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MONTREAL - “So T’Cha, when are you going to do a story on Montreal’s hip-hop pioneers?”

Rickey D, a.k.a. Ricardo Daley, has never shied away from self-promotion. The legendary Montreal hip-hop promoter put the question to me during Jay-Z’s recent concert before 10,600 fans at the Bell Centre – a show which, if things had gone differently, Daley might have been putting on with old partner Garry T, a.k.a. Garry Thompson.

Daley was referring to himself and Thompson, of course. But his question didn’t catch me off guard. I had been thinking for some time about writing an article on the two guys who, along with partner Perry Giannias, produced nearly every hip-hop show in this city through the ’90s.

Thompson was also at Jay-Z. Both he and Daley spotted me writing my review in the press section and each came up, separately, to say hello. They don’t speak to each other anymore. They don’t put on shows much, either.

A father of two, Daley splits his time between three jobs. He owns a Dominos Pizza franchise in Châteauguay (opened with savings and a bank loan), does security on weekends at St. Laurent hotspot Buona Notte, and spends weekday evenings as a courier, delivering medical supplies to cancer patients.

Thompson is tightlipped about how he gets by. He works for a fast-food restaurant, he tells me, preferring not to elaborate. It’s a long fall for a man who at one time owned three barber shops, at another was part owner in a downtown record store, and is an icon in the history of our city’s hip-hop scene.

“I’m the king of hip-hop when it comes to those shows,” he said, reached last week at his home in N.D.G. “I did ’em all. … I had the inside scoop. I am hip-hop.”

Thompson’s parents moved to Montreal from Jamaica in the ’70s, bringing him over two years later, at age 11. The middle kid in a family of nine children, he got turned on to promoting in high school.

He began throwing school dances and parties at community centres, joining a crew called LDG Super Sound as a flyer boy. His first big event was a party at the downtown YWCA.

Then came concerts, put on at local high schools, which he rented: Chubb Rock at La Petite-Bourgogne; Big Daddy Kane and Public Enemy at James Lyng, in 1989. The latter show was notable for its late start, leader Chuck D’s extended monologues and sidekick Flavor Flav’s absence – a textbook case of hip-hop border woes. But the place was packed.

Thompson began collaborating with Giannias, a Greek-Canadian Concordia student who knew more about rock than hip-hop, but saw the potential of an untapped market. They brought in Daley to help with promotion and, occasionally, as a partner.

A fixture on the club scene, the “born-and-raised” Little Burgundy native knew how to work the streets. “I’ve never been scared to hand out a flyer,” Daley said. “I was everywhere – handing out flyers at movies, schools, colleges. People didn’t do that.”

Thus began a decade of hits and misses, cash cows and full-on flops. The list of shows is impressive: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Outkast, Onyx, the Pharcyde, Naughty By Nature, Coolio, Cypress Hill, the Roots, Souls of Mischief, House of Pain, Das EFX, Ice T,EPMD, the Beatnuts, Common, KRS-One, Nas, Raekwon, Method Man, Redman and Jay-Z, to name a few.

Some were little-known acts at the time, but drew big crowds. Others, supposed sure things, fell flat. “It was a great ride,” Thompson said. “But man, if you don’t have deep pockets, don’t go into it. It was very stressful. … All it takes is one guy at immigration and the artist isn’t coming in.”

Thompson wistfully recalled April 25, 1995. He flew solo, putting on Notorious B.I.G. at Club World on Montcalm St.

“I thought I was all good,” he said. “The show was sold out. I had all the money, $30,000 in cash. I said Rickey, go get B.I.G. at the border. He tried from 8 in the morning to 9 at night. … They wouldn’t let him across. I had to go outside and say the show had been cancelled. That was my biggest disappointment in hip-hop. I never got to do Biggie Smalls.”

Notorious B.I.G. was shot to death less than two years later in Los Angeles.

Thompson hit his limit after the Smokin’ Grooves Tour, which brought Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, Gang Starr and Black Eyed Peas to Jarry Park in 1998. Production costs were high and, while the vibe was right, the attendance of 5,700 didn’t begin to cover it.

“I was in debt, and going deeper and deeper,” Thompson said. “I lost over 10 grand of my own money (with that show).”

He swore off big concerts, concentrating on smaller events. Daley and Giannias continued working together, but it was hard going and their enthusiasm eventually waned.

“It wasn’t as intense as before,” Daley said. “The support wasn’t there. … We didn’t have the infrastructure needed to make things happen on that level and maintain (it).”

Now, as he watches big-league promoters like Gillett bring Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z to the Bell Centre, Daley can’t help but wonder how the scene they helped create left him and his old partners behind.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” he admitted. “We spent a lot of money building an industry, and we haven’t gotten the proper recognition. … You see guys like Garry T and myself struggling. We put in so much work and time. … The problem in Montreal is there’s nowhere to graduate to.”

If there is consolation, it is in having been part of something bigger, more important than money made or lost and partnerships tested.

“There are a lot of great memories,” he said. “I got to work with guys who, no matter what the situation (is now) – we don’t talk to each other, but when we did, we made things happen in this city. The city was blessed and the better for it. …

“We put this city on the map from an R&B and hip-hop perspective. The only thing is we were never given were the keys to the city. We were always trying to break in through the back door.”

Rickey D and Garry T are each involved in putting on parties over the holidays:

Rickey D: Kings and Queens of Old School (Checkers Reunion Party), Dec. 26 at the Telus Theatre; 25 and over. Tickets cost $25 to $40. Call 514-831-1925.

Au Revoir 09, Dec. 31 at Grover Grand Ballroom, 4100 Sherbrooke St. W. Tickets cost $30 to $35. Call 514-268-6625.


Garry T: Las Lap, Dec. 19 at Tabu Lounge, 1401 MacKay.

Boxing Day Knockout, Dec. 26 at V Lounge, 662 90th Ave, Lasalle. Tickets at the door for both events.


tdunlevy@thegazette.canwest.com

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