Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.
Song: Celia Cruz – “La Negra Tiene Tumbao”
Year released: 2002
Year “discovered” by me: 2002
Reason discovered: DJing
The black lady has rhythm. La negra tiene tumbao. The 2003 Grammy winner for Best Tropical Latin Performance, and one of producer Sergio George’s finest hours. And I discovered its greatness by accident.
Little known fact about the author. From about 1993-2003, I was a DJ. I’m not saying that I was Tony Touch or anything, but I was adept at the turntables, liked throwing parties and enjoyed getting people moving. When I graduated from college where I was a college radio DJ and on air personality at Providence College’s WDOM 91.3 FM, I became a part-time professional DJ. My main strip was the NW Washington, DC, Georgetown, Wisconsin Avenue and M Street strip. My favorite gig at that time was my Saturday night weekly at Nathan’s of Georgetown. The now shuttered establishment at the corner of Wisconsin and M was an old time DC cornerstone for old money and staid living. I was tasked as a DJ to play disco and R & B, with classic rock and pop staples. If I deviated from the script, it was expected that I would be fired. These were not people I was told who appreciated electronic music, rap, metal, or as I saw it, anything released much past 1985.
My first goal as a DJ was to slowly break those rules. In playing Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” and blending into Puff Daddy’s “Mo Money Mo Problems,” I found that obscenely rich old white men do enjoy throwing their Rolex watches high in the air and waving them side to side. As well, in playing Chuck Brown’s “Bustin’ Loose,” I could drop Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” and watch a room of absurdly bronzed soccer moms draped in diamonds trying to shimmy out of pencil skirts and cocktail dresses. Once, however, in the middle of a peak hour set, a ridiculously attractive Cuban woman came up to me and offered me $100 to play Celia Cruz. My manager never mentioned a thing about Latin rhythms, and $100 was on the line, so I immediately set fort to find a way in a very old, boring, mainstream friendly room to play the only Celia Cruz song I could remember at that moment, “Guantanamera.” To build up to it, I came out of Stevie Wonder’s “I Was Made to Love Her” into Aretha Franklin’s “Spanish Harlem.” I then played the Blues Brothers and Erykah Badu’s cover of Beginning of the End’s “Funky Nassau,” and followed it up with the Cherry Poppin Daddies cover of Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line,” and Buster Poindexter’s “Hot Hot Hot.” Satisfied, I went to click “Guantanamera,” but instead hit “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” and the oddest thing happened. The room exploded.
One of the more entertaining parts of being a DJ is building a room up to a point and watching it explode. To any veteran turntablist or selector, it’s clear that I was really lacking in that craft at this point. However, Celia Cruz pulls the most amazing response out of people. Cruz’s voice when backed by the lush trumpets and hip hop breakbeats on this track take salsa to a VERY urban place. For about six months, I couldn’t wait for a time in the night where I could do my mini Latin set. Sometimes I’d play the entire thing, sometimes I’d only do Cherry Poppin Daddies and Buster Poindexter, but always the kicker was this Celia Cruz winner. It’s enormous, infectious and tremendous fun. Even if not a fan of salsa or Celia Cruz (and for the life of me, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to be), this track is a champion.
All that from a $100 request. Sometimes money isn’t the root of all evil.
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