..So by now yall know I worked at D&D Recording Studios.Good,GREAT.It was the best place to work in HipHop at the time for sure.We made more than hits there we made classics.Not to say that classics weren’t made anywhere else but,let’s face it, if a client ate ramen noodles for almost a year just so they could mix their record in the same room Premier mixed “Mass Appeal”,that says a whole lot..right?!I’m also a fan of Rap music,I got my faves,my top ten,Blah Blah Blah..but a lot of times,these rap dudes will let you down.This time we won’t get into those dudes.However one cat will forever stand out as the most humble, down to earth dude I have ever met…KRS One.To this day I can’t say a bad word about my dude Krs…(or Kenny his brother for that matter)..

I’m a big fan of KRS,one of my favorite Emcees without doubt.So of course the opportunity to meet your favorite artist would make anybody’s day.Imagine getting to work with your favorite artist on their new project…yeah exactly!I’m still an intern at the time mind you but who cares, I get to sit in on the the sessions and learn a few things and get a preview of the new KRS album.Can’t get no better right?Wrong!Here’s why.Everyone has their favorite snack food..KRS Loved cashews…I mean he LOVED them joints.In particular the ones that came in the slim pack that would be on the counter of every corner bodega in NY. He would have me go to the store about every two hours or so to get him five packs of cashews,which were like a buck a piece.Why he didn’t just buy a big ole can of em is beyond me,nor did I care.He would give me $20,each run,to buy five packs of cashews.So on my first run, me being the good intern, I bring him his cashews and hand him his change.He looks at me and says” What Are You Doing?”.. In my mind I was like..”FUCK! What Did I Do?…’This Cat Is Gonna Chew Me Out!”.Oh by the way,Preemo is the room,Kenny,ICU,Willie D,Pal Joey..it was packed in there and I’m expecting to be clowned thoroughly.He says..”The Change Is Yours”…..me..(whew!)..”OK!”..Now mind you intern status means you work for FREE!If you’re lucky you’ll get clients that give you tips but basically you’re free labor.And $15 for a dude that been working since 11am and it’s now like 9:30pm(cause the night intern flaked so I had to stay) was alotta money!I could get chicken fried rice instead of plain!…Repeat the Cashew scenario, and this time I’m sure he wants his change,he just gave me $15.,no way he gives up another $15.WRONG AGAIN!..He gives me the same look and laughs at me..”Yo This Kid Is Buggin'” he goes..”Take The Money Man I’m Good”..From that day forward I worked on every KRS One session they put on the board,and he worked daily!

So let’s fast forward a bit to when Krs is working on the”KRS ONE” album.I’m still an intern but they let me assist certain sessions. This day I’m assisting,not on Krs’ session, but I’m still in the studio cause my session got cancelled or whateva.Krs is working with Norty Cotto and Luis Tineo(engineer and assistant engineer).Luis comes out the room and says to me” Krs needs you”..I go into the room…”Whuddup Krs?”..him..”Yo could you go to that store up the street and buy me a cheap pocket recorder..you know the ones you tape your voice notes with?”..me..”Sure no problem.”I go to the store, come back , drop off the recorder,bounce out the room.Louie comes out again..”Krs needs you again”..me..”Sup Krs?!”..him..”OK this is what I need you to do for me…”..his instructions.. I was to go out into the street and record street noises and say as loudly as possible..” These Are The Streets..Shit Is Real Out Here..This Ain’t No Fucking Joke!”..apprehensive and feeling a lil silly I did it anyway(plus Louie went with me so I wouldn’t look completely bonkers) ..and that’s how I ended up on the song “R.E.A.L.I.T.Y.” off that album.Oh did I mention I got to keep the change from the $100 he gave me get the $15 pocket recorder?And got another $30 for looking out?How could you possibly hate a dude like that?My point?..not all rappers are A$$E$!(But Some Are!)…One!..

Written by Dexter Thibou

D&D Studios was legendary for the sound that came out of that place.You couldn’t duplicate that for anything,with anything and I’m glad to have been a part of the era that was the Golden Era of Hip Hop and to be where alot of it went down,and even more so, to be a part of the process on a lot of those classics.A question I get asked a lot of times by Hip Hop cats,”What Was It Like Working In D&D?”.I tell ’em..”D&D was like high school,and hazing was a must for everyone..EVERYONE!”Believe me clients weren’t immune to the pranks or getting in on it.They were worse than the staff half the time.If we had camera phones back then..well let’s just say the D&D antics put “Animal House”(that’s a movie for some of you who don’t know) to shame.I was quickly schooled by everyone at D&D..”Don’t Sit In The Back Ground And Say or Do Nothing..We’ll Murder You If You Do That!”. Through out my ten years over at D&D,I got to do,see and be a part of alot of things most engineers never did or can say they did.I mean it’s not every day you get to work with people you looked up to and inspired you to get in the game.Alot of names are gonna be mentioned when I really get Blogging but all can say for now is..I met Donald Byrd and Roy Ayers there…WHAT!…a handful of people can say they walked into a Hip Hop studio and saw Donald Byrd sitting in the room with a collection of original quarter and half inch tapes of his master recordings…try and find em..I’ll be here.And he was sooo friggin’ cool.Said to me once and I’ll never forget this..”Some Stuff He Did Had No Real Plan,Just An Idea..We Just Went With The Vibe At The Moment.We Just Wanted To Make Good Music”..how many of you so called artists can say that?…

First Day..11:30 am..I didn’t really know who was gonna be walking through the door.Yeah they told me who was gonna be having a session that day,but one of the other interns said that anybody could show up at anytime.So here it is..first day,in the A room session Nikki Nikole..working with Nefertiti from LA.Never heard of ’em,but they were both sweethearts and great people,lots of fun to be around.Frigging door bell rings,sounded like a old school bicycle bell.Somebody yells “GET THA DOOR!”..(sidenote;yelling was mandatory at D&D,you got yelled at for not Yelling)..I open it..there’s Guru,Lil Dap and BlackStar.I’m like (to self)”WOW..Guru!”..he’s like “Whuddup Yo You New Here?”..me..”Yea Man First Day…”I snap outta it quick.Not cause the initial shock of meeting one of my favorite HipHop artists has faded that fast but because of what dude asked me to do right after kinda introducing himself.I say kinda cause he never said..”I’m Guru”..he said.. “Whuddup Yo..”Anyway my dude instructs me to go to the store for him and get four Phillies and two forties of Budweiser.OK…it’s 11:30 in the morning…and you already have a forty in your hand and you want two more…all I could think was..”WOW!…This Dude Is A RockStar!”..Lil Dap was like ..”Yo Son By The Time You Get Back That Shit He Will Be Done With This One!”.And that did turn out to be the case.Really doe!

Back from the store,had to finish up my shit detail(dudes didnt know how to flush after themselves half the time..no joke)..the dammed bicycle bell rings again.”GET THA DOOR!”..”AIGHT I GOT IT!”..didn’t take long to get into the yelling over there..door opened..tall dark skinned dude standing in the door way..walks past and turns to face me..”SUP,I’m Evil Dee”..me..”Sup I’m Dex”..him..”I Got A Session In The D Room”..me..”OK Lemme Get Somebody To Help You Out”.I’m walking away thinkin to myself that’s a big dude..why his voice so high pitched? He must have laryngitis or something.I get his engineer,tell him Evil is here..the engineer says..”You Met E?”..me..”Yeah”..engineer..”He’s A Mad Cool Dude And Yeah His Voice Is That High”..me..”OK Then”..engineer..”Come Sit In On This One,It’s Easy..He’s Doing DAT Copies For A Show Black Moon Got Coming Up”.Evil is in there talkin about the last show they did some friggin where and how somebody got punched in the face for doing the most when it really wasn’t that serious..I’m dying laughing cause E is real animated for a big dude.Trust me when I tell you Da Beatminerz along with a few others have become my big brothers in the game,we’ll get to that soon,along with other lil gems from my years of working at the Infamous D&D Studios.Till then..

Written by Dexter Thibou