EPMD returns to Chicago on January 23rd at The Shrine
By Gina B.
CD Contributing Writer
The last time I was with DJ Scratch, one-third of the famed hip-hop group along with front men Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, he was preparing for a solo DJ performance. As the headliner, Scratch took his time to survey the crowd and listen to the preceding DJ before retreating to the green room to put the finishing touches on his set preparation. Headphones on, peering into his computer screen, Scratch is having his own private party, devising a plan to move the crowd.
When it comes to spinning records, Scratch insists that “a good DJ is one who can adapt. That’s what you have to master. You have to know how to read the crowd. It’s not a learned skill. You either have it, or you don’t.”
His turn on deck, as Scratch walks toward the stage, he is energetic and dancing a bit. “Before I go on,” he says, “I get excited. I can’t wait to get it started.”
On the tables, Scratch transforms from a somewhat quiet guy with a calm demeanor to an animated showman. The crowd is torn between dancing to his addictive selection of hip-hop to watching his tantalizing turntable tricks. At one point he scratched a record with his nose without missing a beat. Onlookers are amazed, and everyone agrees that he’s truly earned his moniker.
Scratch, a 20 year hip-hop industry veteran and award-winning turntablist made his first beat at the age of 11 in 1983 before sampling was popular for The Body Rocking Three, the first hip-hop group that he was part of. That group disbanded, but Scratch kept to task. Years later, in 1990, the first beat he created for a worldwide audience was constructed with a cassette deck. He used a Bobby Blue Bland tune that his mother often listened to while cooking in the kitchen, and the outcome was “Funky Piano,” released by EPMD.
As a DJ who began his career in the 80s, Scratch comments on the difference in lyrics from then to now. Lyrically, the tale of society was being told through hip-hop, but those positive socially conscious topics have disappeared, musically. “As years go by, lyrical skill has disappeared in hip-hop. There are some good lyricists left, but back in the 80s and 90s, some of the songs you hear today – with the meaningless lyrics – wouldn’t have made it to major radio because hip hop was all about the lyrics. That doesn’t exist anymore. “
Scratch reminisces about tracks that made a deep social impact. “I’m not a lyricist, I’m a beat maker. But if I were writing lyrics, I would love to incorporate Ferguson and all of the latest social issues, because nobody’s doing it. Everyone takes to social media now, and it doesn’t make as hard of an impact as when you release a song. For example, Self Destruction was powerful because it was an action song. People were inspired to do something. Now, everyone just tweets. But once a tweet is out, it’s only good until the next controversial or funny tweet. A song will last forever. Nothing creates an impact like a song.”
We talked about social media, and how a tweet can be written in 30 seconds to address a topic real time. “Well,” he reminded me, “these days a song can be constructed quickly. You can go into a studio, record a song and have it on iTunes in three days. It’s not the long process that it used to be.”
As a result of the devolution of lyrics, Scratch’s next yet-to-be-released solo project is an instrumental titled “If The Wu Was Here,” which will be 10 tracks inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan. “One of my dreams is to produce certain artists. I would love to do an entire album for LL Cool J, or Tribe Called Quest, or Busta Rhymes or Wu Tang. These 10 beats are all Wu-Tang-sounding beats with the karate skits and everything that they’re known for.”
We’ll be anxiously awaiting the release, but in the meantime we can catch Scratch on tour with EPMD. As an EPMD fan, I was curious about the set list. “It depends,” says Scratch. “DJing for a group that has a lot of classics, I have to read the crowd and be the pilot. Say we’re doing the Strictly Business album and the crowd isn’t feeling it. I have to change the song to make the right play. Erick and Parrish are cool with it because I always make the right call. When they see the crowd reaction, they know I’m right.”
Something tells me the audience will be in good hands with the selections of DJ Scratch.
For more information about the January 23rd EPMD concert, please visit www.theshrinechicago.com