Interview with B-Boy Wil Ski (The Seven Deadly Sins)




                                                   

WIL SKI (THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS)

                                        conducted by Sir Norin Rad (The Intruders/Germany)

SIR NORIN RAD:"From which part of the Boogie Down Bronx are you originally?"

WIL SKI:"Kingsbridge Road & Morris Avenue. That's where Tracy 168 (legendary BX Style Writer) was from as well."

SIR NORIN RAD:"How old were you when you encountered B-Boying for the first time and what got you into it?"

WIL SKI:"I was about 16. We used to breakdance out in the streets...like block parties and we used to also battle in the hallways. My brother hasn't been mentioned....I don't know why my brother has never been mentioned... a lot of things have not been mentioned about us. He was the one who brought it (the dance) to us. He used to go to school where Flash, Caz and others use to hang around at and ended up learning from them. He use to come home like everyday with 12 inch records and use to be in his room practicing on his Technics turntables and Gemini mixer with a speaker at the window making tapes and we use to watch him. Every now and then he would play back the tape he had recorded and would bust a move here and there and so one day we asked him if he would teach us. He was like, "You're sure you wanna take a chance doing this? You might get hurt." We were intrigued by what we would see him do so we were like," Hell yeah . .!!!" So he began showing us the basics and we would practice while he would be DJing. He was the one that formed The Seven Deadly Sins."

SIR NORIN RAD:"What's your brother's name?"

WIL SKI:"His DJ name was Cool Sky." 

SIR NORIN RAD:"Who were the members of the Seven Deadly Sins?"

WIL SKI:"It was seven of us. It was me, Lil Lep...at the time his name was Ray Ski, my other brother Reggie....we used to call him Reggie Reg. Then we had Benny B, we had P-Man, we had Sin Bad, we had Lil Flip Rock and my other brother Cool Sky. Then we had Fastbreak and Johnny Dee as our substitutes. Whenever one of us was missing Fastbreak was right there. We also had a mascot, my little sister Crystal Dee. May she rest peace! She was 6 years old and she was the mascot of the Seven Deadly Sins."

SIR NORIN RAD:"Who was the president of The Seven Deadly Sins?"

WIL SKI:"The president of our crew was my brother, Cool Sky. The best B-Boy of the Seven Deadly Sins was Lil Lep, my partner. Whenever we battled against other crews we would let the other five (B-Boys of our crew) start it all because they weren't as skilled as we were and then me and Lil Lep would take over after that." 

B-Boy Ray Ski a.k.a Lil Lep (The Seven Deadly Sins)

SIR NORIN RAD:"Did your crew have something like a hang out spot?"

WIL SKI:"Yes, we used to go to Lil Lep's sister's house. We used to get high there, smoke some weed. Back then we also used to drink a vine called Night Train. We used to drink that with a little bit of weed and that's all she wrote. If we had to battle we would take it to the building next door which was my building or we would take it to the Family Force building which was basically the last stop for a lot of B-Boys from all over the Bronx who tried to battle us."

SIR NORIN RAD:"What's the story behind the Family Force building?"

WIL SKI:"The Family Force were the older guys from our block, they were like basically our bodyguards. They used to hang out in that building. So whenever we would be outside and people would come and want to battle us, we used to go into their building...the Family Force building..and we used to battle right in the hallway." 

SIR NORIN RAD:"Where did you get your music from when these battles took place?"

WIL SKI:"We would have a boombox. My brother (Cool Sky) would bring his boombox with his mix tapes...we would throw it on and get busy!"

SIR NORIN RAD:"On what kind of a floor would these battles take place?"

WIL SKI:"Marble floor....That's another thing. When we started breakdancing in the late 1970ies/ early 1980ies we never practiced or had any battles on cardboard! We did that on the hallway marble floor or on the concrete street! We never did that cardboard stuff. That came afterwards. We would scrape up our elbows and have calluses on our shoulders from doing windmills."

SIR NORIN RAD:"Would your brother DJ Cool Sky also throw parties in the streets back then?"

WIL SKI:"Yeah, we would close the block down, we would get permits. You know back then...especially in the summer....there was a block party everyday!  Everyday there was a block party somewhere or a house party somewhere. Most battles took place in the streets..at those block parties but when individuals like Crazy Legs and Lil Crazy Legs (The Rock Steady Crew)....they heard of us, we didn't know who they were........they came to us. They saw us out there, they asked about us, we told them who we were, they told us who they were and they told us that they wanted a battle. So we battled, we took it to the hallway being that they came to our block. Other individuals would do the same thing. They would come to our block and we battled."     

SIR NORIN RAD:"How were the winners of these battles determined back then? I guess back then there were no judges involved, were they?"

WIL SKI:"No, there were no judges but there was always a crowd, you know? Whenever there was a battle they would come. Whoever was out in the streets at that time we would let them know, "We're about to battle so and so." Then we'd go to the hallway and we'd do what we got to do. They (the crowd) would call it. Whoever they thought was the best they would call it."

SIR NORIN RAD:"How did that battle against Crazy Legs and Lil Crazy Legs go down? Who took that one?"

WIL SKI:"I would say in that battle we basically came out on top. They had nice moves, especially Lil Crazy Legs......and, you know, we had ours! We always ended up like a tie. It would never be like a blowout or something like that. Nah! It was always like, "Damn! Next time we gotta do better!"  I guess they would think the same way. Next time they'd come they would have better moves and we would have better moves."

SIR NORIN RAD:"So you battled them more than once?"

WIL SKI:"We battled twice! We battled in the block parties one time...in Bainbridge Ave & 196th. We first battled in the Family Force building though, then we battled in Bainbridge."

Lil Crazy Legs (The Rock Steady Crew)

SIR NORIN RAD:"What were some of the block party locations on your side of the Bronx were B-Boying took place regularly?"

WIL SKI:"Most block parties that were real big were on Decatur Avenue, Bainbridge Avenue, Marion Avenue....Those were like the most favourite spots for block parties. "

SIR NORIN RAD:"Did your brother Cool Sky also DJ at those spots?"

WIL SKI:"Yeah, he would DJ there, too. He played on our block, too, on Morris Avenue."

SIR NORIN RAD:"What were some of the other DJs that played breakbeats for the B-Boys in that area?"

WIL SKI:"We had DJ Lil Chase, we had..DJ Will Rock...I think it was Will Rock...DJ Ronnie Ron."

SIR NORIN RAD:"In which year did the Seven Deadly Sins start?"

WIL SKI:"1979....in the summer of 1979."

SIR NORIN RAD:"I must say that I really dig that name. Who came up with it?"

WIL SKI:"My brother Cool Sky. His real name was Victor."

SIR NORIN RAD:"Did he dance under the name of Cool Sky?"

WIL SKI:"Nah, when he started the crew he didn't breakdance. He just used to teach us. He was our DJ but he taught us how to dance. He laid the foundation down, put it that way and we took it from there."

SIR NORIN RAD:"I see. Now what kind of relationship did the Seven Deadly Sins have with the Floormasters who later on became the New York City Breakes and appeared in that famous movie "Beat Street" in 1984? Lil Lep became a part of them, right?"

WIL SKI:"Well, the Floormasters....we all went to school together. Pex, Chino, Matthew aka Glide Master who died in a car accident....we all went to school together. They weren't into breakdancing. It just so happened that they would go to parties and they would see us doing what we were doing and then they would imitate us in their block. One time we went by, we would see them doing that and we were like, "Oh shit, look at these guys doing it!" So we went over there and we were like, "We didn't know you was into this!" and they were like, "Nah, we're just practicing. Getting into it."  We gave them little lessons and they took it from there but we never thought that they would end up making a crew in the long run."  

SIR NORIN RAD:"Around which time did your crew the Seven Deadly Sins disband?"

WIL SKI:"I would say around 1981/82. Around 81/82 I turned into rapping and I turned into crime. The other individuals they went about their bussiness, they weren't showing up no more. So you know, it just like died as far as the Seven Deadly Sins was concerned. Lil Lep ended up getting with the Floormasters because he got bored by just being by himself or whatever and so he started practicing with them, teaching them little moves here, little moves there. "

SIR NORIN RAD:"What did the B-Boys of your era (late 1970s- early 1980s) wear?"

WIL SKI:"Back then most of our footgear was Adidas. Shelltops! Shelltops Adidas....all different colors! Lees (jeans).....different colors. It was always sweatshirts..if it was in the winter you had on a long sleeve sweatshirt with the colors in the back, in the summer you had on a short sleeve sweatshirt."

SIR NORIN RAD:"What about BVDs ?"

WIL SKI:"Yeah, BVDs, Paris.....first Paris.......that was the first ones....Paris. Then Paris went out of style and we would start wearing BVDs." 

SIR NORIN RAD:"How important was the aspect of Toprocking during your era?"

WIL SKI:"That was very important because that's the start of the battle. You start on top, you know you start from there. You do little moves...like me and Lil Lep used to have routines. I would do my moves like I would make a move like I shoot him and he would drop into one of our other members arms and they would throw him up and he would fly up, go down to the floor and start there....doing his breaking moves, going into his windmills or whatever he is going to do. But Uprocking was very important, that was very important!"

SIR NORIN RAD:"Thank you! Could you please also describe the importance of the music to the B-Boys of your era?"

WIL SKI:"The breakbeats were very important. The beats were what made you do your moves. Like I said you start on the top then you go down to the floor but everything is always based on the music. You go according to the beats! Most of the times when we were going to battle we would know the DJ. So we would go to the DJ and let him know, "We're about to battle this crew. Put on this beat or put on that beat! Start like this!" and they would do what we asked them to do. But music played a very important part!" 

SIR NORIN RAD:"That was the time when DJs still had to have a strong soundsystem to rock a party. I was told that you could hear the beats from several blocks away when DJs set up in a park back then."

WIL SKI:"Hell yeah!!  You had to have the high power speakers. The baddest ones was Kool  Herc & The Herculords. You had to have a high power soundsytem so the B-Boys would FEEL the music. You gotta feel it, if you don't feel it you can't dance the way you want. You gotta feel that shit!! You have to have your heart beat to the music. That's what hypes you up!!"

SIR NORIN RAD:"So what would go through your mind back then when you and your crew were in the streets and all of a sudden you started hearing those funky breakbeats ?"

WIL SKI:"We would be like,"Where is this beat coming from???" We would follow it. "It's over here!!! Let's go!" So everybody would rush to that spot. It was crazy!!! It was crazy back then!!! You'd hear the music and you'd just follow it and once you'd follow it you would see crowds and before you know it you would be right where the jam was at."

SIR NORIN RAD:"So flyers weren't always needed to draw huge crowds to a party?"

WIL SKI:"You also had flyers to let you know what was going on. Most of the flyers were for clubs like Harlem World or the T-Connection. You'd see the flyers..."Oh, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five are going to be at the T-Connection!" or "Grandwizard Theodore & The Fantastic Five are going to be at Harlem World!"but when it came to block parties or house parties you'd just follow the music. You'd just follow the crowd. You would bump into people, "Yo, where's the jam at?"  "It's over here in Bainbridge & 196th!" "Oh, word?!?" "It's in the house or in the street?" "No, it's in the basement!" "Oh shit! Word?!?!" So you would go there and once you heard the music you would follow it."

SIR NORIN RAD:"So did you also attend those parties at the T-Connection and check out all these various DJs with their MC crews?"

WIL SKI:"Hell yeah, that's how I started rapping. Listening to them, going home and visualizing myself  doing what they was doing and I would start writing my rhymes down and then I would throw on one of my brother's tapes and practice. He didn't know that I was doing that. He thought I was just breakdancing but I was transforming." 

SIR NORIN RAD:"I have spoken to a B-Boy called Lil Boy Keith....."

WIL SKI:"I know exactly who he is. Lil Boy Keith from the Zulu Kings. They were the first B-Boy crew."

SIR NORIN RAD:"Yes, and he told me about a very large Puerto Rican B-Boy crew called TDK...."

WIL SKI:"The Disco Kids...."

SIR NORIN RAD:"Right, and they would throw parties in abandoned buildings. Creating their own little club houses. Are you familiar with them?"

WIL SKI:"Yeah, we would go to their jams, too!  We would do the same thing. We would steal the power from the light poles in the streets and run it into the basement of an abandoned building. You know how many times police ran up into our houses and surrounded the whole place and took my brother's equipment and records?  Ah man, everybody running, trying to get away. -That's how it was back then. Everywhere! Creston, Morris, Davidson.......there were a lot of abandoned buildings there....Decatur....we would get in there, get into the basement, clean it up real good, run the power in there from a light pole and let the people know, "Yo! We're throwing a jam! We're charging 1$ for guys and 1$ for girls." Have you ever heard of this guy....I forgot his name...he's a known DJ today...from the Bronx...his nickname when we was growing up together was Poochie....he started DJing and he started imitating Flash and he was nice! He's black but lightskin."

SIR NORIN RAD:"Are you talking about Kid Capri?"

WIL SKI:"Kid Capri! His name is Poochie. I had him throwing house parties for me and he was from Kingsbridge Terrace and I also used to live down there at the time. So when I wanted to throw a house party I would go to him. I would let him know,"We're charging 1$ for guys and 1$ for girls and we gonna give the girls one joint for free." So basically you're really selling your weed to the girls, you know what I'm saying? (we're both laughing)" 

SIR NORIN RAD:"What would you do with the furniture in these buildings?"

WIL SKI:"If it was a house party in somebody's apartment we would take out all the furniture from the living room and put it into the room connected to it. You gotta take everything out. It gotta be completely empty. The DJ equipment would be in the kitchen and the windows would be open. If it was to the front or to the back, it didn't matter, you would hear the music."  

SIR NORIN RAD:"I guess the DJ would play all these legendary breakbeats at these parties like "Apache" or "It's Just Begun"?"

WIL SKI:"Hell yeah!"

SIR NORIN RAD:"What about other types of music?"

WIL SKI:"They would throw on Hustle music, Disco music. Yeah, you know they would throw that on because you got different crowds. You got people who wanna hear that and wanna dance to that. So the DJ gotta throw both in and you may throw on a little Salsa. Throw on a little Salsa so the DJ can get a little break and the B-Boys and MCs can get their shit together, get their heads right. You already know when the music shuts off and you hear the Masters Of The Ceremonies, the MCs doing their introduction. You already know what's coming!"

SIR NORIN RAD:"What about slow music? I was told that at Kool Herc's parties there would always be one segment of the party where the DJs would throw on slow joints, they would dim the lights and the guys would do the 500 with the girls."

WIL SKI:"Yo, you're giving me a flashback! Word! When that shit comes on, B-Boys turn into lovers (chuckles). The slow jams gotta play a role, too in the jam. It ain't gonna be just B-Boy music all night. You gotta have that, you gotta have slow jams, you gotta have Hustle music, you gotta have a little Salsa, you know? Even Jamaican music! You gotta have a variety of music at your jam. Mind you, a party in the street might start at 9.30 / 10.00 o'clock. Sometimes they started even earlier and they won't end till 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. It only ends when the police comes, "Hey, hey, you gotta break that shit up!" Most parties in the streets didn't have permits."
  SIR NORIN RAD:"When you were brought up as a child did you learn how to dance Salsa? Did that influence your B-Boy skills?"

WIL SKI:"I was brought up with dancing Salsa but I wasn't too thrilled with that. You know, I was raised around it but I wasn't going for that. We also danced the Hustle."

SIR NORIN RAD:"Is it true that back then there was always the danger of having to deal with stick up kids or with people who tried to step to you at jams? Was that something that played a role at those jams in your part of the BX?"

WIL SKI:"Everywhere! Not just Kingsbridge (Ave)....wherever you went, wherever there was a party whether it was in the streets, whether it was in a house, whether it was in a school...wherever there was a party there were stick-up kids. That's why a lot of us ended up getting strapped (carrying weapons)."   

SIR NORIN RAD:"You have mentioned Jimmy Lee (founder of the Rock Steady Crew) quite often in our previous conversations. What is your relationship with him?"

WIL SKI:"That's my boy! I go see him I take care. I just finished speaking to him before I had this interview with you. That's my boy right there!"

SIR NORIN RAD:"So I guess you met him long before that battle against Crazy Legs and Lil Crazy Legs took place?"

WIL SKI:"That's correct! I battled him, too."

SIR NORIN RAD:"How did that battle go down? Please elaborate!"

WIL SKI:"We bumped heads.....Jimmy Lee was originally a member of TBB (The Bronx Boys). He like most guys from 183rd street was affiliated with TBB. I hung out there, too. So when Jimmy Lee was with TBB I ended up battling him. TBB was close to us so we would always bump heads and whenever we bumped heads we would battle. Didn't matter where it would be at. It could be Fordham Road...if we bumped heads there, we would take it to a side street and we'd battle! Even with no music!"

SIR NORIN RAD:"Damn!!!! How did these battles start?"

WIL SKI:"It was probably words like,"Yo! What's up, man?!? Claiming you do this, claiming you do that. What you wanna do?!?! You wanna do this right now or what!?" You know, and we would take it from there. Mom would be tight when we got home. Clothes all messed up. "What were y'all doing???" Remember like I said we weren't doing it on cardboard, we were doing it on concrete. So when we got home our pants would be ripped, our shirts all messed up, dirty. "

SIR NORIN RAD:"Where did that battle against Jimmy Lee take place at?"

WIL SKI:"We battled on Davidson Ave off of Fordham Road." 

SIR NORIN RAD:"You mentioned that the legendary Style Writer Tracy 168 lived very close to you. Did he know you and your crew?"

WIL SKI:"Of course. Yes, most definetely."

SIR NORIN RAD:"Did you write as well? I have heard that many Puerto Rican B-Boys were also Writers like Spy (Crazy Commanders) would write Space 1000 and he would go bombing with Trace 2 (The Bronx Boys)."

WIL SKI:"No, I didn't write but a lot of members from the Seven Deadly Sins like Benny B and P-Man they use to do Graffiti.  They used to go bombing, throwing up their names and stuff like that but I wasn't a Writer."

B-Boy Wil Ski (The Seven Deadly Sins)