He goes by the name of Kool Taj the Gr8 and simply put, his name is fitting and very self explanatory. There is no fiction within his moniker. There are 3 things that are for certain: he is known to his family and friends as Taj; with one sit down conversation or in passing you’ll learn that he is actually cool and pleasant; and seeing him perform live or listening to him through headphones you’ll cosign his greatness. Kool Taj has been a fan of Hip-Hop music from its inception and has become a master in the field by his own right as a result of his passion for the artform. He has countless mixtape appearances, most notably the internationally-distributed Scion “Free Up Your Mix” CD in 2007, which moved over 500,000 copies.
Taj and I met in the early to mid-80’s through a mutual friend, and as an eager, curiously budding artist myself, I remember so clearly the experience that was imprinted on my mind during this visit. It was an average chilly, Buffalo winter day, as I recall standing at the side door of Taj’s house knocking and repeatedly ringing the bell for minutes, steadily growing colder. He finally emerged from the basement from where the music was blasting and could slightly be …READ MORE
Billy Drease Blog 