I came to Play
Back in the day, back before cell phones,
Back, before B. D. U’s the Army’s new Battle Dress Uniform.
I would say somewhere around 1982. It for me was a very good year.
I was in the army, being all that I could be.
A warrior by day, a former Artillery man now a records clerk.
A modern-day Clark Kent, a brother and gentlemen of color.
Dealing with my own version of the TV show "The Office."
Specialist Robert Lee Kinard,
But four nights a week, I was Dee Jay Bobby K, “The one to know!”
Playing the music that makes the difference!
For me this was a dream come true.
A fantasy fulfilled, and for fifteen years, I was living the dream.
After playing and mixing music for the other Dee Jay’s as a volunteer.
A Manager saw that I was the real talent and hired me to work part time.
I was working at the Fort Eustis N. C. O. club in Virginia. (Non-Commissioned Officer)
A brand-new building with three rooms built for sound.
It had a lounge on each end and a main ballroom in the middle.
As a Dee Jay, I was all about a party and ready to throw down.
There’s something about having brand new stereo equipment that makes
me feel like a kid with a brand-new toy.
The Dee Jay’s console consisted of two SL 1200 mk2 techniques turn tables,
one on each side. They were the best on the market.
A mixer in the middle and the lighting controls right above the mixer.
One could hear and feel the music and what’s a ballroom without a mirrored ball
and other lighting effects directly over the dance floor.
There were four very large Bose speakers over the dance floor,
Sixteen two-foot Sansui speakers on the walls around the walls of the ballroom.
That night I was on stage behind the turn tables mixing music without a care.
A fine woman walks up, she wants to hear her song. Makes me glad I was standing there.
She finds a reason to tell me that she’s not wearing underwear.
I watch her do a little dance and a shake what mother nature made.
I was half way thinking I might even get laid.
She wore sensible shoes and a tight red mini, her legs were nice
but I thought she was to skinny.
There was a feeling in the air, a feeling in the room’s atmosphere.
The excitement like an electric charge that said “Let’s go do it, let’s get to it”.
As the night went on, I had the spot lights moving the Bass is booming.
The crowd was jumping and the place was packed.
Naughty by Nature’s Hip hop hooray then L. L. Cool Jay’s I’m Bad.
I’d spin Eric Bee’s Paid in full, and Public Enemy’s Bring the noise.
Cut in some fast moving House music.
Mix in some alternative with plenty of sound effects.
I open the Mic to speak to the crowd saying:
I’m Dee Jay Bobby K and I came to play!
Alright fellas where my dogs at? Where my dogs at?
All the men in the room would start barking.
Let’s see if we can get through tonight without someone starting a fight.
Can I get a soul clap! I said: Now the ladies! Who wanted these songs!
Don’t have any panties on! Laughter can be heard, as they clap to the beat.
I see a few faces smile and blush, trying to hide by looking at the floor.
Ladies if there’s no shame in your game let me hear you scream!
All the women would scream, some would scream like their lives were in danger.
Then I’d play some hot Reggae music Shaba Ranks and Maxi Priest.
More people moving to the floor it’s now a moving crush.
For a few minutes, everyone wants to be a Jamaican.
People danced where they were, between the tables or standing along the walls.
Everybody and I mean everybody’s having a ball.
The fighting drunks are out in the foyer, Security makes a 911 call.
The Fire Marshal was already there, in managers ear. Telling him you have too many people in the building. This is a fire hazard.
You must get some of these people out of here. Fine! Says the manager. We can start with all these drunks right here. (Mean while back in the Ballroom)
I said alright people! It’s after one lets have some fun!
If you’re from anywhere but here
wave your hands in the air! And wave them like you just don’t’ care!
Let me hear the east coast make some noise!
And they’d yell at me for a few seconds. Then I’d say,
is it true the Mid-west is the best? And they too yelled. Then I just say West Coast in the house! And we had them yelling too. Then I’d start a Chant and the crowd would run with it.
“The roof!
The roof!
The roof is on Fire!!
And the crowd on the dance floor would say,
We don’t need no water
Let the Motha fu**ka burn!
Burn Motha fu**ka Burn!!!
They’d repeat this, two or three times while I’m playing a song called Planet Rock
followed by Play at your risk. Then I take them back in time with
Parliaments Flash Light.
This would go on for a little while, you’d think this would go out of style.
It was like a sauna in the ballroom. But nobody wanted to leave.
Opening the door between the ballroom and the lounge. The manager let some air and people move between rooms.
That was my cue to slow down the music with some
Luther Vandross, and boys to men.
There was a lot of people who wanted to get close.
Some who needed to get a room.
If you weren’t one of the couples on the dance floor.
This was best time to get to the bar.
While the music was slow. I’d open the Microphone with a joke
saying, somebody smells horny! This had some couples laughing
and I’d say you know who you are.
And the crowd would laugh even more. Most of the night,
I had a line of people making requests, I was taking them all and doing my best.
I couldn’t go one night without playing (The Electric Slide).
The song had everybody moving, tables had to pushed back.
We also had those slide experts who could move opposite of the crowd
without missing a beat. It was a smooth mesh of people.
I had the Dee Jay wanna bee’s begging for a chance to play.
But for some of them it was not a good day.
The same said for the Rap star wanna bees.
Who were begging for a chance to get on the Microphone?
(Some of them had to much grit).
One lovely lady asks for her song and then struck her tongue in my ear.
She was really fine, and drunk out of her mind but a friend gave me a warning.
I put my hands back on the turn tables, moving the crowd
until about 2:30 or 300 A. M.
Because I came to play.
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