Bobbito Garcia
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bobbito" García (born September 25, 1966 in New York City), also known as Kool Bob Love and formerly known as DJ Cucumberslice, Bobbito The Barber, Make It Happen, Boogie Bob, Soul Food Bob, and Bag of Tricks, is a Puerto Rican DJ, writer, entrepreneur, streetball
player/coach/announcer, sneaker connoisseur, and member of the Rock Steady Crew
. He graduated from Lower Merion High School, and in 1988 from Wesleyan University
.
From 1990 to 1998 he co-hosted The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show on WKCR
. It featured exclusive demo tapes and in-studio freestyles from many then-unsigned artists such as Nas
, Big Pun
, Jay-Z
, Busta Rhymes
, Fat Joe
, Cam'ron
, DMX
, Wu-Tang Clan
, Big L
, Fugees, Talib Kweli
and Notorious B.I.G. who later found great success on major record labels. García set up the important underground, vinyl-only label Fondle 'Em Records
in 1995 as an outlet for other guests such as MF DOOM
, Kool Keith
and Cage
. In 1998 The Source
named The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show "Best Hip Hop Radio Show of All Time".
In 2003, García created BOUNCE: From the Playground, a quarterly magazine devoted to streetball
, especially the playground scene in NYC. He has been an editor, writer, and photographer for the magazine, and has also done work for and been featured in magazines like Vibe and The Source. García is the author of Where’d You Get Those?: New York City’s Sneaker Culture 1960-1987. He has hosted a show on ESPN
called It's the Shoes, where he interviewed celebrities about their sneaker collection. He was also featured centrally in the sneaker documentary Just for Kicks
. He performs the announcer's voice in the video games NBA Street Vol. 2
and NBA Street V3
and is the M.C. of the Sprite
Slam Dunk Contest
in the video game NBA 2K8, 2K9 and 2K10
.
In 2006, Madison Square Garden Network
(MSG-TV) hired García to do the "Hot Minute At The Half" reports with celebrities in the crowd during New York Knicks
home games. He became the first Latino broadcast member in the 60-year history of the franchise.
In 2007, García worked with Nike on limited edition Nike Air Force 1
and Air Force 25 models, selecting the colors, fabrics and logo used, and designed the "Project Playground" limited edition of the Adidas Superstar
.
In 2009, Bobbito García worked on Blokhedz
animated web series on Missiong.com. He was the voice of Eatho; the smart Puerto Rican b-baller.
Currently, Bobbito García is the annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 HS All-American Game play-by-play announcer for ESPNU, owner of the new vinyl-only label/imprint ÁLALA Records, and co-directing, along with Kevin Couliau, the documentary Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC (360 Creative Films, due out in 2012).
Streetball
Streetball or street basketball is a variation of the sport of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less by way of formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules...
player/coach/announcer, sneaker connoisseur, and member of the Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...
. He graduated from Lower Merion High School, and in 1988 from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
.
From 1990 to 1998 he co-hosted The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show on WKCR
WKCR
WKCR-FM is a radio station. Licensed to New York, New York, USA, it serves the New York area. The station is currently owned by Trustees of Columbia University in New York.-History:...
. It featured exclusive demo tapes and in-studio freestyles from many then-unsigned artists such as Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, Big Pun
Big Pun
Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
, Cam'ron
Cam'ron
Cameron Giles , better known by his stage name Cam'ron or "Killa Cam", is a Grammy-nominated American actor. He is the founder of the hip-hop group The Diplomats , and also of The U.N. group....
, DMX
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
, Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
, Big L
Big L
Big L may refer to:* Lamont Coleman , better know by Big L, American hip-hop artist.Or a number of British radio stations:*Big L 1395, a British radio station.*Radio Luxembourg's English-language progammes ....
, Fugees, Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
and Notorious B.I.G. who later found great success on major record labels. García set up the important underground, vinyl-only label Fondle 'Em Records
Fondle 'Em Records
Fondle ‘Em Records was a record label based in New York City, New York. It was founded and owned by Robert “Bobbito” Garcia from 1995 to 2001. Bobbito formed the label after realizing that the many unsigned rappers making guest appearances on “The Stretch Armstrong/Bobbito Show,” a program Bobbito...
in 1995 as an outlet for other guests such as MF DOOM
MF Doom
Daniel Dumile is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, and for tracks he has produced, metal fingers...
, Kool Keith
Kool Keith
Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper from The Bronx, New York. A founding member of Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is the self-proclaimed inventor of...
and Cage
Cage Kennylz
Chris Palko, better known by his stage name Cage, is an American rapper from New York City. He has released three studio albums and two extended plays. Cage is also the founder of the underground hip-hop supergroup called the Weathermen.-Early life:...
. In 1998 The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
named The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show "Best Hip Hop Radio Show of All Time".
In 2003, García created BOUNCE: From the Playground, a quarterly magazine devoted to streetball
Streetball
Streetball or street basketball is a variation of the sport of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less by way of formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules...
, especially the playground scene in NYC. He has been an editor, writer, and photographer for the magazine, and has also done work for and been featured in magazines like Vibe and The Source. García is the author of Where’d You Get Those?: New York City’s Sneaker Culture 1960-1987. He has hosted a show on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
called It's the Shoes, where he interviewed celebrities about their sneaker collection. He was also featured centrally in the sneaker documentary Just for Kicks
Just for Kicks (2005 film)
Just for Kicks is a 2005 documentary film about the sneaker phenomena and history. It includes self confessed "sneakerheads" like Grandmaster Caz, Reverend Run, and Missy Elliott. It tells the story of the legendary Nike Air Force One's, or as they are called in New York "Uptowns." Also about the...
. He performs the announcer's voice in the video games NBA Street Vol. 2
NBA Street Vol. 2
NBA Street Vol. 2 is the sequel to NBA Street. It was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and for the first time in the series, on the Xbox. Japan was only able to see a PlayStation 2 release of this game...
and NBA Street V3
NBA Street V3
NBA Street V3 is the third game in the NBA Street series. It is the sequel of NBA Street Vol. 2. It was released for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox, along with a PlayStation Portable port of V3 called NBA Street Showdown....
and is the M.C. of the Sprite
Sprite (soft drink)
Sprite is a transparent, lemon-lime flavored , caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced in the United States in 1961. This was Coke's response to the popularity of 7 Up, which had begun as "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" in 1929...
Slam Dunk Contest
Slam Dunk Contest
The Slam Dunk Contest is an annual National Basketball Association competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was inaugurated by the American Basketball Association at its All-Star Game in 1976 in Denver, the same year the slam dunk was legalized in the NCAA...
in the video game NBA 2K8, 2K9 and 2K10
NBA 2K10
NBA 2K10 is a basketball video game based on the National Basketball Association developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released on October 6, 2009 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PSP and on October 12, 2009 on PC. It was released on Wii on November 9, 2009 in...
.
In 2006, Madison Square Garden Network
MSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
(MSG-TV) hired García to do the "Hot Minute At The Half" reports with celebrities in the crowd during New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
home games. He became the first Latino broadcast member in the 60-year history of the franchise.
In 2007, García worked with Nike on limited edition Nike Air Force 1
Air Force 1 (shoe)
The Air Force 1 athletic shoe is a product of Nike, Inc. created by designer Bruce Kilgore. This was the first basketball shoe to use the Nike Air technology. This shoe is offered in low, mid and high top.-Overview:...
and Air Force 25 models, selecting the colors, fabrics and logo used, and designed the "Project Playground" limited edition of the Adidas Superstar
Adidas Superstar
The Superstar is a basketball shoe manufactured by athletic goods company Adidas since 1969, released as a low top version of the Pro Model basketball shoe...
.
In 2009, Bobbito García worked on Blokhedz
Blokhedz
Blokhedz is an independent comic book/graphic novel series created by the Madtwiinz, Mark and Mike Davis. Since the release of Issue #1 in 2004, the 4-book comic series has developed a small but dedicated underground fanbase...
animated web series on Missiong.com. He was the voice of Eatho; the smart Puerto Rican b-baller.
Currently, Bobbito García is the annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 HS All-American Game play-by-play announcer for ESPNU, owner of the new vinyl-only label/imprint ÁLALA Records, and co-directing, along with Kevin Couliau, the documentary Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC (360 Creative Films, due out in 2012).