The fabled stories of the Lo-Lives have been recounted in rap magazines already. Their place in rap music myth is clearly secured. When I had heard of the passing of Boostin’ Billy back in June I had to tip my cap. The Lo-Lives were one of many groups that I encountered with my youth collective back in my teenage years. Those were the days of living dangerously and Boostin’ Billy was one of the people that made the lifestyle work for him.
When I gained the contact of his surviving sister I asked her if she would talk for a few minutes on the impact that her brother made on her, his friends and his community. Aside from the urban legends and the street myths is the story of people trying to survive in the ghetto. The days weren’t promised to anyone and the youth in New York City could experience the world of abject poverty and despair in one minute and the aspirational wealth of Madison Avenue in the next instant.
I want to create a series of videos called Brother’Hood which describes the value of brotherhood and love from the people that knew these ghetto superheroes firsthand. There is a humanity that has been discounted from these brothers. They all believed in things much bigger than themselves. All of these brothers had family and community at the core of their sentiments. If their methods for displaying their community values are what you consider less than honorable then you aren’t considering what NYC was like when crack was king.
This episode is the third installment of the Brother ‘Hood series but the first one that I am broadcasting. MICHAEL CULLEY aka Boostin’ Billy deserves to be recognized as a friend, father, brother and son who put his family first and in the same breadth created an everlasting movement in the streets of New York City. Respect what it meant to be official in the 1980’s and definitely respect this man for all the people he influenced with his style and determination.
*tips polo knitted*
Nice drop dP
yo d….dam just watchin that vid put me in a whole nother place. i hadint seen sun’s sis in eons and she still looks the same,yo i like to thank you for doin what you do and how you do it black man. salute and all ways hail meg my con.
Really, much respect for this shit D. Even in my little corner of the globe the legacy, legend and Lifestyle carved out by Billy and other LoLifes (THirstinHowl III etc) is well known and respected…. no doubt influencial and imitated.
cheers again dP.
H.R.C
Nice set here. Feelin’ dat.
thanks Dallas. Tell em about it. Big up Lo Style Crew
damn……….nuff respekt 2 L’s
Nice Shit ……………football season soon whats poppin wit the football pool shiznit
Great Drop, DP. She’s a beautiful woman, too… My God!!!
Great video. Isn’t there a Lo Life movie in the pipeline?
You’re doing it… nice work.
slow.. your mojo, check urself b4 u wreck urself…
Great piece b. Utica and St. Johns is no joke, never ever was.
Chuuuch!
this was a quality post. thanks for posting stuff like this. you are preserving social memory my friend.
Props, this shit was deep. Yo its funny cuz I just watches a movie out the redbox bout the Decepticons cru the other day. Shit had Fredro Starr acting in it
Tysonz,
That movie is about the Decepts as much as Coca Cola is about water.
YEA, I WANA THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE POSITIVE CMMENTS. I REALLY MISS MY BROTHER, AND I WILL ALWAYS LOVE HIM AND ALL THE LO LIFES OUT THERE. LOVE AND LOYALTY LO LIFE FOR LIFE
Yeah, she is fine, i never looked at New York women like that, but I can see it now. I need to meet some real NY gals like that……
//Somebody needs to do a Lo Life movie, I remember reading about them in high school in the source. I was fascinated ever since then.
DP,
On point as always – killin’em with that Dallas Cronkite shit. I look forward to more of these installments. I had the honor of peeping Thirstin’s official Lo-Life photo album at the brother’s crib a few years back and their legacy is as rich and colorful as the gear they made popular. I tried to help him get a book deal for the Love & Loyalty book with PowerHouse in Brooklyn –you know the steez– to no avail.
I do hope their book gets published one day and that film of theirs finally sees the light of day. These brothers are international icons and one of the reasons NY has always been the fashion capital of the world. RIP Boostin’ Bill and nuff blessings to Michele and the Culley fam. 2 L’s up, ma.
Lo Fa Sho,
Koe Rod
Ayo. Im working on a Lo Life DVD documentary style. i would like to holla at you and get you involved. I laready spoke to Thirstin he said they workin on movie but I should still do my joint and he will be invloved in my joint as far as interviews. Holla at me and lets get together to make history.
idk if email shows up for u or not., if it dont. holla at me at: lamar_Leggard@redmusic.com
MAD SHOUT OUTS TO BOOSTIN BILL AKA SHYSTY LO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To all who he has blessed with his loyalty & and determination to keep it movin regardless of whom or what,please keep him in your daily thoughts ,he was a blessing to us all . LOVE FROM PHILLY
nice one d. RIP boostin billy.
BOOSTIN BILLY IS THE TRUTH WHEN SPEAKING OF LO-LIFE HISTORY.HIS SISTER MICHELLE PUT IN WORK JUST AS HE DID. HE INFLUENCED MANY IN THE CULTURE AND WHEN IT WAS TIME TO GET GRIMEY AND DIRTY HE WAS ALWAYS READY FOR WHATEVER.R.I.P MY BROTHER LO,AND ALL OTHER FALLEN FOUNDERS-BARKIM,PUMPKIN,STAR,RAISIN,C-GOD,CURT,FATS
WHAT HURTS MY HEART THE MOST IS THAT THE R.I.P LIST WILL CONTINUE TO GROW,JUST PART OF LIFE.
2L’S UP
BURY ME WITH THE LO ON
R.I.P To Boostin Billy aka Cat Mike he was the Yoda to all young boosting Jedi’s! Shout out to Michelle for this piece. It’s hard for me to look at things like this because it brings back so much memories that people outside of that era will ever understand. you had to really be there to feel the camaraderie and back against the wall mentality we all shared. We went against those that we felt oppressed us and took the cloth of their lifestyle and made it our own. If stories such as Robin Hood can be repeated and celebrated through time the Lo-Lifes in Black Culture and the hip-hop community deserves the same! We stole from the rich and gave to the poor! 2 L’s Forever
I JUST WANT TO SAY TO THE LO LIFES THANKS FOR CALLING MY MOMS TO SEE IF SHE IS OK CAUSE YALL DON’T AND THANKS FOR SEEING WATS UP WITH HIS SON’S CAUSE YALL DON’T, AND THANKS FOR FCKIN NOTHIN CAUSE THAT’S ALL YALL DO. FOR REAL IF IT WASN’T FOR DAHLA BILL DAVE LO AND B.BILL YALL WOULDN’T BE WHAT YALL ARE TODAY AND YALL KNOW IT. WHO WAS THE FIRST ON THE BLOCK TO EVEN ROCK POLO PLZ LET YOURSELVES KNOW BECAUSE I KNOW THE TRUTH. B.BILL SON KNOWS HOW TO SPIT TO YOU FCKERS ASK HIM TO GET ON A TRACK, HELL NO FCKN LAMES. VIC YOU CAN SUCK A FAT DICK, AND YOU KNOW I’LL GET AT YOU MYSELF I’M TIRED OF YOUR LIES U AINT START SHIT I KNOW THE TRUTH. LO WIFES WAT? ME AND LISA ARE THE REAL ORIGINAL LO WIFES. IN YOUR DOCUMENTARY YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO ROB NIGGAS PPL CHECK IT FOR YOURSELF. YOUR A BULLSHIT ARTIST NOT A RAP ARTIST. I NEVER ONCE CRACKD NONE OF THE CD’S YOU GAVE ME CAUSE YOUR FCKIN WACK. IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT HOME FCK THE UK. I NEVER HEARD YOU ON HOT 97 OR ANY OTHER NY RADIO STATION THAT IS LIVE. FUCK YOU LIAR AND LAME AND IF YOU DNT LIKE IT GET AT ME B.BILL LIL SIS. YOU AINT THE FOUNDRE OF SHIT. AND DON’T LET ME GET AT YOU RACK CAUSE ALREADY FCKN KNOW LO WIFE WHAT. PEACE OUT TO ALL THE ORIGINAL LO LIFES YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. SHELL LO ORIGINAL LO WIFE (TRULY)
VIC YOU CALLED ME AND SAID YOU NEVER HEARD NONE OF MY BROTHERS MUSIC CAN YOU GET HIS MUSIC BUT THAT’S YA MAN. FUCK YOU AND THANK YOU FOR THE CARRYING THE LO LIFE BANNER YOU CHEERLEADER. DON’T WAIT TILL B.BILL IS DEAD TO WANNA FUCK WIT HIS MUSIC. RACK YOU CALLIN DAHLA TALKIN ABT YOU’LL GIVE SOME SLOT TIME. FUCK YALL I’M ABT TO EXPLOIT YALL. RACK YOU KNOW YOU WAS AN OFFICIAL BAG MAN FRIZ WAS BAGGIN YOU UP. YALL KNOW I TOOK MORE MONEY THAN YALL DUDES.B.BILL USE TO CALL ME “LIL DUDE” HE KNOWS I GO HARDER THEN ALL DUDES. KEEP IT FCKN REAL YOU LAMES. I’M TIRED OF YALL LIES. IT’S ON AND POPPIN NOW. YALL WANA DO THE MUSIC SHIT I GOT TRACKS FOR DAYZ ON YALL NO-LIFE ASS NIGGAS NO-LIFES NO-LIFES.
YOU SEE THAT DUDE ON THE RIGHT OF YOU IN THE PIC THAT IS YOUR GENERAL YOU SEE HIM HE PUT YOU ON YOU AINT START SHIT BUT LO LIFE BEEF, YOU NO- LIFE
SHEISTY LO TRULLY ONE OF THE GREATEST.GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN!!!!!!!!!!!
YALL NEED TA GET BACK DOWN IN DA GUTTA WHERE SHYSTY FOUND YALL AT FOR NOT LOVING HIS FAMILY BETTER. YOU KNOW IF SHYSTY COULD HE WOULD SO FEMALE MIKE KEEP YA HEAD THE FUCK UP DOLLA YOU TOO I LOVE YOU FOREVER MIKE CULLEY LOLOLOLOOLOLO HE WAS MY MOTHERFUCKIN FRIEND RIGHT DOWN TO THE GODDAMN END IF YOU NEED ME HOLLA IM ON FACEBOOK CHELL, DOLLA, MOMS,AND SON
ALWAYS LOVING YOU BBILL- IN MY HEART FOREVER!!!!!!!
[…] vestiges of the Lo-Lives movement can still be found, whether it’s in the form of a blogging Lo-representative or one of today’s most popular streetwear brands recreating an entire collection based on a […]
With everything which seems to be developing within this particular area, many of your points of view are actually fairly radical. However, I beg your pardon, but I do not subscribe to your whole strategy, all be it radical none the less. It seems to us that your commentary are generally not entirely validated and in simple fact you are yourself not really totally certain of your argument. In any event I did appreciate looking at it.