Why My New School Brought Me Closer to Old School
Columbia Middle School (1986-1988)
Champaign, Illinois
When it was time to move on to middle school, my parents wanted me to go to a magnet school called Columbia drawing kids from all over Champaign-Urbana.
Photo source: Randy von Liski on Flickr.
I didn't like this plan from the get go. Most of my Kenwood Grade School friends were going to Jefferson. Who would I know at Columbia?
But Mom and Dad knew what was best for me to experience another new and diverse setting. Since Columbia was all the way across town, I had to take a school bus from Kenwood to Columbia. There was always a cast of characters at the bus stop.
Lemond cracking hilarious jokes and leading our beatboxing circles.
D.C., the hard-nosed bus driver who didn’t take crap from anyone who got on her bus:
“You better get that suitcase of a tenor saxophone out of the aisle before I get to YOU!”
Nobody. Messed. With D.C.
Another character at the bus stop was Leroy, who was a couple of years older than me.
Some mornings, Leroy donned his gray Members Only jacket: remember the ones with the strap that hung down or snapped along the neckline? Other times, he had on his red-zippered jacket Michael Jackson wore in the “Beat It” music video.
Sporting either jacket, Leroy would roll up to the bus stop on his beach cruiser style bicycle. His bike was always spotless and shiny. The frame and spokes were covered with red, white, and amber reflectors. The ends of the handlebars had frilly red, white, and blue tassels hanging from each sparkly hand grip. The tires were fat white walls.
They were phat, too.
He also secured large metal baskets on the front and the back of his bike. Those baskets housed what made Leroy's bike so special to me: his stereo.
Yes, his stereo.
Leroy rigged his bike with a souped-up boombox sound system. Only this system had four speakers: two in the front basket and two in the back. He controlled the sound from a makeshift audio receiver on the handlebars. My eyes and ears were always amazed.
Leroy was pretty soft-spoken. Instead, he let his music and style do the talking.
In addition to the bus stop, I started seeing Leroy slowly peddle by our house on Williams Street cruising to his bike’s tunes.
I gave him a wave or thumbs up paying homage to Holiday Park's Mayor of Moving Sound.
The Boombox Series (Part II) Playlist:
Playlist Highlights:
“Jockbox” - The Skinny Boys
“The Show”, “La Di Da Di” - Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew featuring Slick Rick
“Go See The Doctor” - Kool Moe Dee
“Rock The Bells”, “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” - LL Cool J
“A Fly Girl” - Boogie Boys
“Pee Wee’s Dance” - Joeski Love
“Sign of The Times” - Prince
“Peter Piper”, “My Adidas”, “Beats to The Rhyme” - Run DMC
“Top Billin’” - Audio Two
“Push It” - Salt N Pepa
“It Takes Two” - Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
“Cha Cha Cha”, “Paper Thin” - MC Lyte
“The Overweight Lover’s In The House” - Heavy D
“Dance For Me”, “Ladies First” - Queen Latifah
“Children’s Story”, “Hey Young World” - Slick Rick
“Gittin’ Funky” - Kid N Play
The Full Album Cassette Stack
Paid in Full and Follow The Leader - Eric B. & Rakim
In Control, Volume I - Marley Marl
Long Live The Kane - Big Daddy Kane
Goin’ Off - Biz Markie
Criminal Minded and By All Means Necessary - Boogie Down Productions
Road to The Riches - Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo
License to Ill - The Beastie Boys
Bigger and Deffer - LL Cool J
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
Strictly Business - EPMD
How Ya Like Me Now - Kool Moe Dee
Rock The House and He’s The DJ, I’m the Rapper - Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince
Straight Outta Compton - NWA
Eazy Duz It - Eazy-E
In Full Gear - Stetsasonic
Danger Zone - Tuff Crew
3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul
Act a Fool - King Tee
Born To Mack and Life is...Too Short - Too Short
In Full Effect - Mantronix