Leader of the Nation of Islam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_jFZdnqeNs

One of the most popular songs by Gangstarr ever. The song is trademarked by Preemo’s manipulation of the saxophone over the beat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsFwPDRJeAw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D1k4usDeVc

A famous old school rap group. Their manner and way of performing on stage served as the cornerstone for Run DMC, Beastie Boys and many others

Kool G. Rap was a member of the Juice Crew. One of the first hardcore gangster rappers from the East coast. His lyrics were some of the most vivid and hard hitting of the time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIsL9f7MoPs

Wild Style is one of the first and greatest movies ever done on Hip-Hop. There are portions of it that are a little B-movie'ish, but the history it represents makes up for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L80l-93V6AA&list=PLH1eDrVws-M_KniqsasERDHLRGprbf5O3

The one and only legend, Miles Davis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIiD__29-f8

I just told my son this album was to Jazz what Straight Outta Compton was to Jazz. It stands alone. L.O.N.S. had just walked by us into the KPOO radio station when we were recording. That is why it sounded so random. A lot of artists were milling in and out.

Guru was visibly angered by my question. I was unsure if he thought it was an ambush style question. Really, as a lover of Jazz, I just wanted to know. He had done such an amazing job on the Jazz Thing track it took me a while to realize Miles was not there. Maybe he was mad at himself for the over site. There was a little tension in the air after this question. I didn’t mind though. I felt as a journalist I needed to tell the truth. He was not afraid to speak it. So everything worked out.

The Powersaxx jam, I own this. It was not on the actual album Fear of a Black Planet. It was on a remix. The amazing thing is that Branford plays two different solos, played through each speaker simultaneously over the beat for Do The Right Thing. I still get chills hearing it and I love it more than any other Jazz instrumental ever. One of the few pieces I think that are are incomparable to anything else composed in Hip-Hop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJs__P--DI0

http://branfordmarsalis.net/

Branford Marsalis arguably one of the greatest living Jazz artists living today. He also represents one of the first of his generation of Jazz performers to embrace Hip-Hop. This was evidenced in his collaboration with Preemo in the group Buckshot LeFonque http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckshot_LeFonque
They recorded Why The Caged Bird Sings with legendary poet Maya Angelou among other amazing tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vnt7TBovKs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEwc-AB7LXg

Jazz Thing was a Gangstarr song tfor Spike Lee Film Mo Betta Blues. It was a fantastic historical celebration of Jazz in Hip-Hop. It became the seeds for what became the Jazzmatazz series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEo_jT5p3Jw