Short interview with Bobbito Garcia, radio show host, DJ and enterpreneur, he speaks on working behind the scenes with Russell Simmons at Def Jam records, where he was overjoyed to receieve early demos from Akinyele, Nas, Organized Konfusion and Onyx. I wasn't aware he held such an important position up at the label, I mainly knew of him from his radio show at 89.9FM. Bobbito sites this early 90's period of his career at Def Jam as a sour turning point for the label, going from releasing records based on their belief of the artist's talent and originality, to relying solely on breaking commercially successful hip hop singles. It's something to think if you're a listener and consumer of hip hop, how certain label and industry politics may sometimes hinder our ability to receive genuinely good music.

Nas - It Ain't Hard To Tell Original Demo (stream)

Simply II Positive MCs (Organized Konfusion) Audience Pleasures demo