Brucie B - Live at the Rooftop with Eric B. & Rakim

It's a star-studded 1986 night at the legendary Harlem skating rink for Doug E. Fresh's birthday.

Dec 26, 2023

We’ve spent plenty of time in the ‘90s during our 50 TAPES run here on the Do Remember! newsletter. But please do remember that our book also covers what was happening in NYC during the ‘80s on the mixtape scene, and features interviews with legends like DJ Hollywood and Brucie B, along with a stage-setting foreword by Fab 5 Freddy.

It’s within that early section of Do Remember! that we explore the phenomenon of The Live Tapes, when DJs would record their sets at New York City nightclubs on cassettes. Those recordings would be sold and circulate through the streets, plus get played loudly out of car windows by local hustlers whose names had been shouted out during the parties.

Brucie B was one man who would press record on his sets inside the famous Harlem skating rink the Rooftop. And thankfully, a decent amount of those tapes survived the ‘80s and have been digitized over the years so folks can either relive or experience for the first time what it was like to be inside the Rooftop when Brucie B was on the wheels.

This particular tape is a time capsule like no other though, as it not only captures audio of Brucie B’s set, but it also includes the audio of a live, pre-Paid In Full Eric B. & Rakim performance inside a jam-packed Rooftop party celebrating Doug E. Fresh’s birthday.

“I don’t know why everyone’s standing around. The show ain’t gonna start until around 3 o’clock. We got another hour so come on, let’s get busy.” - Brucie B

Yes, the quote above is taken directly from the echo-laden voice of Brucie B toward the start of Side A, who alongside Starchild is announcing to attendees during the wee hours of a Sunday morning that there’s plenty more time to dance and party before Eric B. and Rakim hit the Rooftop stage for their performance.

And as he plays through new and popular records—while intermittently prompting the crowd to “wop it out” and do the most on-trend dance of the ‘86 season—he also shouts out some notable hip-hop royalty that are in the building, including LL Cool J, Donald D, the late DJ Scott La Rock, and the birthday boy himself Doug E. Fresh. (He also shouts out notorious Harlem hustler Alpo.)

It’s not until Side B that the live performance portion of the evening gets underway. But the build-up is nothing short of entertaining. Not only is Brucie B playing what now can be considered a master class in rocking an Uptown ‘80s hip-hop party with meticulously selected and spun joints by Whodini, Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, Biz Markie, RUN-D.M.C., and many more—but plenty more characters start to take center stage as the show starts.

First, the hilarious host for the night gets on the mic and hops right into the jokes, snapping on audience members left and right for having “the smallest name chain in the world” or “thick ass glasses” before introducing the now legendary beatboxer Emanon (see pic below) who comes on to kill a brief but extremely dope beatbox routine in honor of his mentor Doug E. Fresh’s birthday.

From there, Eric B. takes over, passing the mic to LL Cool J so he can say a few words and wish Doug E. Fresh a happy birthday. He also gives the mic to Kool DJ Red Alert as well, who shows love to the Uptown crowd. And of course, Eric B. gives a few shout outs of his own, including one to Salt-N-Pepa who are also in the building to enjoy the festivities.

Finally, a rookie-year Rakim joins Eric B. on stage to run through ”My Melody” and “Eric B. Is President” off their first single release, both which would end up on Paid In Full the following year. It’s pretty incredible to hear live audio of Rakim at this early stage in his career, and in this intimate setting. His young voice is almost unrecognizable at first, but once he breaks into his acapella intro it’s clear that it’s the God.

Overall, this recording is an absolute gem of a listen. Big thanks and shout out to our man Bahr Brown for the audio blessing. Check out his interview inside the pages of Do Remember! for some awesome memories of the Uptown ‘80s mixtape days. His contributions to the book overall were invaluable, so big salute to our big bro.

And if you’re interested in more live Brucie B tapes, you need to cop his latest flash drive collection! Check out his IG for more info.

Much respect to The World Famous Brucie B.

Stream Live at the Rooftop below, and stay tuned for more 50 TAPES posts as we celebrate the release of Do Remember! The Golden Era of NYC Hip-Hop Mixtapes, out now via Rizzoli.

Brucie B - Live at the Rooftop with Eric B. & Rakim (SIDE A)

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