KOOL MOE DEE
Manhattan native Kool Moe Dee became an underground rap pioneer in the 70s and later broke out as a star as part of the group Treacherous Three. He became even bigger as a solo act, scoring a monster hit with "I Go To Work" and becoming one of the architects of the New Jack Swing sound that dominated radio in the late 80s.
He is the subject of next week's episode of our favorite show, TV One's "Unsung," and we have a preview for you here. Be sure to check it out on TV One on Monday night, and then come back here on Tuesday when we'll have the full episode posted.
Posted July 17th, 2012 by administrator
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Kool Moe Dee
on Hip-Hop:
"Nobody Lived It
Like We Did"
The subject of 'Unsung' sets the record straight
Kool Moe Dee: Yes, my latest single will be released this summer. I'm doing a show called "Behind the Rhyme," [it's] basically an "Inside the Actors Studio" for hip-hop. Until we start telling our own stories, it's rarely going to come out right. When it comes to hip-hop, nobody lived it like we did. They don't know what it's like to live in a drug-infested neighborhood and not get caught up in hustling and still be cool enough to navigate the streets. They don't know what it's like to walk that fine line. We're going to shoot the episodes ourselves. We're not waiting on Hollywood.
I also do a lot of relationship roundtable stuff. We have a collective unhappiness with relationships and that's because people are hooking up for superficial reasons. I tell my female friends, 'Don't date because of your biological clock. If he's not right for you, he won't be right just because you feel it's time.' To the fellas I have to school them: 'You're still focusing on getting some and you're not even focusing on who you're getting some from?'
Loop 21: What's the difference between recording now versus 30 years ago? Do you still have the same kind of hunger? Do you still have the same point to prove?
Kool Moe Dee: No, definitely not trying to prove the same points. It's just like a boxer. As they get older, you fight a different fight. At this stage, I have a lot more wisdom.
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Loop 21: You've talked about your feud with LL Cool J for decades now. What's the real deal behind it?
Kool Moe Dee: They touched on the LL thing [in the "Unsung" episode] but they keep making it so superficial and topical. LL said he was the greatest rapper, but that's not why I got mad. On "Bigger and Deffer" [LL's 1987 album] he had a rhyme, 'I'm only 18 making more than your pops.' Basically he's talking about the hustlers that were the kingpins in the neighborhood. This is during the height of the crack era. My point is if you're going to say you're going to be the best, your content has to be more socially responsible. It wasn't an ego thing.
Loop 21: One great quote from the episode was when someone said, "If there was a Mount Rushmore of hip-hop, Kool Moe Dee would be on it." Assuming you agree, who would be the other three faces you'd put there?
Kool Moe Dee: Well, you'd have to have two Mount Rushmores — one for MCs and the other for DJs. If I had to name three others for the MC Mount Rushmore, it would be Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, and DJ Hollywood. For DJs, it would be Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grand Mixer DXT.
Loop 21: Who are you listening to these days? Who has your ear — hip-hop or otherwise?
Kool Moe Dee: I still love hip-hop. Lil Wayne is probably the hardest working, Enimem is the most skilled, I love Jay-Z's business acumen along with his MC swag. I love Kanye. Nas is still my overall favorite.
>via: http://www.loop21.com/entertainment/kool-moe-dee-unsung-on-hip-hop-ll-cool-j-...