When did you hook up with Steady B? Had he already started putting out records by then?

Yeah, he had 'Do the Fila' out and 'Take Your Radio' and 'Bring the Beat Back'. Then we hooked up and I did four records on his first LP.

This is on the Pop Art label?

Yes sir. Steady's uncle was Pop Art. And our manager.

You mean Lawrence Goodman? He was Steady's uncle?

Yup. By marriage.

What was the deal with that label? They put out some great records. Apart from the Philly groups, there were the Marley Marl/Roxanne Shante sides too.

Man, that guy could've been a millionaire. But he was playing people - saying the records didn't sell and all that slick stuff. Wasn't a lot of companies signing cats, so he was at the right place at the right time. Cats needed an outlet and he had it.

He knew Marley and gave him his first break. That's how he started with NYC Cutter and Shante. He could've had Biz, Kane, and the rest - but being slick killed it. He would book shows, take half the money and we wouldn't show. Of course we didn't know about the show.

You, Cool C and Three Times Dope were known as the Hilltop Hustlers. How did you hook up with those guys? And did you really hang out on 60th and Lansdowne? [3]

That's funny. Cool was a friend of Steady's from school - he put him on just because. 3D came down to the record store when I was there and asked how they could get down. I was reluctant to give them the info to my manager but I did. He asked us what we thought of them and they were on. Then we had to teach them how to make records. Chuck Nice had beats but he was using the wrong equipment. We showed him what we were using and he went off. He was so dope.

Yeah, Three Times Dope just sounded fresh. I was really into their 'Original Stylin' album.

Do you know [their tune] 'Da Giddy Up'? Steady and I made that record. I really came up with the whole thing - it's just that management didn't want me to produce it. So he stole the idea from me then asked me to cut on it. I was pissed but I still did the shit. I have the original demo of that one.

I assumed that was their DJ, Woody Wood. The scratching is much more aggressive than your usual style.

Actually aggressive was my style. I had to calm down to rock on records. My manager used to say "Damn man slow down. This is not a battle". It took a minute to adjust to making records. I was used to just killing it. I was looking to hurt something on wax every time I got on a record.