Bio

[b]When the bop era hit jazz in 1945, it gave birth to what was known as Cool Jazz. Headed by such musicians such as Lennie Tristiano, Max Roach, Theolonius Monk and Miles Davis experimenting with spontaneous harmonic discoveries without offering the irregular rhythms of the bop sound, cool jazz captured the ears of the masses and became the messenger that influenced the language and tone of that era. However, jazz would not be the only popular dance music to have such an influence. Rock and Roll, Blues, and even Disco would soon play their pats in acknowledging music as being the livelihood of the musician, but also a way of life for the fan... Maybe it was the love of a way of life that would inspire Memphian Darrell Jackson to make another form of popular dance music his livelihood. Though rap had been around since the late seventies, it became even more popular during the early eighties thanks to artists such as Kurtis Blow, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and Eric B. & Rakim. Rap seemed to have more of an edge. It pumped a sense of realness into a generation that R&B didn't seem to have. Rap would not emerge just from the East Coast. The West Coast region would also show and prove with hard hitters such as Ice-T, Rodney-O and Joe Cooley, NWA, and King-T. In fact, rap was beginning to be monumental everywhere, growing from Detroit to Philly, Miami to Cleveland and even overseas to London. Hip-hop culture was slowly hitting every city... and Memphis, Tennessee was no different. During this period, Darrell and Keith Wright, still in High School, began to build a reputation in the Memphis hip-hop scene as DJs and MCs. They became so popular that they formed the TC Crew and became DDJ (Devastating Disk Jockey) and DJ B.A.M.M. (Bad American Mix Master). The tandem grew through word of mouth and soon began to rock house parties, school dances and other social functions. The popularity of rap was new and the drive to keep it fresh was obsessive. Whether it was battling another MC for mic supremacy or just freestyling over a dope beat, the competition was tight, but it was all for fun. It was not rare then for DDJ and DJ B.A.M.M. to put the woofers outside and rock the whole block while the B-Boys would either breakdance on the makeshift cardboard floors or sweat all the honies in biker shorts. Though the two loved hip-hop flavor, the group would not last long past high school. This did not stop DDJ, who would go on to release the first independent rap single in Memphis entitled "Terminator." The release of the single would only whet the talented rapper's appetite for doing bigger and better things. DDJ became know as DJ Flexx and united with long time friends Davarin Neely and Cedric Mills to form The Flexx Shoppe. However, the group did not immediately release a single. The "Terminator" project taught DJ Flexx numerous lessons about studios and money. The Flexx Shoppe waived releasing music for strict independence. Assembly Line Records would be born. Although the first single, "On the One," did not come from the Assembly Line Record label, the second, "Anna Off Your Chest," would become a local hit. The brain child of Darrell's nephew, Corey Jackson (FI) and his friend Ronnie Alexander, Jr. (Lil Ron), proved to be a smash hit locally and created a buzz in surrounding areas, spawning the group Nu-Bohrn to the forefront. Because of the label's trademark sound, clear, deep trunk rattling bass accompanied with a tight lyrical wit, more and more underground listeners wanted to get their hands on what was being referred to as "the product." Although Assembly Line Records was new to this local market, they managed to do what most had not...hit locally without the typical local sound. The time was now...right for the release of the label's first full length CD entitled "Flexxed Out." The CD is a collage of sounds featuring many Assembly Line Records artists. The label would go on to recruit other talented artists such as DJ Emerald, Jon Doe the Civilian, and Profesi. Rap has changed considerably since the first time the TC Crew cut the wheels of steel, and for many DJs and MCs, the love remains. The obsession to do what has not been done assures us that there are even more changes to come. It would then be safe to say that Assembly Line Records with an original style and original artists as its forefront, is not just here to stay, but destined to grow... See Ya In the Millenium![/b]