• E198: Havelock Nelson on Hip Hop + Missy Elliott + Atlantic Records

  • Mar 24 2025
  • Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
  • Podcast

E198: Havelock Nelson on Hip Hop + Missy Elliott + Atlantic Records

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  • For this episode we're joined all the way from Harlem in New York City by venerable hip hop writer Havelock Nelson. The first rap editor at industry bible Billboard talks about his early years in his birthplace Guyana and his love of marching bands in the country's capital Georgetown. From there we hear about his family's move to Brooklyn in 1973 and his early exposure to rap and breakbeat tapes in high school. Havelock recalls the pioneering hip hop fanzines Word Up! and Black Beat – plus the seminal rap writings of Greg Tate and Nelson George – before recounting his experiences as a columnist on Billboard. He also explains the genesis of Bring the Noise, the 1991 "guide to rap music and hip-hop culture" he co-authored with fellow RBP contributor Michael A. Gonzales. Mention of our guest's 1994 interview with the Notorious B.I.G. takes us into discussion of the synergy between hip hop's rising stars and rap media such as The Source magazine. Havelock also reflects on memorable interviews he did with the likes of KRS-One, Slick Rick, LL Cool J and Salt-N-Pepa. The latter duo takes us into audio clips from an audio interview with a Virginia-born artist who was profoundly influenced by them: the one and only Missy Elliott, speaking to Sara Scribner after the release of 1997's debut album Supa Dupa Fly... followed by the voices of her collaborators Timbaland and Magoo. The publication of Taschen's monumental new 75 Years of Atlantic Records prompts reflections on the legendary label co-founded by the late Ahmet Ertegun, plus our thoughts on the present-day roster that includes Charli XCX, Bruno Mars, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran. The episode concludes with quotes from newly-added library pieces about artists such as Wee Willie Harris, Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich, the Pharcyde and André 3000. Many thanks to special guest Havelock Nelson. Find his writing on Rock's Backpages and join his Going Way Back group on Facebook. Dr. Dre: The Chronic, B.I.G.: Rap's Next Big Thing, The Rap Column: Media’s Rap On Rap Is Out Of Balance, Missy Elliott audio, The Age of Atlantic: Jerry Wexler, Rick Rubin: Def Jam's Man With The Plan, Ahmet Ertegun and The History of Atlantic Records, The Age of Atlantic: Making Tracks, Wee Willie Harris, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, The Pharcyde: New Rap Masters and André 3000: New Blue Sun.
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