—Was that because he was Black?

I don't know if it was that, or if he just looked strange, but we were up to that kind of thing back then. Of course, we don't do that anymore (laughs).
About a year later, Basquiat left "Gray" and started focusing on painting.
At the time, I was sharing a room with Basquiat, but he moved out for that reason. After that, Michael Holman moved into my room and we started sharing it.

Around then, Michael started organizing DJ parties for "Zulu Nation" in the East Village. "Zulu Nation" was an "anti-violent organization" (like a production) for hip-hop, led by music producer Afrika Bambaataa, and included DJs like Jazzy Jay and Grandmaster Flash.
They started holding their parties every Thursday night at a club called "Negril." That was the very first party Michael produced.



Incidentally, "Negril" was a reggae bar located at 12th Street and 2nd Avenue in the East Village, named after a town in Jamaica.
I did my first DJ set at the opening of that party. The DJs I played with that night were Grandmaster Flash, Jazzy Jay, and Afrika Bambaataa, whom I mentioned earlier. It was Bambaataa's first party downtown, and the very first hip-hop party downtown. That's also when I first met Rammellzee, who was the MC for the band "Death Comet Crew."

The legendary dance crews "Rock Steady Crew" and "NYC Breakers" were also dancing there.
Around the same time, Michael started managing the "NYC Breakers" and got them featured in the movie "Wild Style," produced by singer Harry Belafonte, and began producing the TV show "Graffiti Rock." But one day, Cool Lady Blue, who managed "Negril," took Michael's party to "The Roxy" without his involvement. Michael was very sad about that. Of course, he continued to enthusiastically manage the "NYC Breakers" and produce "Graffiti Rock."


—When did you start scratching?

It was about a week after Michael's first party.
On the first day, Michael and I watched Grandmaster Flash and Jazzy Jay scratch, and the next day I bought two copies of the same record and practiced on the two turntables I had in my room. Later, Black rappers like "Phase 2" and "Fab 5 Freddy," who released records on the "Roxy" label, often visited my apartment, and they taught me various scratching techniques.
Actually, I still live in the same room that I shared with Basquiat and Michael. When Basquiat moved in, he painted all over the walls, shelves, and everything else (laughs).



—Is the paint still in the room?

The building itself has become quite old and was renovated, so unfortunately, it's no longer there. However, I did cut out and display the paint on the iron entrance door and the word "Culebra" that he wrote on the wall. "Culebra" is a place near Puerto Rico, and Basquiat wrote it down as a memo when he was talking on the phone with someone from a travel agency about going on a trip there (laughs).

When "Phase 2," "Fab 5 Freddy," and other friends came over, they used to say, "What a creative room!" I remember that. That's because every night, creative people like Basquiat and Michael gathered and thought about new "things." Plus, we had two turntables and a microphone, so my rapper friends would come to practice their rhymes, making it a truly big joint room (laughs).

It was around that time that I also met Stewart Argabright, a member of "Death Comet Crew." At the time, he was in a hip-hop band called "Dominatrix," and they had a number one hit on a major label. I was surprised when he suddenly became a superstar (laughs). He was the most commercially successful among my friends.
After his work with "Dominatrix," he wanted to form other bands. So, we formed "Death Comet Crew" with guitarist Michael Dieckmann, bassist Shin Shimokawa (Japanese), and myself as the DJ.
Shin had already been living in New York for about five or ten years by then.