'Tim, I Got It On Tape' : The Westwood Story. Part One...

The Brrrreak To The Beat. The Version Excursion.

Man, when Tim Westwood had the Capital Rap Show way back when, if you were real about hip hop and living in London you did nothing but listen to that show. Every Friday Night. Every Saturday night. Religiously. I can't begin to count the number of tapes I made from recording off that show. The exclusives. The freestyles. The interviews. Damn, even the jingles! (Ultramag MC's and Chubb Rock spring to mind for some reason). Please believe that I was an avid listener.

One particular Saturday night while tuning in, Tim launched into his legendary 'break to the beat' competition. In his words "This is where we play a break, and you've got to name the rap based on that break." Simple tings for me. I was, and still am, into breaks and samples and all things like that. So, Tim throws on 'Fat City Strut' by Mandrill (off the "Just Outside Of Town' album) and I hear these horns start blasting at me... My Jedi-like brain starts to match the horns to the hip hop and 0.5 seconds later I have the answer. I dial the number - whatever the hell it was - and I get through! I'm actually speaking to Tim Westwood! I pitch my answer to him... and it's the right one! Damn, it just keeps getting better. "Ahite den man" he says, "You're the winner. We gonna go live. Stay right there." I stay.
He puts me on hold and I can hear the show through the phone and through my radio. This is mad exciting! He comes back to me and I'm live on The Capital Rap Show! "What's your name and where you calling from?" he asks. Now, I can't quite remember what I said at this point due to the fact that Jeopardy was an emcee pseudonym I was messing around with and I may have used that instead of Big Ted. I actually have this moment on a D90 somewhere, and I will find it and post it one day. But anyway, I say whatever I say as my name and then Tim says "What's the answer my brrorr?" He spoke like that even back then! 'To The Listeners' by Eric B & Rakim I say, all breathless and excited! "Yeah man, that's the right answer, do you want to big up anyone?" Of course I did. I had my mentaI list of homeboy shoutouts all prepared. I start to name my crew Black Gold (Cuttin' K, T Hakeem & Knewborn) and my extended crew The Pryme Rhyme Masters (Sniper G The Assassin, FX, Charlie D & Principal Mark. Check out 'Discipline' on Kold Sweat Records. DOPE!) but I totally forgot to shout out my homeboy Phillip aka Taiweed! I'm so sorry bro. To this day I still feel kinda bad about that. Me and Phil used to talk hip hop to death back then when we worked at Savacentre. He even mentioned the fact that I didn't say his name to me at work!
Anyway, a few weeks later I got a package in the post with Public Enemy and LLCoolJ vhs video tapes. Proper tings with a case too. I still got 'em. (I think the LL one has an episode of the Cosby Show I taped on it though!)
Thanks Timothy.

Yo! Bumrush The Show! : The Free Ticket Story

The Def Jam Tour 1987

Public Enemy. LLCoolJ. Eric B & Rakim.
They were all coming to London. Hammersmith Odeon. Three of my favourite artists. Three nights in a row.
I HAD NO MONEY FOR A TICKET!!!!!
So, I had to have a plan. I tried asking the parents. NO! I tried asking my older brother to buy me a ticket. NO!
I'll have to get a job then. What job is going to take me on and pay me in time to get a ticket for this show...?
Step in my man Scott at number 9. He tells me that his brother Barry can get me a job at.... wait for it.... Hammersmith Odeon! No way! "Yeah man, he works there as an usher" What? Can you believe it? Where do I sign up? I went down there and sat through what I swear was the simplest interview I have ever had.
"Do you mind working late?" Nope. "Are you okay with talking to people and showing them to their seats?" Yep. "Do you mind clearing up the bar during the intervals?" No problem. "When can you start?" Today! Now!! "Congratulations. The job is yours!" To be honest if they asked me to shovel elephant dung til midnight I'd have said 'Hell yes'.

I went to work about 4 hours EARLY every day that the tour was on. I watched LLCoolJ sound checking. I watched dj Bobcat sit on his record box and polish his gold chains. I watched Eric B walk around in his Dapper Dan suit and a neckfull of jewellery. I sat with a small crowd and listened to Chuck D talk about life, the universe and everything. I got autographs from Flavour Flav and Terminator X. I was so gassed at just being there. I took pictures of the shows, especially when LL brought on his massive boom box. Flashing LED's and everything! I still got them somewhere. They will be posted eventually. The dopest part of it all, besides walking around the venue just before the doors opened and seeing hundreds of people dying to get in, was the the fact that I actually GOT PAID to watch a show - 3 times - that only weeks before I couldn't even afford a ticket for!
In fact, if you listen closely to the live show inserts on the 'Nation Of Millions' album, you'll hear me screaming 'I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'