MTV: High School High Movie Premiere Party 1996

Yall do remember that movie right? I thought it was ok, the best part to me was the part when the DJ was cuttin up that Country record and scratchin that shit all up. Hilarious stuff. But neither than that, thats it. What made this movie standout tho was its Soundtrack. To me this one of the best Sountracks ever for a movie, ill stack it up against Belly or The Show soundtracks. This joint had hit after hit, mad classic records. Well when this movie came out in 1996, MTV thought it was a great idea to have a concert show featuring some of the artists that featured on this Soundtrack. The line-up included Lil Kim, Lil Cease , Wu-Tang, KRS-One & Tribe Called Quest. Now thats one heck of a line-up and this was during the golden era so already know what it is. The only thing that concerned me was the crowd activity, they was really not into it at times. Which is shockin cause this was back in '96 when everything was hot. I bet they look back on this now be like man what the hell was i thinkin not being so involved? I wish i would been there, i woulda been off da hook for real! Great times man. So please check out this rare concert and enjoy cause we all know MTV dont even come close to do this anymore! Holla!

High School High MTV Premiere Party 1996 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

The Lox on BET's Teen Summit 1998

Now at this point the world is starting to know who the Lox is instead of only NYC. They paid their dues with countless mixtapes appearances and guest spots on other joints, and in '97 they blew up big time with All About the Benjamins. We all know that joint went worldwide and is a certified classic. So in '98 they was preppin for their 1st LP release and the 1st single was If U Think Im Jiggy. Like i said before that joint was always poppin to me but i could understand why people didnt like it cause of who the Lox were. But back then, when that joint came on everybody was on the dance floor!So check out the Lox doin their thing '98 style!! Check out the gear yall, mad jerseys and Fubu gear!! Word up!

The Lox on BET Teen Summit 1998 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Common on BET's Teen Summit 1998

As I keep the classic vids goin.....here's a goodie from Common givin the fans the epitome of a live show! He givin them mad energy and alot of emotion in this one. Remember now, his 3rd LP just dropped not too long ago. And to me One Day It Will All Make Sense is right behind Ressurection in Common's discography. I hope people can go back and analyze that LP to see how classic it is. Ok enough of me babbling, enjoy the vid and more to come soon! ONE!

Common on BET's Teen Summit 1998 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

MTV: Pete Rock & CL Smooth Live Performance at the Who's The Man Premiere Party 1993

Here's another trip down memory lane for yall. U do know the movie Who's The Man right? This was huge for hip-hop at time cause basically hollywood was recognizing that our artform was coming thru in full blast. Plus Ed Lover & Dr. Dre was givin a chance to be in a movie......with no prior acting experience! But they did a great job and the film was a huge success! Also they looked out for everybody who was in hip-hop at that time, cause there were maddd cameo's in this joint but thats the way u supposed to it! Now u know it wouldnt be right to celebrate this without a premiere party and thats what MTV did. It was basically live performances by artists who was on the soundtrack. I wish i had a chance to see this when it actually came on but back in '93 i was in the 6th grade and i was outside 90% of the time so i missed all of this. This vid right here is Pete Rock & CL Smooth performin "Whats Next On The Menu", a very underrated track by them if u ask me! I hope u enjoy and check the gear they was rockin!! Classic shit yall!

Pete Rock & CL Smooth Live Performance at Who's The Man Premiere Party 1993 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

MTV: Puff Daddy & The Family- No Way Out Tour 1997

To me, 1997 marked the change in hip-hop of how the music sounded and looked like. As we all we know hip-hop has gone thru phazes in the past leading up to now. In the early to mid 80’s it was all fun and dancing goin on. The late 80’s to early 90’s it was political, black power & stand up for ur rights movement. Then like in ‘92-’93 it was straight gangsta. From ‘94-’96 it was keeping it real & big willie style. Then ‘97 rolls around and Puff Daddy (and Will Smith also) starts the beginning of the Jiggy Era. People wanted to dance again and have fun again, cause with the untimely passings of Pac & BIG people wanted to move away from that negativity. Whoever was a who’s who in hip-hop at that time fell victim to the jiggy era, u can go down the line to Jay, Nas, Busta, the Lox (even tho I like If U Think Im Jiggy) and the list goes on & on. Me personally, I had no problem with this era. I mean it was kool to dress up in ur flyest wear and get ur groove on wit the ladies and all of that, but the shiny suits is another story tho. But Puff Daddy was the president in hip-hop in 1997, he straight up dominated it. Along with Mase, they formed a great duo in providing a lot of classic tracks in hip-hop history. I just remember being in 10th grade man and coppin The No Way Out LP, it was like listening to a music motion picture. I used to jam this LP everyday, it was very well put together from top to bottom. They don’t make LP’s like that any more, its like an lost art. This is the Puff that I liked, when he was focused just on the music and not being involved in Hollywood. I still think if BIG was still here, he would be still focused on the music and not crossing over to other things.

Now up to this point in ‘97, hip-hop tours was damn near extinct. It was getting too rowdy and shoot-outs always happened. That’s why other cities was hesitant to have hip-hop shows comin to their town. But Puff has to receive credit for reviving big tours available for hip-hop again. And on this one he brought everybody who was the shit in 1997. Who u ask? Jay Z (even tho he left after a couple of dates cause he didn’t like the way things was set for him), The Firm, Busta Rhymes, Mase, 112, Lil Kim & Usher. That’s one helleuva bill if u ask me. So u know MTV had to be there to give us the public the behind scenes access footage and that’s what im giving yall today. This is rare stuff right here, MTV don’t even do things like this anymore. Its also kinda crazy to see certain artists hangin out with each other even tho they would have beef a couple years later (or in the case of Foxy Brown & Lil Kim, during the tour!). I hope yall enjoy this and I have more comin ur way soon!

Puff Daddy & The Family No Way Out Tour 1997 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Gangstarr on BET's Teen Summit 1998

Once again on the check in with another vid from the stash!! On this one it features Gangstarr performin "You Know My Steez" from their classic Moment Of Truth LP!! Man, i remember when i was younger watchin Teen Summit on Saturday afternoon's!! The theme song from the show was off the hook, they took Da Youngsta's "Mad Props" instrumental and made a little joint with it. As of matter of fact, it was that theme song that put me on Mad Props! I was so hooked on that joint that i wanted it bad, but this was back in like '94 and i had no idea who did the song or what. Good memories man. Now as u see Gangstarr performin, u can tell crowd didnt know how to react to a song like that. Plus its a younger crowd and its real hip-hop that they are listenin to, no catchy hook or singin in it so is it a glimpse into the future? Hmmm..... well back in '98, it was during the golden era so i would never thought hip-hop would take the turn it did. But thats another story. RIP Guru 24/7! And once again if the syncing is a little off its my bad cause i was using a different decoder than i am now.

Gang Starr on BET's Teen Summit 1998 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.

Method Man on BET's Rap City 1994

Well here's vid #2 from my personal stash and many more to come. For me 1994 was the beginning of a whole new era in hip-hop. It started in '92 but by '94 things started to get real and the creativity was at a all-time high. And who else better to represent '94 than Method man aka Jonny Blaze. He really started to blossom into a rap superstar by this time and it doesnt help to be apart of 2 classic LP's already with his 1st Lp & WU's 1st LP. So on this clip he's lettin the people know what to expect on his 1st LP and let's u inside in his world in what he's thinkin at that time in 1994. This hip-hop at its rawest form right here. It was all about keepin real or like what Kenny Smith says on Inside the NBA, "dont keep it real keep it right!" Nuff said, enjoy yall!
One more thing, im sorry that the audio & video syncing is a little off, but i was using a different decoder than im using now. So it is what it is yall.

Method Man on Rap City 1994 from Brandan Evans on Vimeo.