I was on hand to witness history a few weeks ago in San Francisco. Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia reunited during a few days of Red Bull Music Academy events to highlight the Academy being in New York City this fall. As a BIG fan of the radio show, I was honored to hear stories of the show’s creation, what artist stretch & bob thought were going to be large and in charge, etc.
Check out some pics… then check out some video footage… THEN… listen to Stretch & Bob spin live at Mighty SF on Red Bull Music Academy Radio. WOW! What a way to start 2012!!! Don’t sleep on Red Bull Music Academy.
Presented for your viewing pleasure: Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia of the famed Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show – a/k/a, the greatest hip-hop radio show of all-time! – sit down with our own Chairman Mao for an entertaining and insightful hour-and-a-half interview/lecture at last week’s Red Bull Music Academy “NYC to SF Bay” program in San Francisco. Yup, long-time fans – it’s all covered here: the nervous early days when, as Stretch puts it, “at least 15 people were listening,” the classic freestyles (Big L with Jay-Z; Nas) and world premiere appearances (Wu-Tang; B.I.G.), the 4AM “Krunchtime” snap sessions – even the time a desperate listener called in seeking legal counsel from Bob after allegedly bucking someone down. Also discussed: why the show eventually ran its course (and episodes of playing records the other person wouldn’t like to piss him off), moving on from hip-hop, and how this particular broadcast with all its quirks and mystique will forever represent a classic New York City sensibility. “Eighty-nine tech-nine” 4eva! Spotted at Ego Trip Land.
If you watch towards the end you will see a cameo by yours truly Señor Kaos. I was really just trying to get an answer to a question I always wondered about.
Lecture: Stretch and Bobbito (San Francisco, 2012) from Red Bull Music Academy on Vimeo.
After the lecture with Chairman Mao, Stretch And Bob rock the party at Mighty SF. Shouts to the homie Rubix who came thru. Dave Chapelle was in the building, a snapped a quick pic of him (Dave doesn’t really like taking pictures) on stage with Bobbito, then I danced until my clothes were sweated out and my knee was killing me! Oh What A Night... check out the audio, broken down into 3 parts below. This audio was recored by the good people at Red Bull Music Academy Radio. Bet you didn’t know Red Bull had a music academy or a radio station… doing BIG things. The station is CRAZY too. Music from various genres, mixes, live performances, interviews, a lot more diverse than the same 8 songs you hear on your local radio all day for sure, check it out.
The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show is the best hip hop radio show of all time, period. Broadcasting out of Columbia University’s WKCR every Thursday night from 1am to 5am between 1990 and 1998, Adrian “Stretch Armstrong” Bartos and Robert “Bobbito” Garcia launched the career of countless MC’s from the East coast, including Nas, The Notorious B.I.G, Big Pun, and Busta Rhymes to name but a few. With their witty commentary, razor-sharp mixing skills and obsessive passion for unearthing the next freshest beat and rhyme in the universe, they had fans around the world on lock and inspired generations of radio hosts to come. Big L and Jay-Z freestyling back to back? Check. Dubplates cut from demo tapes at Sugar Minott’s Brooklyn studio? Check. Legendary on-air phone calls with aspiring rappers? Check. The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show was more than a radio show. It was the epitome of 90s New York rap, the backbone of an industry (without ever being part of the industry), and still ranks as one of the greatest documents of that era. Both Stretch and Bob have long gone on to engage in other ventures, running labels, making movies and of course DJing solo around the globe. In January 2012 though, they reunited for a lecture and DJ set during the Red Bull Music Academy Session in San Francisco. Hear them tear the Mighty SF apart with an impeccable selection of tunes that inspired their show back in the 90s, as well as legendary Bay Area DJ, Shortkut of Invisbl Skratch Piklz and Beat Junkies fame, warming up and paying homage to his contemporaries from the East Coast. – RBMA Radio.
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