Cosmo Baker

Up next is the party rocker supreme, Cosmo Baker, straight outta Philly by the way of Brooklyn.  I have had the privilege of getting to talk back and forth with him over the past few weeks and he’s always got something good to say.  I first came across Cosmo and the rest of his crew, The Rub, a few years ago. They always had the classic mixtapes and i had to have them.  The one i’ve recently acquired is the Cosmo Baker/ Scott Melker “CMB New Jack Swing” mix.  A great compilation of all things new jack swing.  And of course i can’t stop listening to The Rub “History of Hip Hop”.  Those boys did the best hip hop compilation i’ve ever heard and it’s a must have for any hip hop fan.  They dig up the tracks you forgot about but still know all the words to. Check the mixtapes page for those mixes.

The turn of the century saw many changes for Cosmo Baker. He started traveling to Las Vegas on a weekly basis to spin at Baby’s Nightclub, inside The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. He also started to devote more time to production and recording. Since 1997, he released several records, such as The Militant Mindstate, Munk Wit Da Funk, One Way and more. He also worked on his own solo material, which was by definition hip-hop, but showed as much influence of Neil Young as it did by EPMD. Included in his catalog of solo material was his distinctive mixed CDs – mixes that stayed true to his vision of a “movement in music,” much like his DJ sets. During the first several years of the 21st century, Cosmo continued to play on the road, and at home he still presided over his parties like The Remedy, and Candyland, which he DJed with his friend ?uestlove of The Roots. Eventually, he moved back to Brooklyn where he teamed up with fellow music lovers DJ Ayres and DJ Eleven for The Rub, which is now widely considered New York’s best DJ/dance party.

And that’s the thing with Cosmo. He always lets his passion for music take him to new places, inspiring his DJ contemporaries and the people that come out to listen to him. Whether he’s spinning for an intimate group of 50 or an audience of thousands, he always knows what song will engage and, of course, move the crowd. Whatever it is that he’s involved with, judging by his track record, it could easily be the next big thing.

1. What do you do and where do you do it?
I’m a DJ, producer, all around music dude and I do my thing pretty much around the globe – although I’m Brooklyn based.

2. Name a defining moment in your career.
Well one thing that comes to mind is back in 95 when I was playing at my old residency at Den Of Thieves in New York. The room was packed and everyone was wilding out, the walls were dripping with sweat, and I was playing James Brown “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” and then on the break mixed it with Jimmy Castor Bunch “It’s Just Begun.” The room exploded in energy, and 2 seconds later this guy leans over the DJ booth to tap me on the shoulder and says “You know you’re the man right now, right?” It was Crazy Legs. That’s just one experience, and I’ve had a lot like that.

3. What is your biggest inspiration and who/what inspires you today?
I’m inspired by my everyday experiences. Life is it’s own reward, so to speak. As a creative person, there’s a compulsion to always be producing, and so even the mundane things that you go through can be fodder for the imagination. And there’s so much music out there, new and old, that’s left to discover. Of course I get a lot of inspiration from my contemporaries. When you see someone you know doing something ill, it makes you want to just hustle harder too. A friendly competitive spirit of sorts I guess, but in a healthy manner.

4. What have been your biggest struggles?
It’s not really a struggle, but as long as I’ve been doing this, it’s important to continue to stay relevant. You have to keep on doing your homework and to not rest on your laurels. That’s the key to longevity in this game. But probably the biggest struggle that isn’t an abstract concept that I’ve had to overcome is a car accident I was in back in 1998. I was almost killed and had to learn how to walk again and all that shit. But being laid out just made me want to come back stronger.

5. Sum up your style in 3 words.
SUPER DYNAMITE SOUL!

6. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Hahah, it probably was selling ad space for a newspaper. Every day, in a suit and tie, in my cubicle, it was so disheartening. And it didn’t allow any time for me to do music, so that’s what the worst part about it was.

7. Name 3 things you can’t live without?
My radio, my wife, and coffee.

8. What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?  And where?
Wow. I’ve seen so many, but one that I always talk about was De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and Leaders Of The New School at The Ritz in New York back in 1991. “De La Soul Is Dead” and “Low End Theory” had just dropped so it was the tour for those albums. Leaders came out and ripped it. Then Tribe smashed it, and L.O.N.S. came back out for the encore for them to do “Scenario” which was the concert footage that they used for the video. Then De La absolutely leveled the place, with Maceo in a fake radio station booth, girls on roller skates, the whole nine. Truly epic.

9. Name your top 5 favorite hip hop albums of all time?
Off the top of my head I’ll say Ice Cube “Death Certificate,” Son Of Bazerk “Son Of Bazerk,” Slum Village “Fantastic Vol. 2” Eric B. & Rakim “Paid In Full” and Public Enemy “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.”

10. Tell us what you’re working on next?
Producing my own record, mad mix CDs, staying on the grizzly. It’s what I do.

11. Do you have any last words for anyone who wants to do what you do?
Do your own thing. It’s the only path to setting yourself apart from all the rest of the people out there trying to do this.

List any websites we can find out more about you and what you do.
www.cosmobaker.com or  www.myspace.com/cosmobaker

List any other upcoming events you’d like to share.
The first Saturday of the month is always The Rub, at Southpaw in Brooklyn. Definitely show up for that, but make sure you get there early! Also on Wednesday’s me and Eli Escobar go on at 105 Rivington with mad styles.

And last but not least, any good words for the Manifest crew?
Thanks for having me do this and keep on doing what you do!