I can admit, I fucked up a little by not mentioning this man during Hip-Hop History Month back in November. He is a literal west coast legend. One who created the “official” west coast style of Djing that we know of today. He was the first to bring the east coast style to California, morph it into his own, take what was already here, and transformed that into what we have today. He is even the godfather of Chicano Rap. This could be my most important piece, and what will further the importance of it, is the fact there isn’t hardly any real info about him on line.

He’s never been big on interviews, but like I tell all my legendary friends, “interviews are the way to keep your legacy alive”. I write these to leave a footprint to what they left behind in this beautiful culture of hip-hop in hopes that they will never be forgotten. This piece, is on the one, the only, the living legend, Mix-Master Tony G. Let’s get into it!

Tony, of Cuban decent, was born in New York City (in the village, by the ocean), then he later moved to Miami before coming to Los Angeles.

His initial dream as a child was to be a professional baseball or hockey player. In fact, while in Miami, he was already playing for a D1 school. The move to California changed all that, though. Baseball was WAY too slow in El Monte. In fact, he was so good, they wouldn’t let him play for half the year because they didn’t believe he was the age he was. So he tried hockey, which he had to travel way out to West Covina to the ONE rink we had, and they wouldn’t allow checking, celebrating….hell – “fun”. They wouldn’t allow “fun”.

So as a young teenager, he finally gave football a shot, and ended up quitting after a racist argument with one of the coaches. So what did he do? At the age of 15, he joined a metal band called “Warlock”, as a drummer.

Initially, he didn’t have a set, he was given his father’s friend’s set, who he had first given to his kid, but never used, and began playing. After a couple years, he started playing the big, major clubs in Los Angeles. Since he was still underage, set up, go wait in the car until it was time for his set, then when it was over, go back to the car.

The curiosity about Djing was always there. It took going to a teenage Club Marilyn’s in Pasadena, and seeing it all in a different light.

Some friends of his moved from New York to Cali and brought all their equipment. He had asked them if they could show him how to use it all. Granted, they didn’t know how to really cut and scratch, but they did teach him the basics. He REALLY got into. He ended up buying his own equipment. The game changer was seeing the movie Wild Style; It was over!! Only a year later….he became the original, the head of the snake as a K-DAY Mix-Master.

Greg Mack started looking around and I met Kid Frost who suggested a DJ that he knew from El Monte, CA by the name of Tony G. Greg checked him out at Radiotron and when he heard him, he couldn’t believe it. Tony knew all of the tricks; and why wouldn’t he? He invented most of them. “Tony is one bad dude”, Greg said in an interview. “Dr. Dre and DJ Yella were not my first Mix Masters”, he said. “I told Tony that I wanted him to lead the way with a group of DJ’s that I wanted to put together. I told DJ Bobcat, who was my friend even though he was with Uncle Jamm’s Army, that if Rodger Clayton wanted a war then I would go to war against the Army with the Mack’s Marines. Bobcat didn’t like the name and suggested that I start my own thing and he came up with the Mack Attack Mix Masters. We started with Tony G and then added Jammin’ Gemini and Hen G – that was the core group in the beginning. We also brought in DJ Battlecat, Joe Cooley, M-Walk, Ralph M, Aladdin, TraSki and then Julio G years later in different waves”.

Tony G is the ORIGINAL hip-hop DJ of the west coast. He invented so many styles and techniques that are used today, but no one knew where it came from, and no one named their creations back then, other than a small handful of them.. He created his own style. It should also be noted that hip-hop touched down FIRST in El Monte because of him and his New York friends. Now let’s get back to the K-DAY days.

According to Greg Mack: “… Tony G was the one that could cross all of those lines and do it all. We had our battlers (Tony G, Jammin Gemini, and Joe Cooley), and we would go out to the Music Seminars out East and get ripped off by the judges. We met Red Alert and whoever he recruited at a neutral territory in Arizona, and we kicked the sh*t out of them“. Tony even demolished Whodini’s Grand Master D at the 3-2-1 Club in Santa Monica. He wasn’t ready.

Like Joe Cooley with Cash Money, like Aladdin with Cut Master Swift, there was Jazzy Jeff for Tony G. Tony G once got a 10 from all of the judges in a competition – except for Lady Bee (who was from Philly, and was also his girlfriend at the time), who gave him a 1 and gave Jazzy Jeff a 10.

Tony G became the most exciting DJ in Los Angeles, and was asked to DJ for Young MC. While working with Young MC he toured the world and made many music connections.

According to ALT: “Tony opened a record store called Spin It Records. Tony also created a music studio up the street from his store, and called it G-Spot Studio (G for Gonzales). This is where he masterminded the career of Arturo Molina Jr., also known as Kid Frost. Mellow Man Ace also began his career with Tony G’s help. After Frost and Mellow, came a group of Latinos formed by Tony G and Frost called Latin Alliance, which included myself. Latin Alliance released a single called “Lowrider (On The Blvd.)” featuring the original band WAR, which was a hit. Tony G has been involved with many rap artists of all nationalities, such as Eazy E (RIP), Dr. Dre, LSOB, Foesum, Cam, and myself, just to name a few. I would have to say Tony Gonzales is truly one of Latin rap’s greatest producers. Latin hip-hop would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for Tony Gonzales“.

I could probably write a book on Tony, hell, I believe in my heart of hearts, someone really should! I can tell you that that is going to be the subject of my next conversation with him! The bottom line though, he isn’t appreciated or revered near as much as he should be. The amount of careers he is responsible for, the techniques he birthed, his ear, his talent, so underappreciated.

Say his name with reverence. Respect his legacy like it was biblical. Tony G is part of this cultural foundation just as much, if not moreso than the person you idolize most. I said it, I believe it, and if you got a problem with it…fight me. This is true hip-hop history.