Big shout out to the L.A. Weekly for naming my record with Kool Keith, “Nogatco Rd.” on their Top 20 Hip Hop Sequels of all Time list. They published this in August, but I just noticed it. Out of the projects I’ve worked on, Nogatco was a blast and continues to be one of the pieces of work I am most proud of. When I started Insomniac Magazine in the mid nineties, after covering Hip Hop for Jack the Rapper’s urban music trade paper Mello Yello magazine, I wanted to create a platform to give props to the unsung heroes of our genre, and to those on the come-up. I was an avid reader of the Source early on, however, as a Hip Hop native- raised in the Soundview area of The Bronx during the golden era- I was upset that one of the most distinctive acts, “Ultramagnetic, never made it on the cover. And, when they were trumped for the cover featuring TLC after Ultra’s ’93 “The Four Horsemen” album dropped, I vowed to find a way to honor them by always playing them on the decade long Hip Hop radio show I hosted. In 1995, I interviewed Ultra for the first incarnation of Insomniac, a newsletter. Then, the following year, I made sure to put Kool Keith on the cover of the first official version of Insomniac Magazine. Here we are all these years later- the goal remains- supporting quality Hip Hop.
I also want to give a shout out to Insomniac Magazine’s editor Kevin Keith. He’s a true unsung Hip Hop hero. During the early 90s in New York City, anyone who followed Hip Hop radio below the surface of commercial stations were familiar with the Bobbito and Stretch Armstrong show, The Awesome Two, The Underground Railroad, Hardcore Righteousness, and Kevin Keith and the Dirty Dozen. Some of the greatest groups in Hip Hop got their first spin on those great radio shows. During those years, Kevin Keith interviewed countless acts that would go on to be revered globally.
Thanks for reading. Continue supporting Hip Hop below the surface. I. Vasquetelle
Giving thanks and Hip Hop appreciation on WPRK radio’s 60th anniversary show.
