By James Baldrick / Cover Story / Interviews / Articles / Hip Hop
In 2004, I had just moved to Colorado Springs, CO from Atlanta, GA, just a few years after finishing my half decade term in the US Army. This was before the days of social media dominating the internet and the way we connect as people. A time when analog music was just changing to what is considered now as the digital age of music, and the birth of streaming platforms. A time when the grind to create and sell music was much more actual footwork than what we see today, 20 years later.
In the mid-2000's in the “719”, after jumping on some opportunites and acheiving some notable success myself; music events and concerts became a burning passion for me.
Along the way, I would connect with some of the dopest artists, musicians, DJ's, engineers, studios, venues, events, and producers in the Colorado Springs area. After making some notable achievements and building a name and brand for myself, a precious moment in time came to me when I attended a Memorial Day Bash event in the Springs, at Memorial Park in 2006 featuring some amazing local hip hop and r&b performances. Being fairly new to the music industry in Colorado, I felt it was only necessary to connect with the organizers of such a successful summer event, and was pointed to a man walking around the park picking up trash, and cleaning up the grounds with his team.
A humble man for sure from the start.
The man I was introduced to was none other than the legendary super-producer SCORP DEZEL of Dezel Music and the Cowboyz!
Going into 2007, myself and Scorp decided to collaborate along with other promoters and artists, on the next big 4th annual Memorial Day Bash at Memorial Park, even having the honor to help with designing a flyer (one of my first designs ever) and assist with promotions.
After an amazing turnout and positive event, hours after being closed, a young man was shot and killed next to the same park and local law enforcement (CSPD) began to immediately correlate our event unfairly with the tragic murder. This in turn, brought us organizers together to stand up for not only events, venues and concerts, but eventually defending the hip hop culture in Colorado Springs, as a whole. Feeling the discrimination and heat, we collectively came together and held a press conference for all the local news channels and media outlets, which resulted in gaining both local and national media attention, top stories on all local news stations, to including being contacted directly by CNN, as well as The New York Times, in which we agreed to give them an exclusive invite to our next local showcase. This story became a front page article that September of 2007.
This is just part of the story and where my path first crossed with Seyi Agbeti aka Scorp Dezel, who now resides in Atlanta, GA, and frequents Los Angeles, CA, and many cities nationwide, as a prestigious multi-platinum award winning billboard charting super-producer, and also not to mention an active father of 4, who's oldest daughter also resides in Colorado Springs.
Scorp was originally born in Oakland, CA before moving to Colorado Springs, CO in 1993. A Doherty High School graduate, Scorp began his love for music in the church choir where he played the piano and drums and learned how to be a multi-talented musician. Eventually Scorp would also pursue his own music passions as an aspiring rapper, while learning how to make beats as a producer forming groups, and throwing talent shows for the community.
It was in the mid-90's in Colorado Springs when he, and his new comrads (Ramon "L.A." Alexander, Lamont Taylor "Smoove C" aka "Caliba") formed quite possibly the very first known rap groups in Southern Colorado who called themselves “Da Darksidde”which then soon evolved to name “719er's" also known as "719". This is where it all began.
As Scorp would meet more people and network as a young aspiring rapper, musician and producer, he and his new friends alongside his cousin Kevin "Big Swiss", would eventually form a clique called the Colorado Cowboys comprised of various artists who were recording out of Platinum Studios in Colorado Springs.
This group of rappers and friends/fam included quite a few artists that still have motion on the 719 turf to this day, also to be included in this 3 part story. A few years later around 2003, aspiring rapper Mike Spriggs better known as "Dead Mic" (featured on this interview) moved to Colorado Springs from Danville, IL after almost getting signed to a major record label. He would them meet Scorp Dezel and joined along with him and "Big Swiss", collectively forming the legendary 719 rap group the Cowboyz. Later on, a 4th member "Young Fri"was added to the equation, completing a classic album and the Cowboyz flooded the streets of Colorado Springs, Denver and beyond with some of the hardest and classic rap music bangers and #slaps that still ring bells to this day!
This was the start of a legacy and history in the making...
The spectrum is so broad behind this story that it could only be told in parts, out of respect for the turf and all those involved with the foundations of the hip hop scene in southern Colorado. I also had the honor to be there through much of it and see it myself. So much, that one of the original Colorado Cowboyz members Chris Guillory "Big Gilatine" (also featured on this exclusive interview) actually came up with the name of the videos I was capturing of Dezel Music and my journeys "Dirty TV" which would later become the name of my first youtube channel. The roots run very deep.
Scorp Dezel, through trials, tribulations and setbacks, continued to stay focused and discliplined through his own struggles. In due time, out the trenches of diversity, Scorp became one of, if not the most successful music producers in the industry, from this region. In the late 2000's as we continued to work together on numerous events, Scorp invited me on board with Dezel Music to assist with his events and other major projects he had going on and I was personally able to witness his glory and many of his early successes firsthand. This is also when my life changed and for countless years I have been inspired to create this article and at least begin to tell this in depth story of Scorp Dezel.
A story of success, perseverance, and redemption.
To be continued.... (Part 2 coming soon!)
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