Cheeba Cheeba, Y’all: Getting Schooled by Schoolly D

What this episode covers

We can't believe our ears either, but Len and Jon land one of their long sought after Moby Dick guests as they welcome none other than the legendary, and reclusive, hip-hop legend Schoolly D to this week's edition of Everything Is Personal. Not only is Schoolly one of the most important names in the evolution of hip-hop, generally considered the founder of gangsta rap, but he's responsible for one of the most sampled beats ever in the form of his game-changing 1985 single "P.S.K.," itself an early hip-hop classic, along with songs like "Gucci Time" and "Saturday Night." Len and Jon do a good job of keeping their cool and letting their guest carry the conversation with stories about his time growing up in Philadelphia, and how his neighborhood underwent a stark metamorphosis from the middle class community of the 1960s to the rise in street gangs, collapse of the local economy, and arrival of crack by the end of the 1980s. Schoolly also talks about his lifetime of artistic pursuits, and knowing, even as a child, that he was destined for a career in creating music and art. Schoolly also details the origins and recording of his classic mid-80s singles, and just how he achieved his famously reverberated sound of "P.S.K." and "Gucci Time." Plus Schoolly talks about his work as a composer with filmmaker Abel Ferrara on movies like King of New York and Bad Lieutenant in the 1990s and the intersection with his classic Am I Black Enough for You album, and we learn more about Len's cat and his octopus tattoo. And while we recommend you listen for the synopsis of Schoolly D's two highly-limited comic book series, drawn by hand when he was a kid, be aware it may not be entirely safe for work.

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