Sunday night was an incredible night for me.  A night that took me back a long time…a really really long time…about 30 years ago long time but I’ll get to that in a bit.

This post isn’t just about incredible events, but incredible pick ups of a Redskin great that I wrote about a few days ago.  Charley Taylor.  I’ve been looking for a fairly nice condition 1965 Philadelphia rookie card for a few months and couldn’t find one in the condition that i was cool with or a price that i was cool with…until a few weeks ago when i stumbled across this guy which i picked up from COMC for around $15.

It’s a little off center and there are some subtle smudges on the surface, but for under $20 i will be quiet and happy about the purchase and addition to my Redskins team collection.

Since Taylor came in to the league as mostly a running back…or halfback in olden time terms…the stats do not reflect his stellar rookie campaign in which he caught an additional 53 passes for 814 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The back of these Philadelphia cards leaves a lot to be desired…and apparently, so do my scanning abilities.  I think this might have been done late at night when i was getting a little lazy and over tired…please forgive me.

The other cool artifact that i picked up from COMC was the Topps Pin Up Mini Poster.  This newspaper print posters actual size is 5″x7″ and has been folded with the utmost care through the years.  The image seems to have yellowed/faded a bit and feels incredibly fragile, but that could just be me being overly cautious about the print…now i need to find some of those fancy 5″x7″ pages to hold this guy or a nice sturdy top loader and a cool place to store it.

…speaking of 1968…

It was also the year that Big Daddy Kane was born…although he wasn’t born as Big Daddy Kane, he was Antonio Hardy.

As a white kid growing up in the suburbs of San Antonio, i fell in love with Hip-Hop via my childhood best friend, Rafik.  Rafik and I came from single working mother homes and spent day and night hanging out doing dumb stuff and listening to music…and breakdancing…yes, i fancied myself a b-boy at one point in my life.  He would visit his father in Philadelphia each Summer and Christmas and come back with some amazing new music and records.  Not the latest Ozzy or Judas Priest, we’re talking…Kurtis Blow, Whodini, Fat Boys, Run DMC…etc.  This music was new to me and was the coolest thing i’ve ever heard.  Now, i love almost all types of music (sans Reggae and some Country…’cept Dierks).  When it came to this rap thing though, I was hooked.  As i got older, i got more and more in to the music and rappers, or emcees, or MC’s.  The one though that caught my attention was Big Daddy Kane in 1987.

I was 11 going on 12 and Kane was the king of hip-hop in my mind.  Luckily for me he went on a nationwide tour, and for some reason swung through San Antonio.  No hip hop shows came through San Antonio back then, but not only Kane…he came along with other top acts at that time; Stetsasonic, Sir-Mix-A-Lot and some guy named MC Hammer…I was 12 and it was the winter of 1988.  That was my first hip hop show and something that i have never forgotten.

Moving through the years, i’ve always listened to his music and hoped that i would get a chance to see him live again.  Being on the west coast, a lot of older rappers don’t make it out this way…it’s a big trip for the east coast guys and i can’t imagine the draw is too enticing for them.  But Sunday night Big Daddy Kane was in Portland, Oregon…and there was absolutely no way i was going to miss the show.

As per usual, i went by myself…because that’s what i do…go to things by myself.  The show was absolutely amazing…a bit short for his stage performance, around 45 minutes or so…but for me, it was unforgettable.  He even jumped in to the crowd for Ain’t no Half Steppin’ and got some way too far gone dude to help with the lyrics.  Here’s an image of that portion of the program.

One helluva night and a night that took me back to my pre-teen years.  Unlike those 30 year old memories, i was able to record some of the show…i’ve gotten into a bad habit of photographing/recording too much of the show rather than just live in the moment…but if i manage it right…i get the memories in my mind and some digital ones as well.  Here are a couple of videos i took from that night.

You may or may note be able to hear me shouting the words in the back ground.

So, to tie this up into a nice bow…

…Big Daddy Kane born in 1968…

…1968 Mini Poster of Charley Taylor …

…Charley Taylor Philadelphia rookie card…

…Philadelphia hip hop records from Rafik…

…hip hop to Big Daddy Kane…

…Cycle of life continues…