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Bobbito
In an era of auto-tuned Myspace rappers who release mixtapes on download, DJ’s who carry their music on memory sticks and footballers who are called legends after their debut, Bobbito Garcia embodies genuine knowledge and talent in the many cultures and mediums that he has made a name for himself in over the years. Baller, label owner, DJ, sneaker connoisseur and all round cultural personality, Bobbito is always busy on one project or another. With so little time in the day I caught up with him to discuss his new Connection Volume 1 Mix on R2 Records as well a whole bunch of other stuff that Bob has “ooh-wee’d” over.
The concept behind the Connection album was to bring together both Bob and Rich Medina’s combined knowledge of Afro Latin and Afro Beat music, albeit with a focus on more modern artists rather than reverting back to the ’60s and ’70s joints the genres are renowned for. As Bob explained “There have been so many extensive compilations that focus on the past whilst here all but two tracks on the mix were made in the last few years. We wanted to stick to the ‘Modern Explorations’ idea.”
The spin on this release encourages listeners who are underwhelmed by modern dance and hip-hop to check the new eclectic range of tracks on offer. It goes beyond a chin stroking diggers only joint by appealing to a more populist audience that have danced to Rich and Bob’s sets across the world. “Rich and I have been spinning together since like 1997 with our Happy Feet parties, we’re like family. The whole CD came about from R2 (records) wanting to work with Rich, and with me having delivered Earthtones for them which was so well received, so we wanted to hit them with this double CD.”
Like the Earthtones record The Connection offers a diverse mix albeit by artists that most listeners will not all be that familiar with. But straight up this is still a very funky and accessible listen that works wonders for the ears and feet. Of course there is a lot more to Bobbito and that is what we needed to catch up on with the time we had left.
“An accomplished basketball player for three decades Bob could very well have made it as a professional had he not landed himself a job at Def Jam in the ’80s.”
An accomplished basketball player for three decades Bob could very well have made it as a professional had he not landed himself a job at Def Jam in the ’80s. In fact over the years he has done quite well for himself with basketball. Along with his Bounce Magazine publication (whole issues free to download at www.bouncemag.com which focuses on the ethic of never being too old to shoot hoops) he has made countless performances in freestyle tournaments, provided commentary for videogames as well as making some amazing half time show appearances. Leading on from ball to shoes he revealed his next line of work following up from the Air Jordans he recently designed. “I am beside myself to have been asked by Pro-Keds to design four reissues of the new Royal Flash series. It’s a sneaker that hasn’t been made since ’79 and for its thirtieth anniversary I selected the shoes with my designs and fabrics as well as having my name on each one. It’s a real nice sneaker and it’s amazing to be part of something that I wore as a kid growing up.”
Leading along the path of “back in the days” the conversation switches to hip-hop. I commit a cardinal sin in assuming that Bob was an original member of The Rocksteady Crew. He wasn’t – too much lazy journalism on the web can undermine the quick Q&A session we are having – however he was asked to join as a representative much later in the nineties. “I grew up as an appreciator on 97th Street, they were on 99th. They now have come to exist as an organisation representing the true meaning of hip-hop. My involvement comes from my contact with Crazy Legs after setting up the radio show with Stretch Armstrong…”
“The Source Award itself was unbelievable having grown up with amazing DJ’s on the radio like Red Alert and Marley Marl, some of the greatest ever so to have your show placed above theirs was definitely a special feeling.”
It seems with each year the legacy of the Stretch & Bobbito show on WKCR is enhanced in particularly thanks to the internet. By the time the show had ceased to exist its legendary status had long been established, operating as a rite of passage for most MCs’ that blew up in the ’90s as well being awarded the accolade of Best Hip-Hop Radio Show Ever from The Source Magazine. I point out that during this period we saw hip-hop reach a high watermark with countless classic albums and 12s by underground and superstar artists to which Bobbito agrees. “We stamped what was essential for ’90s hip hop with the show and the guests we had performing. The Source Award itself was unbelievable having grown up with amazing DJ’s on the radio like Red Alert and Marley Marl, some of the greatest ever so to have your show placed above theirs was definitely a special feeling.”
Of course 10 years on and the show seems more popular than ever. There is now hundreds of hours worth of tape rips floating about in cyber space on various blog sites – which Bob is delighted to see. Bobbito himself enjoys picking up on these various rips, “When I find something from our show I leave a comment to which the poster responds ‘I can’t believe you know about my blog!!'” Stretch has posted many rips to his own site konstantkontakt.blogspot.com and with the heightened and now worldwide popularity of the radio show there may even be a special reunion in the works soon. “Like myself Stretch is a very busy man but we have definitely talked about playing out together as well as taking it to Europe.”
With this plus a whole other bunch projects in the pipeline Bobbito has a youthful exuberance and energy that belies his forty odd years on Earth. However when you reel off his CV it is hard to believe that a cat could do this all in nine lives, let alone one. Either ways in whatever he does, Bob is always on point.