An Origin Story: With The ATL Greats: Recent Episodes
Patchwerk Recording Studios
Hosted by Atlanta native, Grammy nominated & The Source Award Winning Rapper Bonecrusher, "An Origin Story" takes listeners on a journey that highlights the building blocks of Atlanta's music scene that has dominated the charts & pushed pop culture forward for the last 30 years.
Deemed the originator of trap music, Shawty Redd breaks down which make it more than apparent why he is an ATL great. As the grandson of a pastor, he honed his musical abilities playing multiple instruments in church. Bonecrusher describes Shawty Redd’s beats as semi-trucks coming down the highway with their undeniable impact. He details working with Snoop Dogg, Youngin’ Records, and many more. Tune into the insight, workflow and wisdom of the iconic producer that is Shawty Redd this week on The Origin Story!
In this week's episode, we sit with the producer, singer, songwriter, founder, and CEO of Sho'nuff Records, Jazzy Pha. He talks about his musical expansion from Memphis, Tenn, to Los Angeles, CA, where he plugged in his notebook-sized beat machine before relocating to Atlanta, GA, to become one of the industry's most prominent names in music. From CTE to Ciara, Jazzy makes hits like crispy-edged pancakes and shares his butter sauce recipe. Wonder how he came up with his signature instrument sound, or why we didn't get an Andre 3000 verse on Slick Ricks's "Street Talkin?” Find out as Bonecrusher leads this exciting conversation with Jazzy Pha.
Subscribe to stay up to date with the latest content from Patchwerk Recording Studios.
This week's guest speaks on one of Atlanta's most impactful music scenes, Acid Jazz, or what the world now knows as The Neo Soul Movement. After an introduction to fellow Disk Jockey DJ Speech, DJ Kemit's story begins in 1985 while in a six-piece turn-table college band. By 1992 he'd relocated to Atlanta, GA, and set out to tour with Speech and the group Arrested Arrested Development. In this conversation, Dj Kermit discusses the creation and evolution of Neo Soul from the perspective of the producer/DJ who traveled the world pioneering a new sound. Join host Bonecrusher and legendary DJ Kemit as they reminisce and talk about The Neo Souls Movement, The Ying Yang Cafe, and its impact on visual artists, musicians, and performers in and outside of Atlanta. Subscribe to stay up to date with the latest content from Patchwerk Recording Studios.
The scene of this week's episode takes us to Atlanta's Variety Playhouse, where our host Bonecrusher, firsts met Philly-born, Berkley School of Music-educated drummer Lil John Roberts. Notably one of the most decorated drummers of our time. He discusses the various amount of instrumental talent that has come from Atlanta and has contributed to some of music's most celebrated records. He's played with the industry greats such as Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Prince, and countless others and is even responsible for forming Goodie Mobs' first band. Lil John Roberts makes music so good people just on stage to...record it. More on that story and more in this episode of The Origin Story.
Subscribe to stay up to date with the latest content from Patchwerk Recording Studios.
This week one of the greats of the city of ATL special guest Dj Greg Street sits down with Bonecrusher. He was the first in his hometown of Hattiesburg, MS to have Technic 1200s. The youngest in the family of music enthusiast. He would rent centers and host his own parties. Eventually he would conduct school parties and his own understanding how to take advantage of opportunties presented. Bonecrusher shares Street's ability to always remember significant things. Street explains if you are organically connected to people you won't have a problem remembering them.
Musical drops over songs were first created by Street. Greg would take the biggest records and make his own custom versions of the songs. "Most people on radio think its about them but its about your connection to the people and your connection to the artist acting as the liason between the two. The music and the artists are the stars." The conversation goes on to discuss conflicts in radio today. The need to be in tune with the people is lacking. Because Street keeps this at the forefront he has held on to the title of the #1 rated show in all demos since 1995 in the city of Atlanta. With his influence Greg Street became the first person signed to current CEO of Artist Partner Group, Mike Caren, when he received his first gig at Atlantic Records at 18 years of age.
His passion for the people is the driving factor for staying engaged with everyone. A major contributor to Outkast's "Love Below/Speakerboxx" execution, Street speaks about not wanting the media to tear the Outkast brand apart. The project would go on to be one of the highest selling hip hop albums of all time. The conversation turns to explaining how taxes really work and what most don't understand. Greg Street's contributions to the culture is reiterated through the entire interview and inspiring to anyone who wants to impact their community. Enjoy!
This week The Origin Story introduces Black Market Entertainment Records consisting of Vince Philips, Rob Mack , Emperor Searcy, and absent but impact always felt Lil Jon. A product of South West ATL by way of Cleveland Avenue Emperor Searcy introduction to music was through deejaying. Rob Mack intro was through T-Mo Goodie purchase of a bass guitar. Vince would travel to New York and bring back vinyl records to Atlanta. The friendship was formed early in middle school and for Rob & Jon as early as kindergarten. The conversation touched on the principle of not trying to make someone a star that isn't one as well as putting on for each other. The ability to deal with personalities because of the greater good of the mission was impactful to their success.
The connection between the group was their gravitation to other music such as house and other genres. Their influence from Jermaine Dupri, Dj Jelly, Organized Noize but also the love of De La Soul & Prince Paul just the same. Rob Mack speaks about contributing something different to the music outside of sampling. The live instrumentation with his CRUNK energy created some of Lil Jon most notable records. BME was at the forefront of making sure real hip hop was being played in the city of Atlanta. Emperor Searcy shares how he prided himself on breaking records and spending hours on aligning the right records to be played for the club with Lil Jon.
Bonecrusher ask the crew to reflect on the infamous BME House and the synergy created with all the personalities to create magical records. The names of frequent vistors from Jagged Edge, Too Short, Goodie Mob, TLC, Rasheeda, KP & Envy, Leaders of The New School and more. The fact it was located by the Atlanta University(AU) was a big factor as well. Emperor Searcy compares their come up to the tv show "Entourage" in how their careers evolved. Vince mentions the record "Yeah" being a life changer and "Bia Bia" another track that got BME recognition outside of the south with respects to Big Kap(RIP).
A great conversation flashing back to epic times with friends coming together for a musical journey impacting generations flow through the interview. Enjoy.
This week on Origin Story with Bonecrusher, Pastor Troy sits down discussing starting his career with breakdancing with his family as a child. At 12-13 years old, his father would become a pastor., ultimately having Troy spend a lot more time in church. With so much time on his hands in church, Pastor Troy started learning how to play the drums, keys & more. One day his brother "Big Al” came home & said no more R&B, We Hip Hop Now!” Ever since then it's been straight Hip Hop. With his hit single “No More Play In GA” he wrote this sitting in the middle of his neighborhood, observing what he saw & was going through. Pastor Troy moved to Augusta, going to college at Payne, where he didn't know many people so he had time to focus & write records like Visa Versa. Fun fact about Visa Versa, Big Boi from Outkast had the beat before Pastor Troy, but Big Boi never did anything with the track! Uncover more in this week episode!
This week Bonecrusher sits down with President/CEO of Coalition DJs, Dj Big X a veteran in the music industry with over 25+ years of service. His insight of the music dates back to the late 80's where he states Atlanta was a place to hear everything. The movie Beat Street followed up by watching Run DMC shaped what would become a decorated career dj'ing and producing. He recalls a time when an artist from Atlanta had to sound like a New Yorker to get any attention. It wasn't until The Hard Boyz came on the scene things changed. Unable to secure a deal with The Hard Boyz led LA Reid to get an Atlanta group, he signed Organized Noize and Outkast exploded. Dj Big X speaks about how Atlanta has made people millionaires off the influence of music. X talks about producing records for De La Soul and werking with The Native Tongue collective. He talks about the importance of producers understanding their role and educating themselves on the business of music. The formation of The Coaliton Dj's came about watching artist approach Dj Nando(R.I.P.) with $100 bills and cds requesting for their music to be played in the club. X created a system where the collective of djs played records 4 to 6 weeks and gave artist real exposure vs spending a few dollars for one night. All the active hot spots to get your record heard in Atlanta were run by the djs. This philosophy blossomed into what Coalition Djs is today flourishing in over 16 major cities ranging from Atlanta, to Detroit to DC to Las Vegas and more. In a time due to streaming everything has changed. Listen as he breaks down the logic behind a stream. Important lessons shared about becoming a businessman. Tons of wisdom from a veteran you will surely enjoy this week!
Checking in this week with Bonecrusher hailing from Decatur is Ghetto Mafia. The original group was five members. Over time it slimed down to Nino and Wick. Wick who originally from Saint Croix US Virgin Islands influenced their sound on their first project “Draw The Line.” The art reflects the lifestyle they were living growing up in Decatur. Nino talks about what saved their lives. The people seeing something greater in them than they could see in themselves meant much to their growth and evolution. It wasn’t until Nino was sent down from MC BREED (RIP) to visit Erik Sermon that he realized that he needed to embrace who he really was. His attempt to be more lyrical and emulate the style of up north artist just didn’t work. Through this understanding birth the classic “In Decatur.” The conversation transitions to discussing the importance of doing your homework on the ones before you. The lineage of trap music should be studied and respected if you want to take on the title. Ghetto Mafia’s bond comes through experiencing life’s ups and downs together to develop a strong chemistry which is evident through the entire conversation. Enjoy!
This week of The Origin Story With ATL Greats centers on the dynamic duo known as The Hard Boyz. The original name of the group was called Sudden Impact which was named by DJ Len. The group talks about how their original music was centered on their way of life. The first album they put out was a collaboration with Timbo, Lil Dave, and Jojo and that was when they knew they could take their music to new heights. As they continued to evolve, Dallas Austin’s brother, Claude, named the group The Hard Boyz. They drew inspiration from the Ghetto Boyz, Scarface, NWA, and Ice T, which helped diversify their tastes and style in music. In the time when the majority of artists were signed, the group stayed independent due to discrimination from Capital Records asking them to. It proved to work in their favor as staying true to their craft helped change the sound of Atlanta from the bass area into trap music. Their influence lives on in the new generation of rap artists from acts such as Gucci Mane, Future, and Lil Baby. A true testament that shows a legacy and that the influence of true legends will never die.
As a foundational bass pioneer, Playa Poncho has truly left his mark on Atlanta music culture. This week Bonecrusher speaks with Playa Poncho. His musical journey began as a child with his uncle’s band which played with musical legends such as Otis Redding, James Brown, and Little Richard to name a few. From working at a barbershop to working at Edward J shop he credits divine timing in how being in the shop solidified his intentions in wanting to be a great entertainer. When discussing the So So Def Bass All-Star album, the song "Whatz Up, Whatz Up" opened up doors for other artists to release songs on the album. He speaks about the creation of “Let It Burn” being inspired by a sound mixture of Jodeci's "Forever My Lady" and Keith Sweat. He mentioned that Carl Moe played the keys, Virgo gave the female vocals, and DJ Wiz did the production, Paul MPC helped bring the song to life. The production of his singles for "Let It Burn," and "Whatz Up, Whatz Up” which was a collaboration with Kizzy Rock. He wrote these songs at his grandma’s house, and in the process became known as the King of the Strip Clubs. Playa Poncho has written for musical acts such as Lil Jon, Too Short, Killer Mike, and The Purple Ribbon All-Stars and continues to keep a positive outlook on life. Given the amount of success he has had in this career, he makes it his mission to give back and teach people, especially the younger generation, that no matter where they come from they can achieve their dreams.
On this week's episode Bonecrusher sits down with Kizzy Rock. His musical origins began on the Eastside of Atlanta being a Dj at Russian Park and in the surrounding areas. Around the 11th grade, he dreamed of being on the J Team at Edward J’s shop. His dream eventually came true when a surprising encounter with Edward J would lead him to create a mixtape with MC Jam which eventually became the top-selling mixtape in the store at the time. When putting music together, he credits the buildup of song mixes to bring the vibe and the crowd to the dancefloor. He talks about his workflow as a rapper with his song “Yeah Shawty, Yeah”, and in his discussion outlines the process of putting together a timeless bass hit. Kizzy credits tempo and proper placement of 808s to creating a vibe to bring his musical gift to life that still resonates today.
An Origin Story this week features turntablist DJ Len sharing his beginnings on becoming part of King Edward J's "J Team". Dj Len speaks about being young simply having fun leading to his group Success n Effect early hit records. His inspirations come from midwest groups such as Ohio Players & Parliament. He speaks briefly about artist being artist and not necessarily businessmen. Dive in and listen to more jewels discussed with another ATL Great. Enjoy!
This week episode presents King Edward J also known as "The Godfather of The Atlanta Sound." The Atlanta mixtape trade was pioneered by King Edward J's private parties morphing into a record and tape store constructing the blueprint for future legends. It was through a conversation with the Reverend he realized his calling was in the ministry. Listen as he shares his journey and message that all people can love the Lord no matter their background.
This week Bonecrusher sits down with,Grammy-winning, multi-platinum producer and songwriter as well as executive producer, Dj Toomp. His story starts with his dad who was a lead singer in a group called The MVPs. The impact Grand Master Flash had on Toomp wanting to become a dj and talks about reading the crowd and knowing your records as a true dj. The transition from djing to becoming a producer. Listen how he talks about believing in a young talent maturing into the superstar known as T.I. to producing records for Kanye West. Toomp makes a definitive statement discussing the impact the south had over hip hop not to be missed!
First episode kicks off with the originator himself Raheem The Dream. His story starts in 1986 with his first single release at the age of 18 years old! Raheem was the 1st Atlanta rapper to receive radio play. He goes on to share the numerous acts he signed eventually leading to #1 hits records for each artist. 34 years in the business and continues to do shows monthly. His tips to achieving longevity in the industry is not to be missed.
In this episode journalist Maurice Garland sits down to speak with our show host Bone Crusher about why he decided to host this show.
In this behind the scenes episode Atlanta journalist Maurice Garland takes us behind the scenes & talks about his role with the show & why he decided to be a part of "An Origin Story"