Posted on 5:41 PM by Urban Dwellers Flims | 0 comments

Jam Pony Express DJs began in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. in 1981. It's original members are DJ Slic Vic, Diamond Dick, Hot Rod and Mr. M.B. Later members included Lock Cool Jock, Sporty "J" and Big Ace. Jam Pony's claim to fame was "regulating" on the microphone by cutting the music down and talking over the lyrics to create a new song. J.P.E. dropped an LP in 1994 on Express Records, which is affiliated with 2-4-1 Entertainment in Tampa.
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright once compared his craft to musical composition in terms of artistic approach. Would that the great man had stuck around long enough to hear Shudder To Think, whose many-sided musical compositions possess something akin to the obtuse beauty of Wright's creations.

On Shudder's major-label debut, Pony Express Record, the band takes its unique songwriting and instrumental capabilities to a new level. The songs on Pony Express are made of sharp angles and turns, curious time signatures, hard rock guitar riffs, and singer Craig Wedren's insatiable falsetto.

Shudder To Think is actually a different band on this album, which is the studio debut of guitarist Nathan Larson and drummer Adam Wade. The pair fit in well with Shudder's quirky art-rock leanings and Larson actually becomes an integral part of the band, helping write five of Pony Express' songs. Though the strange song arrangements and constructions were present on much of Shudder's past work, the new lineup takes this unique aesthetic a step further as Larson's guitar steps out in the mix, giving the music a much harder edge.

As if to catch up, Wedren somehow becomes even more flamboyant than before, thus stretching the music in many directions. He breaks into a full operatic croon two measures into the album, and begins dropping such evocative imagery as "the case of her bones are softer than loose meat" or "my mouth is a cold sore display case." Wedren's vocal style is as much Freddie Mercury as it is J. Robbins, yet it's securely out of the reach of either.

A strange band, for sure, and an even stranger album. It makes one wonder what Sony was supposed to do with Shudder To Think from a marketing perspective. As a major-label debut, it probably alienated some of Shudder's more indie-cred-obsessed fans, but there's no way in hell any of these songs were going to climb up the Billboard charts.

Still, something about Pony Express Record's unwillingness to be just another major-label cash cow gives it a glow of originality. The music itself is even more original than the idea, resulting in a highly underappreciated, forward-thinking record.

Mad Linx: Back In The Saddle
By Dove ~Sheepish Lordess of Chaos~


B ET’s Rap City is easily one of the most respected shows in pop culture, and host Mad Linx is rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable faces in the Hip-Hop nation. From its beginning in 1989, Rap City has had a slew of hosts including Joe Clair, Chris Thomas, Big Lez and Big Tigger. When Linx took over in 2005, he followed in the legacy and a heritage of memorable moments the show was known for, and fans had high expectations.

A native of Queens, New York, Mad Linx got his start in the Tampa, Florida radio scene in the early ‘90s. He moved on to WTMP, and soon became their Mixshow Director, and eventually the drive-time on-air personality. In 2002, he got a big break as the tour DJ for Angie Martinez, and by 2003 he secured a position at Tampa’s WLLD radio.

With all of his charisma and background in radio, the transition Mad Linx made to television was smooth in terms of his talent, but somewhat difficult with regard to the way fans of Rap City received him. A little over a year later, fans were begging to have Linx return to the show when he left to co-host BET’s new start-up The Road Show. We recently sat down with Mad Linx to talk candidly about the pressure of being one of America’s Most Watched.

AllHipHop.com: Just a little over a year ago you took the spot over at Rap City, and you dealt with your fair share of criticism in the beginning. How did it feel this time being on the other end of that where people are asking you, “When are you going to go back to Rap City?”

Mad Linx: [laughs] You know, I think it’s one of those things in life where - and I’m trying to say this in the most humble way possible - sometimes you’re not appreciated fully until you’re gone. I’m saying that with no disrespect to anybody first off. I think even with Tigger, he’s dealt with his share of criticism for a long time as well, after he took over Rap City. When he was gone, all of a sudden everybody seemed to be like, “We always did love Tigger, what are you talking about?” It was a good feeling knowing that cats kind of came around after a while, and it’s always a challenge going into a new situation.

People tend to make these judgments off of a lot of things; it might be your physical appearance which you can’t help. For me it’s, “Who is this light skinned R&B ass n***a, that pretty n***a that they got doing Rap City?” Now I can’t control the skin color I have, or the way my face is structured and set up, but that has nothing to do with whether I’m Hip-Hop or not. I’m not gonna go out tryna be anybody who I’m not, I didn’t get shot up 15 times, or spend 12 years in the bing, or I didn’t push crack. I don’t have those stories to tell you when I’m hosting Rap City, but ultimately what does that have to do with whether or not you can conduct an interview if you know about Hip-Hop?

So all I can do and all I have been doing is bringing what I have to offer Hip-Hop-wise, which is long, vast and very deep. I think cats over the course of the year, have started to see it if they paid attention. I know that when a lot of artists come in, they might have preconceived ideas and then through the course of their show where they know that I really know about them and their history. I’m talking about their first album like I spun their record in the club, or I had their white label before the huge single came out, or I remember going to the store to get their album. Those are the priceless stories that you can’t [make up].

AllHipHop.com: Coming from the radio industry into television, with people not really understanding your background, did you ever feel the need to assert that, “Hey, I’ve been through all of these things,” or was there ever a certain point where you just kind of threw up your hands and said, “Think what you want?”

Mad Linx: I always thought that people are going to think what they want, regardless. But I got that attitude that, given the opportunity and timeframe, I’ll turn the whole world into Mad Linx fans. I think that respect is something that you earn, it’s not just given. People all the time see the end result - they don’t see the grind and the hard work it took to get there. It’s a challenge and it’s one that I take wholeheartedly.

AllHipHop.com: How hard is it for you politically speaking? If you may not be feeling an artist’s work, is there a part of you that feels the need to keep a good rapport across the board, or is it just that you really aren’t the type of person to outwardly state your opinions?

Mad Linx: My mom always taught me if you don’t have nothing good to say, don’t say nothing. I respect anything and anybody that’s trying to advance and move forward. I don’t even go out of my way to have thoughts like, “Oh this is some bulls**t.” It’s kind of like a waste of energy; I respect what everybody’s doing and understand that they have their own lane. Cats that caught a lot of flack this year - D4L “Laffy Taffy” - say what you want, but they have their own lane, and there’s the saying that a billion Elvis fans can’t be wrong. This group obviously has fans, they got fans right here in New York, because when the club isn’t popping you play that record and then all of a sudden something happens. Now, I might not listen to that CD when I wanna get my real Hip-Hop fix on, but I respect what they’re doing. All things may not be for me, but I’m not gonna go out of my way to s**t on them.

AllHipHop.com: Since you [started your career] in Florida and you had several years to embrace the scene, North Florida is revolutionary in the grind of getting independent music out and they support their own in that area. Coming into New York, do you see a big difference in the way the whole system works here versus what you saw in Florida?

Mad Linx: Oh definitely. I always said that I don’t care where the deal gets struck, and no matter where the person comes from, the check gets cut here in New York. The industry is changed to where the check still gets cut in New York, but the way you get to the point of getting the check has changed. I think that as we all we know, before it used to be good enough to run up on somebody, spit a hot 16 bars and you could get a record deal. Those days are gone. Now the way that the industry business works is, “What do your sales look like already?”

AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about giving knowledge to this new generation of Hip-Hop fans about where all that music and the hustle comes from?

Mad Linx: I think it’s very important. I just played recently in Cancun. The club I played in there were a lot of white kids I’ll say between the ages of 18 and 21. I played the Nirvana song and they knew every word. Keep in mind this song came out in ’90-’91, so most of these kids were maybe a year or two years old when it came out, but they still know it all. They knew about Van Halen’s “Jump” from way before they were born. There’s some kind of connect that happens with other genres of music that really hasn’t happened as much with Hip-Hop.

I actually have some ideas that I’m hoping we’re able to make happen with Rap City that hopefully will at least do a little part in trying to connect those dots. A lot of our kids in New York know who Grandmaster Flash is, but maybe in Texas or Alabama, they’re not as familiar. They may have heard the name one time, but it wouldn’t be like if “The Message” came on and they could rhyme it. The same way people in New York don’t know who DJ Uncle Al is or Jam Pony Express. These cats down South revolutionized the game. Hopefully, I can connect the dots for not only the younger generation but the older generation who has never heard of a Jam Pony Express.

I think one thing that makes it a little harder with Hip-Hop especially there’s always this push on what’s new or what’s next. I think that push comes a lot harder with Hip-Hop than other forms of music because a big part of that is the mixtape game. It kind of makes it hard to move back to the past a little bit, because we’re so rapidly moving towards the future. We still don’t have any classic Hip-Hop stations, and every market got a classic Rock station.

AllHipHop.com: How does it make you feel to see so much Southern Hip-Hop come through the video show?

Mad Linx: I feel a couple of different ways: I love the fact that now in 2006, no matter where you’re from, you got a shot. You can come from St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland and you’re gonna get a shot. But now to get that shot it’s harder than ever, where before radio was a little more regionalized - you could get that shot locally first, and then if things happen well enough for you then you could go national. But like I said, I think the fact that it’s so much music coming from other places on radio here in New York is brave, but at the same time I don’t want artists from any market to get shut out of their own marketplace because of the commercialization of radio and the business.

AllHipHop.com: Did you sign a new contract with BET for Rap City?

Mad Linx: I’ll be with BET definitely for the remainder of the year. You know how this industry is the same with radio, the same with every other industry. Changes can come at any time, I’m fully aware of that. But as of right now it’s Rap City.

AllHipHop.com: What are your next plans?

Mad Linx: We got Spring Bling coming up. Now that I got my turntables and my mixer, I plan on working on a mixtape as well. Actually that’ll mean I get to practice for the first time in a year and a half - my practice was coming in for a few minutes on Rap City or in the club, which is not really good practice. [laughs] I love to DJ, so I’m looking forward to getting a nice little hour in a day from now on. The relaunch for madlinx.com is coming up, we’re still under construction. Rap City Monday through Friday from 5-6 PM. For those who are always surprised yes I am a DJ, I didn’t go buy ‘DJ in a box’ two weeks ago and thought I could get live in a party now.

AllHipHop.com: Is there anything else you want people to know?

Mad Linx: I’m glad to be back. And at the end of the day, the hate has never bothered me for a couple of reasons. One, any time people hate, that means you’re either doing something good or you’re in a real good place. I loved the fact that people hated on me even when I first started, to me that said that people cared enough about Hip-Hop to care who the host of the show was. If they didn’t care, that would just mean they didn’t care about Hip-Hop, so it didn’t bother me. I love the fact that people care about Hip-Hop and they care about the show.

Just because you see me for an hour a day, it don’t mean that you know me to know what I’m really like. That just means that you know what you see through that screen. As we all know, what comes through that screen ain’t necessarily the entire package. Rap City the show isn’t who Mad Linx is - come kick it with me, and you’ll leave with somewhat of a different perspective.

JAM PONY EXPRESS

1. Throw the D. - 2 Live Crew
  2. Bass Rock Express - MC ADE
  3. Supersonic - J.J. Fad
  4. The Cars with the Boom - L'Trimm
  5. Give It All You Got (Doggy Style) - Afro Rican
  6. Just Give the DJ a Break - Dynamix II
  7. Drop the Bass - DJ Magic Mike and MC Toney B.
  8. Me So Horny - 2 Live Crew
  9. Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot
10. Whoomp! There It Is - Tag Team/Whoot! There It Is-95 South
11. Boot the Booty - MC Cool Rock & Chaszey Chess
12. Bass Computer - Techmaster P.E.B.
13. We Want Some Pussy - 2 Live Crew
14. Sally (That Girl) - Gucci Crew II
15. Shake It - MC Shy D
16. Miami El Negro - DJ Laz and Danny D.
17. Welcome to the Planet of Bass - Maggotron
18. Creep Dog - MC Cool Rock & Chaszey Chess19. Now Dance - Byron Davis & The Fresh Krew
20. Let's Get This Party Started - DJ KJ & MC Kooley C.
21. Ghetto Bass - 2 Live Crew
22. Get It Girl - 2 Live Crew
23. Gotta Be Tough - MC Shy D
24. Revelation - 2 Live Crew
25. What I Like - 2 Live Crew
26. Boom! I Got Your Boyfriend - Danny D. & DJ Wiz / Boom! I Got Your Girlfriend - MC Luscious
27. Jealous Fellas - Dimples T. / Jealous Girls - JDC
28. I Wanna Rock - Luke
29. Tootsee Roll - 69 Boyz
30. Ghetto Jump - Krush
31. Stomp N Grind - Half Pint
32. Commin' In Fresh - Double Duce
33. DJ Magic Mike Cuts the Record - DJ Magic Mike
34. Shake Whatcha Mama Gave Ya - Poison Clan
35. C'mon N Ride It (The Train) - Quad City DJ's
36. Dazzey Dukes - Duice
37. Da Dip - Freak Nasty
38. Scrub Da Ground - Splack Pack
39. Dunkie Butt (Please, Please, Please) - 12 Gauge
40. Mix It Up - DJ Uncle Al
41. Shake That Ass Bitch - Splack Pack
42. Return To the Bass Planet - Maggotron
43. Ignition - Dynamix II
44. The Cabbage Patch - The Gucci Crew II
45. Move Somethin' - 2 Live Crew
46. Return of the Bass That Ate Miami - Maggotron
47. 122 BPM - Jive Rhythm Trax
48. Techno Bass - Dynamix II
49. Square Dance Rap - Sir Mix-A-Lot
50. Love You Down - INOJ
51. Swing My Way - KP & Envyi/Shorty Swings Both Ways - 3-Way Playaz
52. Time After Time - INOJ
53. Shake Shake - Jonny Z
54. Shake a Lil' Somethin' - 2 Live Crew
55. Nasty Dancer (remix) - Kilo
56. Kitty Kitty - 69 Boyz
57. 2 Much Booty (In Da Pants) - Soundmaster T.
58. Lose My Money (Honey) - Prince Raheim and Crazy Legs
59. Hold Up, Wait a Minute - DJ Smurf
60. Ooh Lawd (Party People) - DJ Smurf and PMHI
61. Do Your Duty - Beat Master Clay D. & The Get Funky Crew
62. Shake the Joint - Breezy Beat MC
63. Worse 'Em - Triple M Bass
64. The Beat Is Fresh - Prime Choice
65. Posse on Broadway - Sir Mix-A-Lot
66. My Boo - Ghost Town DJs
67. Wiggle Wiggle - Disco Rick
68. Party - Dis N Dat
69. Rodeo - 95 South
70. Red Alert - DJ Laz
71. Shake It, Do the 61st - Anquette
72. Let it Go - Afro-Rican
73. Chicken Head - MC Zeus
74. Smurf Rock - Gigolo Tony
75. That's Right - DJ Taz feat. Raheem the Dream
76. I Will Always Be There for You - Anquette
77. Pop That Thang - DJ Smurf feat. Kizzy Rock
78. Scarred - Luke Campbell
79. My Baby's Daddy - B-Rock & the Bizz
80. Raise the Roof - Luke feat. No Good But So Good Party
81. Do the Damn Thing - 2 Live Crew
82. Lap Danz - Top Secret
83. Show Me Love - Kilo Ali
84. Whatz Up Whatz Up - Playa Poncho and L.A. Sno
85. Bad Bass Music - Bass Cube
86. Butta (Miami Bass mix) - Pamp & Da Knox
87. Girls (Southside mix) - DJ Smurf feat. DJ Taz, DJ Kizzy Rock, and June Dog
88. All of Puerto Rico - Afro-Rican
89. Shake (Miami Bass mix) - Pamp & Da Knox
90. Ride Out - DJ Trans
91. When Will I See You Smile Again? - Ricky Bell
92. Woof Woof - 69 Boyz
93. Bass Is What We Want - MCB
94. Esta Locha (Part Bass mix) - To Kool Chris
95. Latin Swing - Jonny Z & DJ Laz
96. Freak It - Lathun feat. Da Brat
97. As We Lay - Dana Harris
98. Way Out - J.J. Fad
99. Everlasting Bass - Rodney O.
100. Get it Boy - Fresh Celeste & M4sers101. Dial-a-Freak - Uncle Jamm's Army
102. Throw the P. - Anquette
103. Esa Morena - DJ Laz
104. Rapp Will Never Die - MC Shy D
105. I Need You - B.V.S.M.P. feat. Stevie B.
106. The Bass That Ate Miami - Maggotron
107. The Miami Bass Machine - Bassadelic
108. Mentirosa - Mellow Man Ace
109. Bass Overdrive - B.O.S.E.
110. He is DJ Crash - Gigolo Tony
111. Roll It Up - Success N Effect
112. Pump That Bass - Original Concept
113. Janet Reno - Anquette
114. Ride - Sir Mix-A-Lot
115. Bass Generator - Dynamix II
116. (Push It) Grab It - L'Trimm
117. Make It Mellow - Missy Mist
118. Is It Love? - JJ Fad
119. Way Out - JJ Fad
120. Space Jam - Quad City DJs
121. Cutie Pie - L'Trimm
122. Crank It - MC ADE
123. Lookout - MC ADE
124. 808 Volt Megamix - DJ Battery Brain
125. Slice It Up - Kool Rock Jay & DJ Slice
126. B Girls - Young & Restless with Eric G.
127. Tha Hop - Kinsu
128. Drop Them Chones (No Senor) - Jonny Z
129. True Players - A-Town Players
130. Summertime Summertime - Corina
131. Saddle You Up (Bass mix) - Strawberri
132. Mamacita - Jonny Z
133. Journey Into Bass - DJ Laz
134. Artificial Intelligence - Industrial Bass Machine
135. Lizard Lizard - No Good-N-Jiggie feat. Luke
136. When We Kiss - Bardeux
137. Cameltoe - Fannypack
138. Drop Don't Stop - MC ADE
139. Feel the Bass - DJ Magic Mike
140. Stump and Grind - alf Pint, Clay D, and DJ Magic Mike
141. Don't Fess - Shaquan
142. U Like Pina Colada - Da Real One
143. Must Be the Booty (Mr. Mixx mix) - Dirty Dawgs
144. Weekendz (Freekendz) - Don Cisco
145. Feelin' Horny - Sex Kraz'd Superstars
146. Ding-a-Ling (Mr. Mixx mix) - Hi-Town DJs
147. La Rasa - Dino Latino
148. Fire Up This Funk - Poison Clan
149. Booty Shake - The Gucci Crew II
150. Take it to the Max - Tricky D
151. Il Na Na - 12 Gauge
152. Let Them Hos Fight - Disco Rick and Silence
153. Shake Them Titties - The Get Funky Crew
154. C'mon Babe - 2 Live Crew
155. You Go Girl - 2 Live Crew
156. Rippin' - Sir Mix-A-Lot and Kid Sensation
157. Down Low - Freak Nasty
158. So Def, So Fresh, So Stupid - The Gucci Crew II
159. Miami - Steven Jay Grey & Mr. Mixx
160. Bass it Baby - The Third Degree
161. Let Me C-Ya Work it - Splack Pack
162. Dunkey Kong - Kilo Ali
163. Everlasting Bass - Rodney O-Joe Cooley
164. Moments in Bass - DJ Laz
165. Hola Mami - DJ Laz and Danny D
166. Malice - DJ Smurf and PMHI
167. Hump All Night - DJ Laz and Danny D.
168. Tip 4 the Strip - Splack Pack
169. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Kilo Ali
170. Baby Baby - Kilo Ali
171. Heiny Heiny - 95 South
172. America Has a Problem - Kilo Ali
173. Stump and Grind - Half Pint, Clay D, and DJ Magic Mike
174. La Bamba - Jonny Z feat. DJ Laz
175. Hold Up, Wait a Minute - DJ Smurf
176. Big Butt - Bobby Jimmy and The Critters
177. Trible M Bass - Worse 'Em
178. Saddle You Up (Bass mix) - Strawberri
179. Back at One (Cibola mix) - Brian McKnight
180. Wherever You Go (Bass mix) - Voices of Theory
181. Say It (Bass mix) - Voices of Theory
182. Big Ol' Booty - Freaky J
183. Say It (Bass mix) - Kai
184. I Like It - Sammie
185. Freak Me (Let Me Lick You Up and Down) - Booty Girls
186. T-Shirt and Pannies - Booty Girls
187. Shake Your Body - Beat Dominator
188. Muevelo (Move It) - Brissa
189. Transbeat - DJ EFX
190. True To the Game - MC Shy D
191. Gimme What I Want - Lathun and Katrina
192. Six Eight - Katrina
193. Let It Go - Butter
194. What It Is? - Virgo
195. Gitty Up - Salt N Pepa
196. Lizard-Lizard-No Good - N-Jiggie feat. Luke
197. Ooh Big Momma - Lil' Jon and The Eastside Boyz
198. Ay Papi (Slammin' Sama mix) - The 2 Live Crew
199. Callin' - Will You Players Ever Learn? (Booty mix)-Amar
200. Wet-N-Wild (DJ Laz Booty Bounce mix) - 95 South

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