What was ultimately conceived was “New York Sh*t,” a prideful, vintage-style cut that Scratch produced for Busta Rhymes, with the sole purpose of bringing the N-Y-C all the way back to the forefront.
“It came about with basically me complaining one day in the studio with Swizz Beatz and I was like ‘Ok, every region is doing their thing, especially the South, but New York ain’t making no records,” says Scratch about how the “New York Sh*t” track came about. “I’m not a rapper, but I was like fu*k it, we’ll just do a song [for NYC] and try to place it on someone’s album or put it out there and just hope that everyone follows suit. It was just me and Swizz at first and then as soon as Busta heard it, he wanted it. We are just trying to start a movement.”
right Scratch, who was mentored by the late Jam Master Jay of Run DMC and dj'ed for the eminent EPMD, is used to witnessing NYC lyricists shine. In the 20+ years of his career, Scratch has seen Run DMC and EPMD kill live shows on stages all over the world. He watched LL Cool J become a hip hop icon and later, in the 1993-97 span, he saw firsthand how the likes of Wu Tang, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z rose to prominence and had the city on smash.
That’s why to see and hear about NYC’s hip hop scene struggling truly hurts Scratch. Although many critics are quick to point out that hip hop in NYC is currently struggling because of the lack of unity demonstrated by its MCs, Scratch swiftly disagrees. “Cats haven’t been getting along forever in New York,” says Scratch. “New York has always been competitive with each other, so that’s not the problem.”
If that’s not the problem, though, what is? Why can’t NYC, the birthplace of hip hop, reclaim its throne and seize the spotlight from the South? The world renowned DJ cites a few reasons. “There’s a few problems, actually,” explains Scratch. “But, the first problem is, as far as new rappers trying to get record deals in NY, it’s hard because labels in NY are signing record companies from other regions.”
Scratch’s second reason, however, narrows it down to mic skills, content and overall spitting-clever. Instead of hearing NYC cats rhyme "My pockets stay fat," he wants to hear them say the same thing, if necessary, but with the use of some word-play, like "My pockets stay nine months."
Scratch is also tired of MCs in NY rhyming about the same subjects: drug dealing, guns and killings. “Another reason why the new rappers in NY aren’t getting it popping is because of their vocabulary,” explains Scratch. “All they talking about is how much guns they popping off and how much coke they’re selling. It’s like, ‘Ok, you do that sh*t for one song, but every motherfu**ing song, every verse don’t have to be that. Talk about how nice you are on the mic. A real MC can say I love you 50 times, 50 different ways and that’s what’s missing right now.”
While the capital of the world’s hip hop scene may currently be gloomy, Scratch doesn’t believe that’s any reason to hate on the South’s success. “A lot of artists in NY are complaining about a lot of Dirty South being played on the radio,” he says. “Atlanta is fortunate enough to be in a Renaissance period right now, but you can’t be mad at the next man for doing their thing. The bottomline is if you make a hit record, they’ll play yours too.”
Despite the staleness, Scratch hopes “New York Sh*t” can inject a much-needed boost in the NY rap scene. With that in mind, Scratch is prepping the release of four remixes to the track, all of which he promises to include “heavyweight” appearances. In addition to Busta, Scratch also cites young MCs like Papoose, Jae Millz and Maino as key players in revitalizing the game for the Big Apple.
Meanwhile, though, Scratch has laid out the outline for the city’s reemergence. “All I can do is my part. This song provides the direction,” says Scratch. “New York Sh*t is the blueprint for NYC MCs.”
The Scratch-umentary DVD, chronicling Scratch’s 20-plus years in hip hop, is scheduled for a Fall/Winter release. Scratch will be on tour till July 5.
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