August 2024 – WERS+

What’s good Boston DJ, Mo Wilks inside Studio 88-9 with a Hip-Hop pioneer who’s definitely got the juice, having fun doing my homework for this great artist. He’s a lyricist, lyricist, fast or slow, he’s definitely got the smooth flow. An icon, Hip Hop’s first sex symbol and fashionista. He’s going to be appearing tonight over at City Winery, Boston, which is on Beverly Street right down by the TD Garden. Welcome to the, the phone and the mic, the King Asiatic Nobody’s equal. Big Daddy Kane. How are you doing, King?

I’m great. I’m great. Wonderful. Yeah.

So, you’re going to be in town tonight with a full band.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, we are coming to do real big live instruments and everything.

Now. I’ve known you to do stuff on stage with definitely DJS. Is there a big contrast with the band? What can people kind of expect from your show?

Well, it’s going to be a whole different vibe, a whole different energy. We’re trying to bring back those James Brown elements, you know, OK, original kind of vibes.

I mean, hip hop celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. So happy anniversary. And you were there for at least 70% of that going back, at least to the mid-eighties. Did you think as the song goes, ‘Hip Hop would get this far’ and do these many things?

Absolutely, by all means. Yeah, I started it actually late eighties. But, I always, I, it was like, I, once I saw how big Run (DMC) and Whodini was getting to hear people say that it was just a fad. Those are the, you know, same sayings that they had about rock and roll. So, I knew that hip hop was gonna be just as big or even bigger.

And you’ve worked with some amazing names. I mean, Barry White,Patti, LaBelle, Quincy Jones, what was it like to work with such a producer like Quincy Jones?

Well, that was amazing because I must submit that. Quincy actually produced me, you know, it wasn’t a type of thing where, you know, he made a beat and I came in and rhymed. It was like, he said, “what you know about Dizzy Gillespie?, what you know about Sarah Vaughn? and then was sitting there looking in on Black encyclopedias, which I also didn’t even know existed at that time, you know, and reading up on these artist before I even wrote the rhymes, you know, and he’s telling me nicknames that he used to call Dizzy and stuff to him. And Ella Fitzgerald used to talk about to incorporate that. So, I can actually say that he really truly produced me when we worked together.

There are a lot of parallels between like the early Jazz Bebop and Hip Hop, huh?

Yeah. He, he noticed that like he was comparing, he was comparing like my fast flow to Ella Fitzgerald the way she scats and he was saying that the reason why the way she scats was so different than others is because most people follow a piano or a bass.

But Ella followed the horn. So that, yeah, so that became my new rhyme for Busta Rhymes because the way his flow changes so much so that I call Buster ‘Fella Fitzgerald’.

Mic Check 1,2,1,2… SLAM!!!!

Bostonians have gathered at City Winery for a second time to witness Queen Sheba’s Poetry Vs Hip Hop event at City Winery Boston. This time Amanda Shea was a host, not a guest performer, always making Boston (specifically Roxbury, the berry but not the fruit y’all) look good. Like last time the show started off with 3 special guests, a demonstration of what the competition looks like and what audience members are expected to do, and then it’s a battle of the illest…who will win? Poetry, or Hip Hop?

Poetry vs. Hip Hop Comedian Corey Manning

Starting off the special guest performances was Corey Manning who once again striked the crowd with his comedic gold. This time he brought his oldest son Corey Jr. with him and they both cracked on each other, which in turn cracked up the crowd. Alumni of the Berklee College of Music, Autumn Jones followed up with some jazzy, neo-soul music. She’s opened up for R&B artists such as Vivian Green and Jon B and has released multiple albums in the past couple years. She graced the crowd with covers from Jill Scott like “A Long Walk” and original pieces that had them moving and bopping for her whole set.

Poetry vs. Hip Hop Singer Autumn Jones

Lastly, We had DJ WHYSHAM on the turntables keeping the crowd live, for it was about to go down for a second time here in Boston, MA. Now this battle was different from the last. This battle had a mixture of rappers and poets on both sides for it was Team Boston vs Team ATL. On team Boston we had Cloud, D Ruff, Cakeswagg and Rayel while Team ATL had Rise Felicia, King Jai, Exit Fame, and Chev. When it was time to start the competition every lyrical contestant was battle ready.

Poetry vs. Hip Hop Amanda Shea and Queen Sheba

Poetry Vs Hip Hop Bryan Edouard emceeing

Everybody came and left their craft on stage. It was a blast watching Black excellence from different parts of the nation come together and put on one hell of a show for an amazing crowd. The battles were so good, deciding who would win turned out to be a difficult task.

Poetry vs. Hip Hop Pt. 2

Queen Sheba will be back here in Boston at City Winery on February 14th, 2025. So make sure to cop some tickets if you love Hip-Hop and poetry for this will be a showcase of talent.

This is Bryan Edouard aka Bishop Toussaint representing studio 88.9 FM and I’m signing out.

Until next Time Boston!

Studio 88-9’s DJ Mo Wilks interviews legendary Hip Hop king, Big Daddy Kane!

ERS+ peeps City Winery Boston’s Poetry Vs. Hip Hop Event, Part 2!