It was the Summer of 1979 and I was living on 9th Avenue in East Oakland.

I was sitting in my room, radio on full blast as usual. A song came on with a style I had never heard before. The vocalists were not singing, they were talking — but in a rhythmic form. The song was called “Rappers Delight”.

This was the very first time I had ever heard rap music. I ran outside only to find my homie Tim “Diamond Tim” White running out to find me as well.

“Did you hear that” we both scream, and instantly my love for rap and Hip Hop was born. I started writing raps that same day. I was already writing poetry, so the transition was quite simple. Hip Hop married my writing with music (which I also loved).

I bought a little keyboard and soon started making my own music. I took the Emcee name “$ir Quickdraw” after one of my favorite cartoons characters.

I would go on to win many rap contests, and become one of the first rappers from Oakland to record a record. The single was called “Rapaholic”. I produced the music, and my life long friend Anthony ” Dav-Id K-os” Bryant was my DJ.

He would later go on to record with George Clinton of Parliment-Funkadelic fame. Our single was released on the Baywave/Malcola label.

I will never forget the day when my favorite on air DJ at the time Michael Erickson played our song on the radio. We thought we had made the big time.

Not knowing the ins and outs of the business at the time, we made little to no money. The experience of riding in limo’s and performing with some of the biggest artist of that time ( Run DMC, MC Hammer, $ir Mixalot, Rodney O and Joe Collie, and George Clinton, just to name a few was unforgettable. After a brief stint with Full Control records. I would go on to self produce all the rest of my music. As well as Hip Hop show cases around the Bay Area. My love for the art form has never diminished, and I don’t think it ever will.