The Big Playback!

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Classic hiphop and r&b from the 80's and 90's every Sunday from 5pm to 7pm on www.leafpileradio.com live!

About Jeff Strange

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Born and raised in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn to a high school senior came a young man named Jeff. Raised by his maternal grandmother, Jeff was a normal child like mostly everybody in the early 70's ghetto - BROKE. It was.. Aw, hell I'll let Jeff tell it. Music was always around me. The first song I learned was "My Cherie Amour" by Stevie Wonder. James Brown was my second favorite artist. If it wasn't those two, I wasn't listening. At 4 years old I met my very best friend to this day. No, it's Jenny from Forrest Gump. It's my boy Harv currently known around BK as DJ Icee (I-see). He and I discovered hiphop in it's infancy together. At 11 years old, we moved in to Brevoort Houses (yes the one Fabolous is from). In our teens, we both separately and together got in trouble about hiphop. From sneaking in late from hanging out in the original Harlem World, to trying to get a phonograph to act like a turntable. Hiphop has always been a curse and a blessing. We both could rhyme, but as we got older our passions changed. Icee gravitated to the turntable and I was drawn to the beatbox (drum machine). Our styles definitely complemented each other. We had minor " 'round the way" performances, but when you do it for the love, who cares? By the time high school came and went, Icee solidified himself as the go-to dj in the hood for a "jam". Me, I was his hypeman/record boy (them crates was heavy). Icee went to St. John's and I went to LaGuardia Community College. It was there I dicovered WLGC, the school station. I was in heaven. I said this is what I wanna do! One problem, there was no major in broadcasting in LaGuardia which I thought was stupid. How are you gonna have a radio station set up for the school, and no classes or curriculum involved in the craft? Yes! It is a craft. So I left, mostly cause I had found love for radio... It was like loving a tiny blue object and looking for it in a room full of red. So I left. I school shopped all the broadcasting schools in the area, but they all were trying to make me Bryant Gumbel. And they scared and discouraged me from pursuing radio. So I went back to my first love, music production. I attended The Center for Media Arts and graduated with a certificate in Audio Engineering. My first gig at a studio was a internship at Turnstyle Studios, a simple 8-track commercial studio that was state of the art BPT (before Pro Tools). The owner liked my attitude and hired me as his assistant. I learned a whole lot that year. I saw major clients come in and make these commercials that I hear all the time. It was like watching magic happen. A new love arose: Voice-Over. I cut my first demo later that year. I pounded the pavement to no avail. The summer of 1991, In Living Color was the ish, the golden era of hiphop was coming to an end and I cut my first rap vocal on record. After Media Arts, I hooked up with some former students, BuckWild Bill and DJ D Smooth. I became their star emcee (lol, yeah I picked the mic again). Hell, I was their only emcee. We made many tracks at D's crib but the only tack that saw light was a hiphop remake of "Funky Sensation" and "spit my hot 16". I saw no money from the entire deal and heard it once on Kool DJ Red Alert's show. At this time I was working for The New York City Housing Authority. I came under probation on the job from my late nights at the studio and I was stationed in Coney Island. Not good. After the record fizzled, I wanted to hang up the mic again, but I got noticed by the two weaknesses of a new to the record business mc: Girls and crooked labels. Neither one was saying what I wanted to hear but it came to head in 96 when I got fired from The Housing Authority. I felt my entire world crash. Nearing 30, no job, no retirement, no safety net, just assed out. I felt like I let a lot of people down especially me. I am my own worst critic. I had to keep going. So, I made a left and started selling weed and became a bouncer. One year of constantly watching your back will drive you crazy, so I left the weed alone before something serious happened. I then got a job as hotel security in a 3 star hotel. Then in '99, I met one of the most influential and respected lyricists to ever rip down a show. None other than KRS-One. I learned a whole lot in my time working for KRS, and trust me I worked. At this time, he had just been let go from Jive records for newer artists like Britney Spears and N*Sync. So he opted for and independent label and achieved humble success. In 2001, we parted ways amicably. You'd think after all this this I'd be Jay-Z, right? NOPE! So I hung up the mic again. In 2001, I became attracted to internet radio. Voice over came calling again. Now, a lot of animated work came up, but studios thought it would be best to hire big name actors to make their money back. Left out again, but then I answered an ad on Craig's list to have your own radio show on the net. I jumped at the chance. I auditioned and in a week The Jeff Strange Hour was streaming worldwide. Initially, my show was to be golden-era hiphop, but the powers that be sought to be scared of hiphop, even though I said "old School". So my show was classic R&B. The powers and I clashed again when he complained because I didn't have a home studio to record as he did. The he sought to impose his ideals and lifestyle on me. You know Homey don't play dat! Now I found several avenues to let voice out. So here I am doing what I love talking, making people laugh, and hiphop. Can't get any better than that!

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