Interview w/ Van Silk

original source: http://www.thafoundation.com/vanjay.htm

JQ: Its an honor to speak with you .

VS : Thank you……..

JQ : So you are diving into the web thing.

VS: Yeah , I think that with my knowledge of Hip Hop it could be crazy……with Hip Hop 25.com im looking at 25,000  hits per day. Im hand picking sites to link ; that have a future in understanding this culture.

JQ : What is your HONEST opinion of Hip Hop.

VS : Bullshit….its all about hating , ass , drugs …..matter of fact its not even Hip Hop. There are only a few artist that are down …….im gonna link your site to Hip Hop 25.com..you have the knowledge to be a real asset to Hip Hop in later years.

JQ : How long have you been into Hip Hop ?

VS : I am 43 , I was 16 when I started.

JQ : You did the Raiders Of The Lost Art Lp as well as RapMania and Sisters in the name of rap…how did Raiders do?

VS : It did ok…Scotti Bros; the label that it was released on ,was on its last legs.

JQ : Didn’t Furious 5 have a video for Sun Dont Shine in The Hood  ?

VS : Damn man , you on it !! Yeah , so did my wife , The Original Spinderella….for the song Somebody Else.

JQ : The Furious 5 are my favorite group , I have all thier records….even the joints as Younger Generation…..I have  every piece of vinyl that Sugarhill Records released…even the r&b stuff……that was a great time…

VS : No kidding , I have unreleased material by Mele Mel, and Joe Robinson..the Co Owner of Sugarhill who died last year was like a Godfather to me.

JQ : You did “Whats The Matter With Your World” with Mel right ?

VS : Yeah…I hated that shit , and did you see the movie ?

JQ : What Movie ?

VS : Police Academy  6

JQ: Thats right Mel & Scorp were in that right ?

VS : That was Me & Mel rapping and Scorp on the wheels.

JQ : Word ? !!! gotta rent that shit !  Did you see the latest issue of XXL mag?

VS : Yeah what about it , who fakin ?

JQ : They had a special on Old School clubs, they had a pic with Melle Mel , Scorp , Flash and Hector Camacho at the Fever…..it was dope.

VS : Yeah they called me…I cut the interview short….they quote me in there…they wanted pics , I dont give mags pics anymore.

JQ : Why not ?

VS : Niggas abuse shit, most of my pics are everywhere , im only trying to work with people like the Foundation.

JQ : Thanks …..I know you supplied most of the pics for the Source 50 th anniversary issue…the flyers.

VS : No , that was Herc . Source cant get shit from me . They dont pay enough …..$200 per flyer…those are collectibles…..$400 thats my price…they think they slick . They say they doin’ an article on Old School and keep the pics in thier archives.

JQ : I have a 12″ by Melle Mel called ” King Of The Streets”….its supposed to be from a compilation called Sugarhill Stars Taking over….did that ever come out .

VS : King Of The Sreets was LL Cool Js favorite record by Melle Mel……the compilation never came out….Sugarhill had lost thier props by then……Dont forget the Go Go band Trouble Funk was on Sugarhill too.

JQ : No doubt…I have all thier original stuff on DETT records….Go Go is real big here in Va .

JQ :You still have a sharp ear for Hip Hop ; as far back as you go.

VS : Because I understand what its all about , and thank you. I like Jay Z and Jadakiss is the baddest Motherfucker out. Mase was nice too. Doug E Fresh keeps re-inventing himself….me & Doug go way back; he is like my son

JQ : I got all his stuff on Enjoy and Vintertainment……

VS : Vintertainment yeah I remember when Vincent Davis use to ride the subway…he did his thing…I aint mad at him.

JQ : So you know Bobby Robinson (enjoy records founder) and all them.

VS : Bobby Robinson is about 70 years old, he started Gladys Knight and his brother is a pioneer of Harlem Do wop without Bobby there is no Hip Hop. He put out the first real Hip hop groups.

JQ: He had one of the first record stores in Harlem too right ?

VS : He still has the store on 8th ave and he also had a one stop distribution .

JQ : Yeah Bobby signed the real shit…so did Peter Brown & Paul Winely.

VS : Peter Brown only did Spoonie Gees first single. Paul Winely is still on 125th st with his daughter Paulette.

JQ : Didn’t he have a daughter named Sweet T

VS : Yeah…not Suga t or Sweet T on Profile.

JQ : Paul did work with Bam & Cosmic Force also right ?

VS : Yes and Johnny Soul on Wax …on 125th st…..he did Soul Clap by Theodore & Fantastic 5.

JQ : The Rapmania special was just released on video….do you own the rights and what is your original involvement.

VS : I own Rapmania with 2 other people…..and I created the whole concept and put everybody together. That show cost 1.5 million , then  I did sisters in the name of rap which cost 200,000. Darryl Strawberry , Eric Davis , Peggy Liptons father Harold , Quincy Joneses ex wifes father put the money up with my partner and myself.

JQ : Many people don’t know that there were videos for Problems of the world by Fearless 4 , Step Off by Furious 5 and footage from Funky 4 on Sat Night live….how can these be obtained……

VS :When HipHop25.com gets up it will be available……even Flash to the Beat……when Kevie Kev was a member and they were called the Furious Lovers.

JQ : Damn…there is a video for Flash to the beat ?…..

VS : There is a very very  low budget  video.

JQ : I have the one for White Lines…its very rare.

VS : I Hate White Lines…thats when Mel Changed , he lost street respect with that record. He got caught up in the radio shit and lost the street sense for a minute….Sugarhill was coming up with the ideas for the records and Mel was just writing….unlike what they did at Enjoy. They had another song on Enjoy that was never released.

JQ : Thats what broke them up right…Mel having all the attention ?

VS : Somewhat , I was there when that shit was happening…Mel cried the day the decision came from the courts . He hated Flash for leaving .I gave Mel the name Grandmaster ; not Scorp or Sugarhill…Mel wasn’t with it at first – AJ said ” how can Mel be a Grandmaster , theres only one Grandmaster” .This was at the time Beat Street was coming out……notice on Inertnationally known they took Flashes name out. I think im telling you too much…I never tell anybody this stuff….but you got a lot of knowledge on my favorite group. There was a time when Mel and Scorp weren’t talking…and Scorp was about to sign to Def Jam…he had the Micheal Jordan song on Aurthur Bakers label….then me & Mel started recording..I bet you dont have none of those songs

JQ : Ha ha …no I don’t….I didnt know they weren’t speaking……they seemed closer than Creole and Mel….

VS : Creole & Mel didnt speak the whole time Creole was with Flash….I was there for the On the Strength lp…Cowboy was the realist emcee in the group till Mel started writing stories.

JQ : What happened to the Original Master Gee?

VS : Master Gee did Rapmania for me & only me….he didn’t have time for the bullshit…..the only emcee to leave the game and never came back…..when there was still money to be made…I think he is into real estate.

JQ : Did Cowboy really die from AIDS?

VS : Yes

JQ : What is an Oj…I know its a car……but what kind exactly?

VS : Oj was a car service that at the time had the Lincoln Continental…also you had Topaz car service…if you was down with the streets you could put an Oj on hold for 3 ,4 5 hours….it was basically the ghetto limo service.

JQ:  Ok….thats why Caz says …” Put you on hold just like an Oj”……..What does Hip Hop 25 mean?

VS : Its the first 25 years of Hip Hop….the next 25 dont mean shit……..

May 15 & 16 2001  ©2001 Magnetic Soundworx/JayQuan Dot Com

www.jayquan.com/foundation.htm