The Man Behind Hip-Hop TV: Ralph McDaniels on Nas, Suge Knight & Music Video History

Summary

Earn Your Leisure Podcast Summary

Title: The Man Behind Hip-Hop TV: Ralph McDaniels on Nas, Suge Knight & Music Video History
Host/Author: EYL Network
Guest: Ralph McDaniels
Release Date: July 3, 2025

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1. Introduction to Ralph McDaniels and Video Music Box

In this special edition of the Earn Your Leisure podcast, hosts Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings sit down with Ralph McDaniels, a seminal figure in hip-hop culture. Ralph is renowned for pioneering the integration of music videos into hip-hop through his groundbreaking platform, Video Music Box, which played a pivotal role in bringing hip-hop visuals to mainstream audiences.

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2. The Genesis of Video Music Box

Ralph McDaniels recounts the inception of Video Music Box in 1983. Having worked at local TV stations shortly after college, Ralph sought to merge his passion for music with television to elevate hip-hop’s presence.

“I proposed an idea to play music videos... I wanted to create like a video radio show.” [04:24]

Initially, the platform showcased a variety of music videos, not exclusively hip-hop, during PBS fundraisers. However, recognizing the burgeoning hip-hop scene, Ralph steered the content to focus more on hip-hop, understanding its growing significance and youth appeal.

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3. Hip-Hop’s Golden Era and Corporate Investment

By the mid-1980s, hip-hop began to gain substantial traction. Ralph identifies 1985-1987 as the golden era when major labels started investing heavily in hip-hop artists. This period saw the emergence of influential acts like Run DMC, Eric B. & Rakim, and the Fat Boys, alongside the rise of independent labels such as Cold Chilling Records.

“By 85, now there's more hip hop in the scene... that was the golden era for us is 87.” [09:05]

Ralph emphasizes the critical role of music videos in this expansion, noting that visual representation was essential for artists to reach wider audiences and secure record deals.

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4. Pioneering Music Videos and Directing Iconic Artists

As Video Music Box became a staple for hip-hop visuals, Ralph expanded his role into directing music videos. One of his most notable projects was directing Nas's "It Ain't Hard to Tell."

“I directed Nas, you know, that was it. That's who he was.” [12:09]

Ralph's approach was to capture the authentic essence of artists, allowing their lyrical prowess and street narratives to shine through visually. His work with Cold Chilling Records and the Juice Crew further cemented his influence in shaping hip-hop’s visual landscape.

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5. The Rise of Corporate Giants: Def Jam and Death Row Records

The 1990s marked a transformative period with the rise of corporate powerhouses like Def Jam and Death Row Records. Ralph discusses the strategic moves by these labels to dominate the hip-hop industry by leveraging star power and aggressive marketing.

“Def Jam is really the godfather of creating this whole system of corporate and the right people...” [23:54]

He highlights figures like Suge Knight, who played a crucial role in organizing and promoting artists, thereby accelerating hip-hop’s commercialization and global reach.

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6. Evolution of Music Videos: From Raw to High Production

Ralph observes the cyclical nature of music video production quality. Initially characterized by raw, street-level aesthetics, the advent of high-budget productions in the late 90s and early 2000s brought a polished and cinematic feel to hip-hop videos.

“We go from Video Music Box, you go to MTV on TV raps and you get BET, Rap City...” [46:07]

However, contemporary trends are witnessing a resurgence of rawness and authenticity, reminiscent of hip-hop’s early days, driven by a desire for genuine representation over solely commercial appeal.

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7. Preservation and Legacy: Digitizing Hip-Hop History

Recognizing the importance of archiving hip-hop’s rich history, Ralph is actively involved in efforts to preserve and digitize extensive footage through his nonprofit organization, Video Music Box Collection.

“We have to protect our history and make sure that... anything that's happened to us is because we didn't do that.” [62:56]

Ralph envisions placing these archives in prestigious institutions like Harvard and HBCUs to ensure that future generations can access and learn from hip-hop’s influential journey.

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8. Hip-Hop’s Cultural and Societal Impact

Ralph passionately discusses hip-hop’s profound influence beyond music, touching on education, community development, and societal perceptions.

“We use hip hop in the libraries now... making it more interesting for kids.” [35:06]

He elaborates on initiatives that integrate hip-hop into educational programs, fostering engagement and learning among youth by leveraging the genre’s cultural relevance.

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9. Modern Hip-Hop Landscape and Challenges

Addressing contemporary issues, Ralph reflects on hip-hop’s evolution and the challenges it faces, including critical voices like Dr. Omar questioning hip-hop’s societal contributions.

“It's just people problem... some men standing around, yeah, let's do this.” [44:12]

He underscores the necessity for the community to actively preserve its legacy and continue fostering positive cultural contributions amidst growing external pressures and potential threats to its authenticity.

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10. Recognition and Giving Back: Awards and Foundations

Ralph highlights his involvement in foundations that honor and support pioneering artists in hip-hop. The foundation recognizes individuals who have significantly influenced the genre, ensuring their contributions are celebrated and remembered.

“Each year, how many people can receive the reward?... It's about honoring those who paved the way.” [65:38]

Recipients include legends like Roxanne Shanté and Kumo D., whose innovative work and dedication have left an indelible mark on hip-hop culture.

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Conclusion and Future Outlook

As the podcast wraps up, Ralph McDaniels shares his vision for the next decade, emphasizing the importance of cultural preservation, community support, and adapting to the evolving landscape of hip-hop. His dedication to maintaining hip-hop’s legacy while fostering its growth underscores his role as an enduring pillar in the industry.

For those interested in exploring Ralph’s work further, his book and ongoing projects are available through video musicbox.com and videomusicboxcollection.org.

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Notable Quotes:

• “I wanted to create like a video radio show.” [04:24]
• “By 85, now there's more hip hop in the scene... that was the golden era for us is 87.” [09:05]
• “Def Jam is really the godfather of creating this whole system of corporate and the right people...” [23:54]
• “We have to protect our history and make sure that... anything that's happened to us is because we didn't do that.” [62:56]
• “It's just people problem... some men standing around, yeah, let's do this.” [44:12]
• “Each year, how many people can receive the reward?... It's about honoring those who paved the way.” [65:38]

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of Ralph McDaniels's pivotal role in hip-hop television, his contributions to music video production, and his ongoing efforts to preserve and celebrate hip-hop’s legacy.

Transcript

[Ralph McDaniels]

Earners.

[Unknown Host]

What's up?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Look.

[Unknown Host]

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[Unknown Co-Host]

All right, guys.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Welcome back.

[Ralph McDaniels]

We are back.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Special edition. We got a legend. This is an absolute legend in culture music. Hip hop changed my life for sure. A lot of people. A lot of people. Ralph McDaniels, if you're old enough to remember Video Music Box, that was one of the. The first major platform that was showing hip hop visuals.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yes.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Right. Before that, it was like you had to hear it on the radio.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right, right. And it was a couple of local shows or that, but not like with hip hop. Like, we put hip hop up front.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

The first time you saw your favorite artist, maybe the first time you actually heard them, because if they wasn't on the radio and some records didn't make radio, it was breaking records, too.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

So this is the first introduction to real music.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, I, I saw it. It was young people, you know, and hip hop has always been young people. And it was young people, you know, doing it in parks, you know, with plugging into light poles in, in the Bronx and, and in Brooklyn and Queens and all these different areas. And I was like, there's something going on here. What's. What, what is it? You know, because I'm a little bit older than hip hop, so, you know, I'm from the era where, you know, Marvin Gaye and all of that kind of stuff. But I knew that this was something that was important and it was going somewhere.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So, yeah, first and foremost, thank you for joining us.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Thank you, brother.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Appreciate it. And yeah, so it's crazy, like, when you look at the. I don't want to understate the importance of visuals when it comes to hip hop, because, I mean, it's hard to even calculate how much money is actually generated from actual visual component of it. But, I mean, YouTube, right? If you look at something like YouTube, which is. YouTube, is a subsidiary of Google, but if it was his own standalone company, it would be one of the most richest companies in the world. And a lot of that is driven through music, right? And you see Instagram and all these different platforms where a visual component, it's just changed the way that we digest music. So, you know, to have the foresight of really champion that and really thinking, like, this was a good idea, because I would. I would assume, like, when people probably thought, like, what is this? Like, I mean, like, it's one thing. Are you hearing music? Okay, that's cool. But I don't want to see a video of somebody rapping, like, in three minutes. Like, what is that? So what was your. How did you get the foresight to understand this is going to be big? And when did this start as far as, like, you first getting in the business, starting Video Music Box? Like, what. What year was that? How did that come about?

[Ralph McDaniels]

So we started Video Music box in 83, but I was working at some TV stations, like 81, 82, right out of college, right. And I was trying to figure out, how could we do something with music and TV to make it important. And it was a small PBS station in New York called wnyctv. Great call letters. And, you know, you could barely find the channel. You had to have the right hangar. If it was cloudy outside, you might not get it.

[Unknown Host]

Your dial don't go there.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right. And I proposed an idea to play music videos. Not necessarily hip hop, just music videos in general.

[Unknown Co-Host]

In general.

[Ralph McDaniels]

And so at the time, it was like Michael Jackson, you know, Rick James, Lionel Richie, that kind of thing, right? And so that was the beginning of the idea being introduced, and it became a thing that we used to use the videos during our fundraisers. You know, like PBS has these fundraisers. Call now. And, you know, you could get this. We'll send you 10 DVDs of, you know, Motown and that kind of thing. So they would play the videos in between, and the calls were crazy. I just still don't understand why, you know, but that's not how I wanted to use the music videos, I wanted to create like a video radio show. That's what my concept was, but that's how it was introduced. And then it took off and they said, can you do this every day after school? And I said yeah. And I never produced the show. I was an engineer. And I just thought about what I listened to on the radio and said, this is what we're going to do.

[Unknown Host]

That that's. It's taking me back. Right? So 83. And I like that you said after school because it was the thing like we had to get home by 3:30 because we knew that you was going to start at 3:30. And if we missed the intro, we talked about the intro a little bit. We was going to miss the brand new video. Usually the. The brand new debut video is going to start to show. And so it was important to get there. So at the time, I mean people probably don't know this, but like we didn't see you for a while, right? It was just the Voice. So as you're even talking, I'm thinking to myself, that's crazy because I'm remembering as a kid just hearing the Voice, how were you putting things together and piecing them to have an hour show? Because obviously people don't do this. It's not the easiest thing to do, right? Put an hour of content together. How were you formatting and programming?

[Ralph McDaniels]

I did it like a mixtape, you know, and the word mixtape didn't exist at that time, but that's what it really was. But it was visual and I would talk, you know, every 15 minutes or so. I didn't necessarily talk to everything. After a while people got tired of me talking. All the parts, parties. I was going to meet us at the, you know, at the Tunnel. Meet us at this place, all these other stuff. But. But yeah, so I, I just knew that it was treated like a mixtape, like if I was home listening to this. But actually now it's on your tv, which to me I knew that was powerful. The fact that it was on your TV and you could see these things. I knew that people never saw these visuals, you know, like of. Especially when it came to hip hop, the early hip hop like Run DMC and Eric B and Rakim and Fat Boys and all of that and Houdini and all that stuff. This is the first time you've. You've really seen that. Up to that point it was less right on magazine and you know, Word up and these posters on your wall which Biggie talks about in his lyrics, right now you seeing them then I was like, I have to interview them because I can get a little bit more insight. And Russell Simmons was the guy who managed everybody who we grew up together in. I'm born in Brooklyn, moved to Queens, grew up in Queens Village. And I see Russell all the time. So I know like, yo, Russ, y' all got a party going on. And he like, yeah, man, come through, you know, and then that's how we got the interviews.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So like, Video Music Box, when it starts, do you own the IP of that? Is that your show or is that.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yes, I own Video Music Box.

[Unknown Co-Host]

And it was on. What channel was it on?

[Ralph McDaniels]

It was on channel 31, which, like I said, was like a third tier PBS station. Like in New York, channel 13 is the main. WNET is the main. Really? For all the pbs. It's the main station and then there's a couple other stations and there was channel 31.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So was that important for you to have that ownership or like. Yes, you, you thought that through before you. Before you.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, my dad owned a candy store. And so I realized that owning is everything. And that's where I got that in my head from. And I wanted to own everything, which is not. You don't need to own everything, which is a mistake. You know, some people just don't. Don't need to own everything.

[Unknown Co-Host]

That's the thing. Don't tell Dame that.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right. But, you know, I went. That's why I understand Dame so much. But, you know, you don't need to own. In reality, you don't need to own everything.

[Unknown Host]

Good lesson alone.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So, but when you went in there, okay, so you pitch the idea, you say, okay, I have this, this is an idea. And then they're putting it on their platform. So they just kind of giving you the green light or they're like putting some parameters on what has to be done.

[Ralph McDaniels]

They had no idea what I was doing.

[Unknown Co-Host]

They just like, I just, just let.

[Ralph McDaniels]

The black boy go that time. And. Yeah, right. They, they, they, they were not paying attention to anything. We made tons of mistakes, but they were not. They didn't really care, but they felt like it bought some diversity to the programming. That was them.

[Unknown Co-Host]

When did you hit your stride? Like, when does it start to become big?

[Ralph McDaniels]

I would say by 85. Now there's more hip hop in the scene, you know, by 85, 86. And you know, the golden era for summer is 87. And so in that time.

[Unknown Host]

Say it again. The golden hour. We had a golden era.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Well, yeah, I'm not an 87 person. But for some, it's 87. And so that time, more labels are putting money into hip hop. You know, it's like, okay, you got Kane, you got Slick Rick, you got Public Enemy coming soon. You got all this MC Light, you got all this stuff happening, you know? And so now you're starting to get music videos. Because in the beginning, there weren't music videos. You just put a record out, you put a vinyl out, and the hip hop artist didn't get a video. Now I'm going to the label, yo, y' all need to do a video for this, because this record is hot. Most of these corporate cats are not in the clubs. They're not going to the Bronx, they're not going to the park. They don't know that this is the biggest thing in these areas. You know, wherever it's at, you know, if it's in. If it's in New York, if it's in Detroit, Chicago, Philly, Baltimore, D.C. you know, you go to these places, this hip hop thing is taking over and. But if you never went there, you never saw it. So we would kind of encourage, yo, come to the party, man, just. Just come to the party. And you're a smart guy. You're gonna get it.

[Unknown Host]

You're seeing the records break before they know it.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

But that also leaves the opportunity for you to say, there's another business I create. Because you're the guy that's playing the videos. They don't even know that they need the videos. So you start directing the videos.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I. Directing the video. Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So I.

[Unknown Host]

We Paper thin. I remember.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

But what's the. What's the first major one that you're like, all right, this is the one that's gonna go. And now I'm gonna be known as a director as well.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I think for us, the Cold Chilling Records stuff that we did. Now Cold Chilling Records was one of the first independent black owned labels like Def Jam. Well, Def Jam. And I would say that the big three was Uptown Records with Andre Harrell, Russell Simmons, Def Jam, and Cold Chilling. Tyron Williams, he had the Juice Crew on. On Cold Chilling. Juice Crew was also on the radio, so they got a lot of action.

[Unknown Host]

Can we get all them? It's Master Ace.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Big Daddy King.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yep.

[Unknown Host]

Biz Marquis in there.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Shantae and Shan. Craig G. Craig G, Yeah. Coogee Rap.

[Unknown Host]

Coogee Rap. Yeah, yeah. They're all on the Symphony.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Oh, the Symphony record.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Ralph McDaniels]

So we did the Symphony video and that was a big deal, you know, like you know, that was. You know, you saw all of them, you know, in. In a creative way. We had a company, our company's called Classic Concept. So we wanted to create this concept that was a classic, you know, like, what's going to make this a classic? You know? And that was me and my partner, Lionel Martin, and we wanted to do. Sometimes we based it on movies. Sometimes we based it on, you know, something that really happened in real life in New York, you know, and we made it into a video.

[Unknown Co-Host]

And then you also directed Nas. It ain't hard to tell.

[Ralph McDaniels]

It ain't hard to tell. Young Nas, Chip two Smile. You know, that was it. That's who he was, you know, kid from. From. From Queensbridge, you know, and that was a new wave of. In 92, 93, 94, really, of the next wave of. Of who these kids were going to be, who these. What hip hop looked like. And. And I saw it, you know, he would come to. I would tell Nas, you know, I used to watch you before you. I met you, you know, they would come. Queensbridge would be like, 40 deep, you know, And I'm like, okay, it's going to be a problem. And Nas would be like, yeah, my dudes, my guys. I was like, you wasn't really. But you was in it, though. You was right there with them, like, cheering it on.

[Unknown Co-Host]

And when you did that video, did you know how, like. Did, you know, like, Nas, this is gonna be it? Because it's like that video really was. I mean, he had, like, Live at the Barbecue, I think came out first. But like, when that video hit, that's when it really was like, official. Official, because even, like, you know, I can still remember he had the. You know, used to have those army hats with the brim. Yeah, Scully with the brim.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

And he had the red one, the green one. He had the cell phone. That's when the. Like, the cell phones was, like, the same. The size of a water bottle. Like, the flip. He had that. And it was just like the iconic moment of it all. And I just recently found out, you know, that was a Michael Jackson sample.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

And they said. I don't know if that's true or not, but they said that Mike only let him use it if he wouldn't curse. So. There's no curses in that, so I.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Think I read that too. Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Yeah. So that's just kind of a large.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Professor produced that record.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Okay. Yeah.

[Ralph McDaniels]

And that's. He's. He, of course, was the main guy and main source, which is live at the barbecue. And back to the grill again too. Back to. Back to the grill again. Yep. And so when that, when we worked on that project, it was just Nas calling me from his crib in Queensbridge in the projects, saying, I don't know, I just want to be hot. Just do what you do on video Music Box. That's. That's all I know. That's. That's as much as. Nah, he knew how to rap, but his, you know, he didn't have a plan. You know, the record label was like, we just want to show him, you know, show his face. He's a good looking guy, you know. And I was like, we not trying to see all that. He talking about some hardcore stuff here. We want to get into all of that. But, but yeah, that's. That was the concept.

[Unknown Co-Host]

But did you know, like. Cause it's like coaching LeBron in high school, right? Did you know this is going to be one of the greatest rappers of all time? Like, did you see that? Like, oh, no, this, this is. This kid's different.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Well, by the time I had Illmatic and when I did the video, I listened to the whole album, okay? So I was like, he's different, you know, And I'm a guy that grew up listening to Gil Scott Heron, you know, And I looked at him in that way that he had, the poetry he cared about, the community he had. He was touching souls with what he was saying, but from a street corner perspective, you know, at the same time, this is why I love that era. This is my golden era for me is Nas, Wu Tang, Biggie, you know, is because I would leave my house in Brooklyn and everything that Nas is saying on the record, I see that every day on the corner. So it's reality. You know, it wasn't like the 80s where it was kind of a story, you know, Slick Rick could tell you amazing story, but you wasn't. You didn't really see it, you know. And you know, but with Nas and them, they were outside on the camouflage with the Timberlands and the hat, the red joint.

[Unknown Host]

That's right. That's 93, 94 in Queens. But in Staten island, something's bubbling too and they're reaching out to you. So like what is that like when this golden era, when you're the go to guy for a city, right, because everybody now realizes they've been watching Video Music Box, they understand the importance of it. West coast has a little thing bubbling, but New York needs a visual and you're the go to guy for it.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah. I thought that that was a great time to be for what I wanted to do and what the company wanted to do do. Because we, this is, this is what we wanted. We wanted to be, you know, the go to company. And so we had relationships with Nas and Wu Tang and others that most directors didn't have and most production companies didn't have. And the other production companies wanted to have that relationship. But I'm in the club at 3 o' clock in the morning in the Bronx, in places that y' all don't go. So, you know, if y' all want to, you gotta go to it. You know, if you want to be successful at this, you gotta, you know, rest in peace. Clark Kent, you know, Clark Kent told me one day, I was like, yo, man, I got these young dudes on my block. I mean, I was talking to Clark Kent and I'm telling him, I got these young guys on my block. And they don't get it, man. They just, you know, they think they tough and all of this, you know. You know, they live in nice houses, man. This is not bad. This is, this is okay. And I don't understand them. He says, you gotta go to them. And then they'll, they'll see you in their situation and then they'll be like, oh, he's with us. And so I said, okay. And so that's when I started going to especially, you know, Trap Music time and going to those events. And then they would see me and be like, oh, uncle's here. You know, so they had a different respect. And you have to. It's like talking to people or talking at them, Talking at them. It's not gonna work. Talking to them. It's gonna work.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So you. So Video Music park, you know, becomes a go to. And it's not just music videos. Like you actually in the tunnel clubs, like you, like, you documenting culture on a variety of different levels. And then you also create different characters, right, that are a part of the, the tree, like a Marvel universe of characters that. So you, you create a whole ecosystem, right? But like anything one, like corporate starts to really pay attention to this, right? So at what point do you realize the swift. Because MTV, yo, MTV raps. When do they come out in 88.

[Ralph McDaniels]

88. 88, yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Okay, so they were already around.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah. By 90s. Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

But they started putting more.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Well, people didn't have cable technology didn't catch up yet. So MTV is doing yo, but the kids in the hood don't have it. And I didn't realize, I thought Everybody would have it when it came out, and people like, how's it affecting you? I'm like, I don't know. I don't see it. Because I didn't. I didn't realize that. Yeah, the cable part, you know, the technology hadn't been wired in, so those kids to see it by 92, 93, now they got it. So I'm seeing a big difference, because they're talking about, yo, I just was watching yo. Mtv, and I saw this, and I'm like, oh, they got it.

[Unknown Host]

How are you feeling at that time? Because I was the kid that lived in the Bronx and then moved to the suburbs, so we had to dial when we were there, and then we got cable. But at the. When they started, I think Fab was only on, like, Saturday nights.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And then Ed and Dre was during, like, Saturday mornings. And maybe 4:30, it came on after you, like, they were three. You were 3:30 to 4:30.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And then they were like, 4:30, something like that. But as you're watching it, I've never actually seen y' all in the same space like, you, Ed and Dre, like, did. Was there, like, some companion money?

[Ralph McDaniels]

They had money, man. I didn't have nothing. I was on my own dime, bro. And they. Or. Or the people hired me to do shows. So when you saw me in clubs in the Bronx or in Brooklyn, that was a promoter going, yo, Ralph, come to the. You know, we're going to hire you to host the show. Can you shoot the show there as well? And I would go there, and they would pay me, you know, whatever it was, $500, $1,000. And we would do this, and the whole place would be jam packed, and, can we do it again next week? I didn't realize that it was us that was helping get that room packed. And then after a while, I was like, we can do this ourselves. Why are we just doing this for $500? Like? And we started doing it ourselves, and that's when we. We started making money, you know, just as promoters.

[Unknown Host]

It was at that time when you're in one of these parties and you're like. Because New York parties at that time, they could go left at any second.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Was it like a party you was at? And it was like, all right, we might have got. Cut the cameras off. We might got to get out of here.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Oh, yeah, No, I remember one night we were in. It was a club. It wasn't even a club. It was like a. A place where people give, you know, like, galas. And things like that, but it was kind of, like, not nice anymore.

[Unknown Co-Host]

And.

[Ralph McDaniels]

And it was flash DJing. It was flat. It was. It was New Year's Eve. It was Flash's birthday is New Year's Day, and Flash was there, and I came in, and it was people with places packed. I'm like, okay, we made some money tonight. And I'm walking around, and then I'm talking to promoter, and then I hear gunshots. I mean, like, machine gun gunshots. Like, not just 1, 2, 3, like. Like that. And I'm like, what's that? It's New Year's Eve. Come on. Y' all still out here at New Year's Eve, like, what's going on? This is the hood. And so. And Biz Marquis was there and Bismarck. So everybody's running. So Biz Marquis, I see him running my way, and I'm like, oh, wow, Business here. And he's like, yo, they wiling. And I'm like. And Biz got all his jewelry on, so I'm like, get away from me, man. I want. Like, they coming for the jewelry, I guess. And, you know, eventually we got in, but my friend got shot that night. You know, he got through it. My friend Troy Heywood, he got through it, but, you know, and he was like, get the money. Go to the bar, Ralph. Take all the money.

[Unknown Host]

Wow, dude.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I was like, okay. You know, his aunt had the money. I'm like, I'll take that from you. Miss you.

[Unknown Co-Host]

As somebody that saw hip hop at the beginning stages, when did you start to see. When did you start to notice the difference as far as money that was coming in on a court? Like, you start to see, like, oh, this is starting to make millions and millions and multi. Millions of dollars. Like, what was that?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Corporate was always there, like. Like, Sprite in 85. Sprite was there, which is a Coca Cola company, I guess, and they were doing Fresh Fest, and it was Sprite and Swatch watch was there. And these were just unique situations that I guess Russell and other guys, this other guy, Charles Stetler, they. They put together that they could get some money from these corporations that wanted to get with these young kids. Soda, of course, is easy. You know, Watches, I didn't know, but that was pretty creative to. To have that. Oh, and I know why. Because they had Keith Haring, the artist, Keith Haring's watches, and it kind of related to young people as graffiti, right? So. But, yeah, I started to see it then. I really started to see it in the 90s, you know, when you Get Bad Boy and Rockefeller and Def Jam. You know, Def Jam is really the godfather of creating this whole system of corporate and the right people and the cool crowd and, you know, and everything. And it all works. And, you know, we put out Method man and we put out, you know, like, why didn't Method man come out with on Loud Records, which Wu Tang was on? What you calling Def Jam had a clear idea of, we want to do this something different than maybe what you guys did with Wu Tang. And they did a good job. And then they put Redman and met the man, the mother man. Right. You know. And I remember Leor Cohen telling me that this is going to be the greatest campaign ever. And I was like, I don't know why, because they both had man at.

[Unknown Host]

The end of their name.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Like why?

[Ralph McDaniels]

But they still perform now. And he embedded that in people's head. And the thing about Def Jam was we're not just going to put out a good hip hop record. We're going to put out edgy records. The records that really kind of push the. Push the edge, you know, like, you know, we. There's plenty of artists, you know. And I remember when Leo Cohen told me we're gonna make Jay Z the biggest artist ever. Like, he said that to me and I was like, and this is, you know, Biggie is still around. So Jay's not really quite there yet. He's good. Clearly he's a great artist, but I'm like the greatest artist ever. And you know, Leo Cohn said that. He said that to me about Jay Z. Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

What. What year was that?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Maybe 96. It's reasonable doubt. Right. Before that. Yeah, you know, Jay and them and Rockefeller put Reasonable Doubt. It wasn't on Def Jam at first. It was on another label.

[Unknown Host]

Priority.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Priority. Right.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Priorities. Work wasn't right. So I switched factories.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, right. Priority was cool. But that's not really what they, you know, Jay needed to be with Def jam.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So like 96. Was that puffing them when they, when they. That's when it really started to get crazy though, right? Yeah, like 90s.

[Ralph McDaniels]

There was. There was something happening. Street teams.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Oh, Death Row too though. They played a part. Yeah, because that's when Tupac and all, like there was a lot of records being sold. Like Tupac selling 8 million records and the amount of money that Suge Knight.

[Unknown Host]

So maybe, maybe it starts with Power Snoop up until that point, because he's the first guy that does huge million records. 92 up until that era.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Because before it was just like, you Just you just. You rap. You nice, you nice, you nice, you nice. Then it was against the era. You had to be like that. But then there was the money.

[Unknown Host]

But you never kept that even in that era. You never cared about how many records you sold.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Well, that's what I'm saying. It was. Then there was the money, right?

[Ralph McDaniels]

So I'm trying.

[Unknown Co-Host]

I'm trying to figure out when the money era started.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I think.

[Unknown Host]

I think.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I think probably would start with. With. You could. That's new, because Hollywood is coming in now. When you come in from la, it's Hollywood driven. Everything is the money that. The people that are putting up the money. It's all based around. They do movies, they do all that kind of thing. They know how to market. They just may not have the right product. Now you come in with Snoop and Dre. They. They know what they're doing. And. Okay, let's put it out there then. And we're going to put this money behind it. And it hit across the world.

[Unknown Co-Host]

You knew Shook.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I did videos for the. What is the name of his crew?

[Unknown Co-Host]

Dog Pound.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Dog, not Dog Pound. They did a compilation, okay, of all of the. The artists that were on Death Row.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Okay. And like lady of Rage.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we. We did some videos for that.

[Unknown Co-Host]

How. How smart was Shook? Like, do you think?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Like, to me, I didn't have any. Any problems with him. I thought that he was a guy. I played football in high school, so he looked like a guy to play football with. And so his size didn't intimidate me. But I knew that he. He wanted to win, which was. So did I. So I didn't. I. I got it.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Because I never really thought about the reason why I asked you. I never really thought about it. Just in this moment of. We always give Puff the credit of making hip hop billions. Like, but now I'm thinking, I'm like, maybe it was Suge, or maybe it was both of them at the same time, because Suge always kept the reputation as a very smart businessman. And the west coast was always gangster, like just gangster rap. And even. That's how. That's how Snoop originally came out as a gangster, right? As a gang member. But then somehow it turned very quickly that Death Row ship was always against the card, but they turned into very high levels. Maybe Tupac, with the combination of his star power, because he was a movie star already, so maybe when he got to Death Row, it just kind of blew it up. And they. But that's interesting because it's like, maybe he needs to get a little bit more credit for actually making hip hop multi billion dollar industry.

[Unknown Host]

Or it's the same guys that you like. You said Leo said this about Jay.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right? Right.

[Unknown Host]

I'm sure on the other side, Jimmy Iovine saying going to do this with Snoop.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

And so these guys are just pulling. They're pulling strings.

[Ralph McDaniels]

And you also have a guy like, like, like Suge is going to keep everybody. He's a young, young, young kid and he's going to look, we going to be serious about this. We going to get this album done. Y' all gonna go to do press. Y' all gonna take photo. Like he. He was organizing them. He was the coach, you know, like, look, cut it out. Somebody acting up real beat your ass. So, okay, let me not. Let me get my together. And people. Artists might not have realized that this was to their benefit at the time, but when they got the check, they realized how much Sug gave them.

[Unknown Host]

As you seeing this money coming in, especially in this hip hop space and you've watched it from the beginning, right. You predated the videos. Start the budget start going up. Oh yeah, right now as a. And that time you did. There is no Hype Williams yet.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

Billy Hunt. Billy, Billy W. All these guys, they don't exist yet. Right. Director X, Benny Boom. But you did.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Are you looking at the video budget saying, like, I need to do more directing. Because they're actually spending millions of do like I remember the million dollar videos.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

Like this is happening in this era. How are you viewing this from a director standpoint?

[Ralph McDaniels]

We just thought that the bigger the artists that we worked with, the bigger the budget would be. So as long as we could keep on striving to work with other. Like if we worked with, I don't know, let's say Usher at the time, then we needed to work with R. Kelly, you know, or to get to. At the time. I don't want people to. I don't want anybody to get. Did it twist different times.

[Unknown Host]

They don't want.

[Unknown Co-Host]

You can't erase the history.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right?

[Unknown Co-Host]

It's like Puff, you can't erase the history.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right? So. So yeah, so we just thought that it was. Whoever we worked with was bigger was we would get more money. And that was not always the case. It just mattered on what was negotiated.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Let me ask you that. You know, Dr. Omar is.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yes.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So he has a. He. I saw him speak and he talked about Hip Hop 50 and his thing was like. His thing was like, what has hip hop done? That was he, you know, he's kind of critical on a lot of different stuff. And he was like, well, hip hop hasn't done anything. And they like, what do you mean hip hop hasn't done anything? He's like, well, we don't have no schools, we don't have no hospitals, we don't have no institutions. So he looks, from his standpoint, it was like from 50 years of hip hop, we've only gotten negative influences, death and destruction. That's obviously like an extreme argument, right? But it's something to at least I want to ask you about because you, you're a hip hop from the beginning to now. You've seen 50 years of hip hop. So when you see somebody like that who's highly regarded in our community as.

[Ralph McDaniels]

An intellectual, because he's looking at the, he's looking at what he sees in front of the screen. He's not looking at who's behind the scenes. He's not looking at all the people that are empowered, that are cutting those checks and putting them into the community and making it work. Besides the entertainment part of it, how it changes a community, it changes Harlem, you know, you get, you know, when Harlem, you know, when they put in, you know, new restaurants and all these different things in Brooklyn, you know, I see it, you know, I lived in Brooklyn, you know, it's hip hop that drove people to Brooklyn. They didn't come there because Brooklyn was a cool place. It was Biggie saying, you know, a.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Lot of us weren't from Bedford State.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Because we're Brooklyn at right now. When you walk down Fulton street in Brooklyn on a Saturday afternoon, middle class white folks with their kids and the dude with the hoodie, Biggie, where he come from, like, what are you doing here? And so, but that's why they came, because we made it cool. And you know, and you know, and I understand, you know. Well, sometimes I don't understand where doctor must come from. But in his case, you still have to get people on board to not just, not just hip hop people. You know, we still have to go and sell ourselves every day. You know, I'm pretty sure you guys get in situations where it's clearly, we know what you do. I know everybody in the community knows, but you still have to kind of say, well, what's the difference between this and Joe Rogan? You know, like, you know, and you know, you know what I'm saying? You're like, what are you talking about, bro? Have you not seen the movement? Have you not come to the events? Have you not seen the influence and the way we inspire and people go off and do it and they, and you know, we're not tracking everybody but we see it. Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

And there's a lot of ancillary things that you can't really measure. Like in some regards you can say that hip hop really is the reason why Barack Obama got elected.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Because I'm first to say that.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Because his cultural influence made it acceptable for white people to look at somebody black and give him an opportunity where previously that wasn't. And that's because, because they got so used to Tupac, Biggie, Snoop and all of that. And it just permeated hip hop, permeated society and kind of softened the situation.

[Ralph McDaniels]

There are 60 year olds, me that grew up on hip hop and they're the head of corporations and you play a Run DMC record and they lose their mind and their wife looks at them like, who is this man? You know, this white man who's 60 years old. We didn't expect that to be, to happen. And the kids are like, I didn't know dad knew about hip hop because he grew up and when he was in high school, when he's, I mean he was in college or in high school, that was the music that he grew up listening to. And he still loves that. And that makes him happy at 60 years old still. And he, he, he, he, he'll go still buy the kids tickets. We all going to see Run dmc. How about that?

[Unknown Co-Host]

And I also think that it's kind of unfair. We put hip hop in an unfair bucket. Right. Because it's like it's still a genre of music. We're not asking what institution has classical music built or what, what institution has the blues built. Right. Music. Yeah. I mean we, we have, we're over index because part of it is because we rely too much on hip hop. Right. Like we don't just look at hip hop as like this is just good entertainment. It's become so much of our life that it's become entertainment or religion, a culture, everything for us. Right. So it's like we put so much pressure on it and then that's not really fair because at the end of the day it shouldn't, it shouldn't really have that much pressure. It should just be a part of what we look at, not the whole entire, every single thing in our life.

[Unknown Host]

I think that's where that, the distinguishment between, between hip hop and rap music.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right, right.

[Unknown Host]

Because hip hop as a culture itself. Yeah. You're right. We definitely over indexing because it's something that we created and it's for everything.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And we, we've watched it, right? So if it was 50 years, like, I'm 82, baby. 80, 84. We literally grew up with this music. And like, I can say for me, it's the. I mean, it's been the biggest influence. Right when KRS1 was coming out with Boogie Down Productions, like, talking about being a teacher. Being a teacher. It's like, all right, you could be a teacher. Then Jay spitting. I'm like, oh, wait, he's saying things that we can unpack. Like, this is even for me, it was like, I gotta be creative on how I teach because he's saying things that I can use to kids. And now they can relate to it through the music. So it's the biggest influence. I mean, by far, right?

[Ralph McDaniels]

I use hip hop in the libraries now. I work with the Queen's library. You know, they were like, first of all, the amount of kids that were going to libraries had come down. Why we could use this. We don't have to go in the library. How do we get them in the library, Ralph? I remember sitting in front of a bunch of people that run library in Queens and I said, we could do some events and they'll come. And then we just got to trick them to getting into taking books out and getting library cards. And they were like, well, how do we do that? Easy. We bring in a dj, we got a graffiti writer doing some graffiti. Kids want to draw. Let's try this. And we started doing that, and that was six years ago. And the numbers increase in all of our 65 branches. We have 65 libraries in Queens now. Ralph, I need a program. We need to get, you know, we need them for 6 and 11 year olds. Okay. I use the same things that they use, the same taxes that they use, arts and crafts and all that kind of stuff. But I hip hop it out. So now we're going. We're going to customize sneakers. Oh, you think that'll work? Kids love sneakers. Sneaker culture is huge. And now they can make their own. And for those that are out there, you take my idea, use it, you know, use it and it's easier. So, like a lot of times I speak to people, different librarians and museum curators in other parts of the country. Well, you're in New York, so that's a different. But you might have to finance and put a little bit of your money up. In the beginning, we didn't Have a budget for this. I felt like, why? Why do we not have a budget? Like, this is crazy. Like, well, you know, it's just not in the budget when we first started. You know, maybe next year we can put it in budget, and then you have to sell that. But whatever the case is, it's brought the numbers up. Then you have Booker Hov, Jay Z. Booker Hov come out, change the whole culture of what libraries look like. And now they can go to their CEO, president or whatever and go, this is a perfect example of what we can do here in Indiana or we can do in Ohio, or we can do in Nebraska. And so Jay Z's not going to get the credit for that. You know, me, I talk about it all the time. It was a big deal. And I talk about. I feel like I was the first and influenced that to happen, you know, because I remember when Roc Nation called me and said, this is what we're thinking about doing. And I was like, it's gonna work. It's gonna be perfect. And that's how it happened.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Well, speaking of that, from a documentary standpoint, right? So, okay, you have 30 years of footage and everything.

[Ralph McDaniels]

40.

[Unknown Co-Host]

40 years of footage. When do you start thinking about doing a documentary? And how do you actually even go about making that, you know, tangible with that much millions of hours of footage? What's the tedious process to actually make that come to life?

[Ralph McDaniels]

I've been kicking the idea around a book or a documentary or a movie, and I really wanted to do a movie first. Let's just do a movie, people. Let's just get right to it, you know, let's get somebody to play Ralph and, you know, and Tuffy and Crazy Sam and Crazy Zon and Kevin, right? You know, and so. And then we would write in March of 2020, and this thing, new pandemic hit, right? And so I was kicking it with a friend of mine. I wanted him. Then we started talking about documentary. Sasha Jenkins. Sasha Jenkins did the Wu Tang documentary. He did a bunch of documentaries on hip hop. And so I said, yo, Sasha, man, look, you know, I want you to direct my documentary. We didn't have a place for it yet. We went to a couple of places and, you know, they were like, okay, it sounds like it's interesting. Sasha was like, your footage is to sell. You know, you got everything. You know, it's not like we looking for something or we going and searching for it. You got all the footage. Everything you talk about, you. You got the visuals for it. I said, right, so eventually, we went to Showtime, or actually, what happened is Sasha and Nas went to Showtime. Sasha told me, I meet with Showtime, but I didn't know it was with Nas. So he says. Then he calls me today. I says, yeah, me and Nas just left the Showtime. I'm like, not. Why is Nas there? And he's like, oh, yeah, we're going to do it with Mass Appeal. So I said, all right. And he said, and you're the only one. The only documentary they want to do is your documentary. The guy who does documentaries there is very familiar with you. He grew up in New Jersey, and he watched you. And he says, you guys know Ralph McDaniels, and this is not possible talking to Nas and. And that's how. That's how the documentary came about. But more importantly is that we had all of this footage, and we brought that to the table and said, you know, like, we could do 10 documentaries if you want to. In fact, we've been doing it. You just didn't know that. Sasha is my man, and I'm Sasha, use this, use this, use this. And Sasha was like, yeah. Oh, this is incredible. Nobody has this.

[Unknown Host]

So, like, what we saw with the Yeezys documentary, like, you have that for. That was specifically for Kanye, but you have that. I mean, pretty much for every artist, are people. After seeing the documentary, if you haven't checked it out, please go check it out. After seeing the feedback from the documentary, are labels or artists looking to you to say, hey, can we get some of that footage? Because we're thinking about putting a piece together. This artist or that artist.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Well, the labels are still trying to figure it out, because they're corporate, right? And they want to be in charge of everything. I'm like, you got to go to what the people want. You know, think about what the people want. This is it. Don't think about it from your perspective, because it's going to be corny. I'm not saying that you guys are not excellent in making money and doing what you do, but people want to know the little integral tidbits about DMX or 50 or whoever it is, and you want to see that. And we. You guys are just going to come from a music perspective on this record. They did this and this, which is fine, which is important. People want to know that. But I think that people want to know, you know, the intimate parts of the artist, you know, and sometimes it's not good. And not saying that we want to just. Just lay out everybody's personal business. I don't agree in that either. But whatever the artist is comfortable with, let's put it that way.

[Unknown Co-Host]

How do you feel about, like, I feel like hip hop now is. Everybody's looking at, like, it from a different standpoint now. Like all of these different cases that have come about. Right. But a lot of that stems from, like, stuff that happened 20, 20 years ago. Right. So how do you feel about, like, the full circle moment now? Especially, like, when it comes to, like, sexual assault and stuff like that. When we saw videos that was kind of, like borderline on that, but nobody really thought about it like that at that moment. Right. So what's your thoughts?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Especially the rock and roll video?

[Unknown Co-Host]

Yeah, well, yeah. So what's your thoughts on the state of where that. Where that currently stands right now?

[Ralph McDaniels]

It's a different time. You know, there are things that I played on video music box back in the days. I would never be able to play them now. And we edit them. We have to edit those videos. Like, if we throw a throwback and we look at how possibly did we play this on tv?

[Unknown Host]

I know one that came to mind.

[Ralph McDaniels]

You know, and, And I don't, you know, it happened. You know, I have no excuse. These things happen. And. And that's the culture that we. We are in. And, and we evolve and we learn and we do whatever we do to. To. To make it right. And, and that's what, you know, that's what 2024 has been.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Is it a music industry problem or hip hop problem?

[Ralph McDaniels]

It's just people problem. You know, some. Some men standing around, yeah, let's do this. You know. You know, if it, you know, look, I remember there was a time in the early 2000s when strip clubs was where you went to break records. And it'd be like thousands of people going to the strip club. And, you know, the. The record release party was at a strip club, you know, and. And I wasn't really into strip clubs like that, but I was aware of it, you know, that it was happening. And I'm married, man. My wife's like, you ain't going no damn strip club. Where you going, boy? And so. But I knew it was happening. And. And that was a culture. That's where we get Cardi B. Cardi B comes directly out of that. She's talking. She's telling you about the strip club culture.

[Unknown Co-Host]

She was a stripper, right?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, but she. She starts on. On. On this blog or on Instagram, not me, whatever it was, Facebook, whatever it was. And she's just talking. Well, last night this happened and da da da da. And she's breaking down all of this stuff that I'm. I don't know, I have no idea. But I know that this girl is very interesting. I don't even know she's a rapper. She's, in fact, she's not a rapper yet. She's just. I'm like, I don't know, something about her. She's going to be somebody. I don't know where this is going, but it's going somewhere. Ten years, 15 years later, she's one of the biggest in the game, loving hip hop.

[Unknown Host]

It's interesting. It's this evolution, right. Because when I think of all the videos that you directed early on the paper, then we produced, produce, it ain't hard to tell. Even the Wu Tang, the rawness of those videos.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And then we have an era where we're going into million dollar videos, highly produced videos.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

And so you go from Video Music Box, you go to MTV on TV raps and you get BET, Rap City, all these 106 and Park TRL's in there somewhere.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yep. And.

[Unknown Host]

And then now we're streaming and it's YouTube and it's going back to the rawness of the video.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

How are you viewing this from your standpoint? It's like, are we going back to the origin or. People just like to have that role authentic.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I think they just like to not know it, not be predictable like Kaisernet. Right. I'm like, okay, I'm watching. I don't watch him all the time, but everything that he seems to get reaction when it's something that happened that he didn't know was going to happen. You know, he's just good at planning it out, you know. But I think that people like that, you know, they're in this world, in this universe and it just happened. And oh my goodness, what you call him, Kevin Hart is on there. Oh, this guy is on there. You know, I'm not going to be surprised if Denzel pops up on, you know, on, on, you know, and Denzel will get it, you know, because Denzel gets it. He gets it. He comes from that place, he knows it, he knows what it is. You don't have to do it. But if he feels like it, he probably said, let's do it.

[Unknown Co-Host]

But I think everything works in cycles because even, you know, the million dollar budget video. But then DMX comes out, let's take it back to the streets, right? And then that ushered in an era of just raw grittiness and it goes back Up. So it goes up, it goes down, it goes up, it goes down.

[Ralph McDaniels]

As far as quality, I think that's the competition. Yeah, because, you know, Rough Riders, we got all the bikes. Nobody don't have that.

[Unknown Host]

That was still a great. That was a well produced video.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, let's take it.

[Unknown Co-Host]

No, but I'm saying it's in this tunnel.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, the. The content of it was. But it's not like, protect your neck, right? Which is just like, yo, somebody shot this on a camcorder and they gave.

[Ralph McDaniels]

It to you, right?

[Unknown Host]

This is like, they put even, like, his next video. How's it going down?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

Like, these are good.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Like, if you look at them now.

[Unknown Host]

They'Re still well produced. The cinematography is good, the lighting's good.

[Ralph McDaniels]

DMX is a. Is, you know, a unicorn. Yeah, he wasn't. I remember with Video Music Box and Crazy Sam went to. To Yonkers, and he was there to tape some other artists. And he says, yo, man, this other guy comes up and says, why are you messing with them? They're whack.

[Unknown Co-Host]

You should be doing it with him.

[Ralph McDaniels]

And, you know, this is before he blew up, right? And so Sam is like, you know, we hear this all the time. And he says, yo, man, I'm gonna be right back, man. I'm gonna do something for y'. All. And he does a little freestyle, you know, and. And Sam said the guy actually was pretty good. He was crazy. He's crazy and Crazy Sam is crazy. But dmx, you know, no filter. Just, come on, let's do it. He's an actor. He was in movies. Like, he's a real, you know, like, the real deal.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Talented. Yeah, super talented. Okay, so when do you start to get into actually literature? Right? Because now you actually have the children.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, we got the book.

[Unknown Co-Host]

How does that come about?

[Ralph McDaniels]

The book was from me working in the library. I saw a lot of books, but I didn't see enough for. For hip hop or for our people or for the hip hop community. And. And sometimes people say, oh, it's black. I'm like, no, it's just people that are into hip hop. Like, we talk a certain way, and you'll know it when you hear it. And you just start talking with them. You know, you can walk in a corporate room and you look for that guy or that girl as, okay, that's my peoples right there. I need them right there. I gotta connect with them after we leave. And so we wanted to create something that was based upon my story, but also as a way to teach kids in books, which, once again, they don't have to do that. They could use this. So how do we make that interesting? We pack it with a lot of information, and we packed it with my story. The story of parents who grew up and wanted to show their kid where they came from, where hip hop started at in the Bronx and take them to Times Square, where they used to be dancing on cardboard here. And people would give them money and all of these things. That is part of the hip hop experience back in the days. And so that's what the book is about. But in the same time, we do them reading comprehension and math and science, you know, stem in general, just. Just to kind of make the book last a little bit longer.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So let me ask you this as far as just from a hip hop question. There's two artists who I feel will never get the proper respect that they deserve from hip hop purists. Kanye west and Drake. To me, I feel like hip hop purists will never champion them, but their resume speaks for itself. How do you feel about that?

[Ralph McDaniels]

I'm a fan of both of them guys, so. And I may not be the hip hop purist you're talking about. It's a guy that's sitting on the stoop right now, you know, with some tims on. He still drinks old English and he'll tell you every album cut. He knows his stuff, right? I know that guy. And girls and women as well. And. And it's because they. They believe that hip hop is. Is an era. A certain era that they grew up on probably, and that's it. And some, you know, may go a little further and, you know, into today, but most of them are of a certain age. And. And they just, you know, if it doesn't have. If the lyrics are not in these type of cadence or the beats are not these type of beats, then it's not hip hop.

[Unknown Co-Host]

I just look at both of them like nobody's done what they've done, nobody in the history of hip. Like, when I look at Drake to be number one for 15 years, every single year consists of son is soft. And then it's like for Kanye to be the number one producer, then to be the number one rapper to have five classic albums.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Not from New York, son. I mean, this is what they gonna.

[Unknown Host]

Say, even this era, right? Think about this era. Like, if that's the argument not from New York. Doesn't it feel. I mean, watching it from every era, we don't dominate the music. And it has. It's been that way For a while now. In fact, we don't. Who is the artist? I mean, you could say a boogie or you might say a cardio. You throw Nikki in there. But we don't. We don't have the person or the people or even a group of people that New York can say, like, that's us anymore.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Women, women, they dominate women. Nicki, Minaj, Cardi.

[Unknown Host]

But Nicki's. Even. Nicki's in her 40s.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Right, but she's still number one.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I'm not.

[Unknown Host]

I said Nikki and Cardi and you could throw in an. A buggy in there, but it's.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Ice Spice was hot. She had a run.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I like Ice Spice. I think of the. The riot, the dude that does the beast, you know, that's DJ enough, son. He, he. I'm like, this guy is amazing. I love the music, you know, And I. And I really kind of tuned in. I'm like, who. Like, I didn't even realize it was Drill, you know, And I was like, who's doing the music? Like, what is this? This is. This sounds, like, familiar. And. And so I think that that helps the music. The music was first. The DJ was first.

[Unknown Host]

I felt like this was the time. And you. We all know this time when each borough had a. A number of people coming from it. And now I feel it now. It's like it's a different city. And that's. I mean, that's good.

[Ralph McDaniels]

That.

[Unknown Host]

That speaks to the growth of the music itself. But New York in itself, like, I couldn't tell you who outside of Able.

[Ralph McDaniels]

In the Bronx, that was by design. Okay, remember when Cash Money became pop popular, right? Yeah, late 90s. That's how long Cash Money been around. Yeah, Cash Money was using music that they can. They did on their own. I mean, some of it was sampled, but we didn't know it wasn't like, you know, keep rising to the top and, you know, samples that we knew it wasn't. Don't. Don't look any further. It wasn't that. It was something else. The music business realized Cash Money could make records for a lot less. Then they have to give Jay Z on his third album or his fourth album. Why are we spending this much money to give to Jay or give to DMX or to Wuang? Let's give it to Cash Money. They know how to make records for less and less samples. We don't got to worry about getting sued. None of that legal stuff is going to happen. And that was when the shift happened right there. And. And once they became Popular and they started selling records. Then all of the record labels said, oh, we gotta find us a cash money. And so that's when it changed.

[Unknown Co-Host]

And I think it's the culture too. Culture drives music. So what I mean by that is, like west coast had a culture. The gang culture permeated. And then that sound that they created went worldwide, globally. And now. And then people started making music to kind of mirror that. Right. New York had a culture, 5%, all that. And people started making music to permeate what Rakim was talking about or what Nas or Wu Tang was talking about. Right. Then it was the hustler culture with Jay and Big. Now it's gang culture, but like, different. Like Chicago gang culture drill. That's permeated. So even if they from New York, they don't sound like they're from New York. They. They emulate in Chicago, or it's just down south culture in general. So now everybody. The gold teeth is coming back. And how they dressing and how they talk and the slang that they're using sound like they from Louisiana, Alabama. Even if they from New York, they using Atlanta slang.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So that culture. There are New York artists, but it doesn't seem like that New York vintage feel because, like, Dipset was authentic to New York. Their culture permeated it. Like, but that was Dipset, like G unit. That was 50 cent was queens. Right.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Like, even 50 is the last of it.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Yeah, that's why.

[Ralph McDaniels]

That's. I think you're making the point.

[Unknown Host]

I'm saying, who's. What's the authentic New York? We don't really have Nicki.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. Those are authentic New York.

[Unknown Host]

Cardi is authentic.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Nikki too. Nicki, definitely.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Nikki's a lyricist.

[Unknown Co-Host]

You don't count her anymore, but she's still active.

[Unknown Host]

I know, but I'm saying, like, they. They're from a. A demographic that's like the hall of Fame. That's the hall of Fame already. We already know solidified first ballad. That's hall of Fame. But that the music has to stay young.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Oh, there's no New York. I mean, you got artists that's traditional New York, but they haven't, like somebody like Davies. He's a New York. He's a New Yorker. The way he dressed, the way he talks. But he's not. He's not a mainstream popular artist. Pop Smoke was the last one that he was a hybrid because he was a new generation. But he was real New York. He was on the flow is. His vibe was very Much New York, the new New York. He championed gang culture and all of that, but it was still. It didn't seem like. When asap, Rocky and them came out, I thought that they was from Houston. When I first saw asap, I thought they were from Houston because they. They had nothing. I wasn't familiar with anything that they were talking about as far as, like, that's not.

[Ralph McDaniels]

They kind of that Harlem swag, though, when you.

[Unknown Co-Host]

After a while. Yeah. But it first came out, it was like, even not kind of. Santana was like, no, that's. They not Harlem. And no disrespect to Kirk. Yeah. That was years ago. He was. They was like, yo, when he said that, that's not har. Like, he didn't mean, like, they're not from Harlem. But he's like, that's not Harlem.

[Unknown Host]

It's a new generation.

[Unknown Co-Host]

That's not the Harlem that he knew that they know, but it was the new Harlem.

[Ralph McDaniels]

It was a new.

[Unknown Co-Host]

That ushered in a new. A new style.

[Ralph McDaniels]

There was a whole thing of style with that era, that generation, which changed, which influenced a lot of kids now. Right. You know, then that's why they look at asap, the way they. Asap Rocky, he's like, in that.

[Unknown Host]

Tyler create. Tyler create. I think more how the impact.

[Ralph McDaniels]

And Tyler, the creator is. Is amazing.

[Unknown Host]

And the first. I saw him first on you.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

You put the video with the cockroach on his face. I was like, what is this?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah. And, you know, and. But I saw him live first, and I felt like I didn't feel L. A where he's from. I felt like, this is a new. He could be in New York doing this. And, you know, and he. He had all of the. The movement, you know, And I was like, I didn't have any idea that he was from. From. From la.

[Unknown Co-Host]

But that's why Kendrick is. Is such a big artist, because he leaned into LA culture.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Oh, yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Double down, triple down, quadrupled down on it. When times gets hard, he always goes back to la.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right?

[Unknown Co-Host]

Right. So it's like.

[Ralph McDaniels]

And they grabbed him, huh?

[Unknown Host]

They grabbed him too.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Who grabbed them?

[Ralph McDaniels]

No, they. They made sure, like, he.

[Unknown Co-Host]

That's somebody who. He put that anthem out and it was la. It was la.

[Unknown Host]

He's there. Outside of Nip, it was their favorite son. Right? Like, you think if when they passed him the crown on stage and Snoops on stage and Games on stage and J Rock, all these guys have made sure since early on that he's going to be the next one, right?

[Ralph McDaniels]

J Rock Is very important.

[Unknown Host]

He's opening up for J Rock.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right. Because J Rock looked like he was from Brooklyn.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Well, game is very important.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right game too. Right.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Game looked like he was from New York.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Right. So that opens up the door. Even though they don't have the sales like Kendrick and, you know, others. But J Rock is a very important part of. To me from outside of la. Yeah. To the success. Yeah. He gonna make it.

[Unknown Host]

Tyler, I'm with you. I didn't even know he was from there. Like, on the new album, he's saying, like, he's the biggest out the city since Kenny. And I'm like, oh, okay. But you look at it when. When they did that show, when. When Kendrick did that show. If you look at the largest ovation outside of when Kendrick does not like us, it's.

[Ralph McDaniels]

It's Tyler, really.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So what's next for you? I mean, you know, you got the book.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Did a documentary. You've chronicled 50 years of hip hop. Literally. Like you as an elder statesman and somebody that's, you know, established your. Your legacy. What are you looking forward to in the next 10 years?

[Ralph McDaniels]

I think it's important that. Because I work in a business right now that deals with government funding and that type of thing and grants and stuff like that, we have to be aware who we have in office right now. And it's changed. And so now we in preservation mode. I do a lot of stuff that, you know, my whole thing is with my nonprofit is video music box collection, is preserving this culture, digitizing it, making it available, and then, you know, doing stories and curing government contracts from school districts. So you might get the government contracts from. For. For schools, you might get government contracts for museums. You know, so you do something at MOMA, you could get a 2, 3 million dollar contract to do something at the moment and. Or you could get 10,000 or $5,000 to do something at Yonkers Library, you know, and is that money going to be coming according to the way it's been projected? It may be coming, but it may not be coming into hip hop or it might not be coming into our community, maybe going somewhere else now. So we have to make sure that we protect our history and make sure that. And some people go, oh, man, come on, Ralph. We don't want to hear about that. No, but it's important that we do that, because if we don't do that, then we don't have a story.

[Unknown Co-Host]

So how do we do that?

[Ralph McDaniels]

We have to have our own spaces for that. And we, as the community have to protect it. We have to do it ourselves. You know, I grew up in Crown Heights in. When I lived in Brooklyn. And Crown Heights is like half Hasidic Jewish, half African American. Well, in the Caribbean, and everybody takes care of their own. You know, if it's the Caribbean community, like, you know, like, we have a Shabba super cat and somebody perform tonight, and you go, and they make sure that they got. They protected, they protecting their thing. The African American community does it as well, and the Hasidic community does it as well. My neighbors were Hasidic Jews. You know, I see them every day. Family first, Ralph. Okay? You know, I hear it all the time. And we have to be like that. Family first. You know, like, we are very competitive. That's what we do. Hip hop is a very competitive thing. Sports, you know, it's very competitive. We the greatest at that. But we have to think about taking care of our culture and making sure that it's protected. And that by doing that, then also brings wealth to that community in those particular areas. You know, anything that's happened to us is because we didn't do that.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Do you think that hip hop will be under assault? Like, one of the things they said in Project 2025 was that, you know, people's artistic abilities is going to be.

[Ralph McDaniels]

We'll be the first. We'll be the first that they go try and shut down. Look, we've been doing this for a minute. We've been running things for a minute a long time. You got Blackish, you got all these shows on tv we've been running, and everybody knows about. It's not just black people buying this. Clearly, this is entertainment. Everybody's buying it. It's not like we forced it down your throat. We said, you know, that you. You enjoyed it. But somebody sitting in the back, all right, these black people, that's enough for y'. All. Y' all had a nice little run. So now, okay, look, expect that to happen and just be ready and just be, you know, prepared. You know, don't. Don't just sit back and lay down and go, okay, we're not getting that funding no more. We got to go do something else and just leave it, which is what we can to do. We just leave it. And then somebody comes and buys it for cheap and makes it something.

[Unknown Host]

I think you said in a unique standpoint, right? If this is the era of content.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Content.

[Unknown Host]

I mean, you have it.

[Ralph McDaniels]

You have it.

[Unknown Host]

You have something that can't be duplicated, which is content of people who are no longer here.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, right.

[Unknown Host]

And you have it in the early stages and late stages and even current stages. You talked about the process of digitizing what.

[Ralph McDaniels]

What.

[Unknown Host]

When it. I mean, that's a lengthy process, I'm sure. But what's the view? What's the vision really for after it's digitized? Now, are we trying to say, like, hey, we're going to put this on this?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, we want to. We want to have it in Harvard. You know, NAS has a fellowship there. Other institutions, HBCUs. I went to school in Long island, put it there, you know, that was. I went to school for TV and film, put it in those type of schools, you know, where journalists, the next journalist, the next earn your leisure guys are coming up, and they should be able to see all of this and learn information from what y' all do, you know, and. And. And it's. And it's valuable. Like, we do it because we do it and we really enjoy it. Some of us make a lot of money out of it. But it's valuable information. It's valuable.

[Unknown Host]

I want to talk about one thing and before we. Before we go. And it's a painful foundation because it's important. It's important to watch, it's important to see. But more importantly is what you guys are doing. I know you're on the board. For those who are not familiar, hopefully you can explain to him. But just watching you give back to a generation that we grew up watching, especially hip hop artists. I know this year's recipients were Roxanne Shantae, Grandmaster Cash, Kumo D. Kumo D. Yeah. His videos was crazy.

[Ralph McDaniels]

It's crazy.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, and was Scarface this year?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Last year.

[Unknown Host]

So giving back to artists who paved the way for the future generations. Talk about. To the. Paid a full foundation in. In your role in it.

[Ralph McDaniels]

I think that that's. That. That part is like that. That paved the way. Like, we trying to figure out is who's the right artist, you know, because some people. I was the first. It was not necessarily based upon who was the first. It was the influence kind of in a way. But the idea is from Ben Horowitz, who, you know, his companies and know his business is. Is amazing. And he just is a guy who loves hip hop, went to NYU in the 90s. He grew up in the golden era and was listening to all this music while he was doing whatever he was doing, became very successful at it. And you go to his house and he's just like, he's just playing. He's definitely playing some Nas and some Scarface or ghetto boys or whoever. 50. And he was like, I want to do something that can benefit these artists, no strings attached. And sometimes with us or with anybody, somebody comes and say, I'm give you $500,000. You're like, why? What I gotta do? Like, what if somebody comes and gives you $20? You go, like, what I gotta do? You know, you think it's a catch to it, and there's no catch to it at all. And some people I've. They've. They've asked to, you know, they want to do it with. To give the money to. And they. They just didn't. They. They were scared to take the money.

[Unknown Host]

The recipients?

[Ralph McDaniels]

Yeah, the recipients.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Ralph McDaniels]

And I was like, it's me talking to you. I wouldn't do that to you, bro. Like, and for whatever reason, and. And I had to explain to. To, you know, to the foundation, this is not something normal. Like, people don't just come and give you money, you know, like that. That's not how it works. So be patient. Like, wait a second. Give me. Give me another week. I go, I'll go to their house and talk to them. But, yeah, so two years in a row. Nas, of course, is part of it. Very important part of it. And Steve stout and. And QD3, Quincy Jones son and Fab 5 Freddy and others that are important part of. Part of it. And they were just, you know, these were just the people that were there for the initial conversation. I met Ben Horowitz through Steve Stout, and Steve was working on a book. I mean, Ben was working on a book, and he wanted to quote me in the book. And. And I just didn't understand it, like, why me? But he had studied my whole thing, and he's. You're a purist. You're a hip hop purist. And I was like, all right. And so we. We sat down in Queens in the library, and, you know, and I gave him some words, and he used it in his book. And we've been friends ever since.

[Unknown Host]

So each year, how many people can receive the reward? Is it.

[Ralph McDaniels]

It's. It's. It's. It could vary. You know, it's. Last year was two. It was supposed to be three actually, last year. And so that didn't happen. This year was three. So maybe let's say three right now. Three. And it's not like, you know, like, Kaz was easy. Kaz was like. He wrote a song. He had this book. He gave it to his man, Big Bad Hank, and Hank went and Made one of the biggest hip hop records ever. Excuse me, Rappers Delight, using Kaz's words, and never got the credit for it. Kaz never got the credit for it. Nobody ever came back and said, you know, here's some money for that. And so that was like a clear, like, damn. Like, how many times do we hear rapper's delay? We still hear it now at corporate galas, you know. And so Kaz was a clear understanding of it. Roxanne Shantae, who I worked with in the beginning, did her first video. One of my first videos that I did was just a girl that could rap. She was one of those hip hop purists. She's that girl. Cause she's still that girl. She's sitting in, you know, she works with Sirius Radio now. But she'll give you the breakdown. Like, nah, that ain't hip hop, son. You know, she's that girl. And Kumo D is a revolutionary. He's. He's Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, you know, Mega Evans all wrapped up in one and with a James Brown beat underneath it, you know, big leather jacket, right? And, you know, and so he meant a lot to Harlem. The image of him and, you know, the traditions of the guys, you know, the Dougie Freshes and others that, you know, DJ Hollywood and all these people that were doing their thing, Harlem, you know, and. And he was the right choice, you know, and. And I remember when. When. This year, when it happened, you know, because he knew me, I did videos for him, you know, he didn't really know everybody. And. And he's not a guy that you see all the time, so you don't even come outside like that, that, you know, you might do some shows, but you don't really see Kumo D. And he was like that. And I could see like, a little puzzlement on stick with, like, what's about to happen. Like, you know, and I'm like, it's cool. Ain't nothing gonna happen. It's gonna be fine. We're gonna get it. We gonna leave him, we're gonna get back on the plane, gonna go back to our normal life, and that's gonna be it. And, and, you know, but some of the, you know, more successful guys in that world, Silicon Valley World, come to, they buy tickets and they, they want to hang out with. They probably want to hang out with Ben Harwich, but they, they, they. They listen to hip hop that night. That's dope.

[Unknown Co-Host]

I appreciate it, bro. So how can they get the book? How can they follow everything you got.

[Ralph McDaniels]

Going on video musicbox.com for the book video music box collection.org is my nonprofit. Please support that. We do a lot of work. It's a lot of work archiving, digitizing, you know, all of the stuff that we do to just get the details of what the story of hip hop is about. And it's not the story of hip hop. It's more from my perspective, from what we covered. We didn't cover everything. Clearly. We were in New York most of the time. But it is in other, other areas of the country some of the story.

[Unknown Co-Host]

Yeah, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you guys for rocking with us. We'll see you next week. Peace, Peace.

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[Ralph McDaniels]

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