During my time in community college I wrote for my college newspaper while interning at 103.5 The Beat Miami. During my time at the radio station, I asked Prince Markie Dee of the legendary trio hip-hop group The Fat Boys for an interview. At that time he was an on air personality. Below is a snippet of our interview from that time. Rest easy PMD.
How old were you when you were interested in rapping?
About 12, I was a neighborhood rap monster.
How did you come up with your stage name, Prince Markie Dee?
I battled this guy named Prince Easy E. And the contest rules were if I lost I had to stop rapping and if he lost I had to take his name Prince. Markie is from my name, Mark. Dee is an adlib we used to use back in the day.
How did The Fat Boys meet?
We all grew up on the same block. We literally lived right across the street and next door in Brooklyn; we were childhood friends playing football.
How did you get noticed?
We won a contest; first place was a record contract. Sort of like the story in Krush Groove.
How long were The Fat Boys together?
We were together from our first record which was in 1984 to our last record which was 1987/1988.
What did you do with your first paycheck as a rapper?
I went and bought turntables, a mixer and a 1984 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz,
What are some of the hardships you’ve faced while leading up to being a rapper?
It was like an overnight thing for us. Our situation was different. We won a contest and we went in the game. Rap was young at the time so anything that came out was accepted.
How did you get into radio?
By accident. I was interviewed by The Baker Boys, who used to do the morning show when 103.5 The Beat first came about. The interview went really well and I befriended the Program Director, Dionne Summers, who’s my mentor and he gave me the opportunity to do weekends. From there on it built and now I’m doing afternoons.
What is something you wish you knew years ago that you know now?
If I had the knowledge I have now, years ago I would be a billionaire by now. Between real estate, music and signing artists, I had a ton of artists at my finger tips that I didn’t sign because I didn’t know we could do these things. I had Jay-Z at my finger tips and I could have signed him.
What advice would you give to young adults who want to break into the entertainment business?
Treat it as a hobby. Dedicate to it 100 percent, don’t do it half-way. But make sure you have your main goal in life whether it’s a doctor, teacher or a lawyer. That stays in front of anything. This business is so fickle, if you don’t know a little of the rules you’ll get left out.
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This interview was originally published on Broward College, The Observer Newspapaer. Written By Ashley Moncrieffe.
