The rest is history.WASHINGTON - Four House Republicans including Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, signaled on Thursday that they would not cooperate with subpoenas from the committee investigating the Jan. In that same year we started the mighty Zulu Nation, which marked the real birth of Hip Hop. Just a bunch of young brothers in search of knowledge and understanding of self. As the Black Spades faded away from 1975- 76, we started a peaceful, community based group called вЂњThe OrganizationвЂќ whose goal was to bring the community together through music, dance and the arts. Music became the antibiotic that cured the deadly infection brought on by gang life. At that point we all knew we had to qet out or die. Following SoskiвЂ™s death, a lot of the older members got locked up. Him and 4 other members of his crew, were gunned down by the NYPD. An 18 year old brother at the time by the name of Soski, was the leader of the Spades in our area. The street gangs had New York City terrified, so Mayor Beame put out what we believed to be a вЂњhitвЂќ on all gang leaders. At least for those of us who were lucky enough to make it back. That was also the first song that hit the turntables when we returned home from the rumbles. When James screamed вЂњsoul powerвЂќ we would all shout out вЂњSpades PowerвЂќ.

But my favorites were always Sly and the Family Stone and James Brown. He would play everything from Latin to Disco to Rock. Before & after rumbles, Bambaataa who lived on the 1st floor at the time, would put his big speakers out the window, blasting the whole neighborhood. Damn! But being in the Spades was a special bond, That was priceless back then. As I write this, I can hear my mother telling me вЂњSon you are definitely black, If you want to be a вЂњSpadeвЂќ that's on you but I have 7 other children to worry about, so all I can do is just keep your life insurance paid upвЂќ.

When I was only 12 years old, I became a Baby Spades Second division. Power then became the Black Spades, one of the biggest gangs in New York if not the biggest. In the early seventies, It was a gang called Power, whose members wore Lee denim jackets with a big yellow Black Power fist painted on the back. One old timer in particular, Old Man Floyd, intoxicated like crazy, would share his tales of the gang life and what great stories he would tell. In the late fifties and sixties, the most powerful gang was The Flying Dutchmen. Bronx River was the home turf for several gangs throughout the years. As the oldest of 7 brothers and sisters, I had to show my violent side to the neighborhood bullies real fast, which led me into the street gang life. Bronx River Project, aka вЂњLittle VietnamвЂќ was my home for the next 10 years. The 1st 10 years of my life, my family and I moved all over the Bronx and it wasn't until 1970 that we settled down. вЂњBorn 1960 in the Bronx.the land of вЂњif you make it to your 18th birthday, U was considered to be luckyвЂќ. His work as a writer, performer and cultural ambassador are unparalleled and his influence on the musical landscape continues to this day. He went on to write and perform on two of the most iconic and influential recordings in music history, вЂњLooking For the Perfect BeatвЂќ and вЂњRenegades of FunkвЂќ. It was uncharacteristically innovative in its pure electronic simplicity and it was the first Hip Hop record to incorporate the 808 drum machine, which has become a staple not only of Hip Hop, but of every conceivable musical genre. Planet Rock was the record that made Hip Hop a global and multi-cultural phenomenon. Ellis Williams, aka Mr Biggs is one of the founders of The Soul Sonic Force and consequently, of Hip Hop itself.

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