Notorious B.I.G.

This rapper came with many handles: Christopher Wallace, Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, Biggie, and maybe a few I haven’t heard. I learned about this rapper from the streets. It seems as if I couldn’t get away from talk about East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry whenever his name came up. When I first caught sight of Biggie, beautiful ladies were wrapped around him. Biggie and Diddy (then known as Sean “Puffy” Combs) was rollin’ Brooklyn streets.

Diddy and Biggie had something in common beyond their friendship and love for music. Both artists had some confusion on what they actually wanted to be called. I’ve never met anyone famous who changes his or her name more than those two. Biggy’s music, his style, and his flava, became more noticeable to me when I started to hear him in mixes with other artists.

On March 9, 1994 I got a VIP pass invite to the “Remembrance Celebration of the Life of B.I.G.” Talk about drama. When I arrived on the scene the block had already been shut down by the NYPD. There were uninvited people everywhere. Utterly nuts. I looked at the situation and knew this old lady would never get to the door. Lucky for me, an officer thought the same thing. I went in through the back door. My heart goes out to Mrs. Wallace and to every mother who has lost her child.

George Clinton

George and I go back to Bandstand. Our paths haven’t crossed in years. I saw a crowd of people hurdling around someone. I rushed to see who it was. There was George. He saw me and yelled, here’s an old American Bandstand girl. Catching up to him was a snap shot moment of joy. We hugged as lights were flashing.

ICE T

The first time I met T. he seemed dignified. Nothing like the civil liberty activist image he portrayed as a teen with obscene rhymes. He spoke in terms that were straight to the point. He is softly spoken with soft hands. We shared information about endorsement deals. He set me up to meet with his associate in NYC.

His associate was much like T., cordial. I picked a place in Harlem for us to meet for dinner. The place had sofas with coffee tables, and candles everywhere. We were served sweet potato pie, the best collard greens, and of course great ribs. As the bottles of choice wine kept flowing a bond was made.

I rely on my intuition when meeting someone new. It never fails me. I was right with T. He isn’t the type to let a label control him. He isn’t as rugged a fellow as he appears. His acting skills on "Law & Order" are natural. He doesn’t need an entourage. He’s someone you’d take home to meet your sister.