Raven and Jahara Interview Uncle Ralph at Bowery Tribute

The Bodega TV team was out at the Bowery Poetry Club when Initiative Radio and Wes honored Uncle Ralph. Check out the Interview

Initiative Radio Salutes Ralph McDaniels

Don't miss this historic as we salute and celebrate one of the most important people in the history of Hip-Hop - BHF host, Bodega mentor and inspiration Uncle Ralph McDaniels. Initiative Radio with Angela McKenzie Salutes Black History Maker Ralph McDaniels Hosted by our own Wes Jackson Friday February 19th 9pm Bowery Poetry Club 308 Bowery NYC With: Homeboy Sandman, Children Of The Night, Prophit, Eric Sosa and more For more info email amck83@hotmail.com Or visit the Angela's site Still need some something to whet your appetite and make you go to the event? Then check this out: Angela McKenzie re-airs portions of her exclusive interview with Ralph MaDaniels along with commentary from a new generation of Hip-Hop artists and entrepreneurs; an interview with Kool DJ Red Alert, the man who bestowed the moniker Uncle Ralph upon McDaniels early in his career and shout-outs from other music industry insiders, including Wes Jackson. Take a listen and get on out to BPC on Friday. In

Hip Hop’s Outlier – Uncle Ralph McDaniels Interview Part II

READ PART I OF UNCLE RALPH'S INTERVIEW HERE In 1982, when Uncle Ralph first pitched his show idea to WNYC-TV (Channel 31), music videos were still revolutionary. MTV launched in August of 1981 with entirely Rock focused content. Acts like The Buggles (“Video Killed The Radio Star”), Pat Benatar (“You Better Run”), Rod Stewart (“She Won’t Dance With Me”) dominated the fledgling cable channel’s rotation. Except for the occasional clip from Tina Turner, Donna Summer, Eddy Grant and Musical Youth (“Pass The Dutchie”), videos by black artists were seldom broadcast. Michael Jackson didn’t break MTVs self imposed color barrier until 1983 when “Billie Jean” became the first video by a black artist to receive regular airplay. Keep in mind that cable was brand new technology. Manhattan Cable Television (where Uncle Ralph interned) was the nation’s first cable company and did not reach past of Manhattan. The four remaining outer boroughs still relied on VHF and UHF signals. Anyone living outside of Manhattan likely would not have access to MTV -- or any other cable channel -- until the late 1980s. At the same time, Hip Hop itself was still little more than an urban movement championed by rebellious youth. The Culture existed in parks and parties and could be seen bombed on subway trains winding through The City infrastructure. It wasn’t on radio. It certainly wasn’t on television. It wasn’t the mainstream. It was the alternative. So when Ralph McDaniels pitched his idea for an “edutainment” video show to the station where he worked, not surprisingly he was met with resistance. “We pitched it as a video show. People didn’t know what that was because...MTV existed, but nobody saw it because there was no cable. Nobody had cable. My sell was edutainment. We wanted to educate kids to whats going on in New York City as well as entertain them with the videos. They’re not going to listen unless you give them something they like, and this is something that young people are in to. They are in to music videos.” WNYC-TV rejected the idea initially but agreed to try it as part of a broader fundraiser. The fundraiser proved successful. Too successful. “What they did was they tried to jack my idea! They came up with a show called Studio 31 Dance Party. I was like Yo, whoa, whoa, this is my idea, you know. And they were like Yeah, we’re going to put together some of these videos. I said, I’ll put you on to those videos. So I was the host of it. I was just the voice of the show. After a year, I realized they didn’t know what was going on. They were just missing it completely. So I said, I have this idea for Video Music Box, can we do that? And thats when they went with it.” The first episode of Video Music Box debuted on Channel 31 in December of 1983. Along with airing videos by artists across the musical divide (Rock, Pop, R&B, Freestyle) as well as interviews and public service announcements imploring kids to stay off drugs, it was the first and only show to broadcast visuals of the rapidly evolving Hip Hop culture. Only a handful of Hip Hop acts had actual music videos. “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five and “Problems of the World Today” by The Fearless Four were the first official rap videos broadcast on VMB. “Those two were great songs that had a message coming across. And that was the vibe. At that time, it was like you gotta say something to change the world with what you’re saying. There were party songs going on but we didn’t have party videos until The Fat Boys and Run DMC...” To supplement the lack of Hip Hop videos, Ralph borrowed a camera from the station and filmed the various parties and concerts first hand -- “like Soul Train, but ghetto style.” Not only did he document those early classic performances and interview acts, but he regularly talked to party goers on camera, popularizing the term “shout out” in the process. “I started saying do you wanna do a shout out? And I got that from being, probably in the clubs, but we did it like every day. I never heard anyone say that word on television. Because people would be like shout out? What is that? I’m like nah, you just say whats up to your people. I’d have to explain. And they’d be like oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I wanna give a shout to this person...So people would then walk up to me and be like, yo can I do a shout out? That was like a major part of the show. It was part of entertainment. You had people drunk in the club shoutin out whoever. You got women shoutin out my baby’s father. Its funny because Chris Rock was doing something on TV [a decade later] and someone said I wanna give a shout out, and he said THIS AINT VIDEO MUSIC BOX! It was just like the natural term. People were like, well why didn’t you copy write that? We had no idea what was up. We had no idea!” Uncle Ralph’s DJ roots and production experience placed him dead center of the musical and technological revolutions whirling around him. Because he was immersed in the scene, he knew the players, he knew when and where the events went down. Because he studied film production and worked at WNYC-TV as a technician, he had access to and the understanding of production equipment needed to document those throw downs. Because Manhattan Cable Television delayed cable roll out to the outer boroughs until the late 1980s, millions of people could only turn to Channel 31 for their music video fix. Because Hip Hop was brand new and shunned by mainstream outlets, he was the only person covering the events. From December of 1983 until the launch of Yo MTV Raps in 1988, he owned Hip Hop’s only camera. And Video Music Box was the only place to witness it all take shape. READ PART I OF UNCLE RALPH'S INTERVIEW HERE PART III: Producing Videos, The Vid Kid, Hype Williams -- TOMORROW

Hip Hop’s Outlier – Uncle Ralph McDaniels Interview Part I

In his best selling book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that world changing success has just as much to do with circumstance and opportunity as it does with hard work and determination. The story of Uncle Ralph reads like something straight out of Outliers. Ralph McDaniels was born to Caribbean parents in the Bed Stuy section of Brooklyn. His uncle introduced him to the Motown sound at an early age. His mother’s first cousin, Geoffrey Holder, was a successful Broadway and film actor (most notably for this writer, as Punjab in the movie adaptation of Annie). His family was always supportive. Music was always in the air. In the mid-seventies, during Hip Hop’s infancy, Uncle Ralph began DJing. “I’m in Queens by this time, so you know, the whole DJ thing is becoming really popular. We’re out in the park doing our thing. Break beats are starting to evolve. The commercialization of Hip Hop is starting to happen.” After completing high school, while still DJing, he attended Laguardia Community College in Queens. There, during an internship at Manhattan Cable Television (the founders and operators of the America’s first urban underground cable system), his interest in film and television was officially ignited. “Nobody around me had ever seen cable before. I hadn’t seen it before that time because nobody had cable here -- in New York -- and I don’t think anywhere else. I think that must’ve been around 1980, so this was the beginning of the whole cable television explosion. And that was what sparked my interest because I always wanted to combine the visuals with the audio. I was into the audio already from DJing and being around certain artists...but now I had an opportunity to get involved with the video side of it.” From that rarified experience -- interning at the United State’s first cable company right on the cusp of cable TV’s communications takeover -- Ralph not only honed in on the ultimate path that would define his legacy, but began learning the tools to bring his vision (combining the audio with visuals of New York’s musical revolution) into fruition. After receiving his bachelors degree from the New York City College of Technology (New York Tech), Uncle Ralph started his career working for WNYC-TV, channel 31, as a cable technician. Hip Hop was still in its nascent stages -- inching towards commercialization -- as the music video movement took hold of the national consciousness. Artists like U2, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna not only etched themselves forever into music history through their planet shaking sound, but also through their iconic music videos. Some artists were only popular because of their music videos, and rarely received radio play at all. “There were groups that were popular that just made popular videos. They didn’t necessarily get played on the radio or anything like that. So there was a whole music video movement going on as well as the music side of it. There were groups that were popular only because of their video. Thats why Michael Jackson put so much into the videos, because that was a big thing at that time. It was like a mini movie. You could make a very big impact on people through music videos. So, I’m in that founding group of music video pioneers.” The video medium was on the verge of international fulmination. Hip Hop culture officially seized control of New York City’s urban underbelly. Cable TV, home to the first 24 hour music television station, MTV, was still a niche market with little reach. Who else but a Brooklyn born DJ with professional knowledge of cable technics and production and a desire to unite the audio and visuals of this world rattling musical renaissance would possess the opportunity and experience necessary to launch the most groundbreaking television show in Hip Hop history: Video Music Box. “I was passionate about the music and the artists and about the scene, so I knew that it was something that people wanted to see. And at this point, the idea of my show is becoming a reality, so I just wanted to have stuff to put on the show. [At this time] theres no videos for any Hip Hop songs, but why don’t we just shoot them live and get them performing? Like Soul Train, but ghetto style.” CLICK HERE FOR PART 2

Uncle Ralph 101

As we get ready for Initiative Radio's Salute to Ralph McDaniels. Take a look at this piece on our own Uncle Ralph.

Bodega Radio – Jan 22nd

TODAY on Bodega Radio Friday, January 22nd, 1-4PM EST on www.pncradio.fm *DONUTS ARE FOREVER We sit down with Dee Phunk from Rare Form to talk about the upcoming Dilla tribute party - Donuts Are Forever *Salute Uncle Ralph Angela McKenzie comes to DUMBO to talk about her Black History Month Tribute to Uncle Ralph McDaniels *FELA Special mix from Bodega Fam DJ NessDigi. Ness will be rocking the best from the original Black President. Get your Afro Beat and Funk on this afternoon. —--------- Brooklyn Bodega Radio Hosted by Bodega Prez, Wes Jackson ------------------------------- Brooklyn Bodega Radio Fridays 1-4pm EST on www.pncradio.fm

Bodega Approved – Jan 22nd

All For One Official After Party

The mission of Brooklyn Bodega and the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is to move Hip-Hop culture, music and business forward. We do this by producing New York’s biggest Hip-Hop event, The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival.  For the official after party of our 5th Annual Festival we want to highlight the sense of cooperation and comraderie that we have fostered since 2005. Last year we brought Detroit to Brooklyn with PPP, House Shoes and Invincible. This year’s theme is “All For One” Live Jam Session and throwdown  Hosted by and featuring the Legendary Buckshot (Black Moon, Duck Down) Inspired by the classic Brand Nubian song and album and in particular these lines from Sadat X’s verse: "Now come one, come all, we about to get hectic If my crew don't get in, then the X makes an exit to the rear, I'm outta here, don't front on my brothers I take care of them before I take care of others Read my book, it contains many pieces of verses I took the time to delete all the curses So moms reach deep in your purses And buy me take me home and try me and do me well..." On June 20th at Southpaw we will host a jam session with a whole crowd of up and coming MC’s from Brooklyn and beyond.  Buckshot will play the role as elder statesman to the new class of rookies who will be taking the stage. We chose Buckshot as he was once in the position that many rappers like Torae, Skyzoo, Pac Div, Mickey Factz and more find themselves in now. A hot rapper with a buzz, a great album, and a deal. He turned that into a legendary career and business. Now over 15 years later Buckshot leads the most relevant independent Hip-Hop label, Duck Down and is mentoring the next generation and ushering in a second Golden Era of Hip-Hop.   June 20th, 2009 SouthPaw 125 5th Ave Brooklyn, N.Y. 9pm-2am  Entrance: $10, reduced with BHF ’09 ticket stub Featuring: Buckshot, DJ JS-1, 8thw1, and more Entire BHF ’09 artist lineup invited  JUST ADDED: Tanya Morgan and Mr. Cheeks of The Lost Boyz. Bringing this full circle y'all! Produced by Brooklyn Bodega, Savannah Boogie Music and Song, and Uncle Ralph McDaniels

Special guests added – Tanya Morgan, Kel Spencer, Chip Fu and Homeboy Sandman

Joining the Main Stage as special guest are Tanya Morgan fresh off the release of their album 'Brooklynati" The almighty Tanya Morgan will also be rocking the After Party along with Buckshot, Uncle Ralph McDaniels, 8thw1, JS-1 and the legendary Mr. Cheeks of The Lost Boyz. Brooklyn Bodega also announced the addition of Homeboy Sandman as host of the second stage and DJ Brina Payne as the DJ for the second stage. Sandman performed at the 2008 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival and had been a part of the Bodega Family ever since. After wowing crowds all over the city Sandman has become a staple of New York Hip-Hop. The rest of the country should get ready for Homeboy Sandman as he is set to hit the road this summer promoting his two albums, "Nourishment" and "Actual Factual Pterodactyl." Kel Spencer Brooklyn native Kel Spencer has been displayed on dozens of mix-tapes, along with an unparalleled live stage presence with over 75 showcases including his own monthly ‘Secret Showcase.’ Kel most recently was featured on projects like DJ Grand Master Flash’s “The Bridge” alongside Q-tip on the single worthy Shine All Day. With an emerging international presence, and an undeniable Live Stage Show, Kel is focused on branding and building his buzz to snowball into his debut album, One Way. Chip Fu As a radical member of a platinum selling hip-hop group the Fuschnickens, his intricately interwoven flow left us all light-headed, exhausted and wheezing for more. Chips back with a breath of fresh air for the entire industry. The trials and tribulations of life, love and music helped Chip conceive his latest project titled M.A2.T.H. (Music, Appreciation, Art, Time and Healing) -The new curriculum. Though his style remains on the cutting-edge of hip-hop, as a solo artist Chip has much more room to be creative. Reggae music is evident throughout the entire work and Chips natural talent interblends both worlds instinctively.

BHF Top 10

Some Reasons Why You Should Attend the 5th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival 1. $10 – that’s all it takes to get a ticket. The Black Star show at Nokia is like 50 beans. I love Kweli and Mos more than the next man but who can afford that? 2. You ever been to Empire Fulton Ferry at dusk? It’s like a postcard man. 3. Malt Beer. We always get funky fly premiums from Brooklyn Brewery. And there is no other event in State Parks where you can get an ice cold beer. 4. My pops and my uncle are coming to sell BBQ and fried fish. 5. Did I mention the cost? Come on… 6. Our event is 40% women. That’s a good stat for the guys and girls. Our staff is also about 90% women. That’s good no matter how you cut it. 7. Family Day – no Hip-Hop Harry or Parappa the Rapper. Real Hip-Hop for the little duns 8. Uncle Ralph McDaniels 9. I think I mentioned the cost already. You can’t get a deal like this in the City. 10. Hip-Hop. If you love the culture this is like a family reunion. Great artists, great energy. Word Up

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