Mr. Lif Freestyle 1997

This is from waaaaaaaay back in the early days at The Western Front. Not 100% sure this is 1996, but no later than 1997. Lif was largely unknown at this time, just getting a little airplay on WERS. He used to come down every week or two and just kill it.

His dreads were tiny then too.

Here is the freestyle joint.

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."

Superbowl MC Battle 1999 - Virtuoso vs Big O vs Alius

Here is another clip from the 1999 Superbowl Battle. We had so many emcees in this battle that we did the first round head-to-head-to-head. It was an interesting idea, but didn't work that well as we had to eliminate emcees early on that probably deserved to move ahead. It also turned into more of a freestyle competition in that first round, and less of a face to face battle. This clip is a YOUNG (younger than he looks by a long shot) Virtuoso, Big O (very underrated emcee) and Alius (who walked in off the street for this one, and went on to win the battle two years later).

It all started here ....

This little gem ... handwritten, photocopied and passed out hand-to-hand in 1996 ... was the flyer that started it all. DJ Milkmoney (yours truly) and Smooth Unit Sean Love at The Western Front. Notice that extremely wack graffiti-style letters I tried to use. Why that club ever gave us a chance is beyond me. We walked in off the street with nothing but a mixtape, and they gave us a couple of nights each month to basically do whatever we wanted. We had ZERO idea what we were doing at first (lots more stories to follow on that), but in the end those first few years were really my favorite in the Boston scene.

Ladies free? What ladies?

Western Front - 1999

I'm pretty sure this was shot during set-up at The Western Front for the first Superbowl MC Battle in 1999.

I know some of the artists had mixed feeling about participating, but you'll NEVER see a battle line-up like that again. Mr. Lif, Esoteric, Akrobatik, Sage, Virtuoso etc etc.

I have a stack of photos from this event somewhere ... better than the one of me above (who am I kidding anyway?).