Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three
Encyclopedia
Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three was an old school
rap group best known for the singles "The Roof Is on Fire
" and "Request Line", both of which have been sampled by many other groups, from rap to R&B to rock. Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three grew up in the Bronx, New York
, New York
, where three of the members lived in the same building on Webster Avenue.
Gregory, a photographer, gathered the two together for a show performance in New Haven
, Connecticut
, at a club called Le Joint which run by his cousin Cody. Richard did not want anything to do with Charles due to the fact they had a previous dispute about his childhood sweetheart. Therefore, he wanted another person, Buster, to accompany them. Buster also lived in the building across from them. Gregory brought Charles anyway, along with both Richard and Buster. At the New Haven show, they had yet to come up with a group name, so they were just called Charlie D and the Crew. They performed, stayed out there with Gregory's family members for a several days and then returned to New York City. They then decided to call the group Devilish Three. Buster could not continue to be with the group because he was an MC
for another DJ named Smitty Rock and his MC partner's name was Charlie Rock. Gregory decided to replace Buster himself.
They were still called Devilish Three until they entered a battle at a club across the street from their building. The club, Your Spot, was a former Burger King
fast food restaurant which was converted by Jerry Blood Rock to a nightclub. Rock needed to get some known MCs to perform there as a grand opening. The Devilish Three was one of the groups he asked. The only problem was they did not have a DJ.
They all knew of a neighborhood DJ known as Kool Dee. Since Charles was taught how to mix and scratch
records by him, they asked him to be their DJ for the battle. He agreed, but they never had time to practice with him, and so they practiced amongst themselves.
The group was inspired by The Cold Crush Brothers
and The Fantastic Five who participated in many battles. Practicing at Gregory's mother's house from time to time, the new group's main spot to practice was at Richard's mother's house. She acted as a mentor and gave inspiration. They would be rehearse in her living room while she would sit on the couch watching them, making sure they did it right. She acted as hostess and critic and was involved in their act until her death.
The group started performing with other local groups such as The Cold Crush Brothers, Grand Wizard Theodore
and The Fantastic Five, Master Don Committee, and DJ AJ when he was with Chief Rocker Busy Bee
. They started performing in places like T Connection, Harlem World
, also places in New Jersey
with other groups such as Sweet, Slick and Sly.
. He organized gigs for Master Scott and The Dynamic Three at a roller skating rink in Long Island
. Eventually, Jerry Blood Rock wanted to record the group in the studio. It took one year from the time of him asking them, but finally they recorded their first song, "It's Life (You Gotta Think Twice)". DJ Wiz Kid was responsible for the music. This was the first time they had ever seen a recording studio, which was called unique recording studio. Once the song was complete they waited for about one to two weeks, and Jerry Blood Rock (the song's producer) showed the group the pressing of the records on his record label
, Reality Records.
These records were hawked to local record stores. Charlie Prince was working at a record store, Rock N Soul, part time. He convinced the store's owner to buy a few boxes. After the group began receiving some radio exposure, Profile Records
became involved, particularly for distribution. The group became neighborhood superstars in 1983. In 1984, they recorded the songs
"Request Line" and "The Roof Is On Fire", using two different studios. One was Joey Moore's small home studio; Moore was one of Jerry Blood Rock's associates. They laid the track "The Roof Is On Fire" there along with "Request Line" then took it to unique studio to complete the work.
Once Reality Records released the new music, it was well received.
As the group's popularity increased, shows were booked more often and further away from the group's New York homes. For example, Master Scott and Charlie Prince flew to a performance in Fayetteville, North Carolina
while Rick and MBG remained in New Jersey. That is when they met Divine Sounds. Eventually the group performed on a tour called The Jamatron. Other rap artists included Kurtis Blow
, Doug E. Fresh
, UTFO
, Lisa Lisa, Roxanne Shante
, Whodini
, The Real Roxanne and many others.
Rockmaster scott is really Mark Scott retierd in New Jersey in stewartsville.He now has triplet boys and also is friends with a family wih triplets boys also.
is not the same Slick Rick who was a member of Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three. The Dynamic Three's performer contends he is the original Slick Rick, as the release date in 1984 of "Request Line" by Rockmaster Scott and the Dynamic Three precedes the release in 1985 of "The Show
" by Doug E. Fresh
and the Get Fresh Crew, which features MC Ricky D who would eventually use the moniker Slick Rick.
Both groups were on the same label, Reality Records, which began with Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three. This only adds to the confusion and misinformation about Slick Rick. These two "Ricks" are different people: one born in the U.S., the other born in Britain who immigrated to the Bronx as a child. Regardless of the originality of the stage name, the British-American performer is much better known.
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales was the main focus at the time. The A-side track "Request Line" reached #21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
The phrase and hook from "The Roof Is on Fire" has become more notable than the band itself, having been sampled by groups such as Chemical Brothers, Coal Chamber
, Kid 'n Play
, Rancid
, The Pharcyde
, and The Bloodhound Gang
and many others.
Old school hip hop
Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group...
rap group best known for the singles "The Roof Is on Fire
The Roof Is on Fire
"The Roof Is on Fire" is a single from Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three released in 1984 that reached number five on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart...
" and "Request Line", both of which have been sampled by many other groups, from rap to R&B to rock. Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three grew up in the Bronx, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where three of the members lived in the same building on Webster Avenue.
History
As youngsters, Richard (a.k.a. Slick Rick) and Gregory (a.k.a. MBG) played sports together, while Charles (a.k.a. Charlie Prince) preferred to remain indoors playing music. Richard was also into music, and he played drums, mixed music, and belonged to another group; however, this was never known to Charles.Gregory, a photographer, gathered the two together for a show performance in New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, at a club called Le Joint which run by his cousin Cody. Richard did not want anything to do with Charles due to the fact they had a previous dispute about his childhood sweetheart. Therefore, he wanted another person, Buster, to accompany them. Buster also lived in the building across from them. Gregory brought Charles anyway, along with both Richard and Buster. At the New Haven show, they had yet to come up with a group name, so they were just called Charlie D and the Crew. They performed, stayed out there with Gregory's family members for a several days and then returned to New York City. They then decided to call the group Devilish Three. Buster could not continue to be with the group because he was an MC
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
for another DJ named Smitty Rock and his MC partner's name was Charlie Rock. Gregory decided to replace Buster himself.
They were still called Devilish Three until they entered a battle at a club across the street from their building. The club, Your Spot, was a former Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
fast food restaurant which was converted by Jerry Blood Rock to a nightclub. Rock needed to get some known MCs to perform there as a grand opening. The Devilish Three was one of the groups he asked. The only problem was they did not have a DJ.
They all knew of a neighborhood DJ known as Kool Dee. Since Charles was taught how to mix and scratch
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
records by him, they asked him to be their DJ for the battle. He agreed, but they never had time to practice with him, and so they practiced amongst themselves.
Rock Master Scott is added
Although the group won the battle with Kool Dee, they felt they needed to get a reliable DJ. That is when they joined with Mark (a.k.a. Rock Master Scott, previously known as Rockmaster). Scott was the DJ of another group who was also in that battle.The group was inspired by The Cold Crush Brothers
The Cold Crush Brothers
The Cold Crush Brothers is a hip hop group that formed in 1979 in the Bronx, New York City, New York, alongside other early hip hop acts.-Formation:...
and The Fantastic Five who participated in many battles. Practicing at Gregory's mother's house from time to time, the new group's main spot to practice was at Richard's mother's house. She acted as a mentor and gave inspiration. They would be rehearse in her living room while she would sit on the couch watching them, making sure they did it right. She acted as hostess and critic and was involved in their act until her death.
The group started performing with other local groups such as The Cold Crush Brothers, Grand Wizard Theodore
Grand Wizard Theodore
Grand Wizzard Theodore , is an American hip hop DJ. He is widely credited as the inventor of scratching.Born Theodore Livingston in Bronx, New York, his brother, Mean Gene, was Theodore's mentor, and began teaching him DJing before Theodore was even a teen...
and The Fantastic Five, Master Don Committee, and DJ AJ when he was with Chief Rocker Busy Bee
Busy Bee Starski
Busy Bee Starski born October 26, 1962, in the Bronx, New York, is an old school hip hop musician, and MC...
. They started performing in places like T Connection, Harlem World
Harlem World
Harlem World is the critically acclaimed multi-platinum debut album by Harlem rapper Mase, released October 28, 1997.-Background:Seen as Puff Daddy's new protege since the passing of The Notorious B.I.G., Mase rose to fame after being a member of Children of the Corn with fellow Harlem rappers Big...
, also places in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
with other groups such as Sweet, Slick and Sly.
Recording elevates the group
Some shows were for a promoter named Armstrong. Scott had a connection with another promoter, Man Dip Lite, who always had shows lined up for Grandmaster Flash and The Furious FiveGrandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. Composed of one DJ and five rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in...
. He organized gigs for Master Scott and The Dynamic Three at a roller skating rink in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Eventually, Jerry Blood Rock wanted to record the group in the studio. It took one year from the time of him asking them, but finally they recorded their first song, "It's Life (You Gotta Think Twice)". DJ Wiz Kid was responsible for the music. This was the first time they had ever seen a recording studio, which was called unique recording studio. Once the song was complete they waited for about one to two weeks, and Jerry Blood Rock (the song's producer) showed the group the pressing of the records on his record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Reality Records.
These records were hawked to local record stores. Charlie Prince was working at a record store, Rock N Soul, part time. He convinced the store's owner to buy a few boxes. After the group began receiving some radio exposure, Profile Records
Profile Records
Profile Records was a record label that specialized in many types of urban-oriented music, such as hip hop, active until 1996..- History :In 1980, at 23 years old, after working briefly for MCA, Cory Robbins was looking to start a record label. He invited his songwriter friend Steve Plotnicki to be...
became involved, particularly for distribution. The group became neighborhood superstars in 1983. In 1984, they recorded the songs
"Request Line" and "The Roof Is On Fire", using two different studios. One was Joey Moore's small home studio; Moore was one of Jerry Blood Rock's associates. They laid the track "The Roof Is On Fire" there along with "Request Line" then took it to unique studio to complete the work.
Once Reality Records released the new music, it was well received.
As the group's popularity increased, shows were booked more often and further away from the group's New York homes. For example, Master Scott and Charlie Prince flew to a performance in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
while Rick and MBG remained in New Jersey. That is when they met Divine Sounds. Eventually the group performed on a tour called The Jamatron. Other rap artists included Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow
Kurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label...
, Doug E. Fresh
Doug E. Fresh
Douglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...
, UTFO
UTFO
UTFO is an old school hip-hop group, popular in the 1980s, that was mentored by the contemporary R&B group Full Force. The group consists of the Kangol Kid , the Educated Rapper , Doctor Ice , and Mix Master Ice...
, Lisa Lisa, Roxanne Shante
Roxanne Shanté
Roxanne Shanté is an American hip-hop pioneer. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects, Shanté first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and her association with the Juice Crew....
, Whodini
Whodini
Whodini is a hip hop group that was formed in 1981. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, aka Ecstasy ; and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee.-Early years:Whodini was among the first hip-hop groups to...
, The Real Roxanne and many others.
Rockmaster scott is really Mark Scott retierd in New Jersey in stewartsville.He now has triplet boys and also is friends with a family wih triplets boys also.
Slick Rick confusion
The person known most prominently as Slick RickSlick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
is not the same Slick Rick who was a member of Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three. The Dynamic Three's performer contends he is the original Slick Rick, as the release date in 1984 of "Request Line" by Rockmaster Scott and the Dynamic Three precedes the release in 1985 of "The Show
The Show (Doug E. Fresh song)
"The Show" is a 1985 hip hop single by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. Described as "a reality show of a Hip Hop performance" the track focuses on a conversation between Doug E Fresh and MC Ricky D as they prepare for a show...
" by Doug E. Fresh
Doug E. Fresh
Douglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...
and the Get Fresh Crew, which features MC Ricky D who would eventually use the moniker Slick Rick.
Both groups were on the same label, Reality Records, which began with Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three. This only adds to the confusion and misinformation about Slick Rick. These two "Ricks" are different people: one born in the U.S., the other born in Britain who immigrated to the Bronx as a child. Regardless of the originality of the stage name, the British-American performer is much better known.
Discography
The group released more than these two songs, but "The Roof Is on Fire" (1984), which charted at #5 on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales was the main focus at the time. The A-side track "Request Line" reached #21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
The phrase and hook from "The Roof Is on Fire" has become more notable than the band itself, having been sampled by groups such as Chemical Brothers, Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber is an American alternative metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1993. Prior to Coal Chamber, Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón formed the band She's In Pain in 1992. The two decided to create Coal Chamber. They disbanded in 2003 after ten years together, but announced a reunion in...
, Kid 'n Play
Kid 'n Play
Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop and comedy duo from New York City that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The duo was composed of Christopher "Kid" Reid and Christopher "Play" Martin working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eastmond...
, Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
, The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde are an alternative hip hop group based in South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani , Slimkid3 , Bootie Brown and Fatlip . DJ Mark Luv was the group's first DJ, followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla...
, and The Bloodhound Gang
The Bloodhound Gang
The Bloodhound Gang may be a reference to:*The Bloodhound Gang , a segment on the program 3-2-1 Contact*The Bloodhound Gang, a band that took its name from the TV show segment...
and many others.
External links
- Dynamic Three at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Charlie Prince at 106andpark.com
- Video of "The Roof is On Fire"
- Video of "Request Line"
- http://www.hip-hop.net/member/Charlie%20Prince%20From%20The%20Dynamic%203