Chapter IV: "So I Hops On My Schwinn.."

The warm weather was approaching; somewhat of a negative for me at the time.  You see, I had a secret.  I was 9 years old, but looked 14 and I didn't tell her until afterward.  Kidding.

My Achilles Heel, was, in fact, that I could not ride a bike. 

I sometimes thought, "Hey, maybe I should just take the bus," but I knew better.  My second Achilles Heel that has remained with me to this day: I have an atrocious sense of direction.  There isn't one person with all five senses that I wouldn't put money on to find their way against me in any type of "Find Your Way" challenge.  Those with four or possibly even three senses would be able to find their way better than I.  The bus really wasn't an option.  The new X-Men comic book would have to wait.  

Before my mom and I moved in to our new house in Spring of 1994, we drove around the streets to just observe what we were getting ourselves into.  I was excited for all of two minutes.  EVERYONE was on a bike.  There were 20, no, 25, little tiny kids, no more than an average of six years old, riding around the neighborhood.  But that wasn't the worst of it.  I made eye contact with one kid donning a sweater vest and he proceeded to take his hands off the handles and ride "no hands" while staring me down through the passenger window.  I was frightened he was attempting such a feat, something he could see deep inside of me.  He not only knew I couldn't go no hands, he knew I couldn't even ride. 

I had two months to learn and I had put it off most of my childhood due largely to the fear of tearing up my knees.  I had really bad balance.  Even so, I had to learn.  I promised I would continue to try to learn and I wasn't about to disappoint, though there were several obstacles in my attainment of my goal.

I was already 5'9'', very tall for third grade, and it had to look funny watching a huge man-boy getting help on a bike as he is near tears and the wetting of his pants.  I had to be more discreet or this wasn't happening.  Any of it.  F' a bike.  I didn't have to ride a bike or wear jeans to fit into civilization!  To make matters worse, there was a group of huge douchebags in the neighborhood I lived in before the move.  These kids thought they were real tough picking on someone five years younger than them.  Funny they played the "bigger man" tag when I was in high school.  

I knew I had to learn away from the neighborhood.  My grandfather would scoop me in the coup to look for a discreet neighborhood for some low-stress practice to no avail.  Time had flown by and unfortunately it was time to move in to the new house. I was still very uncomfortable on the bike.  I tried, I really did; I felt unprepared, a feeling I have always despised.  

Around the the new neighbors, I wouldn't quite ride the bike, but I'd kind of walk it out to where everyone was standing.  Luckily the children didn't go far, they got on bikes but would only go to where they could still be cow-belled in for dinner time.  Really good kids, kind of boring though.  

I then got comfortable enough to ride the bike down a large hill, which I would follow up by walking it up that same hill, riding it back down, cycle repeat.  They'd ask me why I was doing that and I provided no logical response.  I could maintain balance going down a hill, but it was the balance while peddling I couldn't quite master!  I began losing some weight from this exercise but followed it up with numerous Little Debbie snack cakes.  I ran Debbie's gamut: Oatmeal Cream Pies, Swiss Rolls, Cosmic Brownies, Zebra Cakes, Honey Buns, Pecan Spinwheels, Donut Sticks, Star Crunch, Raisin Cream Pies, there is no way to point as one or even five of these as favorites; they all had their place. 

It took months, but eventually I learned how to ride a bike; it just happened one day.  That Saturday evening I needed to celebrate.  I was watching some TV and landed on the pay-per-view channels.  I had no idea these existed.  There were two movies that night that I really, really wanted to watch, so I asked my mom, and she was feeling generous and approved both!  One of the best moments of my life. 

"Blue Chips" was the first movie I ordered that night; a doozy which included my two favorite NBA players - Shaq and Penny.  At the same time, I was becoming more more involved with basketball.  I loved to play since I was very young with the Larry Bird goal my father gave me, but when rec league started in kindergarten I was pretty green.  After probably two years of playing, I started to get much more serious, which in turn made me a better player; further strengthening my love for the game I had also loved to watch from a young age.  My favorite two players in the league at the time were Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway.  I was a huge Magic fan.  Outside of the Knicks I have never had a team I really always root for; just players.  I have always been a fan of the players. 

The movie was, in actuality, a very bad movie, but I did enjoy the story line.  Nolte is a super average actor and to be honest annoys the hell out of me in the movie.  I didn't understand the concept of "point shaving" until years later (speaking of corruption and pressures in college athletics, do any of you remember "The Program" with James Caan, Omar Epps, and HALLE?).  I liked this movie and saw it hundreds of times throughout my childhood, but love is too strong of a word. 

The second movie I ordered that evening was "Above the Rim."  Shep (played by Leon) was the ultimate protagonist.  He had his faults, but that made his character that much more believable.  It was a well-known fact that Shep's life fell short of what he and others from his borough had expected, but it didn't blame anyone but himself.  Birdie (played by Tupac), on the other hand, was the perfect antagonist.  Originally, he came off to be loyal to those he allowed in his circle, but it became apparent that he would do anything and everything he could to get on top.  Kyle (played by Duane Martin) was the inner city high school basketball stud with aspirations of playing at Georgetown, being pulled in both directions.  By all accounts, this is probably an "average, at best" movie, but I'm not afraid to tell you it's one of my favorites of all-time.  

 

The movie opens with Shep waking up after a bad dream where his best friend, Nutzo, takes a tragic fall from the top of a building while the two were playing one-on-one and the backboard gave out.  He's crushed by it, and I felt his emotion.  The backdrop for this powerful scene is Tupac's own, "Pain":

 

The craziest thing about this classic track is that it wasn't even on the CD soundtrack, only on the cassette tape!  I had both.  I hadn't heard Tupac before this song, but he immediately become one of "my guys" after this one, another factor that kept me exploring West Coast hip-hop.  

He had another ferocious track on the soundtrack, "Pour Out a Little Liquor", easily a top ten Pac song in my book:

I've always been a huge R&B fan, and there were a couple absolute bangers on this album from some of the genre's best groups.

H-Town - "Part Time Lover" (Prod. by DeVante Swing) (R.I.P. Dino!):

SWV - "Anything" (Prod. by Brian Morgan):

I miss the sound of SWV, Mary J. Blige, En Vogue, Janet, Monica, Xscape, TLC, and the late great Aaliyah.  Feels like it was just yesterday when she died.  This sub-genre ("feel") of R&B is not dead though.  Look no further than North Carolina's own Heather Victoria with "Crush":

Another gem on the soundtrack was "Afro Puffs" by Lady of Rage feat. Snoop Dogg and produced by none other than Dr. Dre:

But the main course of this soundtrack is not debatable.  One of the best duo cuts ever witnessed (THIS would be a great list to compile): Warren G and Nate Dogg - "Regulators" (Prod. by Warren G):

This song owned 1994 for me, it really did.  How can you go wrong with the Michael McDonald sample?  Answer: you can't!  The way the story of the song unfolds is nuts, and yet again from this soundtrack I felt the emotion of the music so powerfully it was too much for me to ignore.

The elements of basketball, dope hip-hop and R&B, and a deeper look in to the urban culture made this one of my favorite movies growing up and without question, my favorite soundtrack to this day.

MOUNT UP!

Chapter III: The Undisputed Champion

I was finally making my own paper on the reg.  I've always had the utmost respect and love for Oprah; around this time the queen had an episode where she encouraged parents to give their children weekly chores, and if the chores were completed the child would get an allowance of their age.  Just a tremendous idea.  I always was a cleaner and organizer anyway - free money essentially.  I did a lot of chores, but put my foot down when it came to yard work.  I always really hated yard work.  Just awful.  Drenched in the first few minutes and super dirty.  There was nothing on my mind other than an ice cold shower to get fresh.  Speaking of, in heavy rotation lately for me, Thee Tom Hardy feat. 9thmatic & Khrysis (Prod. Vitamin D) - Fresh & Fly:

My $7 per week funded my trips to the Skate Ranch, dominating helpless challengers on Street Fighter II.  They couldn't see me.  I would let cats pick who they wanted ME to use.  Ken?  Served.  Guile?  Served.  Even E. Honda?  Served even worse; I was the undisputed champion.  Further, I always carried the best and widest variety of candy; Ring Pops in flavors no one knew existed.  The economy as I saw it was booming.  There were also the $.99 cent movies at the Colony where I think I saw "All Dogs Go to Heaven" at least three times.  "Hey Mom, let me take care of this one."

Enter Columbia House, you know, one of those 10 CD deals.  My mom allotted me a few slots to do as I pleased, at which point I scoured very nearly every genre for the coolest looking covers.  I vividly remember my thought process due to the result of what I got, an unknown band at the time, Ugly Kid Joe.

Here was the picture:

It actually ended up having a decent cover of "Cat's in the Cradle", so I suppose all was not lost.

Another CD I got that day was 'The Chronic' by Dr. Dre.  I was just getting a lot heavier in to "Yo! MTV Raps" and was well aware of who both Snoop and Dre were from "Nuthin' But a G Thang."  This was my anthem back in the day - and I actually had a chance to perform it live on the mic.  

You see, my brother and law and I decided to choose THIS song on a karaoke night in an unknown redneck bar in Columbia, Maryland two years ago.  One of my good friends was also with us and looking back, he seemingly urged us to do the performance; a challenge I couldn't pass up.  Granted, I was delirious from standing on my feet for the twelve previous hours getting blessed by quite a card; Nas, RZA, Raekwon, Slum Village (a week before Baatin's tragic death), Buckshot, Reflection Eternal, The Roots, Evidence, Common, KRS-One, Evidence to name a few.  We had been caught laughing at some of the acts over the course of the hour and were starting to get mean looks.  So they challenged us to get up there; in return we'd get a free drink.  Ah, the things you do for a free brew.  I went in thinking I was taking Snoop's part, but Dre forgot all his words that night.  I had to be both Dre and Snoop and was winded as shit at the end of it.  Way to welcome me into the family.

'The Chronic' was my first in-depth experience with West Coast hip-hop, and I loved it.  Dre is a genius.  A few of my favorites from the album:

"Fuck Wit Dre Day (and Everybody's Celebratin')"

"Let Me Ride"

"Nuthin' But a G Thang"

It was only fair that I also got Dre's right hand man, Snoop Dogg's debut album, 'Doggystyle'.  I haven't always been a fan of Snoop's content over time, but you can run this album from start to finish without thinking twice.  Not only was this one of my favorite albums growing up, in my opinion, 'Doggystle' is a better album than 'The Chronic'.  They both have Dre's FILTHY production, yet Snoop can run lyrical circles around Dre.  The best of both worlds; THE perfect West Coast hip-hop album.

Another great Rock the Bells experience - last year Snoop headlined Rock the Bells, performing 'Doggystyle' in its entirety.  The performance was pretty much what I had envisioned; Snoop in a jumpsuit chain smoking blunts, accompanied by Warren G, Lady of Rage, Kurupt, RBX, and the late great Nate Dogg, plenty of lights, and plenty of props (a man in a big dog suit taking the cake).  Snoop was a great performer.

A few of my favorites from this album include (but are not limited to!):

"Who Am I? (What's My Name)"

"Doggy Dogg World"

"Gin and Juice"

At a young age you only know what you know; what you have seen, heard, been taught, or experienced first hand.  This was really my first experience with West Coast hip-hop.  It was different; darker than what I was used to hearing.  I wouldn't say that I ever preferred it over a New York sound at any time in my life, but that didn't stop me from exploring the hell out of it. 

But seriously how talented is Dr. Dre?  Can anyone knock him off of the West Coast throne?  Ever?

Sheets to the Scroll

I won't do this often, but it's imperative as I move from 5 viewers to 10 viewers.

Posts to date:
Chapter I: Can I Kick It? (Just Not a Soccer Ball)
Chapter II: 'That Was the Night Everything Changed...'

Interlude I: Ya'll Betta Find a Plan "P"

Jay-Z: Success vs. Greatness
A Comparison of Libraries: Jay-Z vs. Nas
A Comparison of Libraries: Part I - The Best Tracks: Jay-Z Albums
A Comparison of Libraries: Part II - The Best Tracks: Nas Albums
A Comparison of Libraries: Part III - Nas vs. Jay-Z Albums Conclusion
A Comparison of Libraries: Part IV - The Best Features: Jay-Z Features
A Comparison of Libraries: Part V - The Best Features: Nas Features
A Comparison of Libraries: Part VI - The Best Features: Features (and Overall) Conclusion 

Two weeks away...

Chapter II: 'That Was the Night Everything Changed...'

As was par for the course for most Sundays, my mom and I took an afternoon trip to Wal-Mart which would be followed by Simpsons, Doogie Howser M.D., Life Goes On, and breakfast food for dinner.  I had accumulated some serious loot from counting and rolling the change from my grandfather's change cup (I'm kinda nice with numbers) and was hell bent on using it.  

In hindsight, this Sunday served as yet another beginning, for it was the first time I had ever walked down a music aisle.  

I was very knowledgable/cultured when it came to Wal-Mart - I knew more aisles than most 6 year olds would dream of knowing even existed.  Children today haven't a clue at what they are missing, go explore!  Now I hate going to nearly every type of store, but back in the day there was not a better way to stay amused and engaged.  WWF figures, videogames, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, wrestling buddies, anything Nerf, candy, magazines and sports cards were my bread and butter, but often times I enjoyed the adventure of going to aisles less travelled. 

Strangely enough, when I stepped up to the music aisles I was a bit shook; intimidated.  Perhaps it was the traffic.  Or that I hadn't learned how to "fake-look" at something in stores yet.  I was a lame duck.  

You see, I had always loved music, but I just never had any music I felt was truly mine.  Luckily, both of my parents have what I consider to be great tastes in music.   My mom not only listened to a wide variety of music but she also was open to listening and trying anything that I brought home over the years.  She encouraged me when it came to music, even if it was encouraging me to learn all the words to Alvin and the Chipmunks' Christmas Song to recite to my grandmother. 

There were so many choices.  Genres, artists, albums.  Subconsciously, despite my aisle insecurities, I knew what types of music I was being subjected to on a daily basis - why get that?  Instead, I chose to explore something new as opposed to what I had experienced.  This marks the first cerebral decision that I can remember vividly making. 

We had jazz, classic rock, folk, alternative rock, old school R&B (I had memorized many of the Isley's greatest tracks at 2 years old, 3 at the very latest).  My mom loved anything with a terrific singer.  Her encouragement continued through the years, hauling to me to Greensboro to the Boyz-II-Men, Babyface, and Brandy show as a Christmas gift as a young child.  Epic.

That day I went with what I wanted to explore, purchasing three cassettes:

• Kris Kross - Totally Krossed Out 
• MC Hammer - Too Legit to Quit
• A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory 

Real talk, I was more excited for the Kris Kross and MC Hammer tapes.  At this young of an age, I heard less about the Tribe's, De la Soul's, etc. 

I played the Tribe tape a few times through, but it was largely neglected.  I liked what I had heard, but I wasn't yet motivated to know it; to learn it.  

Maybe a week after I bought MC Hammer I was already feeling embarrassed about it.  I still listened to it; I wasn't making paper yet and relied on birthday and Christmas money, my mom only gave me a quarter for each tooth, and it took my grandfather months to accumulate the type of cheese I had just blown.  SOL.  

I rocked to the Kris Kross album hard for about two months - I mean hard.  They went from single to single - "Jump", "Warm It Up", "I Missed the Bus", and "It's a Shame".  But a day came when I had grown tired and annoyed with the album (you had to get tired of every album...right?)

With two of my three purchases wearing out their welcome I knew I had to dig deeper with the one I had shoved to the side.  

Now I was ready.  

"Excursions"

The Last Poet sample from "Tribute to Obabi" instills somewhat of a controlled madness as the backdrop to Q-Tip's lyrics.  As much as I love Phife, I can't say I'm upset he is not on this track.  I'm not saying Phife would be bad on it though.  

Sample referenced: 

"Check the Rhime"

See, this song wouldn't have worked without Phife.  I love the back and forth between these two.  Although four terrific samples were used, Average White Band's "Love Your Life" takes the cake.  "Rap is not pop, if you call it that then stop."

Sample referenced:

"Jazz (We've Got)"

Both Q-Tip and Phife deliver in a huge way on what is my favorite track on the album.  Such a beautiful jazzy sample from Lucky Thompson's "Green Dolphin Street"- what a horn.  The original sample was provided to Tribe from the god Pete Rock, but he wasn't officially credited.  

Sample referenced:

"Scenario" with Charlie Brown, Dinco D, & Busta Rhymes

The finale of the album - one of the most quotable songs in hip-hop history.  I always look forward to belting out the words at my home, in my car, or out at a show. The "Oblighetto" sample (later used by the late great J. Dilla) serves as a perfect contrast to the destruction ensuing on the mic.  Busta is pretty much untouchable. 

Sample referenced (:40):

"Buggin' Out", "Rap Promoter", "Butter", and "Sky Pager" are my next tier, all of which are better than challengers' best tracks.  

Much to my dismay, The Low End Theory never got old.  Great albums don't get old.  With so-so albums sometimes I won't go all in on them - I know I will get tired of them more quickly than a great album.  I have to space out my listens.  

This was my favorite album as a child and retains that spot to this day despite pulling and tugging from the many directions I will share along the way.  

I am thankful for being able to say I have seen Tribe perform at Rock the Bells in DC two years ago.  After watching the documentary several times now it's even more surreal to see them cussing each other out moments before the performance.  I strongly suggest the documentary to anyone who likes to be entertained, it won't matter if you love Tribe or not.  

There are a few things I feel like I was born to do; orders between me, myself, and I that are carried out naturally with no pressure or resentment.  Finding, learning, knowing, respecting A Tribe Called Quest is one of those things.  It brings me close to tears.

Interlude I: Ya'll Betta Find a Plan "P"

I'm a fiend for making Best Of playlists for my favorite artists.  When one my top dogs has a new release, my first thought is getting the new material listened thoroughly and quickly so I can get my Best Of playlists up to speed.  But don't get me wrong - if one given album release has eight worthy songs, they are all going in to the Best Of playlist.  I don't limit what I put in.  By the same token if a release is just garbage I don't force putting something in the playlist just to say I have something from that album.  These playlists mean the world to me when I don't have time to navigate (gym, car, work, shower time).  It just makes my life a lot easier. 

As you can imagine, in operating in this way, I lose some of what the artist intended - the order, entirety, and ups and downs.  For this reason I love diving into albums that can send me back for more. There are only a few things better than that; an undoubtedly, something a Peso-built playlist just cannot do. 

A few years ago, Rock the Bells rolled out a new theme where artists would perform an entire album, typically their most popular (although why the f' is Common performing Be? Resurrection or Like Water for Chocolate easy).  I have been to Rock the Bells the past three years and I might touch on those at a later date.  Again, this is an interlude, and like I enjoy my music, I don't mind hopping around from thought to thought like a bunny a little with this whole thing.  I'll try to keep at least past memories in order as if not this could quickly turn into some Leo in Inception, third-level, spinning coins on the floor type shit.  A promise I am making to you.

Well, unfortunately they cancelled the 2011 Rock the Bells event in DC (really in Columbia, Maryland, but who cares).  Although this essentially felt like Nasty Nate taking my fruit cocktail, the comrades and I went forth and got tickets to the show at Governor's Island in New York City.  The list of great acts is long but the stand out to me from the very beginning has been my excitement to hear Mobb Deep perform Infamous in its entirety...in New York City...at Rock the Bells.  (I mean Nas is that dude and the great but I have seen him quite a few times.)

As I was showering without a loofa in the 336, Prodigy's flow on "The Start of Your Ending" popped up in my mind.  This was the first shower I had taken in years where I did not have music actually playing in the background - unchartered waters if you will.  I have this ritual of showering with very, very loud music - it's deafening.  I give myself a window of five to eight years before a hearing aid will be a necessity.  The price you pay for music. 

That darkness just wasn't going away on the ride home.  I needed to listen to the whole album.  My wife and I were tired from a late night on Saturday as we got to rock with the Jamla family at the Garage in Winston-Salem, which was literally a garage (so hot) with music.  Those that know me know that I can pretty much sweat on the drop of a dime.  Live hip-hop is one of the only things in the world where I can sweat and just accept the fact my shirt is soaked all the way through.  Most times (who am I fooling, like 70%, okay 80%) in my life I am pissed off and just want to drink a huge glass of ice water, sit by a fan, and derobe.  

This past Saturday was no different.  But wow, big ups to the Jamla family and everyone else involved  for putting on a great show - thoroughly enjoyed it.  I'm excited for every one of you.  I respect the work you are putting in in a big way and can also tell that you love what you do.  We listen a lot to Jamla in the Peso household, but the response from my better half when I asked if she had a music preference on drive home was, "let's listen to that Jamla playlist."   

I was not arguing, but just got to keep HaLo from performing "Boom Bap for the Radio" next time she is in the building.

We got home and I had a few things I needed to achieve quickly: shower with a loofa, listen to The Infamous, and make sure we enough wine to take us through True Blood.  

The loofa was everything I missed and imagined.  I told you liked to be FRESH.

Say I were to "review" each song, well, each would have a similar comment underneath.  The same five adjectives come to mind.  Even with all the similarities, each track is so shockingly complex and different in its own grimy, yet magical way.  I'm also not in this to review anything.  I review enough during a regular workday.  Enjoy is the right word. 

Crystal Johnson sings a dope hook on "Temperature's Rising".  Heavy melodic, deep beat, with Havoc starting the story.  Hearing this play out is ill, even though both Havoc and Prodigy had what I would consider to be mediocre verses.  I feel like this duo is justified in what they are doing; it was what they had to do, what they knew to do.

Another track I love is "Trife Life".  I've always loved Prodigy's comfort with the mic.  He's poised.  P doesn't feel like if he jumps off beat that he will lose anyone along the way.  It doesn't matter the speed of his rhyme or whether or not he stays with the same rhythm from one bar to the next - he's dragging you with him whether you like it or not.  I love the story he is unraveling. 

Finally, my favorite.  There's no other way to put it: "The Start of Your Ending (41st Side)" is the perfect introduction to this album.  You can always pretty much count on Prodigy bringing flame to the mic in his earlier ears - just filthy.  I mean seriously.  But the amazing thing about this song is that Havoc's first verse is honestly what roped me in to loving this one from the beginning.  Add to Havoc's verse his very own melodic, dark production topped with a Prodigy verse on point and its game over.  I feel like I'm getting pulled in to some deep shit.  It's about to happen:

"Survival of the Fittest", "Eye for an Eye" (with Nas and Raekwon), "Right Back at You" (with Big Noyd, Ghostface, and Raekwon),  "Drink Away the Pain" (with Q-Tip and co-produced by Q-Tip), and "Shook Ones Part II" are hip-hop gold, and further having "Give up The Goods", "Up North Trip", "Q.U. - Hectic" (with Darc Nature), "Cradle to the Grave" as SUPPORTING tracks is silly and unfair.  

This is as classic as it gets, fam.

  

Chapter I: Can I Kick It? (Just Not a Soccer Ball)

Kindergarten had just begun and, boy, was it an adjustment.  

None of my pre-school buddies had followed to my elementary school and I was huge compared to my classmates.  I was a gentle giant, not a bully in any way, but I was kind of awkward.  Not personally awkward.  But like huge.  When kids are that young they are scared of someone their age that much bigger.  I always played house really nice with everyone but even so, they were distant.  I couldn't blame them.  

On the playground I was instantly attracted to the basketball court.  You see, I absolutely hate grass and dirt.  I like feeling fresh.  Don't get me wrong - it got grimy on the court and knee scabs were god awful, but I'll take my chances with that against having little pieces of grass following me into my bedroom after school.  No!

I was given every type of ball growing up, but I always just liked playing basketball more.  I loved that I could dribble on my own, shoot on my own, and most importantly I could stay the hell out of the mud, grass, dirt, etc.  Full disclosure, I never played soccer because I was always kind of a bitch about getting my shins kicked.  I liked football a lot but I really wasn't getting around that well, I was pretty worthless out there.  

The ball was my friend.  

After about a month of school had passed, I found myself sitting with the same two gentlemen each day at lunch - Big B and Von.  

Big B was enormous just like me.  At that time he reminded me of a slimmer, baby version of Fat Albert.  Big B had a kind heart, and he, too, had to order two entrees at lunch to keep filled for the day despite multiple snack times - we had the same, err, metabolism?  6 nuggets becomes 12 nuggets, but then we could always sneak 2-3 more underneath and you really are looking at 2.5 entrees.  We got it in. 

Von was the quietest guy, and unlike Big B and I, he was absolutely tiny.  He came up just over my hip.  We were pretty much polar opposites but Von and I were a package deal.  If there was a pickup game on the courts, me and Von took the worst three other players up and still gave it to cats.  At this age, the only time I got confrontational was when someone would try to punk Von.  No sir.  I felt empty when we weren't in the same class 1st and 2nd grade, but we would still run the courts during recess, before being reunited in 3rd grade.  

Von had a cassette player that he would share with me every now and then.  If you recall, back then they had the plastic one-piece headphones so he had to give the whole contraption to me and he would get to hear nothing.  Von had an older brother who he really looked up to.  Because I felt so strongly about Von, I, in turn, respected his brother, whom I had never met.  Von would take a few of his brother's cassettes and bring them to school on occasion, several of which I can vividly recall.  You have to realize I would hear just :20 second snippets. Von wasn't a giver, but he wasn't an idiot and knew batteries are of the essence.  Just tastes if you will.  

The first tape I remember was Eric B. and Rakim - Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em:

These two were gods, I wasn't feeling this (blasphemous, I know, and yes I love Eric B. and Rakim now).  "I'm the arsenal, I got artillery, lyrics of ammo."  Yes, he did.  Arguably one of the best lyricist/producer combinations of all-time. 

Secondly, I can remember listening to LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out:

I think the reason I can remember this is the hook is pretty prominent and he says the same thing over and over again.  When only getting a small piece at a time this worked to LL's favor.  He was a filthy lyricist. 

But it was the third :20 second, hook-only snippet that still resonates to this day:

I still cannot listen to this song without smiling.  It happened then and it will probably happen when I'm 80.  Don't let me fool you into thinking I knew all the words to this song, I knew seven.

Just a taste, but I knew I was hungry for more.