welcome to let Ursula can I am your host R&B singing the kid I'm your co-host
thank you for joining us tonight for this classic episode of letters from can you have a great guest tonight Grandmaster Dee one of the three parts of Houdini so of course before we get into the interview with Grandmaster Dee we're going to shut us response to it so impossible science for all your pressing needs photography got next for all of your photography need jrc cleanup no job is too big or too small LHS home care taking care of your loved ones in the New York in tri-state area Kryptonite station which is 420 clothing line you can get those wings on our website ww.w. Let us from the pins out of course need to shut out who my mother send a pin on every Sunday evening
so now that we've gotten that out of the way and pay the bills let's get into this juicy letter
what's going to be so fitting for some of the songs we were playing tonight so anyway dear letters for the pain
I am a 21 year old college student I can fight it in my friends because I was having problems with my boyfriend now all of a sudden my friend has become the shoulder for my boyfriend so I find it very weird and they seem to be getting closer than me and my boyfriend are I think they have something going on I don't know for sure
should I confront my friend and ask her and ask my boyfriend or should I just leave it alone until I figure out what's really going on signed I'm super confused
first of all let me say that you guys are young 21 is like okay you're in college knows if we were going to be together after that
but there is Girl Code and I think your friend is breaking Girl Code you do need to say something like I feel like he's your friend can you show them to your boyfriend because I'm sorry my boyfriend is not going to be confiding in my girlfriend and my homegirl and all that good stuff because that's how friends
he got friends on friends leave mine alone but that's how it she's just started and that's how I mean look every relationship that has started or less I should say every entanglement and situationship has started with conversation okay when somebody cheats with a relationship starts it starts by talking it doesn't start with OS jump in the bed and starts with talking
so the more that
he's confiding in your friend which is kind of crazy too because I'm sure she knows if this is like your good friend I'm sure she knows like things about you that he probably doesn't know so she's probably telling you up the river girl and tell him all your business and all types of stuff trying to make room for herself to get on up in there. A. I was going to go down girl cutting bolts loose
question what's the question
what do you have to talk to my friend
4
what are you absolutely talking to her about that you cannot come to me as your lady and speak about
well
I agree with you but
I think they're doing more than talking exactly exactly
that don't make no type of sense that's why this next song will be perfect
this song that we can read you play called friend right
right
right
anyway this song Friends was recorded by Whodini came out in about 1984 hit the top of the charge so we going to get into this song right now and then we come back what kind of backward Grandmasters DMV Genie and we're going to get all of his business is going to ask you a question are we going to find out where he's at he's doing now not literally where he's at like when I give you his address but you know what is going in the music world in any other world so you heard it on the pen Friends by Whodini keep it locked we'll be right back
how many of us have them
what we can depend on
how many of us have them
before we go any further friends and if you ask me you know I couldn't be much help cuz print somebody just for yourself
thanks for the food you like to be with someone because the front was come around when they need some money around the way industry will both be home for the summer winter spring and fall and think it's time we wish you never knew at all this list goes on again and again but these are the people that we friends
when we first met. Together we barely knew each other we had no intention of becoming love is what is no time at all you became my girl me and you one-on-one against the world so I can only teleport to your house while you was at Mom's and then came to automatically all kind of problems besides the whole thing wrong cuz I don't know where it came to an end because we became lovers before we was friends
everything you own
with friends like that you don't need enemies
what's weekend
welcome back to let us know the pain I am your host R&B singer Nakia and we are here with a very very special guest Grandmaster Dee one of the three parts of the legendary hip-hop group
so glad that you joined us so good to have such an iconic
hip hop person mobile with us so Houdini everybody know who they are because we have a lot of younger kids that pop on and watched some of them it might be out of their time so they might not know who did he is all my friend
okay stop harassing the gas okay so let everybody know who follows ecstasy baby rest in peace Grand Master P
born and raised in the streets of Brooklyn three of us and we all been looking
so now how did first of all how did the name Houdini become the name of the group and how did you guys get together
1981
80 80 81 met at the radio station w h b I do miss the magic he's on the radio back in the days playing hip hop give me the first DJ to play rap on the radio and is it a little station called whdi and I know they had a big concert coming up with the Sugarhill all the groups on that label and I gave him a call at the station and Mister magic ask me what I come help and promoters and I said sure I went there to pick up some posters and flyers and I wanted to run into Ja Rule and we connect in the same phone number and at that time they were looking for a DJ
and I gave you my number we kept in touch and after that I can stop by him and that's if he came by my crib and watch me do some some tricks on the turntables in just watching my style and they said let's make it happen
wow that's dope so at what point
did it really kind of hit you guys that like Houdini was like big you guys were charting you guys are dropping albums I mean when did we discover how big you really were
movie first or Europe
when first call Europe in 83 84 we did England Germany Belgium Paris France what's the Munich Frankfurt answer them Holland and Berlin and that's when we knew we was about to lose on to something but you know we was out of the country performing but we couldn't wait to get back to the states in Europe because we were recorded in one day and then what's going on with that the records are playing on the radio and that's when we knew we ready now you know
so who are some of the like acts that were out that you guys open for tours in Akron Ohio would teach you and I'll teach you African Bambaataa and I think the Four Tops on the Fort Knox of one of those groups we had a magic wand out what the place is sold out
that was incredible
did you guys ever have any like any bloopers while you're on stage or anything
yeah but the time being on stage right now I'm doing the show where Noah you know I got time we was in using jacks or CDs we had to use records will using volume instrumental and close to being a blue book and when it records crashed on me one time and I took the record up and broken broken on stage and put a new one on a good thing for us we have instrumental it's a lot of group they have instrumental do you know they were rapping over they both know I know I know I mean that. Sad that happens to artist now to you know a lot of artists do you know what to think like what was that girl's name of Taylor Swift and it happen to her I don't know why do you throw that happened to when she was on a good day America and her track Skipton
started skipping with it. It's different artists are on
artist has a different now than they were you know coming up in you know other air is like the 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s that era is dumb
those errors were one of the best areas for music everything was kind of just like real and raw and authentic an artist really could sing you did your thing I mean now is different people are not that you know there's anything wrong with people you know at home in her bathroom making music but you know everybody jumps on something to throw is auto-tune on it and so I called to hit and today a lot of people sound the same to me the best music ever came out was in in the 70s 60s and 70s they were really talking about something happy and learn about music you know every household you went in your way soon.
a James Brown when he saw Al Green on you sore eyes are Hazel and Joe Tex but those with groups that help raise
turn off music because what you're talking about
right I mean those days I mean I wish if I have like a little nod to turn time back I would kind of go back you know when that when that real good news it was like a thing because it really said something to you made you feel something and when you can play like a song that came out years ago and it still means something like that music right there and then you know what I look at it and I say this to everybody I said anybody entering the music industry today you can't learn some music that came out in the 90s you have to learn your history you have to go to the Innings you know a lot of people sampled a lot of songs along the way but you got to find a way that music
you know and like you're saying is if it's the truth you know because it's music that created by us but you know what it's supposed to be e2020 trying to reach one not run people away from it gets music was all about son started in a park and nobody knew it was going to turn in some money so I could turn this a billion-dollar game now but I remember when they was scared of us it was on the radio today I can't believe it but yeah I say and we do we do when the last 40 years and still work you doing something right
right so what was life like for you after Houdini when you guys kind of decided okay we're not going to do no record anymore everybody got a hold of everybody was raising children the game changed in electrical form at will with more updated like you know you had the Big Daddy Kane. You had your on your Nelly coming you had. It was so many different groups coming a big jump so when the game was just going Every Which Way but you know we was on certain record companies you know when we thought we would find a home if this one is getting worse and we thought we found this one didn't work and you will grow in a pot
I'm still growing apart but I'm getting it for that it was like things just showed slow down but then it started coming back around again because we made it songs that the last two the test of time because you know what Drake song says take my hat off to a great writer like John little if you go to the brakes on there and what do you put on a pad Hugo and Larry Smith I want to give him the credit that nobody cares nobody don't give him the credit for producing those Drake song you could do such a Run DMC. We didn't sound the same
right when you heard his voice you know it was Houdini I can get her job Lowe's porch and then when you heard the music the music was different from a lot of the time we were when you heard a musical I didn't sound like they would make any news about maybe an 8-track and Houdini sound like we was like Debo a crap work because we had the strength we had everything and you know we were in the song One Love
y'all have a good time classics classics so take us to the moment when you found out that ecstasy I passed away
shopping moment I was in my good friend from Washington DC to restaurant here in Atlanta call Pappadeaux and I'll get a phone call from my buddy Hassan and I'm here and he's crying on the phone and he says yo ecstasy pass and I'm like I'm just getting ready to walk on the bus, and it was XP daughter's mother and she text me in the same call me back and that's when I knew I called him right away and she was going to the hospital she said X fast and not just bust out crying and I was walking in a rush and everybody's looking at me like what's wrong
they didn't know I just went straight to the bathroom
we are the davises going tomorrow who would think that never in a million years I would think it happened one of us like you know that's so
rest in peace to ecstasy great person
voice like that you never been another voice like that
you know when you kind of like when you go back and look at it like your album covers and videos and stuff you guys together he stay dressed to the nines like all the time like you love them hats like I was insane and you created that her and you know me I was like trying to a b-boy hip-hop or address this way or just that way but I'm going to be cool so excellent the one that wanted to be like like a Fifth Avenue or something or other computer borderline European
set a trend Trend Setter work first dressing we were the first putting courses in songs you know R&B field you know what I look at you know I never like jealous reaction during you know we always keep coming from Brooklyn.
right so now
where you guys were you guys making money at as a group like touring and and sales or were you guys kind of in a situation where the label was kind of taking all the money this money to look at it today and you'll make a certain amount but just say we will get me more than what the group for getting Before Flowers and every interview we can't forget those you know a lot of people don't care about who's before them they don't look back but in order to get you to see if you got to know what happened in the past so I'd like to give credit to Grand movie theater by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
funky four plus one gold people that open the doors for us you got to give them the credit definitely who is the first artist that you guys ever opened up for
like I said we would ball in GQ
that was the first show we did and we was there an Akron Ohio
so when you guys did that show right and you hit the stage you look out there about how many people would you say was it was there
I mean it sounds like that's like a small number or when you're on a stage and it's four thousand people in front of you that wants a lot of people so you guys are like nervous or scared the first time like you you really hit a big stage I'm like I said we losing records and I was just praying that the records wouldn't jump you know everything will be alright let's see if you get one of those big stage and its shape of you know but we were good good
cool so what are you doing now look what you doing these days are you still in Tampa not that long ago it was outside Avenue rooftop venue was real good and he's real nice beautiful and everybody wanted mad it was right out you know but it was a breath of fresh air to get back off the infield and once in a while do my little set on Instagram on Facebook
so what is your set what is your typical set look like like what do you know you playing in your set but I love to school music you know I can go deep cuz I don't want to really expect nobody and you know a lot of new you today love that certain music and I try to stay away from that because I try to do the grown and in plastic
you know what if you guys get booked for shows like that I just have to do it but I rather stay you know where people are happy and smiling and dancing and having a good time ain't nobody taking my heart nobody that listen that's true cuz people are out of their minds these days with that nonsense fighting or something so if there's if there were any artists that are out now that you could kind of collab with or work with would it be
alright Kendrick Lamar I like J Cole. Don't want to look up negative are in the world you just want to get away from there and then you just want to hear some of them have great music but the lyrics it's just different you know I'm not going to do what they do you see later on down the line
Soul artists from way back when you started out that you wish you would have had work with
we started like what R&B and Hip Hop
I'll go to gaming with a bitter song by Kurtis Blow My Whistle did anybody do the song with Run DMC Big Daddy Kane versus you know it is a lot I used to love all of you rest in peace can you stop Google so many likes Texas on I can imagine
yeah that would have been something great
oh yeah that would have been that would have been dope
Lauryn Hill miseducation of Lauryn Hill what is she is she just got an award for that she went with like triple diamond or something like that I heard they're still counting now because I know I'll still selling a lot
well you got to think too you're probably you guys are probably streaming a lot to do in streams I mean it obviously takes more streams to make a dollar than it does in album sell but I mean think about it if you're if you're doing a billion streams on like will it let you say you can come down to a smaller number if you're doing like a million streams on tidal switching it over here you know
well it's Sony Sony better than everything
being that you've been in the game for like decades is there anything that you know now that you learned that you could go back and change it to hey I would have did this differently
I wouldn't I wouldn't waste a lot of money
you know I enjoy watching you know when you're young you get a lot of money like that you just chill out and ask. But what would you what would you say is like the most unnecessary thing that you bought when you got money
cars are going in the club by champagne and you know I would be walking around back in the days are like 5,000 every other day in my pocket
and you know the street and everybody I wouldn't do that it's not going to stop, scared to take a chance
right when you got money or your buddy comes around you got friends you even ever know about that big house in waterfall and all that and I was like you can imagine how much it cost to heat the house up every night
I'm here was just a some unnecessary stuff like when they took the house and they, I mean I'm sorry but even if I have like a billion dollars I am not paying $10 for no 24 karat gold toilet somebody has to be behind on people and then when you are in a jam who's there to help you and make makes you open your eyes like I was very genuine to you now you turn your back on me so happy but you live and you learn to take care of a lot of people took him on the road with him he invested in the horses and it was just so much and you know these days if you know you can have one loyal but you just about me two or three lawyers want to watch and each one of them and
they open them like I do, but they don't open study you need to sign your own checks and that's going here and that's going there you don't know what they snatching off the bottom of the top of that money put aside from the hotel and this was a terrible on here we go again
yeah
so what advice would you give to artists that are trying to break into the game now
study the history don't follow if you follow you can't leave so Jesse different see what they doing now but you don't have to do the same thing they're doing you should come different when you start your own ring people will respect you more than just sounding like the next guy
right so can we expect like a Houdini reunions or any new music everything you know what man I tell everybody asking that question man and all my thing is when we do it we have to be on the same page we going to do what we're going to do it together whatever happened in the past or whatever let that stay back that way and let's move forward
I wish I can turn back the hands of time not even I just wish I can just go back and grab all the old artists that were out way back then just bring them out to make music now because over the phone and you know all these boots and I got a chance to be backstage with the Stylistics Corporation Annapolis Alice you need to do a song together and it was like yeah we know exactly who he is I said y'all don't raise me I said so that's what I put a bug in your ear
to bring them back and we can you buy with it right on toilet brush do it you're not going to know that you're acting like now you could you put on a new record and it's cool. Why you won't play it exactly open the door
that's true before the pandemic started I was able to see The O'Jays perform moving
open the seven shows with them and I'm like how to tell remember the steps to The Whispers is like that too and they shall just like the rookie
they were on that stage and I'm like okay what they think gym tomorrow I need to work
what they what they say got a message in the music money money money music money money money
I was asking what song do they sing at the concert
over an hour and do just like
reminiscing
so what is next for you I mean next to single out right now and he's got a friend who broke his kindergarten his name is Oliver law and I'm used to being a Google my brother and my phone new rap style so it's all right now and no Ralph McDaniels piece to beat piece the video together did a great job take my hat off to him and he's a video out and you'll probably be able to see it on YouTube TV and it's going to spread out he's going to be a Buick real tsunami video music box and I just want to keep making music as long as I live and I don't want to stop until I want to have that reunions with Jello I've been reaching out to him and going to try to put this together and and I just want to work with you
do you know cuz I love being interesting and I love doing it.
How do you produce as well and stuff that I'd have it done when I was told that I'm working on that stuff now so now if somebody wanted to reach out to like book you for a show book you till I come DJ for them like where was how they reach you on Facebook all Grandmaster Dee on Instagram or they can go to the DMV. Y'all were going to come and get me on the email
cool you guys are right here on letters in the pan thank you so much for being with us tonight and sharing some of your amazing moments and thank you for everything that you contribute to history and just made music so much better, you mad tv you know what music on the Sony Orchard
so it is on all platforms the song five for new rap style Grandmaster D&R bubalo but I want to thank you all for taking the time and doing this with me then if y'all don't stop y'all good at it thank you and thank you so much for joining us we will be seeing each other again so
and we would of course want to have you back you can come back anytime you want
outside his house
I'll come back after I get out
you guys can chew 10 every Friday 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and every other Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at www.com make sure you catch a back here next Friday we will be interviewing Brian Anthony Wilson from the water you're welcome and the freaks come out at night so she can stop trying to be God bless you all
call the people on inside and out of the house in debate on the street would clear
call Connie pelas running
now the party jumping place is packed them in the past like this, the weather like about a motion to a real good woman in the part that you attempted are the most beef to known for breaking hearts you can never tell what a freaking thinking of and you can never catch a break without at least one.