In the latest episode of Spike TV's The Spot with Craig Carton, veteran rapper and actor Ice T revisits his old stomping grounds in NYC, recalling what it was like to perform at the legendary Latin Quarter night club.
The Latin Quarter was founded in 1942 by Lou Walters, the father of reporter and talk show host Barbara Walters. Walters sold the Latin Quarter in the 1950's, and by the eighties the club had evolved into one of the premiere spots for live hip hop performances in the city. Besides Ice T, the club has hosted a who's-who of hip hop legends, including Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Eric B. and Rakim, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, and countless others.
"When I came to the Latin Quarter it was like the Mecca of hip hop..." Ice T recalled. "When I went backstage, there was another artist back there, a female, named MC Lyte... It was her first time performing at The Latin Quarter too. She was nervous too, and she was from Brooklyn. She was like, "Yo, that crowd out there is no nonsense," and I'm like, "If you're from Brooklyn and you're [also] shitting bricks," that kind of took the edge off."
By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com
