Memory
RIP Ram. Only really knew "Beat Bop", but I fucking played it to death. Such a tune. Any other pointers would obviously be welcomed.
What a *hit start to a morning,
bugged to see someone on FaceBook call Rammellzee 'his protege' but anyway so wtf.
Some pointers Richard and thanks for listening, BeatBop was an unusual track;
the basic idea of JMBasquat 's to do a record, his thinking he was going to actually rap on it and Ramm's stories about the whole thing went back a loong way.
JBM's 'SAMO' graf partner Al Diaz was on perc on that one .
Ramm came up and out around the same time as our friends JMB, Nick Taylor aka DJ High Priest,
Vince Gallo and a host of others, was @ Club Negril on one of those early nights where M Holman was bringing Afrika B and a few others downtown .
His art was his basic, MC'ing was a side.
Stories about going to Italy and waiting , watching the Italian stone guy at work on a big marble Ramm was going to get to make a piece out of ...
Met him in W Berlin at a Gallery opening that had a bomb threat hanging over it -there was often something extra going on in these scenes. I had rolled a nice one and we shared it outside
joking about the whole thing ( 'art' , 'bomb's' , W Berlin ).
Later, because Ramm would not agree to let his image be used in any way, shape or form by director Juilan Schnabel, there ended up being an um, composite figure in the movie "Basquiat" -a white, head wrapped 'downtown ' guy who ends up kicking JMB's ass in a back alley.
Next DCC called him to join us for the Beggar's Banquet 12" "At The Marble Bar",
one of THE best cuts ever , "Exterior Street" and we did a couple shows around town.
At the next show, we saw Bill Laswell glom onto Ramm' best he could after we rocked Danceteria;
what was his next unit ? a DJ, guitar player, kyboards clone attempt.
Anyway, see the Sly & Robbie album with Laswell and Ramm on it.
Bill earned a spot on a personal *hit list , a position bolstered by more BS to follow.
By mid '90's our group Black Rain recorded "Letter Racers & Monster Models" with Ramm
, I would see him around only once in a while , at Blackbirds downtown at the bar -if he went out at all. The 'Battle Station' his place on Laight St. was slightly incredible, some large part of it so full of his mechanizations, stacked , packed together, some YouTube vids are from that time.
I would visit him from time to time at 'The BattleStation, have a smoke, watch some latest video from a recent project we would have one copy of ...
Ramm worked with artists who came calling, New Flesh for one.
After M Holman ( from Gray , with JMB , Nick Taylor, Vince Gallo in the side )
hipped us to Gomma putting together the "Anti NY" compilation.
I gave them 2 cuts for the price of one, one being "Exterior St.",
that led to being able to produce his own solo album Bi Conical Of The Rammellzee with Gomma by '92. We found K -Rob ( not easy ! ), even got Shock Dell ( Ghettovets ! ) involved.
Really thought it was high time for 'legend' to do his album and show his stuff with some new sounds arrayed around him.
Blog called Cocaine Blunts stated "This album cannot exist' ... in this time.
But it did.
Ramm was making skateboards, do rags, caps for Supreme.
By mid 2000's Death Comet Crew reformed, played CMJ with Ramm & Shock Dell's voice hoarse , barking like a seal and began recording an all new album.
We had heard about shows where he had gone out by himself , walked off the stage because he couldn't see out his mask and things like that and I thought "No, this can't be" and so began to set up shows with our booking friends in France we met through CX.
But Ramm's health was failing, had a scare and so after Venice Bienalle, Toulouse with The Bug or Lisbon, we let the shows trail off.
Yes, he did the "Wild Style" reunion show with CX and Saul Williams I believe and would usually be bustling around on one deadline to do a piece or another ...
But he really did want to "stay home and watch cartoons".
The time spent working with resins, glue caught up with him
And went out with an orange moon hanging out over Far Rockaway, at his beloved Mama's house.
Peace Ramm