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Thursday, September 13, 2007

The Crash Crew


When asked about their favorite musicians from the community, most Rivertonians recall the names of Dr Billy Taylor, the late Eddie Haywood, and soul icon Gregory Abbott. But the course of hiphop was profoundly altered by the Crash Crew, a group of kids from Lincoln and Riverton who began "crackin the mike" at project parties in the late seventies. Guy Foster, Kenny Yoda, and the late DJ Daryll C(Calloway) together with their Lincoln contemporaries GMan, La Shubee, Barry Bistro,Ek Mike C and Reggie Reg crafted a unique style that rocked the foundations of the whole neighborhood.In 1980, they pressed up their first single-High Powered Rap and sold it out of the trunk of their car. Guy's mom, Denise, recalls the beginnings of the HipHop phenomenon.

For more info,check ou the following links:
http://odeo.com/audio/2232984/view
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgeP_RoOWak

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

this is interesting, more people should know about them

Anonymous said...

PEACE AND GREETINGS I WAS AND STILL AM A MEMBER OF THE CRASH CREW. IN THE EARLY DATS WE WERE BLESSED TO HAVE OLDER ROLE MODELS LIKE MIKE AND DAVE FROM LINCOLN HOUSES. MYSELF AND DARRYL C GREW UP TOGETHER FROM YOUNGSTERS RUNNING AROUND AND GETTING INTO MISCHIEF. ONCE THIS NEW SOUND OF THE STREETS STARTED TO COME ACROSS THE BRIDGE FROM THE BRONX WE KNEW WHAT WE WANTED TO DO. I WAS BLESSED AND STILL AM BY BEING APART OF AN ORGANIZATION KNOW AS THE ZULU NATION WHICH WAS FOUNDED BY HIP-HOP PIONEER AFRIKA BAMBAATAA. THIS IS THE FIRST FAMILY OF HIP-HOP FOUNDED IN 1973 IN BRONX RIVER HOUSES. I USED TO SNEAK TO THE BLOCK PARTIES AND HANGOUT WITH THE OLDER BROTHER AND SISTERS THAT WERE INTO THIS NEW CULTURE. THE DJ ALWAYS ATTRACTED ME. THE WAY HE CONTROLED THE CROWD AND HAD THEM MOVING TO HIS GROOVE THIS WAS AMAZING TO ME. BY ME BEING ABLE TO WITNESS HE LIKES OF KOOL HERC AND GRANDMASTER FLASH AND AFRIKA BAMBAATAA I KNEW I HAD TO TOUCH THE TURNTABLES. I USED TO BING TAPES BACK TO RIVERTON AND WE WOULD LISTEN TO THE BROTHERS LIKE JOHN 'J-BOY" HUNTER, BUTTER, GERAL"C", DARI, AND DARRYL WOULD BE LISTENING TO THEM OVER AND OVER. DARRYL TOO BECAME INTRESTED IN DJ'ING AND SOON WAS ABLE TO TALK HIS "MOMS" INTO GETTING A SET. WE USED TO GO OVER TO DARRYL'S AND TRY TO COPY WHAT WE HEARD ON THE TAPES. AROUND THIS SAME TIME THEER WAS A GROUP OF YOUNG MEN FROM LINCOLN WHO GREW UP TOGETHER THAT WAS TRYING TO FORM A GROUP. WE KNEW THESE GUYS FROM THEM CHASING US WHEN WE LEFT RIVERTON AND THEY ALSO USED TO COME ACROSS THE STREET TO PLAY BALL. I REMEMBER THEM BRINGING OUT A TINY SOUND SYSTEM TO LINCOLN PARK AND WE WENT OVER THERE TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. THE LINCOLN BOYS KINDA WELCOLMED US THAT NIGHT. WE ALL GOT TO TALKING AND SINCE DARRYL HAD THE NICE EQUIPMENT THEY DECIDED TO LET US RUN WITH THEM. WE STARTED DOING PARTIES IN LINCOLN COMMUNITY CENTER, THE KENNEDY CENTER AND IN THE PARK WHENEVER WE COULD. NOW AROUND THIS TIME THE FOCUS STARTED MOVING FROM THE DJ'S BECAUSE NOW THE GUYS WERE FINDING OUT ABOUT RHYMING OVER THE BEATS. BEFORE THIS EVERYTHING WAS SIMPLE SOME WOULD GRAB A MIC AND JUST TALK. NOW THEY STARTED TO PUT LITTLE NURSERY SCHOOL TYPE OF RHYMES TOGETHER OVER THE BEATS. THIS IS HOW THE CRASH CREW CAME INTO BEING THE YEAR WAS 1977. WE DID SHOWS ALL AROUND NYC. MIKE AND DAVE WHERE THE PROMOTERS AND THE CRASH CREW WAS THE FEATURED GROUP. IN 1979 WE HEARD A RECORD ON THE RADIO CALLED RAPPER'S DELIGHT AND WE WERE LIKE WHO THE HECK ARE THESE GUYS RHYMING AND WHERE DID THE COME FROM? NOBODY HAD EVER HEARD OF THESE GUYS. WE HAD BEEN DOING PARTIES EVERY WEEKEND ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AREA AND NOBOBY KNEW THESE GUYS.IT WA SKIND OF NICE AT THAT TIME TO HEAR WHAT WE WERE DOING ON THE STREETS ON THE RADIO BUT THERE WAS MANY GROUPS OUT THAT WE THE TOP OF PACK AS FAR AS HIP-HOP AND CRASH CREW WAS ONE OF THEM. AFTER HEARING THIS RECORD WANTED TO MAKE A RECORD TOO. ONE OF THE GUYS WORKED IN A RECORDING STUDIO AND WE SNUCK IN ONE NIGHT AND RECORDED HIGH POWER RAP. MIKE AND DAVE PUT UP THE MONEY AND WE PRESSED IT UP AND SOLD IT OUT THE RUNK OF THE CAR. IF WE WERE PERFORMING SOMEWHERE WE SOLD THE RECORD, IF WE WERE IN SCHOOL WE SOLD THE RECORD. HIGH POWER RAP GAVE THE CRASH CREW MORE POPULARITY AND OUR PARTIES WERE ALWAYS PACKED NOW WE WERE HOSTING OUR PEERS FROM THE BRONX. ALL THE TOP GROPS WOULD BE TOGETHEER ON A MIKE AND DAVE SHOW. DARRYL BECAME ONE OF THE TOP DJ'S. I KNOW A LOT OF RIVERTON PEOPLE REMEMBER US FROM GETTING INTO TROUBLE BUT WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME PRACTICING AND LEARNING THE ART OF DJ'ING. IN 1981 WE WERE SIGNNED BY SUGARHILL RECORDS AND HAD 5 QUALITY RELEASES ON WENT GOLD WITH ASONG CALLED "ON THE RADIO". THE CRASH CREW ALSO HELPED TO START WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE ENTERTAINER'S BASKETBALL CLASSIC WHICH IS NOW PLAYED IN RUCKER PARK. WE PLAYED ANOTHER GROUP CALLED THE DISCO 4 IN MT. MORRIS PARK ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THEY TORES US UP. THEY ALSO HAD "RINGERS" WHO WERE PLAYING COLLEGE BALL, SO WE SAID OK LET'S DO IT AGAIN NEXT WEEK. WE BROUGHT OUR "RINGERS" SND SOUND SYSTEM TO THE PARK AND TO OUR SUPRISE THERE WAS A CROWD. SO WE CONTINUED THE GAMES WITH OTHER HIP-HOP GROUPS BRING THEIR TEAMS.GREG "G" FROM THE DISCO 4 KEPT THIS TRADITION GOING AND TO THE DAY HE STILL RUNS THE E.B.C. SO FROM THESE HUMBLE BEGININGS IN RIVERTON AND LINCOLN THE MUSIC OF THE STREETS TOOK US AROUND THE WORLD. DARRYL AND MYSELF ALSO WORKED WITH ROB BASE AND DJ EZ ROCK WHO WERE ALSO FROM LINCOLN AND SCORED BIG WITH A SONG CALLED "IT TAKES 2". TO THIS DAY THE CRASH CREW STILL DOES SHOWS AND JUST CELEBRATED 30 YEARS IN HIP-HOP.
R.I.P DJ DARRYL C A.K.A LAH

Anonymous said...

Big props to Kenny Yoda for tending the "fire"!!

Anonymous said...

Hello Folks, let me start by mirroring my mothers’ apologies for the thunderous music coming from my bedroom, I was and still am a sound system enthusiast. On that note I must highlight that the hip hop culture did indeed bring people together who shared the same passion for a unique underground creative raw sound.

I am honored to have witness the rise of our native son Darryl Calloway and his positive contributions to hip hop and the DJ culture, knowing a man like that with such passion, skill and commitment educated me about the importance of a “can do attitude”. I never had the opportunity as a friend to tell Darryl how proud I was of him for his great contributions to Hip Hop and his courage to follow his passion and dreams.

The Hip Hop community is also fortunate to have another Riverton native son Yoda (Kenny Syder) as a senior spokesman and historian of the Hip hop culture. Kenny’s time passion and energy has kept the true history of Hip Hop well alive throughout the free world. (Keep on doing what your doing Yoda, I must THANK YOU please take it to the Schomburg).

I am presently employed at the National Institutes of Health and in this small world of ours I was fortunate to have bumped into Dr. Keith Hunter and reflected back on our childhood development growing up in Riverton and we both very proudly came to the conclusion that we where surrounded around a wealth of black excellence on all levels. For a place that is only basically two city blocks Riverton has more successful folks then some entire towns across the USA. That is why I will always keep my head up high.


Guy Foster

Jimmy Spice Curry said...

Great story. I started back in 1983, darryl c introduced me to sylvia robinson and mr hamilton, same time he was signing Rob base. Signed me to sugar hill, there I met big bank, yoda, blondie, etc. Years later yoda told me he wa ted to produce a movie about mije n dave. Now we are doing it. Proos to boigie knight, mike c, reggie, bstro, shu bee, gman, rob base, ez rock, but also all the cast fat man scoop, busy bee, peebblee poo, gangster g, Keith kc, johnny wa n rayvon, peso n mike c of fearless four, al b, barry b and chill will, bonz malone, tico wells, easy ad, bam, cool ad, dj tony tone, shaka zulu, aaron fuchs, gizmo, al b, dj jazzy g, iv west, magic dee, vaughn jeter, stevie d n jesse d of force mds, milo baptis, lil spice, kim syder, lynette blackwell, bro tye and all other participants plus Darryl C and ez rock's families, and special shout to Mix master mike n disco dave. Exec prod. K syder, rob base. Producers. Syder, spice, base. Director, editir, soundtrack. Spice Curry. Thanks to this site for spreading positive