Paul C

Paul C. McKasty (September 20, 1964 – July 17, 1989), better known as Paul C, was an American East Coast hip hop pioneer, producer, engineer, and mixer in the 1980s. McKasty gained recognition for his work with notable artists such as Devo, Organized Konfusion, Kwamé, Queen Latifah, Biz Markie, Ultramagnetic MCs, Rahzel, and Eric B & Rakim. Complex called him "one of the most important figures in the development of sampling" and Questlove of the Roots called McKasty, "damn near the J Dilla of his day." Band founder and lead singer Lindley Farley said Paul was "a historian about pop music and soul music. And that's what informed everything he did." During the band's early years he studied his brother John's extensive record collection to learn about different genres. Paul co-wrote the song "I've Got A Hatchet" and his brother Tim played guitar on "First to Fight". Mikey D described Paul as a musical prodigy and said, "He didn’t even really have to try that hard, it just came so naturally to him. Paul C. was a genius."

He also started working at 1212 Studio in Queens after dropping by the studio to purchase a keyboard voice synthesizer. During his visits he asked 1212 employee Mick Corey for a job. Corey described Paul as a somewhat inexperienced engineer who learned quickly. “Paul was green," he recalled. "I showed him a few things. He started doing sessions and generally took off from there.” and the non-album singles the group released between 1988 and 1989. He has only one credit as a producer on Critical Beatdown, for the track "Give the Drummer Some", but according to group members Paul C was responsible for the overall sound of the album. DJ Moe Love said that Paul played a pivotal role in the song's creation, even coming up with the hook. Paul preferred to work without contracts, so he often did not receive credit for his production work. He also helped engineer additional songs for the Kwamé the Boy Genius: Featuring a New Beginning album, as Kwamé recorded six out of the eight songs from the album during the same session, which lasted from midnight until eight in the morning. though it is unclear when he worked on this album with the group, as it was released after his death.

Paul C also worked for many other artists including Grandmaster Caz, Super Lover Cee and Casanova Rud, Stezo and Rahzel. Paul played an instrumental role in the making of Super Lover Cee and Casanova Rud's Girls I Got ’Em Locked album, which reached #77 on the Billboard charts and sold 425,000 copies worldwide.

In 1989, Paul did some engineering work on Queen Latifah's All Hail The Queen album, including recording the vocals for Mark The 45 King on "A King and Queen Creation". He also recorded extensively with the Boston rap group The Almighty RSO the week before his murder.

Paul C's status began to grow and he was hired to work for higher-profile artists. He produced the tracks "Run For Cover" and "Untouchables" on Eric B. & Rakim's Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em. Though many notable producers such as The Bomb Squad, Easy Mo Bee, Lord Finesse, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Ski used the sampler, Paul is credited as one of the early innovators of chopping with it.

He also served as a mentor to Large Professor in the use of the SP-1200, lending Large Professor the machine for a two-week period. During that time Large Professor made 30 to 40 beats and learned how to use the machine on a more advanced level.

Large Professor described Paul as a wizard with the SP-1200 and recalled how he amazed people with his use of the machine. "To go in the studio, people would just go in with their jaws dropping, like 'Wow. This dude.' Because he was just so swift with it and knew what he wanted to do. And the beats would be so funky," he said.

The god emcee Rakim still keeps an SP-1200 sampler in his house in memory of Paul. In the Pritt Kalsi documentary Memories of Paul C McKasty he said, “You can go to my house right now and there’s an SP-1200 in there ’cause that’s what he taught me on. It’s like letting my man know I’m still focused.” According to Large Professor, Paul wore gloves while digging through records for samples, something he still does in his honor. “Paul took it to the next level. His records smelled good,” he said. Notable producer Pete Rock also praised his percussion work, calling his drums on Ultramagnetic MC's "Give The Drummer Some" “the illest drums I ever heard.” "This song is early sample innovation. Paul C was an extreme sound scientist, and this may be the most prime example of his futuristic approach. To take the James Brown “There Was a Time” off the Gettin’ Down To It album and pan (use only the left or right side of a stereo record) to get only the drums, was unheard of at that time. He not only heard that, but also heard the horn and guitar from the same record to create a real ill b-boy joint."Collaborator and friend CJ Moore explained his unique drum manipulation techniques that he used to engineer Stezo's Crazy Noize album in an interview. “Paul wound up putting the record together and the approach that he had was a little eclectic. He started with the snare, then the hi-hats and then put the kick drum in. Then went around and got the hi-hats and re-sampled them and did all kinds of little things to it.” According to Large Professor, Paul would also double time certain elements of his beat to make sure they were "tighter than average." On several occasions Paul made entire songs out of vocal samples, including several early records for Mikey D & The L.A. Posse. Blair was arrested along with his brother David Blair and David Currie of Fayetteville. The three men were arrested in the Sleepy Hollow mobile home park, located at 1100 Sleepy Hollow Dr, at 10:30 pm.

Several artists that Paul worked with, including Super Lover Cee and Casanova Rud, were questioned as suspects after Paul's murder.

Prince Po coincidentally stopped by Paul's house several hours after his murder. Despite no evidence linking him to the murder, he was taken to a police station and interrogated for six hours by police. He remembers the police being very aggressive, kicking his chair, and not letting him use the bathroom during questioning.

CJ Moore indicated that he has discs of Paul's work but it was too difficult at the time of his passing to release any of the material officially, saying "It was hard, I didn’t want to touch anything that he touched. I still have discs that he had involvement. He had 20 or 30 of my discs – I didn’t want ‘em back.". Spin magazine wrote in 2009 that if Paul lived he would have achieved a level of success similar to DJ Premier. "Sea' was also a way to say that, through me, my namesake Paul would keep going," he said.

Other hip hop producers such as Cut Chemist, Madlib, Pete Rock, cite Paul C as an influence. Kool Keith, Pharoahe Monch, and Rahzel credit Paul C with helping them to grow as artists.

A picture of Paul C appears in the liner notes of Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em and the album is dedicated to his memory (although his name is not listed in the production credits).The liner notes of Main Source's debut album Breaking Atoms includes the inscription Paul C Lives. On Organized Konfusion's debut single "Fudge Pudge", the duo gives a shout-out that says, "Paul C to the organisms!" In February and April 2008, DJ Kid Grebo released a two-part Paul C mixtape hosted by Organized Konfusion member Prince Po.

In 2013, artist and record label owner Pritt Kalsi released the documentary film Memories of Paul C McKasty, a collection of interviews recorded between 2000 and April 2013. In a post describing the process of making the film, Kalsi stated "This is no way the definitive story or film. There is still a few key people missing. I hope that after watching this that they may want to contribute some footage that would make it the definitive film." Kalsi also states that there is videotape of Paul C making beats at his studio, but it is currently "amongst hundreds and hundreds of video tapes in a spot in NYC, to this day it’s not been found." Part One featured phone call interviews with Paul C collaborators Kev-E-Kev & AK-B as well as MC Outloud of Blahzay Blahzay.

A full-length feature film about his life and music is in the making.

Tracks engineered, mixed and produced Unknown date Sport G & Mastermind - "Live" [Single] Mixed by Harvey L. Frierson Jr. and Paul C

1985 Double Delight & DJ Slice Nice - "Party Jump" / "Leave Me This Way" [Single] Engineered & mixed by Paul C

1986 Mikey D & The L.A. Posse - "I Get Rough" / "Go for It" [Single] Produced & mixed by Paul C

Disco Twins & Starchild - "Do That Right" / "There It Is!" [Single] Mixed by CJ Moore & Paul C

1987 The Ultimate Choice - "You Can't Front (We Will Rock You)" [Single] Engineered & mixed by Paul McKasty

Mikey D & The L.A. Posse - "My Telephone" [Single] Produced by Paul McKasty

Grandmaster Caz - "Casanova's Rap" [Single] Produced & mixed by Cedric Miller and Paul McKastee

The Heartbeat Brothers - "Can We Do This" / "Bring in the Bassline" [Single] Produced by Paul C and Lord Kool Gee

The Heartbeat Brothers - "Time to Get Paid" [Single] Produced & mixed by Greg Whitley & Paul C

Marauder & the Fury - "Get Loose Mother Goose" [Single] Produced by Paul C, mixed by Jazzy Jay / "Terminator" [Single] produced and mixed by Paul C

The Rangers - "I'm Hot" / "Jacks on Crack" [Single] "Jacks on Crack" Drums programming by Paul C

Super Lover Cee and Casanova Rud - "Do the James" [Single] Engineered and co-mixed by Paul C. McKasty

1988 Captain G. Whiz - "It's Hyped" / "All the Way Live" [Single] Engineered by Paul McKastee

Mikey D & The L.A. Posse - "Out of Control" / "Comin' in the House" [Single] Produced by Paul C

Super Lover Cee and Casanova Rud - "I Gotta Good Thing" (Remix) / "Gets No Deeper" (Remix) [Single] "I Gotta Good Thing" produced, programmed, arranged and mixed by Paul C. McKasty

Super Lover Cee and Casanova Rud - "Super - Casanova" [Single] Mixed and arranged by Paul C. McKasty

Super Lover Cee and Casanova Rud - "Girls I Got 'Em Locked" / "I Gotta Good Thing" Recorded and mixed by Paul C. McKasty for Paul C Productions

Ultramagnetic MCs - "Watch Me Now" / "Feelin' It" [Single] "Watch Me Now" Recorded & mixed by Paul C

Ultramagnetic MCs - Critical Beatdown [Album] Uncredited mixing and engineering by Paul C

Live N Effect Posse - I'm Getting Physical [EP] Arranged by Dr. Shock and Paul Cee

Kev-E-Kev & AK-B - "Listen to the Man" [Single] Engineered & co-mixed by Paul C. McKastey

Phase n' Rhythm - "Hyperactive" / "Brainfood" (1988) [Single] Produced by Paul C

Black by Demand - "Can’t Get Enough" / "All Rappers Give Up" (1988) [Single] "Can't Get Enough" mixed by Paul C

The Mic Profesah - "Bust the Format" / "Cry Freedom" [Single] Engineered by Paul McKasty

Spicey Ham - "Sex, Sex & More Sex" / "You Never Heard of Me & I Never Heard of You" [Single] Engineered & mixed by Paul C

M.C. Tatiana - "Mission to Rock" / "Back Up Jack" [Single] Engineered by Paul McKasty

360 Degrees - "Years to Build" / "Pelon" [Single] Recorded and mixed by Paul C.

CKO and Sta La Fro - "Sweat My Moves" / "Down on the Corner" [Single] DNA International Records / "Produced by Paul C"

1989 Too Poetic - "Poetical Terror" / "God Made Me Funky" [Single] Mixed by Paul C., Engineered by Paul C. and J. Tinsley

MC Outloud - "Clean and Sober" / "I'll Put a Hurten" [Single] Engineered by Paul C & CJ

Kev-E-Kev & AK-B - "Keep On Doin'" [Single] Co-produced, engineered & mixed by Paul C. McKasty

Freak L - "Line for Line" / "When the Pen Hits the Paper" (1989) [Single] Mixed by Vandy C. & Paul C.

Ultramagnetic MCs - "Give the Drummer Some" / "Moe Luv's Theme" [Single] Produced by Paul C

Ultramagnetic MCs - "Travelling at the Speed of Thought" / "A Chorus Line" [Single] Co-produced and engineered by Paul C

Main Source - "Think" / "Atom" [Single] Mixed/Engineered by Paul McKasty

Black Rock & Ron - True Feelings [Single] Hip Hop Mix by Paul C

Black Rock & Ron - Stop the World Engineered & mixed by Paul C, Jazzy Jay & DJ Doc

Stezo - Crazy Noise (1989) [Album] Mixed and engineered by Paul C

The Diabolical Biz Markie - The Biz Never Sleeps (1989) [Album] "Thing Named Kim" and "Just a Friend" co-mixed and engineered by Paul C (uncredited)

Queen Latifah - All Hail the Queen (1989) [Album] "Ladies First" and "A King and Queen Creation" engineered & mixed by Paul C.

1990 Eric B. & Rakim - Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990) [Album] "The Ghetto" and "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" co-produced by Paul C (uncredited), Rakim and Large Professor, "Run for Cover" produced by Paul C

1991 Super Lover Cee and Casanova Rud - "Romeo" / "Giggolo" [Single] "Romeo" produced by Casanova Rud & Paul C, arranged by Paul C