City Parks Foundation Concert: DOUG E. FRESH & DJ DEE WIZ live Wed., Aug. 11th @ 7pm @ Jackie Robinson Park West 145th St. btw 7th and Amsterdam Avenue, Harlem, NYC
It was a nice night in Jackie Robinson Park. A place 30 years or so years ago was called, "The Dome". The famous Dome, where The Late, Great Master Don used to have his most pulsating, adrenaline rushing, historic park jamz. I'm not going to go into it because this may have been way before my time. But the one man who was not before my time but was actually apart of my time, The Original Human Beatbox, Doug E. FRESH!!! At least thats what the fans and the industry say. Beatboxing is that missing link to the Hip Hop chain. We now have 5 elements of Hip Hop; Element 1: The Graffiti, Element 2: The D. J., Element 3: The Dancers, Element 4: The M. C. and last and never least, Element 5: The Beat Box. These are the original 5 elements of Hip Hop not that sappy wanna be pop shit you hear today on the radio. If today's rappers want to add more elements to the original 5 they can try but it won't connect.
I remember the first time I heard Doug E. Fresh it was from one of his recordings, "The Show" a duet with Slick Rick. I remember the Inspector Gadget sample and the beginning of the record going "6 minutes, 6 minutes, 6 minutes Doug E. Fresh your on uh uh on uh uh uh on". Whenever that part would play I start looking at the clock on my mother's living room wall. "The Show" was the first official recording I ever heard from Doug E. Fresh and not only him, Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick as a collabo as well. "The Show" single back then made listeners wait an extra 6 minutes to hear them perform on the record but live here tonight in Jackie Robinson Park fans wait an extra 60 minutes for this particular show that haven't jumped off yet. This is how it goes at every park jam soon as you enter all you see are lawn chairs, beach towels, tents, cameramen, a sound booth, a stage and what's usually on the stage. C' mon guyz I know y' all didn't forget that quick.... Element #2 C' mon, C' mon .... IT'S THE D. J.! The d. j. up on stage, we got Dj Dee Wiz rockin'. Although he isn't a pretty hard target to miss. If you got 20/20 vision you can see the big 8"x10" sticker across the top of the laptop, talk about promotion that's the 2nd d. j. I seen do that.
This jamz is more my steelo because all you see are grown and sexy ladies from tree to tree, bench to bench, grass to grass and these ladies were getting down. Especially when D J Dee Wiz started killin' it with the old school soul music. He was a great dj and crowd motivator. Here's the funny part of the night I'm looking at my watch and it reads, 8:24 pm. I'm like, "8:24pm", this shit gonna end in like 6 minutes. As I'm saying that to myself the d. j. announces, "Doug E. Fresh just stepped in the building!" I was wondering what was taking so long. This is Doug E. Fresh's hood, he still walk these streets of Harlem World.
D. J. Barry B of The Get Fresh Crew comes onto the stage to set up his laptop to the dj set. While all that was going on, Doug E. Fresh, he didn't come alone. He bought some friends along. How many people reading this remembers Spoonie G? Well if y' all don't google his discography. I'm an unfamiliar listener myself to M. C. Spoonie G. I know what y' all thinking and saying, "Oh My God Dj Handspin doesn't know who Spoonie G is. The great Dj Handspin Dinero, hip hop enthusiast does not know about an emcee from the old school."
If y' all thinking that then I don't know what to tell you. I didn't know every old school hip hop emcees nor did I listen to them either but doesn't make me less hip hop. So hope y' all aint thinking that.
Anyway, Spoonie G opened up the show for Doug E. Fresh.... Spoonie G, the man that saved Doug E. Fresh's life. Spoonie G, kicking a old school freestyle. Spoonie G performing one of his hit single, "Take It Off".
Doug E. Fresh came on the stage at 8:52pm. I was happy to see him until he started preaching.... for a minute. I thought I was looking at Reverend Fresh. But this message was important and dedicated to what's been going on in the streets lately. I wanna take this time out to say, REST IN PEACE to them 2 young boyz who lives were tooken this week during a police shoot out over a female altercation. So I understood the method behind his performance introduction which lead to this.... Dj Barry B spinning the forever classic anti-violence record, "STOP THE VIOLENCE" and Doug E. Fresh on the stage as if he's an narrator talking over the song during each artist part including his own (don't forget Doug E. Fresh was a guest on this record) and reciting the verses along with the artists.
After that we were supposed to hear his son's group, Square Off but they were nowhere to be found. So in the meantime, Doug E. Fresh taught us, "How to do the Dougie?" This was funny, he's rhyming with Slick Rick's lyrics to, "Lodi Dodi" over the California Swagg District actual record to, "Teach me how to Dougie." It was so funny and cute seeing, Doug E. Fresh, do his old school dance from one of his classics, "Cut that Zero".
After Doug E. Fresh's comedic performance, Square Off still nowhere to be found so he calls to the stage his nephew to perform. An emcee that goes by the name. I'm not exactly sure his name due to the mic and its echo but I believe the artist was either named Mason Bass or Manson Bass which ever one it is he performed 1 song then Square Off was finally front and center to perform one of their songs.
It was finally time to see the Original Human Beatbox, Doug E. Fresh perform setting it off with one of his classic singles, "The Show". Which lead to a special beat box performance showing the crowd why he's been declared the Original Human Beatbox for these past four decades. I must also say that Mr Fresh still got it. The show was so great until we got the bad news from the park and concert officials that Doug E. Fresh performance must come to an end. Apparently Doug E. Fresh went over the time limit. You must keep in mind that these City Park Foundation concerts are scheduled to begin at 6pm and end at 8:30 pm but because he was late he went over the time limit. Why shouldn't he be late. He's the Mayor of Harlem and the World's Greatest Entertainer and plus he's FRESH!!!!
Doug's performance began at 8:24pm and ended at 9:22 pm. An extra hour and half was given to Doug E. Fresh so they had to stop it at some point and time.
Even though the Doug E. Fresh show didn't live up to my expectations but I was still happy to see him perform considering I never seen him perform before. I wanna thank everyone that came out and came along with Doug E. Fresh. Cats like T. C. Valley, L. A. Sunshine, Nice and Smooth, Doug's mother and kids and nephew. All of them were in the house, Doug E. Fresh making this a family affair.
I also wanna give a PHAT SHOUT OUT to all the kids under the age of twenty that were in the house as well coming to pay some homage and witness a true emcee and entertainer and old school hip hop legends.
