We recently spoke to NYC music industry legend Dante Ross a driving force behind hip hops success in the 90′s and beyond and asked him to share some of his favourite shots from his personal and professional life and the meanings and stories behind them in.
The Yauch shot is at the Paladium mid 90's like 96 I think. He's wearing an Old Dirty Harold American Dream shirt Harold Hunters knock off of the ODB album cover
We hadn't seen each other in a while but that spring and summer we hung a bunch. This is when he had a little spot on Spring st. he was around a lot that summer hanging with the Supreme kids, Sue Kwon and various other downtown genius'.
I remember this night cause BIG was also in the Paladium. I smoked some weed with him in the DJ both which is basically what I did every time I saw him thats how we met he smelled me smoking weed in a Grand Puba session at soundtrack. I laced him with my delivery guys service number and he became there best customer. He use to always ask me what I had and we would compare our weed then smoke one. He was super cool and funny.
Back to the Yauch shot. It's important because without The Beasties I would never have gotten my foot in the door they got me my first job at Rush Management. Yauch is wearing a knock off American Dream T of the album cover that I helped design with Ali Truch and Dirty. I would never have gotten the chance to sign ODB if the Beasties hadn't saved my life and got me out of a dead end job waiting tables and causing trouble. I was a real handful in my late teens early 20's always getting in fights , going to jail all kinds of dumb shit. So the shirt for me is full cycle in a sense. The Fact that Harold Hunter grew up down the block from me and was my friend since he was 12 or 13 isn't lost on me either. Lots of connections in the photo. I'm also wearing Stussy head to toe having been a member of the so called Stussy tribe since day 1 this photo is pretty apprio for my daily stylings circa 96. Funny thing is my friend Aly Osha Moore designed the shirt American Dream was his company making it even more full cycle.
Without the Beasties influence I would never have became a a and r guy and a record producer. I made Everlasts Whitey Ford sings the Blues in part because I was disgusted with rap and the fact The Beasties picked up instruments made Everlast and me feel like we could do the same. Besides the Bad Brains particularly Darryl Jennifer the Beasties are the biggest direct influence career wise and musically/socially of all time. They inspired me to achieve and Yauch was the guy I think knew this the most. He was also funny as hell and encouraging to me in all things creative and to stay out of trouble. he also skated unlike the rest of the guys we had that bond.
When he gave me a shout out in Flute Loop he never even told me someone else did. I thought that was so cool of him. A mutual friend of ours hipped me to the shout out at a Beasties show at MSG. Funny shit was I had just shot hoops a little with Yauch backstage.
Perl man's got beats and it ain't no secret
Dante found his shit but you know he freaked it
And so the story goes on and on
Down in S.D. 50 till early morning ( SD 50 was my studio)
Who's going to rock the nation?
Who's going to rock the nation?
This was because we had spent a night in my studio talking shit getting stoned and listening to beats loops while I chopped some shit up and he played a baseline or two. I never did use the baselines either I have no idea why. I wonder where they are now?
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