So I’ve told you about some of my years of struggle, but let me go back even further and give you a bit of my background story, before the years I took off, laid back and took it easy. Before that, I aspired to be a disc jockey. Even from my childhood years, I would make cassette tapes of my mother’s 45 singles and put them in chronological order, to tell a story of sorts, much like I’ve heard Russ Parr do in his commercial segments.
I was constantly around music. I remember my brother listening to Donnie Simpson and slow jams, singing them out loud. I guess it kind of stuck with me because by the time I hit middle school. We were in Maryland by then, and I was asked to write a paper about my life, my likes, and my hopes, dreams, desires and aspirations for the future. I came up with becoming a disc jockey someday. Well, I got an A+ on the paper and more years went by.
It wasn’t until the eleventh grade that I actually made steps towards the profession academically by enrolling in my high school’s TV production class. Outside of school, I was listening to the radio to the point that I couldn’t sleep without it. I guess I was like almost every other teen, recording songs off of the radio and all. My biggest influence at that time was the “gangsta rapper” Ice T. He visited the local record store in our neighborhood called The Marlow Heights Wiz! I mean, I didn’t actually get to “meet” him but I was in the next aisle as he strolled in and walked down to his destination at the autograph signing table. At the time, all I could think to myself was “Oh, that guy is short,” but it felt great just to be in his presence as he made his entrance. This was the time of his hit “Colors” and the movie by the same title. I was a big fan and I’m sure he couldn’t miss my big smile cheesing as he passed by, but I didn’t do lines, so I didn’t stay.
Back to school though. My accounting teacher couldn’t understand why I wasn’t signing back up immediately for the second year of his course, especially when I made A’s, but it was my calling! Oh, I forgot to mention my mother was working for the Federal Communications Commission so it was bred in me as well without me really realizing it. TV production was a good experience but it didn’t really go anywhere for me. We had a field trip to be on “Teen Summit” but I missed out on it for the very same reason I never played after school sports. No transportation and no support!
I did get to meet Prince Dejour a few years later at FreakNik in Atlanta though, and had a sighting of Chilli of TLC. In between that, I managed to enroll in South Carolina State University and on my way down there for the first time, I met DJ Shakim, who would later on become the deejay for Bow Wow, and is now currently for New Edition. I noticed him carrying some 12 inch vinyl records, and it prompted me to ask him about it. Come to find out we were both headed to the same place. I was just a semester late, in the spring, but he pointed me in the right direction once we arrived, and I immediately enrolled in radio broadcasting, and bonded with the rest of the “Up North” guys.
After establishing myself, I took on my internship there, first as a board operator, then as an on-air personality known as Big City Joe. I was on for about an hour maybe every other day, on WSSB. Since I could never get there in time for a work study position, I would sit out a semester and return in the spring. It became a pattern for me.
One off semester while working as a post office casual, I ended up working with a drummer named Jammin Jeff, of Northeast Groovers fame. After connecting with Jeff as a coworker I soon began selling go-go tapes, and receiving shoutouts under my newly assigned alias of NowLATER Joe. I also took my broadcasting name from Jeff too. He was always using the term “Big City.” It was also a major jam for Little Benny. “Big City Groove!” One of my favorites!
So after my time spent down south in school, I returned home to my newly created family, and tried to find work in my field. That’s when I met Albie Dee down Haines Point with Craig Black. I met Michel Wright at the Albert Wynn Job Fair. I ended up taking a volunteer position with Wired For Sound Records as their marketing assistant, due to all of my accumulated contacts.
Soon, I returned to school up at the University of the District of Columbia, where I got to meet Candy Shannon of Music Video Connection fame. That was back in 1996, when D.C. was experiencing its financial crisis, and UDC was threatened to close and shut down. But we brought it back! I didn’t really get back into the business outside of my own personal projects of rap groups, and poetry books until about 2000 when I worked for Atlantic Valet. This job put me in a position to meet not only Cokie Roberts, but Tracey Neale as well.
I was then offered a position with National Events doing sound production for Stone Soul Picnic acts here and in Baltimore. We also did the Redeem The Dream event on the Mall. So that’s the first half of my life story and origins. Now I’m involved currently with Street Sense, and Tough Struggle and still applying myself to my personal project of creating my poetry, books and music of course!
