His DJ name was inspired by his scruffy facial hair, as well as his trademark loose-lined drawing style. He has been DJing since 1994, at first in and around Manchester then nationwide. He is known for DJing in marathon sets (often exceeding six hours), his eclectic musical taste, his love of a "nice cup of tea" and the quirky home-produced visuals and animations associated with his music. In an interview he said: "It’s about putting a lot of effort in and paying attention to detail. I get annoyed if I don’t take risks. I’m very hard on myself."
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Flashback
Mr. Scruff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rock Steady was a B-boy crew, but to me it's all about hip hop,
So, rock steady is a hip hop crew now. Its about all four elements, And we
represent those lovely, sratch pickers, arsonists,
All the b-boys that are down with us, the b-girls, we have some dope
B-girls, and you know, we got graf artists like East and Zero T,
Its just straight up on skills, this is Crazy Legs from the Rock Steady
Crew, I'm out
Hip-Hop was breaking, spray paintin' full train cars
DJ's cutting emcess presents the ghetto stars
I was the skinny shorty wop, with the bop in my step
Shams the bear and teloids, playboys and I was set
Running through the streets of the boogie with a bang
Pops was kinda strict, so at times I couldn't hang
But whateva the case, I stuck close to my hip-hop
Somethin' in my soul just kept that, on lock
And oppurtunity never knocked, but we was still open
Saying ish like fresh, like def (dope in)
And crack was on the corner rumblin' the dry goods
With something I decided never to persue in my hood
I was, too busy in the middle of the streets playing skelly
With Ray and Big Lou, listenin' to Flash and Melly
And rockin' block parties, seemed to be my route
But I had to give that up, they always ended in shoot outs
Hip-Hop was rhyming, hard timin', radio hits
No dats, so the D.J's was still in the mix
Grafitti and breaking took a back seat
Cuz the A&R's couldn't figure how to make they ends meet
I was the high school rapper to the girls in the hall
While my nigga Clarence Greer was slammin' with a basketball
Tune my radio on a saturday night
Daydreamin' 'bout grippin' mikes and being in the spotlight
Fat rope chains in a pair of A.J's in the p.j's frontin' like I had status
(what) who's the baddest?
The brotha on swinten ave, though fresh out the lab
You just couldn't tell Q-Unique what he couldn't have
It all started in Bushwick, defacin' the community
Around the way, all you saw was nothin' but graffiti
As a shorty I was poppin' never could I ever stand still
Always battlin' cuz it was all about the skills
Never learned windmills, but my boogie took me places
When I started emceeing, I kept it fat like my laces
Wrestlin' was the bomb, kept me from doing my homework
Radio was my thing, when red alert went bezerk
[Chorus] 4x's
Yes yes y'all, let me get some
Cuz we, never forgot where we came from
The song 'Flashback' by Mr. Scruff feat. Bicep is a reflection on the artist's experiences growing up in the hip hop culture. The first section of the song features an introduction by Crazy Legs from the Rock Steady Crew, where he speaks about the evolution of the B-boy crew to a hip hop crew that represents all four elements of hip hop. The lyrics then delve into the artist's personal experience with hip hop, including his involvement in graffiti, breakdancing, and rapping. The artist describes growing up in a strict household but always sticking close to hip hop, which he feels is something that is deeply ingrained in his soul. The lyrics go on to explain how the artist was always open to opportunities but never let go of his passion for hip hop, despite the temptations of drugs and crime.
The second half of the song reflects on the evolution of hip hop culture from the 1980s to present day. The artist speaks about how hip hop was all about breaking, spray painting, and DJing in the '80s. However, in the '90s, hip hop began to focus more on radio hits and rhyming, which caused graffiti and breaking to take a back seat. The artist also highlights how important it was for him to keep his roots in hip hop and never forget where he came from. The chorus repeats "Yes yes y'all, let me get some, cuz we never forgot where we came from" to exemplify this point.
Line by Line Meaning
Rock Steady was a B-boy crew, but to me it's all about hip hop,
Although Rock Steady originated as a B-boy crew, it has now become a hip hop crew incorporating all of the four elements of hip hop, including scratch pickers, arsonists, b-boys, b-girls, graf artists like East and Zero T, and Crazy Legs represent these elements.
Hip-Hop was breaking, spray paintin' full train cars
The beginning of hip hop included breaking, spray-painting full train cars, and DJ's cutting emcess presents the ghetto stars.
I was the skinny shorty wop, with the bop in my step
The singer was a skinny short person with a rhythmic walk who was passionate about hip hop.
But whateva the case, I stuck close to my hip-hop
The artist always stayed true to hip hop, regardless of circumstances in life.
And oppurtunity never knocked, but we was still open
Although the artist never had opportunities come to him, he was always open to new possibilities and experiences.
Saying ish like fresh, like def (dope in)
The singer used hip hop slang words like fresh and def (dope in) in everyday language.
With something I decided never to persue in my hood
The singer decided against pursuing illegal activities such as dealing drugs in his neighborhood.
But I had to give that up, they always ended in shoot outs
The artist had to give up attending block parties due to the frequent occurrence of shootouts at those events.
Hip-Hop was rhyming, hard timin', radio hits
Hip hop evolved to include rhyming, hard timing, and radio hits, among other things.
Cuz the A&R's couldn't figure how to make they ends meet
The A&R's (artists and repertoire) struggled to make ends meet due to the changing nature of hip hop music.
Fat rope chains in a pair of A.J's in the p.j's frontin' like I had status
The singer used to wear heavy gold chains and Air Jordan sneakers while pretending to have status in his local projects.
You just couldn't tell Q-Unique what he couldn't have
The artist, Q-Unique, was determined to get what he wanted and couldn't be easily swayed from his ambitions.
It all started in Bushwick, defacin' the community
The singer's involvement with hip hop culture began in his hometown of Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he started defacing the neighborhood with graffiti.
As a shorty I was poppin' never could I ever stand still
As a kid, the singer was always popping and dancing and couldn't stand still due to his love for hip hop.
Wrestlin' was the bomb, kept me from doing my homework
The singer was also passionate about wrestling and would often prioritize watching it over doing his homework.
Radio was my thing, when red alert went bezerk
The artist was a huge fan of the radio and listened to popular DJs like Red Alert, who he admired greatly.
Yes yes y'all, let me get some
Cuz we, never forgot where we came from
This chorus emphasizes the idea that the artist and his hip hop crew never forgot their roots and where they came from.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARTIN PAGE, MICHAEL L. JONES, TINA ARENA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind