JAYQUAN : Peace Caz its the highest honor to speak to you.

GMC : Peace...Thanks

JQ : Lets start with what you did first...was it Emceeing or Djing ?

GMC : Well ,there were no Emcees when I started...the Dj had a mic around for announcements and things but no one was doing full rhymes....just stuff like yes yes yall , to the beat yall etc . So Iwas a Dj first and it just went from those phrases to sentences into full rhymes. But Graffiti was the first element of the culture that I got into . I went to Catholic school , and I use to draw on art paper and things.....I had the Catholic mentality , so I never did subways . I was a B boy too...so I was into all 4 elements of the culture . I danced with the Casanova Crew...we all had names that began with Casanova....I was Casanova Fly......This was like 1973 .

JQ : Word ?..... I was 3 years old !!  Was there any Dj who influenced you ?

GMC : Kool Herc ... I just patterned myself around what he was doing with the breakbeats .

JQ : One of your most popular rhymes is Evette...I have many versions of it......even one you did with Malcolm McLaren called Juliet........was it a true story ?

GMC : No its fiction.... I have a daughter , and her mom is named Evette , so some people thought that it was true , but I made it up .  People all over the world know that rhyme...they always come up to me and want me to say it .

JQ : I noticed that Cold Crush records sounded very different from your live shows...was this due to politics from the label , or was this intentional ?

GMC : Some of both . But we had control in the studio , no one said what we could or couldnt do . We just wanted to do stuff different than what was out . We were ahead of our time...maybe too much sometimes . 

JQ : Whipper Whip and Dotta Rock from Fantastic 5 were down with you once right ?

GMC : Yeah I taught Whip and Dot....they were with me at one point....we were the Mighty Force . This was like 1978 .

JQ : You were one of few crews with two Djs .

GMC : Well Chase was one of the few Puerto Rican Djs playing Black music...most were playing Spanish and Disco . I met him , he was putting together a group and wanted me to be down. He held auditions , and it came down to KG & JDL.....he wanted just KG , but I was down with JDL ...we were called the notorious 2 . I said either take JDL too , or I cant be down . Tony Tone was down with the Bros Disco (Funky 4s Djs) Breakout & Baron....he came to us from them .

JQ : I saw you  on Tv with a wrestlemania shirt on...you were rappin about wrestlemania..where was that ?

GMC : Yeah I looked crazy on that !!!  It was the new music seminar battle . I won in '86 .  Busy B won in 85 and Melle Mel won in 87 . We use to hang around a lot back then , I had a club called the Zodiac .

JQ : Cold Crush hands down had the best routines...who made them up ?

GMC : I did 95 % or more  of our routines .

JQ : I know you have answered this a lot , but what happened with Big Bank Hank and the rhymes for Rappers Delight .... Did you offer him your notebook , or did he just bite your rhymes .

GMC : I offered him the notebook....but the problem is that he never credited me , paid me or anything . I was the reason he was even  in a New Jersey pizza parlor to even get discovered !! He was working there to recoup money that he borrowed from me !

JQ : Im gonna name some Emcees and I want you to rate them from 1 - 10 . 10 being the best .

Melle Mel - 8 1/2  , DLB (Fearless 4) - 7 1/2 , Kool Moe Dee - 9 , Spoonie Gee - 7 , Keith Cowboy (RIP) - 7 , LL Cool J    -  8 1/2 , G.L.O.B.E - 7 1/2   ,  T La Rock - 7 , Rakim - 10 .

JQ : Is there anyone else you would give a 10 ?....and would you rate yourself .

GMC : I would give myself a 10 because I feel that I was good in many categories...story rhymes , party ryhmes , live routines   and battle rhymes .  But with Rakim he took what me  , Mel & Moe Dee did to another level .

JQ : I agree . ....I have Yvette , Mr Bill , Casanovas Rap , Count Basey  and Get down Grandmaster. Are there any other solo releases by you ?

GMC : Youll need stitches , Star search and Im Grandmaster Caz . My new release is Mcs Delight. It explains the story that went down with Rappers Delight .

JQ : What do you think of current so called Hip Hop ?

GMC : I dont like the fact that there is a rap industry now . Im tired of the same subject matter too...guns , drugs , hos and bling bling . I dont know maybe if I had the money that some of these guys have I wouldnt give a shit about lyrical skills either .

JQ : Again it has been an honor....you & Mel are the best ever....Peace.

GMC : Peace....

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As told to JayQuan 10 / 26 / 01     © 2005  JayQuan Dot Com

* Special Thanks to Troy Smith *

* check www.elbravador.com for my video interview (different from this one) with Caz.*