It was a very small production company here in New York. When did you get your break in the business? Well, you went to school to study film, right? At Adelphi. Well, I guess I’m curious to know then as far as just getting into the professional realm of doing this, what was the turning point for you? Just trying to get a little sense of your foundation because it profoundly influences everything that comes after it. ![]() I was going to come out here and try to go forward, and he’s taking us backward. I didn’t mean to talk about any of this by the way. The stuff that we were hearing, the first rap was literally the first rap. I think it was through the original stuff, like the original stuff that came out of New York was Funky 4 + 1, and that probably sounds real crazy to you guys but that was the name of the group. What was the gateway then, the entry point for you as far as hip-hop and it becoming a part of your life? You mentioned knowing music before hip-hop. I have these conversations by the way with my peers, like these guys that I grew up with, like Puff and Jay-Z. I think those things affected me, affected all of us. You know what I mean? There’s no electronics to help him. So the fact that he was able to be the level of artist that he is without using his eyes is crazy. There was no computers, things like that. That era of music especially is like, it’s on analog. I’m going to say it was always there because music is colorful. When you were listening to music as a child, were you visualizing the music even at an early age or was that something that came a little bit later on? It’s just like this weird thing that growing up in New York, the different boroughs, everybody had a different perspective, different type of person who introduced them, like a different uncle who lived in an attic or brother who’s in a band or something like that. So it came to existence while we were growing up. I think that’s a lot of us, like the people that I’m associated with that come from that era. So it was like a visual music came from soul music. So all the music that I grew up on was soul music, which is like Stevie Wonder, must have listened to Songs in the Key of Life my whole growing up. He would play like old Stevie Wonder and old Doobie Brothers, just like the weirdest mix of stuff. I had one of those houses where my older brother lived in the attic. When were you first captivated by sounds that you might have heard around the house? But music is also the focus of your life. What was the music that was impacting you as a child? I mean, obviously, the moving image is something that is the focus of your life. ![]() So that part, that little part of where I’m from, that’s like a very special part of New York, I think. I went to Catholic school at Run-D.M.C., just stuff like that. Literally, Q-Tip’s grandmother lived around the corner from my house. ![]() ![]() Albans, Queens which is a little part of the borough. Where did you grow up, for those who may not be aware of your history? It was like literally stuff that would get broadcast on network television. You know what I mean? It wasn’t like it is now I guess is what I’m really struggling to think about. Films at that time were mostly on television. Stuck in front of the television, just kind of five or six years old, like plugged in. It’s probably at a very young age, younger than most. But I’m curious to know when and where did you fall in love with the moving image? I don’t know if that was a part of your experience being a native New Yorker. We’re here in 42nd Street, Times Square, a place where back in the day, lot of people came to watch films on the weekends and whatnot. Ladies and gentlemen, won’t you please join me in welcoming the auteur, Mr.
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