2:49 — Finesse and Talib recall the last couple of times they crossed paths, seeing each other in Puerto Rico and Austin, Texas while they were DJing shows. They go on to discuss Large Professor being one of Finesse’s biggest mentors when he was coming up, watching LP produce beats on the iconic SP-1200 sampler. They also get into Q-Tip also being heavily influenced by Large Pro and LP producing Kool G Rap & Polo’s ‘Wanted: Dead Or Alive’ while he was still in high school.
7:12 — Finesse speaks on how his Bronx neighborhood of Forest Hills was similar to a village and notes the other members of D.I.T.C. that came up in the same projects. They discuss his making his name as an emcee in the streets and then taking things to the next level by entering himself in the New Music Seminar where all the top tiers test their skills against the best. He also details how he ended up meeting AG and how Finesse’s debut album ‘Funky Technician’ was the spark that brought the Diggin’ In The Crates Crew to fruition.
12:50 — Finesse reflects on his longtime friendship with fellow D.I.T.C. member Diamond D. He talks about how he would often end up skipping class to visit Diamond at his crib where the two would spend hours DJing and cutting mixtapes together. Finesse goes on to speak about his close friend DJ Mike Smooth who he looked up to like a big brother, they discuss the importance of having passion with a purpose and get into how much Talib relates to Finesse’s line of “I was the funkiest rapper in the lunchroom”.
18:04 — Talib brings up Finesse’s signature compound rhyme scheme and how the style was highly influential to his own. Finesse talks about how his technique was birthed out of the inspiration from his emcee heroes such as Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, KRS-One, Kool G Rap. They discuss where Finesse’s knack for clever and comedic punchlines stems from, why he likens writing raps to boxing, and his take on today’s rappers being less tactical. They also get into Finesse’s early days of carrying around a thesaurus and catching criticisms for raps that go over people’s heads.
24:25 — Finesse speaks on how his debut album ‘Funky Technician’ was essentially him finding his way and paying tribute to his heroes as he details which songs and lines point to those specific influences. They also get into Finesse, starting to record the album when he was 19, right after he finished up his first New Music Seminar event. They explore Guru picking his demo tape up while he was an acting A&R at Wild Pitch Records and how that led to Finesse being the first rapper to collab with DJ Premier on wax outside of Gang Starr.
28:26 — Finesse walks us through his first encounter with Big L at an autograph signing when L was determined to make sure Finesse didn’t leave without hearing some bars. Finesse details being blown away by how polished L was at such a young age and foreseeing the amazing potential he had for a future in the rap game. Finesse also reflects on how L took matters into his own hands when he released ‘Ebonics’ on his own label, the last phone call he had with L before he passed and feeling blessed to be a part of L’s legacy.
32:56 — Finesse talks about the time he started taking his beat making ambitions to the next level when he picked up his own SP-1200 and locked himself in his house for two weeks to lay down several tracks. 5 of them ending up on Big L’s debut album ‘Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous’. They dig into how rapper Jesse West aka 3rd Eye got Puff Daddy to take notice of Finesse’s production skills, which would lead work on the ‘Who’s The Man?’ soundtrack and eventually Biggie’s ”Suicidal Thoughts.’ They also discuss the history and importance of EPKs (electronic press kits) for artists back in the day.
40:33 — Finesse speaks on his third effort ‘The Awakening’ and how it was his most personal album. He details how this was the project where he finally got the chance to create an album with no outside interference, produce most of the tracks himself and even have the freedom to write the script for all the music videos. He also talks about getting the opportunity to work with jazz great Roy Ayers on ‘Soul Plan,’ record companies pushing artists to portray false images, the art of emceeing becoming lost in the social media era, and wise words from DJ Jazzy Jeff about artists not blaming the music for their discontent.
50:19 — Finesse is asked about his experience working with a young Capone-N-Noreaga while they were label mates and his producing for their debut album on the song ‘Channel 10’. They go on to discuss Fat Boy Slim’s sampling of Finesse for the smash hit ‘The Rockafeller Skank,’ why Finesse cleared it, as well as it all becoming a hard lesson learned. They go on to explore the legacy of fellow D.I.T.C. member Fat Joe and how he was willing to break through the hardcore hip hop taboo of not collaborating with popular artists. They also talk about Finesse producing one of Dr. Dre’s most introspective songs, ‘The Message.’
1:00:55 — Finesse’s philosophical side is explored as they discuss his quote of “success is waking up and saying what am I going to do today”, keeping company that inspires you, and putting purpose behind your passion. Finesse goes on to give us a rundown of some of his most recent projects including the ‘Motown State Of Mind’ as well as ‘The SP1200 Project: A Re-Awakening’ instrumental album. They also discuss what made the 90’s so special, wanting to see hip hop evolve and Finesse’s take on why the statement of “everyone has a short attention span for music these days” is bullsh*t.
TIME STAMPS:
2:49 — Finesse and Talib recall the last couple of times they crossed paths, seeing each other in Puerto Rico and Austin, Texas while they were DJing shows. They go on to discuss Large Professor being one of Finesse’s biggest mentors when he was coming up, watching LP produce beats on the iconic SP-1200 sampler. They also get into Q-Tip also being heavily influenced by Large Pro and LP producing Kool G Rap & Polo’s ‘Wanted: Dead Or Alive’ while he was still in high school.
7:12 — Finesse speaks on how his Bronx neighborhood of Forest Hills was similar to a village and notes the other members of D.I.T.C. that came up in the same projects. They discuss his making his name as an emcee in the streets and then taking things to the next level by entering himself in the New Music Seminar where all the top tiers test their skills against the best. He also details how he ended up meeting AG and how Finesse’s debut album ‘Funky Technician’ was the spark that brought the Diggin’ In The Crates Crew to fruition.
12:50 — Finesse reflects on his longtime friendship with fellow D.I.T.C. member Diamond D. He talks about how he would often end up skipping class to visit Diamond at his crib where the two would spend hours DJing and cutting mixtapes together. Finesse goes on to speak about his close friend DJ Mike Smooth who he looked up to like a big brother, they discuss the importance of having passion with a purpose and get into how much Talib relates to Finesse’s line of “I was the funkiest rapper in the lunchroom”.
18:04 — Talib brings up Finesse’s signature compound rhyme scheme and how the style was highly influential to his own. Finesse talks about how his technique was birthed out of the inspiration from his emcee heroes such as Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, KRS-One, Kool G Rap. They discuss where Finesse’s knack for clever and comedic punchlines stems from, why he likens writing raps to boxing, and his take on today’s rappers being less tactical. They also get into Finesse’s early days of carrying around a thesaurus and catching criticisms for raps that go over people’s heads.
24:25 — Finesse speaks on how his debut album ‘Funky Technician’ was essentially him finding his way and paying tribute to his heroes as he details which songs and lines point to those specific influences. They also get into Finesse, starting to record the album when he was 19, right after he finished up his first New Music Seminar event. They explore Guru picking his demo tape up while he was an acting A&R at Wild Pitch Records and how that led to Finesse being the first rapper to collab with DJ Premier on wax outside of Gang Starr.
28:26 — Finesse walks us through his first encounter with Big L at an autograph signing when L was determined to make sure Finesse didn’t leave without hearing some bars. Finesse details being blown away by how polished L was at such a young age and foreseeing the amazing potential he had for a future in the rap game. Finesse also reflects on how L took matters into his own hands when he released ‘Ebonics’ on his own label, the last phone call he had with L before he passed and feeling blessed to be a part of L’s legacy.
32:56 — Finesse talks about the time he started taking his beat making ambitions to the next level when he picked up his own SP-1200 and locked himself in his house for two weeks to lay down several tracks. 5 of them ending up on Big L’s debut album ‘Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous’. They dig into how rapper Jesse West aka 3rd Eye got Puff Daddy to take notice of Finesse’s production skills, which would lead work on the ‘Who’s The Man?’ soundtrack and eventually Biggie’s ”Suicidal Thoughts.’ They also discuss the history and importance of EPKs (electronic press kits) for artists back in the day.
40:33 — Finesse speaks on his third effort ‘The Awakening’ and how it was his most personal album. He details how this was the project where he finally got the chance to create an album with no outside interference, produce most of the tracks himself and even have the freedom to write the script for all the music videos. He also talks about getting the opportunity to work with jazz great Roy Ayers on ‘Soul Plan,’ record companies pushing artists to portray false images, the art of emceeing becoming lost in the social media era, and wise words from DJ Jazzy Jeff about artists not blaming the music for their discontent.
50:19 — Finesse is asked about his experience working with a young Capone-N-Noreaga while they were label mates and his producing for their debut album on the song ‘Channel 10’. They go on to discuss Fat Boy Slim’s sampling of Finesse for the smash hit ‘The Rockafeller Skank,’ why Finesse cleared it, as well as it all becoming a hard lesson learned. They go on to explore the legacy of fellow D.I.T.C. member Fat Joe and how he was willing to break through the hardcore hip hop taboo of not collaborating with popular artists. They also talk about Finesse producing one of Dr. Dre’s most introspective songs, ‘The Message.’
1:00:55 — Finesse’s philosophical side is explored as they discuss his quote of “success is waking up and saying what am I going to do today”, keeping company that inspires you, and putting purpose behind your passion. Finesse goes on to give us a rundown of some of his most recent projects including the ‘Motown State Of Mind’ as well as ‘The SP1200 Project: A Re-Awakening’ instrumental album. They also discuss what made the 90’s so special, wanting to see hip hop evolve and Finesse’s take on why the statement of “everyone has a short attention span for music these days” is bullsh*t.