Main Ingredient Productions (& the skullies)

Before we incorporated in January 1999 as MetroConcepts, we did business under the name Main Ingredient Productions, which I think accurately reflected that at the time we were more of an event company than a marketing company. I swear the best shwag item we ever did were the Main Ingredient skullies you see below. We gave out a ton of these to emcees, and would see them popping up in magazine photo shoots years later.

Here is O'Neal with J-Live in New York

Here is Tim & O'Neal with High & Mighty in Providence

Virtuoso performing at The Western Front

Boston Globe feature 1996

Back when we were young and I had a good head of hair. This was the first big exposure for us, and helped open a few doors. Funny to look back at how corny it all is, and how misunderstood hip-hop was by the media at that time ..... "an offspring of rap." LOL. I will say though, the thing it does capture is how much fun we were having back then, no bullshit. It was just a bunch of people listening to music, having some drinks and hanging out .... didn't feel like work, just good times.

Where the hell was O'Neal for the photo shoot? Still at college I guess.

Show Flyers - 1996/1997

Here are 4 flyers from the early days at The Western Front. The flyer on the lower left was the first "real" flyer we ever did. We walked in to Biscuithead Records one day and asked if they wanted to be our sponsor (back when I was doing the hand-drawn flyers seen below). Bruno was down, but politely said, "you need to do better than this," and hooked us up to get his boy Adam/Res-One to design the flyer. Biscuithead was a sponsor off and on for years --- and even though their records were EXPENSIVE, they had the best bootlegs and all the latest underground.

This was also the first flyer that featured Pimpgear as a sponsor. Pimpgear was around before we were even serious about doing anything. I met Rocky at a party (and later married his sister!), and he offered to throw us some t-shirts as an event sponsor. This began a long friendship and partnership ---- nobody repped Pimpgear more than we did.

We also have an EDO.G show --- We were so freakin' gassed to do that show, even though we lost money because the weather was horrendous. The flyer was done by Target from Steelo Magazine. I had to drive to an ATM after the show to pay him. I tried to convince him to just come back for a different show, but he wasn't having it! We became good friends later, and managed his career for a number of years.

Check the God Complex flyer .... Esoteric, 7L & Karma ---- ah the good old days.

The Early Days at The Western Front

Back when we were Main Ingredient, The Western Front was voted best hip-hop venue by The Boston Phoenix in 1998.

"Given the international popularity of hip-hop and the fact that so many DJs and rappers operate out of Boston, it seems ludicrous that there is no club devoted exclusively to showcasing local talent or up-and-coming stars from out of town. We are left instead with a handful of clubs that sponsor hip-hop nights -- usually only once a week -- and arenas that bring in huge MTV-sponsored events featuring tepid artists who bankroll the media giant. Oh well. Good things sometimes come in small doses. On the last Sunday of every month at the Western Front, for instance, Main Ingredient Productions hosts a hell of a hip-hop showcase, "All That! Hip-Hop, Poetry & Jazz." Featuring national and local poets, MC's, Boston rap groups like Seven L. & Esoteric, Virtuoso, and Mr. Lif, and live music provided by the All That! band (with members of Down-Low Connection and Superhoney), this once-a-month event is a don't-miss extravaganza for any fan of urban music and hip-hop culture. The long-running club, which has mostly been a hotspot for big-name roots reggae stars -- although it sponsors more adventurous music too, such as experimental jazz -- is doing the city a service by giving Main Ingredient a permanent residency at the space. Don't forget to bring your own rhymes -- open mic's at 8, and it's phat."