49-TITANIUM- so we are back after 3 days of rest, we like to ask you question about your relationship with the pioneers of this culture?

VANSILK-I was never the one to really get close to people. Grandmaster Mele MEL from flash and the furious 5 was one of my closet friends. We did a lot of things together. But as far for us being around each other now, times has changed. We all have grown apart but we all still are family. You talking 25 years of knowing someone, Remember some of us are already grandfathers. My oldest grandchild is already 7 years old, GRANDMASTER FLASH has grandkids, and so does Mele Mel.  We have grandkids as old as today's rappers kids. But they will always be my brothers, and to all the pioneering female rappers my sisters. All of us came from the same hood in the South Bronx and we did something that no one will ever give us credit for. The true story of hip-hop has never been told and it seems that no one cares. There have been lot of lies told by certain people and they know it all lies. Everyone want to claim that they was there, but it seem that no one has made a true effort to tell the truth about how this really got started. A movie like Brown Sugar was all right. But again here we are giving someone else vision on how hip-hop affect they life's of millions worldwide. It really sad that no one has gotten the creator of this culture and put together a masterpiece documentary of hip hop. I feel sadden of how KOOL HERC, AFRIKA BAMBATTA, FLASH, MEAN GENE, REGGIE WELLS, LOVEBUG STARSKI, COLDCRUSH BROTHERS, FUNKY 4 PLUS 1 and other are feeling now. It's like they never existed at all. And I'm personally going to change that.

50-TITANIUM- How are you going to do that?

VANSILK-Well 1st I have to get everyone of importance on the same page, and make them understand that we are the creator of something that kids today have no idea how it got here. It's like kids today have no clue what MARTIN LUTHER KING or Malcolm X stood for. We are actually fighting to get attention from the powers to be that hip-hop was not an accident. That this is part of America history and culture, but they keep getting it wrong going to the wrong people who had nothing to do with this at all. Since 1990 I had been writing and interviewing the pioneers, the creative force of this culture. So there will enough information for other to research on who did what for hip-hop period. It will be more important to know whom MEAN GENE or who is RAY CHANDLER or even the role FRED "RERUN" BERRY, SHABBA DOO and the SOUL TRAIN dancer had on us in the early 70's. RERUN who had dinner at my house was a wonderful person. We all know he passed in late 2003. But one thing I can say is that we made a bet 6 years ago that he didn't have his outfit from "WHAT HAPPENING". I lost the bet but also own the outfit, including the red beret. CHRIS ROCK borrowed it from me to wear on his CHRIS ROCK show when it was on HBO. So many people have been forgotten, and it sad. But the most important thing to me is that it documented for other to read and have an understanding that what you see on T.V and hear from others isn't always right.  A lot of people don't want the truth to be, because it will damage they credibility. THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE!

51-TITANIUM-We know you agreed to answer 100 questions, are you still game to go on?

VANSILK-Yes why not, I already committed myself. I hope no one get mad at me. But you know what Henny will do to a nigga. IT'S ALL-GOOD.

52-TITANIUM-You had mention Pam Grier earlier, how did you come to meet her. Most niggas have dreams of being in her company?

VANSILK- that's really a touchy subject, but Pam is like family. She uses to date one of my friends. To be honest he put her through a lot of drama. I really felt for her. She would call my house upset over how he was treating her. I know I shouldn't be saying this. But she deserved better. Pam is such a wonderful person. With all she has done for black women and the movies she did. Pam is a legend in her own time. We spend Christmas and had dinner together some years back. Meaning Pam and her boyfriend and myself and my lady at the time the Original Spinderella. We did a lot together as friends and I would like to leave this subject alone. That's family and it getting too personal.

53-TITANIUM- I can respect that my brother

VANSILK-THANK YOU.

54-TITANIUM-So since we can get no more details about Ms Pam Grier, what about you and Irene Cara who stared in the movie SPARKLE?

VANSILK- That a new one to me. IRENE was fine as hell, but she was one of the co-host for my RAPMANIA hip-hop special that all nothing else. It was business.

55-TITANIUM-One more, we also heard about the soap actress from ONE LIFE OT LIVE "DELIAH" who was on the show in the early 90's?

VANSILK- Man not to many niggas know about that, but nothing went on with her either. Afrika Islam and me took her into the studio to cut a track on her. We met at a function with Robert DeNIRO and we just became friends. AND IF ANYTHING DID GO DOWN, WHAT MAKE YOU THINK I will tell anyway. Man can't we get off this subject. I feel like you did too much digging now.

56-TITANIUM-OK, but I did have one more to ask you about for real?

VANSILK-save your breath for real

57-TITANIUM-Well lets get back to some other things that we haven't touched on yet. I want to clear the air about certain thing I found out. Is it true that you were a JEHOVAH Witness?

VANSILK- I was at one time, my parents and grandmother are Jehovah Witness I was raised from birth into that religion, but left when I was around 17 years old. And this is the end of this topic. I don't want to talk about this at all. It's personal.

58-TITANIUM-It seem like the last few question, we touched a nerve?

VANSILK-No. certain thing I would rather not discuss. That really getting too personal into my family life.  When you discuss music & business with me, then it different. But I do talk about it in my book.

59-TITANIUM-I also found out that you were a manager for some of the most important hip hop groups?

VANSILK-True that. That was something I really enjoy doing at one time, but as I got older. I had no time to deal with all the drama that came with managing artists. It more like opening a daycare center for spoiled brats. But dealing with certain groups at one time or another back then was fun. How HIPHOP survived back then was that the promoters really were the manager for the group they promoted the most. Ray chandler had flash and the furious5, Mike & Dave had the CRASHCREW, BOOGIE BOYS, ROB BASE, BIZ MARK and others. Bambatta had all his groups who were ZULU AFFILATED. I had started DOUGIE FRESH; I discovered and gave the FORCE MD's their break at HARLEM WORLD. Dougie use to hang out at my store on 120thst and 8thave.everyday rappin him and his dancer Loose BRUCE. Doug was like 14 or 15 years old bugging me everyday to let him get on the stage at HARLEM WORLD. Also my other groups were MASTERDON & the Death Committee they made the song that MASTER P recorded. Originally it was called FUNKBOXX. But P used the part (MAKE YOU SAY UHH.) I also had Rock master Scott &THE DYNAMIC 3. They 2 biggest song were the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire, and the other is called REQUEST LINE- DJ PLEASE GET ON THE PHONE YOU ON THE REQUEST LINE. Also the FUNKY FOUR PLUS ONE when they were on Sugar hill records. Plus my time with Grandmaster Flash and the furious 5. I was like always there manager or acting manager for either some off the group or certain members. I always got them into something. There was other like TORA SUBER & DENA HEAD who played for the WNBA. LELE from SWV made that happen for me, then I started managing LELE after SWV broke up. But my patience for managing was no longer. After giving over 300-rap show from the early days and all .I was totally burnt out for real. Plus I had other things I wanted to do in life. You have to remember there were many other group that I had my hands in also.  Quick Silver & the Super Lovers which turn out to be Hurby Azor and Play from Kid and Play. Then I had Vandy C & Bill Blast. Man you bring to many memories up. But I do talk about all my former groups in my book coming out. Even when ERIC B  &RAKIM was sign to ZAKIA Records, which was on 125thst.And owned by ROBERT HILL Eric was hungry and ask me one time to put them down.  Then I had BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTION coming to me looking for a deal at Spring Records. The RIFKINDS wouldn't let me sign them or JAZZY JEFF & the FRSH PRINCE. The ended up with Barry Weiss at JIVE Records who at the time was located on 86th st and Lexington ave. Barry had like 2 office running that label. All Lawrence and Dana Goodman from Philly wanted for that record was like $3,000.00 and that was a lot back then for a single to get picked up. We had Teddy Riley who did B-fats Wop it. We had Ice-t who was looking for a deal around 1988 on the east coast. He had some singles out already like 6 in the morning. HE and all the west coast rapper was dealing with MACOLA records on located on Santa MONICA Blvd. DON Mc MILLIAM was the owner and he pressed the vinyl right there. I think they were getting like a dollar fro each 12inch single sold. ICE-T, TODDY T, DREAM TEAM, and EGYPTIAN LOVER are the real west coast pioneers and let not forget ALOZO WILLIAMS. We talk mid 80's for these guys now.

60-TITANIUM-Hold on one second, man now you really blowing my mind with all this information. No one has ever gone this deep into an interview?

VANSILK- Well that the reason niggas fear me because of my knowledge of hip-hop. My life would have been different if I had the chance to sign them. That is why my attitude is the way it is now. I have forgotten and forgave them, but again I was hired to do a job then, and never got the chance to sign what came through our door. I don't blame the Rifkinds at all. Man Steve Rifkinds even had a rap cartoon on at the time called STREET FROGS. This was a cartoon about RAPPING FROGS. The cartoon producers RANKIN-BASS gave Him a chance to make his dream come true. He was ahead of his time, but at least he got the chance to make it become a reality. So a lot of groups I couldn't sign, they ended up going to RUSSELL SIMMONS or somewhere else. RUSSELL was building an empire him and HEIDI SMITH. So if I couldn't get you, he will grab them or they try some place else. Remember 1985 there wasn't to many labels that would touch rap music. So a lot of these old time record labels owners started popping up again. Starting new labels for rap. These are the same owners who had artists JACKIE WILSON, FRANKIE LYMON and many artists from the 50's & 60"s and 70's,now was rap music was the new game in town.

Now rap music had no outlet as far the music industry go. PAUL WINLEY (WINLEY RECORDS), BOBBY ROBINSON (ENJOY) JOE and SYLVIA ROBINSON (SUGARHILL), JULES AND ROY RIFKIND (SPRING) AND JOHNNY SOUL (SOUL ON WAX) gave birth to RAP MUSIC on WAX. But we talking like 1979, we been doing this for like 7 or 8 years already. No matter what anyone says the most important rap recording is on these pioneering labels. Then we had Peter Brown who had SPONNY GEE. Then Gene Griffin had SOUND OF NEW YORK label, he was the manager of GUY and TEDDY Riley's mentor. Gene griffin in his day was a monster. He controls whatever he wanted to do. Gene used to have an office downtown on 59th street the building was owned by my father cousin CHARLES HUGGINS. Melba Moore ex husband. CHARLES HUGGINS who ran his company is the original player. Charles Huggins came to one of my show at BROADWAY INTERNATIONAL one night in his ROLLS. Mick JAGGER came uptown; the house was packed to the hill. It was a show we did with GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIUOS 5. LEON BRILL was the owner of BROADWAY INTERNATIONAL, LEON will go out and helped myself and the late DONALD D (who discovered SWV) promote our show posting posters all over the Bronx, Harlem and Brooklyn. LEON BRILL took me downtown one day to his daughter apartment in Manhattan, and then he said he had a son who was starting a T.V SHOW called COURT TV. NOW ISN'T THAT SOME GANGSTA SHIT GOING HERE.

61-TITANIUM-Now I see why niggas are frightened of you. You are a walking hip-hop historian. So what else happen as who did what and all that good shit? Man you telling me shit way beyond anything I ever expected.

VANSILK- my book is off the fuckin hook, what make thing crazy other pioneers story is probably better than mines. But getting back to things since I'm open to talk now. Things were changing in the game, Russell Simmons got RUNDMC together it was only RUN AND DMC that it. . Jay wasn't into the picture yet. Actually KOOL DJ A.J was djing for RUN DMC. But after thing had change from uptown to downtown there was a club called the ROXY's located on 515 w 18thst. STEVE HANEL was the owner of the ROXYS. Now everyone went on Friday nights. Friday night we had over 2,000 people on the dance floor. The VIP LOUNGE consists of whoever was hot at the time MICK JAGGER and his wife. SYLEVESTER, Kool and the GANG, Name it they was there. But the house belongs to AFRIKA BAMBATTA, AFRIKA ISLAM. DST, JAZZY JAY and RED ALERT they were the dj. FLASH, MELE MEL, RUSSELL SIMMONS, ANDRE HARELL, FULL FORCE, UTFO, and FATBOYS, all the rappers started hanging at the ROXY's. Back then coke was the thing, and believe me there were many hundred dollars bills fill to the fold. Lady BLUE and FAB 5 FREDDY had taken hip-hop downtown. After lady blue and Freddy left, Vito Bruno ran Friday's night. I had to figure a way to get in and get that paper for all these people coming in and paying 20 dollars to hear rap music. So Vito Bruno and Steve Hanel the owner had a fallen out, and guess what VANSILK was the man now running Friday night. The 1st thing I did was cut the quest list from like 600 people to like 200 free people. Then it was on, I did all kind of shows in that place. Bonds international was hot on 45th and Broadway and Rose land ballroom was making some noise also, and let not forget the FUNHOUSE which was on 25th st and 10thave. But hate came into the game; the other clubs were booking the rapper from NORBY WALTERS, the booking agency from the main agent CARA LEWIS. But Cara got mad at me because I didn't have to go through her to book any rap group. I put most of these groups on, or did their 1st shows. Plus my price was different. I GOT A LOT OF RUSSELL SIMMONS groups for free, STEVE SALEM who passed not to long ago) managed ROXANNE, UTFO, WHISTLE, and FULL FORCE gave me a price break .My theory was fuck CARA LEWIS. But NORBY and his son RICHARD WALTERS understood the game and knew my background. But when I had to go to them to book certain shows I did. They respected the game. Plus they were booking every black act that was out. I personally was not going to be gangsta by anyone.

62-TITANIUM- I notice you use the N word a lot.

VANSILK- Personally I apologized to anyone who is offended by it I get offended by it also. But now we have all kind of niggas out here. We have Mexican niggas, Puerto Rican niggas, Jewish niggas, Italian niggas and so on. But if you come at me and say what up nigga and we tight it ok. But to come at me from another race and call me nigga, we got problems. But in the long term of it all, we all need to stop using that word, it has a long history which many of us is not respecting.

EXCERPTS FROM THE UPCOMING BOOK COLD STRUGGLE-UNEDITED