that that was a thing

until, like, people kept bringing it up

and, like, talking about it,

and I was like, yeah, the Big L thing.

It's like, no, the Big L thing--

which I didn't even realize was happening

till years later we were in one of those moments

that people would talk about in hip-hop lore.

I was just happy about, you know, I'm on the radio.

The fact that you still got these tapes is fantastic, man.

Where do you keep 'em?

- Nah, I got 'em in-- - Just in your bag?

Bobbito: Right here on WKCR 89.9 FM in Nueva York.

And we got my man Ease and Case 2.

- Yo, yo! - Yo, yo! Yo, Ease!

Yo, you know I'm chilling, baby!

- No, no, you're not "cheeling." - Are you "cheeling"?

- I'm "cheeling." - "Cheeling."

I'm "cheeling." Going wild up in here.

He's like chilling on ice.

Do you have the vicious style, homeboy?

I have the best. That's more than the vicious.

I'm the super-duper nutritious. Of what you say, the vicious.

There is nothing better than my deli-icious.

Your deli-icious. That's right, super deli-icious.

Without the tuna fish.

I appreciate you coming through.

For you, you're my man, come on, Bobbito.

You know how we get down.

Back in the days when I was up north and on the island.

I used to y'all gettin' illy on the station,

so I'd say one day I'd be home, in the free cypher,

I'd get my turn.

I am the creator of graf. Know what I'm saying?

My brother Phase 2 was one of the first that did it

from back in the '70s, '71 and '72.

And from what he elevated into one thing,

I elevated into another, and I made it

to what it's modernly known as today.

I want people to know when I made the trademark

King of Style back in 1976, I am that true person.

- King of Style, not Style-- - King of what?

King of Style. You already know.

Louis 167: And I'd roll around with some quarters,

yo, pull over, I'm on the pay phone,

like, we're bombing in Brooklyn right now.

Give us a shout-out.

Bobbito: Also want to give a shout-out to my man Louis 167.

He wants to give a cookie puss shout-out to Stretch Armstrong.

Being able to call up and actually talk to someone,

you know, get that shout-out, it was real.

Riggs: At the source, my job was to document the culture.

You guys were the Bible.

Raekwon: When it came to knowing the right sneakers,

going to the right spots, the right jams,

the latest news, we had to have disciples

that really knew hip-hop talk about that,

and y'all was the face of that.

(Indistinct conversations)

Bobbito: We gotta be here in peace.

The last time we did this, everything was straight.

Let's all be in this together and cool out, man.

Yo, Stretch, cut the music! Yo, yo, chill, man, what's up?

(Woman screams)

Security to the back of the club, please!

Pharoahe Monch: That's hip-hop, that air and that energy.

It is kind of dangerous to go to a hip-hop show,

and it was also, "Don't step on my sneakers."

It was danger.

It was a violent thing to it as well.

A certain type of vibe or song,

could set something off.

My life has been threatened by artists, you know,

that I'll leave unnamed.

Stretch has been stepped to a couple of times.

You know, so even by the hip-hop community,

you know, we've had our little squabbles,

you know, which, um, I tend not to really, uh, dwell upon.

It's negativity, there's no need to speak on it

um...

(Farts)

B-Real: When we won the Billboard Awards, we were surprised.

We were stoked about it. We didn't expect it.

You stepped up to the mic, and you made the point

of saying, "I just wanna say right now

on national TV that Cypress Hill would not have happened

if it wasn't for New York DJs Funkmaster Flex,

Stretch Armstrong, and Kid Capris."

When I heard about that after the fact,

I was dancing around the apartment for like three days.

Fat Joe: Ar-r-r-senio hall!

(Lively music playing)

We went to Arsenio Hall, and that's at his prime.

Like, that was when he was poppin'.

I was the musical guest, the sit-in DJ for the week.

I knew you were there.

Backstage, I see Arsenio.

I was like, yo, Fat Joe, new rapper from the Bronx,

he's on Relativity, he's in the audience.

Just want to let you know, you wanna shout him out.

I didn't know he was gonna bring you out.

This is Stretch Armstrong. Anybody from New York?

( Cheers and applause ) Yeah. Yeah.

Yo, that's, uh, that's Fat Joe. What's up, man?

( Cheers and applause ) What's up?

Shout out, Fat Joe! Come on, give it up!

What's up?

Arsenio Hall!

- Yo. Yo. Yo. - Yo!

He was like, "We got a guy in the house, Fat Joe."

- I'm like, "What the fuck?" - Yeah.

I went in the studio audience, wait on line to see Arsenio.

As a fan, that was the biggest shit in the world.

Forget it, I might have fucking bust 72 nuts.

I gotta say what's up to my main man, Arsenio Hall, man.

(Laughter and hooting)

That's my main man.

Stretch: This the first time you been up here

- since we were on the show? - Yeah, yeah. (Laughs)

(Men speaking indistinctly)

Yo Joe we gonna cut you off cause we wanna get to...

♪ New Jack, steppin' in the area ♪

♪ Kind of reminds me of Eddie Murphy, Coming to America ♪

Rosie: I was perceived to always be on the cutting edge.

You know, back in L.A., they thought I was a genius.

And I would tell them, no, it's Stretch and Bobbito,

and you guys were just doing it for fun.

You know, whether you were doing for props--

I know on that radio station you weren't doing it for money.

Oh! (Laughs)

Talk about no budget.

(Rap music playing, shouting)

Bobbito: In 1996, HOT 97 invites us to be on the air.

That's the number one commercial radio station in New York.

Q-Tip: Really wanna congratulate you guys on going to HOT 97.

(Laughter) Bobbito: Thank you.

(Backbeat playing)

♪ Stretch Armstrong 12 dawn son let's get it on ♪

♪ Tobacco Cuban shit straight from Castro ♪

♪ E-bliss, glamorous, move cautious ♪

♪ Jose Luis puff la in a leaf ♪

♪ Golden teeth with Bobbito Cuban nino ♪

♪ Sunday, same day as the tunnel day ♪

I wondered how you would adjust to having to not curse.

This is a big company. It's a different kind of animal.

Jay Z: Brooklyn, huh. Marcy, what?

Represent.

I'll try not to curse on this one.

On the other show, y'all let me go.

I ain't gonna lie.

Bobbito: We got a red light on this one.

Oh, this was when y'all couldn't curse.

Y'all start blowing up? (Laughs)

You're on like big radio now? Yeah.

Stretch: I always had aspired to be

as recognized a DJ as possible, and I felt

if I could get onto HOT 97, I could champion good music.

I knew there were new ears.

Bobbito: Hot was odd at first

because there was a lot of resistance from our audience,

our die-hard Thursday night audience

who were like, yo, they're our secret.

I began to see a possible demise

because whenever you see corporations

get their hands on anything, they pervert it,

and this was a perversion.

Bobbito: The fact that we were gonna get

on a bigger platform, a better time slot,

it crossed people funny styles.

When you guys went and moved over to HOT 97,

which to me was the epicenter of evil,

it broke my heart.

The first thing I did was I just wrote this long rant.

So Stretch and Bob, personally, I don't think that it's fair

that all these fucking guidos and hoodlums

who think they are hip-hop heads

don't know the first thing regarding the art of DJing

as well their lack of interest in hip-hop to such an extent

that they are too lazy to stay up until 5:00 am.

I have nothing against HOT 97

but something against your decision.

I'm shaking my head in discontent

of such a corporate whore such as yourself.

(Laughter)

Bobbito: People had this idea that if you were in hip-hop

on camera or on radio, you were making big-time money.

We got on HOT 97,

and now we get paid to do something that we love,

but even if we weren't, we would still be here, and--

plus the paychecks are-- they're not whoppers.

(Laughter)

I think people confused our move to HOT

as it being part of the destruction of our show.

I think the music from '96 to '98

played a bigger role in that.

(Hip-hop music playing)

We were trying our best to still present

the best quality program for two hours on HOT

and four hours on KCR, but we were only good--

as good as what the music could be.

Eminem: Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, keep the same beat.

Keep the same beat. Keep the same beat.

Yes. It goes like this, yo.

♪ My attitude is worse than NWA's was ♪

♪ I'll battle you over stupid shit ♪

♪ And diss people who ain't have shit to do with it ♪

♪ Like Cool J does ♪

♪ You see me standin' outside of your building ♪

♪ Screaming Puffy is good but Slim Shady is for the children ♪

♪ I look at my life in a new light ♪

♪ Fuck it, give me two mics, I write songs for me ♪

♪ You probably hear me rap half-hearted ♪

♪ 'Cause I don't like rap anyway ♪

♪ I'm just trying to get my porno career started ♪

For me to even be able to go to New York

was, like, just mind-blowing.

Coming from Detroit, we always have felt like underdogs,

and Stretch and Bobbito, that was our dream.

The fact that we had a chance to be on it was so crazy.

Bobbito: Em coincided with the end of an era

for college radio, underground radio

being like the incubator and feeder

to commercial rap success.

That was certainly a highlight and a boost

for not only obviously my career and everything

that was happening at that time

but my self-esteem and everything.

You know what I'm saying? It was like, yo, we--

it felt like we made it, like this was it.

♪ Mama, don't you cry, your son is too far-gone ♪

♪ I'm so high I don't even know what label I'm on ♪

♪ I'm fucked up, I feel just like an overworked plumber ♪

♪ I'm sick of this shit, what's Jack Kevorkian's phone number? ♪

(Laughs) What?

That era was the last of the underground artists

that could be commercial 'cause we were fully prepared.

I rapped with Big L and rapped with LL Cool J

and Busta Rhymes, I rapped alongside of these guys,

so it was like sparring and boxing.

When I was ready for my closeup, there was no stopping me.

With the introduction of the Internet,

there is no rite of passage.

Everybody just throw things on there,

and that's why you guys were so important as gatekeepers.

There's a curation to that process that's really missing.

Talib: If there's no community for the passing

and sharing of ideas, the art is gonna wither and die.

Stretch: I kind of attribute the beginning of the end

of our show to me losing the passion

that I had for the music.

It's hard to be one of the torch bearers for hip-hop

and then start to feel like

you don't even really love this shit anymore.

As my commitment to the show was waning,

Bobbito filled in that void by playing more music,

playing more demos and then eventually actually DJing.

Stretch Boogie's not showed up yet,

but, uh, this is Kool Bob Love.

(Rap music playing)

Bobbito: There was a constant, like,

I don't know what's going on with this dude.

I can't completely rely on him. He started not showing up.

I'm exhausted. I'm just not gonna go.

You take the good with the bad. He was unreliable.

The question, how do you tell your wife you love her

but you're not in love with her?

I loved Stretch in the '90s.

I didn't hire Bobbito to do the show.

We started it together, and it became this great thing

that was great because of what we both brought to the table.

I didn't like what Bob was doing, but I couldn't fire him.

I would intentionally play records that I knew

Bob would be annoyed by, and he would do the same thing.

We had this music war on the radio.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is thug Thursday.

Thug Thursdays. We got Big Gus.

Thug Thursday.

Explain what-- what--

(stammering)

I understand Bob's beef with some of the music I was playing

topically and lyrically, it was thuggish.

♪ Eruptin', plug bustin' ♪

♪ All fat MC's that be tryin' to test ♪

♪ But my Smith and Wes glock splays rapidly ♪

♪ Yo, how rapidly do it spray? ♪

♪ Ay yo, it's like rapid-fire glocks ♪

♪ My shit don't stop ♪

Lord Sear: Bob was bringing in like weird lyrical MCs.

You want to abuse this beat?

I like how, I like pow. Out with the freestyle.

You're off like a whole mile killing me this killer.

I'm iller than Barney Fife, Barney Rubble

plus Barney Miller, even that purple motherfucker.

I ran circles around a motherfucker.

Wear out the grass in your ass--

(Stammering)

Yo, yo.

Lord Sear: It was just too lyrical, yo.

Whoa, may I have an excedrin?

Stretch: Lord Sear, he straddled the fence.

If Bob and I were salty with each other,

it really helped having Sear around.

I remember I used to make fun of you, shut the fuck up.

Shut the f-- and I'd be like, Bob, I mean,

listen to the beat, just listen.

My lyrical content in fours-- much fours-- of s'mores--

I'd be like, Bob, listen.

Stretch: It led to a really passive-aggressive situation

I would say on both of our parts.

Bobbito: He would come up but he wouldn't greet me.

He wouldn't talk to me until we turned the mic on.

Stretch: We never addressed what was going on between us.

In my head, I'm like, "Yo, B, how you gonna walk in here,

you're late," now we get on the mic, it's fake.

Like, everything is cool, but everything isn't cool.

(Jazz music playing)

Fat Joe: It was ground zero for hip-hop,

so I was like, yo, how the fuck they gonna leave?

What happened?

We were on air here at 97 on a Sunday.

Stretch: Dealing with this thick tension between us in which

we were really not even treating each other like friends.

And at 1:00 am when our show finished.

Stretch: Bobbito came up to me and basically broke the ice

- and said, yo-- - Bobbito: Doesn't seem like you wanna do the show

- with me anymore. - You're not happy. I'm not happy.

Bobbito: Do the show by yourself. It's all good.

You wanna do HOT 97? You can have it.

- I ain't trying to hold you back. - As far as KCR, we can alternate week to week.

- It's cool. - Cool?

Cool.

To hear that there might have been problems

or tension or issues and that the show was ending...

It was heartbreaking.

There was no check and balance anymore.

You know, I was upset with y'all when y'all left the show

because you probably felt-- why did y'all leave the show?

Bobbito: By the mid '90s

I felt like a lot of stuff that Stretch was playing,

it didn't speak to me

because I didn't care about the topic

'cause I was paying attention to the lyrics.

I'll just try to be different.

At least what they were saying wasn't offensive to me

and some of the listeners that I had

that were more socially conscious.

That sucks.

Stretch: I was always much more beat-centric.

The topics and lyrics was almost secondary to me.

The best records sonically,

the ones made by the best producers were topically

and lyrically derivative, antisocial,

even offensive, they were a far cry from the records

that we both loved in '90, '91, '92.

By '96, '97, my ability to fill an entire show

with music I loved started being more and more challenging.

In '98, '99, I was kind of lost.

I was completely uninspired,

could not find music that I loved.

That's when I knew for me it was time to call it quits.

(Jazz music fades)

Ramona: I used to have this man who used to come and do my lawn.

One day, I received a box from Bob.

He seen the name "Bobbito," and he says,

"You-- Bobbito is sending you stuff?"

I says, "Yeah, that's my son." He goes, "no way!

When I was incarcerated, that was the light of the day.

Every Thursday, we used to stay up

and listen to Bobbito and Stretch Armstrong."

He was so excited. He got me and hugged me.

Like, if I was you, and then he did my lawn for free.

I went to buy on Broadway someplace,

some sneakers, and there are a couple dudes,

I'm seeing they're really having a very difficult time finding

sneakers because they are so busy talking about music.

So I said, "You know Stretch Armstrong?"

And said, "Oh, Stretch, my man."

They said, "Can't be."

I said, "No, he's my son."

And some of them were Polish.

And then I said, "And Stretch is partly Polish."

"Wow, wow," he just like jumped to the ceiling.

As parents were so proud of you guys.

You know, I praise you both

for what you have done for our community.

Stretch, I don't think we talked for a couple years.

I really don't remember, but there was like

a clear, like-- cooling.

Yeah, a cooling down of the-- (Laughs)

Bobbito: Stretchy!

Boobie!

(Indistinct conversations)

This is the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito reunion.

If you don't know, it's 89.9 FM.

So this is actually the 20th anniversary

of us doing a show-- let's do a round of applause.

First time. First time, you know?

When I proposed that show and I arranged it,

- you were down, you were like whatever-- - Yeah, oh, yeah.

We're doing the show. Sear's in, I'm in.

You're like, "I'm down with it, but you know,

let's just do 1:00 to 3:00," I'm like, "No, no."

(Shouting and laughter)

"Let's just do 1:00 to 3:00." I'm like you know what?

You can go home, me and Sear are gonna go till 5:00.

3:00 comes around, you're like--

4:00 comes around, 5:00.

We asked the station manager can we keep going?

We went till 6:00. You were there the whole time.

Bobbito: My head space, like, I could feel 1991.

(Chattering, laughter) (Repeating) Yo-yo-yo-yo...

Biggie Smalls came onto our show before he was signed,

but years later, he saw you on the sidewalk.

Stretch: And I see taking refuge from the rain

cease and big in a doorway,

and they see me crossing the street,

and as I'm like 10 feet away, Big goes, "Yo-yo-yo-yo-yo..."

That's 95, so I'm like, wow.

He's still listening. That's crazy.

Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

He got over it.

Nobody was rich yet or nothing like that.

So nobody had an attitude.

You put Jay Z to wait in the hallway for 30 minutes,

he waited for 30 minutes, then he came in here

and rapped his ass off for free.

That was the first spark of just getting that recognition.

From there, things start happening.

Bobbito: You got a new joint out we should talk about real quick.

Stretch: I'm about to throw both of those on.

Bobbito: Is it available in the stores for people to buy,

this independent joint? Jay Z: Yeah, yeah, it's in some stores,

but once we lock this distribution thing down,

it's gonna be in all the stores. It's called In My Lifetime.

Bobbito: On what label?

- Roc-A-Feller Records. - Roc-A-Feller Records.

Jay Z: It's doing real good.

Bobbito: Support Jay Z. He's one of the originators.

Jay Z: Yeah, yeah, I do that.

Bobbito: Come on, baby.

Yo, play the Nas freestyle. That's my favorite.

Nobody talk to me right now. I wanna listen to this.

Nas: ♪ Nasty Nas conducts a raw note ♪

♪ My vocal chords can repel a sore throat ♪

♪ My domain is like Dracula's castle ♪

♪ Rhymes are psychic, brain cells a hassle ♪

♪ I provoke your instinct not to think ♪

♪ Enter your brain and drain till your mind is blank ♪

♪ My microphone... is on, and that's my word is bond ♪

I just wanna say L was a real cool dude.

He was actually ridiculously quiet.

A lot of people don't realize what a just laid-back cat--

'cause, you know, he was so outlandish with his rhymes.

Big L: ♪ My crew be delivering hot lead ♪

♪ When gats are clenched rappers I jack and lynch ♪

♪ Nobody can fuck with the way I be killing ♪

♪ The shit in rap events Big L is the nigga you expect ♪

♪ To catch wreck on any cassette deck ♪

♪ I'm so ahead of my time, my parents haven't met yet ♪

Jewlz: He literally lived the MC shit

where we could be cool but once we get in that booth,

fuck you, fuck you.

I'm trying to tear your head off.

That what was l lived to do.

(Jazz music plays)

It makes people wonder what could have been.

Here it is, this somewhat virtually unknown artist

giving this great big artist

that everybody is so aware of now a run for his money.

DJ Premier: He's a double-platinum respected guy that never went platinum.

Fat Joe: I got a cousin, he's from the Bronx, young.

He says, "Yo, I wanna play you something."

And it's a cd of Big L on your show with Jay Z.

He was like, "Yo, I caught this shit off the Internet."

I'm like... (Laughter)

"That was really your man?"

I'm like, "Motherfucker, I was there.

Like, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"No, man, this shit is crazy."

Big L came up there and did the disintegration,

what I was dreaming I could have done.

Every punch line was sick. I ain't gonna front.

That was one of those moments on my tape

that made me a lot of money. I owe a lot to y'all.

A whole lot of pairs of Pumas and Addidas and Nikes

and Timberlands that I was buying came from them tapes

selling a whole lot, bro.

When I was around niggas that was hustling,

I was too scared to give it a shot,

so the Stretch and Bobbito hustle was a lot safer for me.

(Laughter)

Fuck that.

Hold on, before we get to that. This 89.9 FM.

Yeah, your voice sounds great, Stretch.

No, no, I had to fix it.

No, I'm saying, but your voice sounds great.

- Well, thank you. - Good to hear your voice in the headphones.

I'm getting sentimental right now.

You sat here and you watch a bunch of motherfuckers get rich

while you broke 'em and you blew 'em up, right or wrong.

You still love hip-hop.

Did the show for eight years absolutely free.

And you watched motherfuckers turn around and get rich.

- I spent money making that show. - Yeah, yeah.

We lost money doing the show.

Nah, you ain't lose money because it's priceless.

I owe a lot to you guys, and we all do.

All the guys from my generation, they know what's up.

I'm glad to see you guys are still cool.

You don't hate each other. (Laughter)

You know what I'm saying?

(Telephone rings) Lord Sear: Who is it?!

(Laughter) Bobbito: Our first phone call.

Wait, wait, wait, hold on, hold on.

Lord Sear: See who it is.

(Laughter) Oh, my God.

Man: Oh, my goodness.

Yo, this is so much fun!

- Keep it real. - Yeah, what?

When we stopped doing the show together,

when we started alternating, it wasn't as fun.

- No. - I love you, man.

- Love you, too. - All: Aw!

(Laughter)

What should we do?

Le hugs.

(Laughter)

Le flowers.

Le candy.

We were right here on this corner, 104th St. and Broadway.

We created our own reality by putting it in the universe.

- Manifest. - Manifest right here on this corner!

Here! Aqui!

The Stretch and Bobbito Show was the number-one,

absolute best hip-hop radio show ever, period.

I know. You know how?

'Cause I was there, son, yeah!

What up, baby? What up, baby?

20 years and up! Hey, yo!

Y'all niggas know this song right here!

(Shouting)

Yeah. Yeah.

♪ To all the killers in the hundred dollar-- ♪

♪ Uh-oh, uh-oh. ♪

♪ Cash rules everything around me. ♪

♪ Dolla dolla bill, y'all! ♪

♪ Cash rules everything, C.R.E.A.M. Get the money! ♪

Crowd: ♪ Dolla dolla bill, y'all ♪

♪ I grew up on the crime side, New York Times side ♪

♪ Staying alive was no jive at second hands ♪

♪ Moms bounced on old man so then we moved to ♪

Crowd: ♪ Shaolin land ♪

♪ But it was just a dream for the teen ♪

♪ Was a fiend started smokin' woolies ♪

♪ And running up in gates, doing shit for high stakes ♪

♪ Making my way on fire escapes ♪

♪ But no question I would speed for cracks and weed ♪

♪ Combination made ♪ ♪ My eyes bleed ♪

♪ But no question I would flow off ♪

♪ Try to get the dough all ♪

Crowd: ♪ Sticking up white boys in ball courts ♪

♪ Man my life got no better, same damn 'lo sweater ♪

♪ Times is ruff and tuff ♪ ♪ Like leather ♪

♪ Figured out I went the wrong route ♪

♪ Ao I got with a real ass-- ♪ New York!

♪ Catchin' keys from across seas rollin in MPV's every week ♪

Crowd: ♪ We made 40 G's ♪

♪ Yo my nigga respect mine, here go the tech nine ♪

Crowd: ♪ Pow, move from the gate now ♪

Stop that shit.

I ain't even know that shit blended like that.

Oh, shit!

I ain't even know that shit was gonna blend like that.

Hey, yo, I love y'all, man. Word up, man.

Salute the motherfucking presidential--

presidential candidates of rap.

Yo, give it up for Raekwon, people.

- Love y'all niggas, man. - All right, love you too, my brother,

Crowd chanting: Wu tang! Wu tang! Wu tang!

Wu tang! Wu tang!

Raekwon: High school reunion shit of hip-hop niggas,

and you know authentic niggas that made stars

out of dudes today by just co-signing them.

It was just an honor to be there, man.

I wouldn't have missed it for nothing, B,

because it's like, yo, y'all the ancestors of hip-hop.

Stretch: The '90s were a really special period in hip-hop.

They were a transition from the innocence

and discovery of the '80s into the commercialization

and globalization of the 2000s and beyond.

I played a big role in establishing the blueprint

for the best kind of hip-hop

which to this day is still valid.

Bobbito: We had a voice as a radio show

that was a little bit deeper than entertainment music.

We were in this little box, and just the impact

that all that's had on such a personal level

for me and for the people that we touched is--

I still can't really grasp it.

All I could take is kind of like these

personal relationships that we've made.

We've become lifelong friends.

There's like these satellite people

that we're both bonded too as well,

and I'm just-- I'm thankful for that.

(Jazz music plays)

I wish we could go back then just for a day

just to fucking see it again.

Yeah, I might have to freestyle tonight.

Del the Funkee Homosapien: This is one of the dopest shows, I have to say

I appreciate that. We appreciate that.

This is the Stretch Armstrong Show.

My name is Bobbito on the ill tip, and, uh...

We ou-u-u-t.

(Hip-hop music plays)

Should I lean forward as well?

No, lean back. (Laughter)

Yo, what's up, this is DJ run.

What's going on? This is DMC.

I go by the name of Jam Master J from around the way,

and when I'm around the way, I listen to my man

Stretch Armstrong on 89.9 WKCR.

Peace.

Bobbito: KCR, live on the air.

Man: Yeah, what's up, kid? It's Bolo Brown.

A bowl of brown shit.

Lord Sear: A bowl of brown shit. Boston baked beans.

(Laughter)

Man: Check, check, wanna give a shout out

to y'all, know what I'm saying?

- All right? Yo, and yo. - That's great.

- Yo, Bobbito, you coming with the camcorder? - What happened?

You coming with the camcorder to the parade?

No, no, no--

Lord Sear: (Mocking) Yeah, we come with the cam-quarter

to the pa-wade.

(Laughter) Cam-quarter.

Gonna watch the parade with a cam-quarter. (Laughter)

No, I'll bring the camcorder to your girl's house.

(Laughter)

While you're at the parade.

(Laughter) Okay, camcorder.

(All speaking at once)

- Much love to 'y'all, yo. - All right.

Yo, yo, Stretch, I don't forget,

you look like that guy from "The Real World."

Man: Yo, Monique. Yo, what's up, baby?

Monique: What up?

Yo, I got one hand on my left nut.

(Laughter)

Bobbito: And what else?

I got a naked Barbie doll in my butt.

(Laughter)

Bobbito: Stick a Ken doll in there, too.

(Laughter)

Make them buns each other in your crack hole!

Kool Keith: My work ethnics was so much greedier.

Bobbito: Your work ethnics?

My work-- my work-- you know, my work--

- Ethic. - Ethic, ethic.

Yeah, my work ethnic was so-- no.

We gotta cut that right there.

There's no New York rappers no more.

I went to a show a year ago.

And they had all these rappers from the Bronx.

"Yeah!" (Imitates beat)

I'm like, how is this guy from the Bronx?

He was dressed in orange and neon yellow and lime green

and glasses this big.

You know, like, what happened?

Stretch: At what point did the show for you turn--

(Farts)

Yo, who was that?

Who do you think? Really? Really?

You gotta ask? Come on, bro.

Why can't you go that way? It's good for the camera.

- Wow. - Some things never change.

I don't wanna breathe your fucking anal molecules, bro.

I had a smell flashback.

(Laughter)

The incarcerated population of the tri-state area,

they know who we are.

How would we fare if we got locked up for something?

Didn't Big Graveyard write you a letter?

We got a letter from Big Graveyard saying,

"I'm in Rahway doing like a, I don't know,

10-, 15- year bid.

When I get out, you guys need me for anything,

I got you." (Laughs)

That just stuck in my head, to this day.

Big Graveyard, if you're out there...

Thank you.

Hit me up on instagram.

I was tempted to eat your blueberries.

- Yo, get busy. - Word?

I'm a eat some of them shits when we done.

When I cut the lime, he said, "Busta Limes."

(Laughter)

Yo-- (Laughs) Yo.

Sear, me and Stretch are proud of you, bro.

- Thank you. - For real, man, rocking on Sirius Satellite FM,

Monday through Friday 4:00 to 8:00.

I need a copy of this. Can you give me a copy?

You can put it on an mp3 file?

(Laughs) All right.

On recording: ♪ I provoke your instinct not to think ♪

♪ Enter your brain ♪ ♪ And drain till your mind is blank ♪

Both: ♪ My microphone... is on ♪

♪ And that's my word is bond ♪

(Jazz music playing)

Stretch and Bobbito! (Sings notes)

Man: Rolling.

Stretch: Hello, WKCR.

Man: Yo, yo, y'all gonna play that new joint by um--

(All shouting, laughter)

- This show is over. - Show is over, baby, sorry man.

Man: Y'all not coming back on in about half an hour?

- No! - No, no, no!