“Alongside the likes of Q-Bert, Craze, the C2C boys, Swifty and A-Trak – Cash ranks as one of the most important DJs that has ever hit our decks” – DMC
“The greatest Hip Hop DJ ever” – Hip Hop Connection Magazine
“Cash Money was my inspiration to get into this whole DJ thing,
he is a phenomenal inspiration and innovator – and the fact that he is
still at the very top of his game now after kick starting Turntablism
worldwide, speaks for itself” – DJ Prime Cuts, Scratch Perverts
“He still blows me away now. Every time.” – Biz Markie
Jerome, thank you for hooking up with us again. You are undoubtedly
DMC’s finest ever scratch DJ. A man who turned playing two pieces of
vinyl records on two turntables into, simply, an absolute artform…
“Thank you Dan. I owe so much to your family and all at DMC – a high five to you all. And may I also say, your girls Sally (UK and World Finals organiser) and Christie (USA Organiser) are doing a remarkable job – the nu-skool rocks!”
Where did your journey begin?
“Well I was listening to all of these DJ tapes from people like
Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizzard Theodore and I was thinking, what
the fuck!? I had just started DJing and I was just playing one record
and then the next. Originally, I just tried to emulate their style and
copy them to an extent, but then I just tried to bring in my own
style. You know today, I just appreciate anyone who likes what I do –
this all started as a hobby for me.”
So, the big one, Cash, do you think you are responsible for one of the
most important pieces of DMC/Turntablist/mix history – the Transformer
Scratch?
“Yes I do Dan. I was the DJ that spread the word with that piece of
vinyl artistry. People say that DJ Spinbad came up with it but he
wasn’t close man. I heard his name banded about and saw videos of him
doing what he did, but I extended the rhythm – I completed it. But the
funny thing is, I created it purely by accident. I was just on my way
out of the house after spinning some tunes and I brushed by the off
button on the Technics.”
You are widely regarded as a pioneer of the turntablist artform, and
the artform and music as a whole has changed greatly since you emerged
way back. Does the artform and music still attract you like it used to
back then?
“Yes, the artform is definitely a love of mine. These younger cats
have the torch now though, I like where they are taking it. Good job
ya’ll. But one thing I gotta say – shit, I helped pioneer this thing.
Over the years I have stood by and seen these huge companies making
the product for the DJs, taking all of the ideas from the DJs and
create a slamming product for us all but never even give their product
to us. They give products to cats with no pioneering status, I
can’t stand that. It was like pulling teeth out to get a fucking mixer
out of them. I’m like, ‘I am one of the reasons you make your
turntables this way’. I was the first cat to ever put the tone arm at
the top of the turntable. I didn’t do it for any other reason than to
make my set better. Back in the beginning, people didn’t realise that
the things I did technically was just to make my sets more comfortable
for me. I was just trying to make the craziest noises out there with
what I had. It was definitely not created with the intention for it to
be a marketing tool for the big companies out there.”
Why did you choose your DJ name?
Well at the time there were so many DJs around with big sounding names
like Grandmaster Flash and Jazzy Jay who were all superstars. However,
at the time I used to play basketball and I was kinda good and
whenever I put the ball in the net, everyone used to shout ‘there’s
the money shot’. Hence the name Cash Money”.
What is the most important record that you have ever used as a
Turntablist…
“Easy – ‘Rock The Bells’. Every time. Go LL, go LL…”
You have worked with some big guys remixing and producing in your
career…
“Yes that’s true, been lucky to work with some of the big guns, Snoop,
Q-Tip, Public Enemy, Busta – a lot of amazing artists.”
What do you think is the best Hip Hop record ever made?
“Great question – but if I gotta pick one – and you know how difficult
this is Dan, Public Enemy’s ‘It Takes a Nation To Hold Me Back'”.
So, what are some of the gems in your own collection?
“Aw man. I got all of the original twelve-inches from back in the day.
I used to have 45,000 albums but narrowed it down to 20,000 because I
got rid of a lot of stuff that was bullshit. I’m a huge collector of
everything though – and it’s not just records. I also collect old
‘Blacksploitation’ posters, old Kung-Fu posters, old arcade games – I
got a Mohammed Ali pinball machine, ‘Tron’, ‘Phoenix’, all in all
about 15 classics games.”
What did your parents think back in the day of your chosen career
profession?
“They were indeed upset I left college and gave my Major in
Engineering up, but they saw the desire in my eyes – and the money I
made from Sleeping Bag Records sure smoothed things over!”
How did winning the DMC title change your life?
“DMC has allowed us all a platform to be able do the skills around the
world. The year I won in 1988 boosted my career so much. The tunes
with MC Marvelous such as ‘Ugly People Be Quiet’ and ‘Find An Ugly
Woman’ was obviously helped by you guys. What DMC did was bridge the
gap between street Hip Hop and the mainstream. So many beautiful
people involved in the whole scene.”
And also, what track that when you hear up on stage spun by a rival,
do you always think, ‘oh god not again’?
“The most overplayed? Any of the ‘Battle Breaks’…”
Tell us about the infamous Fatboy Slim encounter down in Brighton…
“Ha ha – what memory. Well I was DJing at I think ‘The Boutique’ and
Norman came over and bowed down to me and told me I was one of his
major inspirations alongside Grandmaster Flash that got him into DJing.”
How many weeks/months before the big night did you start planning your
set?
“From the end of one competition until the start of the next
competition I practised every day – and I mean EVERY day. There was
never any time for girls!”
One of the things I love about you Cash, is that you have completely
crossed over from being a club DJ, to a competition DJ with great
technical skills, to a live artist tour DJ to back, once again, a club
DJ that knows how to rock a party. What the fuck?
“I just love what I do and at the end of the day, it’s all about
making people dance. Hyping the people up on the mic, showing ’em what
I can do, pulling the tunes out.”
Who is the best technical Turntablist of all time?
“Dan, a really difficult question. But, the two DJs that I believe ARE
the best technical DJs in DMC history have both different qualities.
For scratching – Q-Bert. And I DJ for his back and forth skills, DJ
Craze.”
We interviewed Danny Tenaglia last week – he rates your home city of
Philadelphia as the most under rated city in American musical history
– places like Detroit, Chicago and New York grab all of the headlines.
What are your thoughts on that?
“Dan, look at the artists he mentioned. This is a great city. Teddy,
The O’Jays, Harold Melvin and The Bluenotes – the list goes on and on
from way, way back.”
What is your earliest memory of a DMC Mixing Final?
“Running into your dad at The New Music Seminar and begging him to get
me a slot at the Battle – I think in San Diego. Anyway there was some
problem with some money coming my way from Sleeping Bag Records and I
had no cash to sort the flights so my mom stuck it on her American
Express. And you guys at DMC refunded the fare. That’s my earliest
memory.”
What has been your best ever display on the wheels of steel?
“That’s hard to say. I never really went into a competition with a
game plan. When I won the World DMC Finals though in 1988 I was dissed
by someone with a scratch, and I was like, ‘you dissing me?’ and I
came back with the famous scratch ‘call me a sucker, boy, boy, boy?’
End of story.
I heard somewhere that there’s a Philly DJ Day declared for the city
of Philadelphia and your name was mistakenly omitted from the mayor’s
proclamation… what happened?
“True and an absolute shame. I would have loved to have been part of
it recognising DMC along the way as well as myself and what I have
achieved and brought to the city. They said they’ll fix it but it
still baffles me. It hurt.”
Thank you Cash, one of our true DMC superstars…
“Thank you Dan. I wanna’ finish by saying this – Tony and Christine
Prince…I thank you from the bottom of my heart. WE ARE FAMILY!”