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It was 1983. I was discovering hip-hop artists like Grandmaster Flash and Kurtis Blow. My older brother (who had previously been responsible for my musical tastes) continued to soak up outlaw country and rock. I remember when John Cougar Mellencamp's album Uh-Huh came out. It was huge. Not only because we were in Indiana (where Mellencamp hails from) - he had hits. This was not one of them but it was always my favorite cut on the record. Years before I actually decided to play guitar, Johnny told me to "Forget all about that macho shit and learn how to play a guitar". Done and done, Johnny.

Scored this 12" last week. Added it to my ever-growing collection of old school cuts. Used to have this on a breakdance mixtape. Dig.

Before they were Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, they were known as The Younger Generation. Dig this early cut called "We Rap More Mellow". 

Back in 1983 I was a b-boy. I tried like hell to get my hands on the hottest mix tapes available - spending most of my allowance on the latest K-Tel releases. I remember hearing Melle Mel's "White Lines" for the first time. Hypnotic. It wasn't until recently that I discovered that the track was actually a 'cover' of the Liquid Liquid song, "Cavern". Blew my mind. "White Lines" was released on the Sugar Hill label as a Grandmaster Flash song even though he had nothing to do with the track and had left the label the year before. Shady.