Toasting is chatting lyrics on a riddim track/version, so when I heard that, I was really impressed and found it so exciting so I used to try to copy the toasting style. I got my first microphone age 8 and use to make up lyrics until I got better over the years and that is how I became a mic man which was known as a DJ at the time. I grew up in music and was fortunate to be around real hardcore inspiring sound men from Eastman sound, Unity, Trojan, Tippertone.
I also enjoyed listening to Saxon / Coxsone and artists from my local area Hackney, Clapton. I had different family members who had sound systems in their houses. I was really fascinated looking at the equipment, amps, speakers and the like so it was no surprise that I ended up in the sound system world. The first time I was part of a sound I was age 13-14. It was called Graphic Tone, a youtman sound with my bredrins from our local area, including younger general the founder of the current Black Mountain Sound.
We changed the name from Graphic Tone to Ghetto Beat. We use to clash with another youtman sound called King Titan from Holly Street Dalston Hackney. It was fun but we took it serious and showed a lot of passion. Ghetto Beat lasted a few years.
Not long after Ghetto Beat, we stepped up the levels and worked on a bigger sound called Wisdom Hardcore, owned by a man called Goldfinger Rankin, who played in the White Hart pub known as Chimes. The great Peter Bouncer the singer and Younger General worked on Wisdom Hardcore sound first then told the rest of us we that we had a sound to work on so the rest of our original crew joined force myself, Major Yardie, Wiley Banton, Danger yout and Cowboy Ranger.
It took off instantly and we had jam packed all-dayers every Sunday as well as other dances. We made a big impact so anyone who use to go Wisdom Hardcore dances back in the day will know and remember...Stapleton Hall road, Stroud Green road, Finsbury Park, Woodberry Down Boys Club, Shacklewell Lane, Green Man pub and so forth. We were shelling down the place with music vibes and lyrical entertainment. After that, the Wisdom Hardcore journey unfortunately ended.
I experimented doing tunes in the studio for a short period. Then I entered the jungle / Drum and Bass scene, going on pirate radio as a mc with MC Shabba in the mid 90's on weekend rush 92.3 fm, and kick fm. I was doing it for a while then stopped as I was trying out different types of music.
I then returned to the Drum and Bass scene in 2002 until 2013. During that period, I was also on Kool fm 94.6. I was still involved with sound business but not 100% because I was involved in Drum and Bass. Black Mountain Sound was around while I was doing dnb so I was juggling both but I could not be involved with the sound fully as I was performing on the dnb scene bookings etc. I am now fully involved on Black Mountain Sound) East London champion 100% with Younger General.
