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Before there was “Ben & Skin,” the local morning sports radio talk show on KESN-103.3 FM ESPN Dallas, there was Jeff “Skinny Fresh” Wade and Ruben Ayala, who made up Hydroponic Sound System.
And, in a 2001 issue of the Observer, former music editor Zac Crain profiled the duo, who had just release their record Routine Insanity.
In light of the Golden Age of Dallas Hip-Hop that we think we’re entering, we figured it couldn’t hurt to take a glance back tens years to some of the region’s hip-hop roots for this edition of This Week In Dallas Music History.
In the piece, Crain mentioned that the album was a hard sell — mostly because it was a hip-hop record made by two white guys. Hard to believe, though, seeing as they just scored a Nike commercial and placement in the Run-DMC episode of VH1’s Behind The Music. And, long before the story was written, Wade was already a big part of the local hip-hop scene, having toured with House Of Pain and collaborated with Naughty By Nature.
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The rest of the article details Wade’s interesting background as a DJ, hip-hop journalist, and all around fan. Hit the jump to read the whole thing.
