So to kick things off I figured I would answer the question that people have been asking me for the past ten years. How did you get the name Nugget? Contrary to what some may think, the name is not a marijuana reference or a 'gold' nugget reference. It actually has a little something to do with Chicken Nuggets and Breakdancing. Wanna hear a little story? Heeeere we go...
It was a chilly day in the fall of 1998. Wu-Tang Clan was pounding from the busted speakers in my 89' Ford Taurus. I was 17 years old and breakdancing and hip-hop culture basically defined my life. I was also djing at the time but nothing more than high school dances and house parties. I still lived at home in good ol' Slickville, PA but had begun making regular journeys into Pittsburgh which was only about 45 minutes west. The reason I was going into the city on this particular day was because I was meeting some friends and we were heading up to Columbus, Ohio for a large b-boy competition.
We all met at my homie Moe's place in Squirrel Hill that afternoon. If I remember correctly there were about three carloads full of us. Everyone from graffiti writers and turntablists to breakers and pop-lockers. It was a who's who of Pittsburgh's hip-hop scene at the time. Brown Hornet and DJ Yamez were two of the many making the trip.
So here I am. Little Adam. That was my nickname at the time. I had already made a pretty decent name for myself in the b-boy scene in Pittsburgh and was heading to Columbus to compete in the 2 on 2 battles with my partner Moe. At the time, Pittsburgh and the Ohio b-boys (Columbus, Cleveland, Akron) were always in fierce competition with each other and our goal was to go up there and sprinkle some black and gold on them.
It's about a four to five hour drive to Columbus so we stopped at a Wendy's on the way up. I remember being crammed in the backseat with three other people and couldn't wait to get out and stretch my legs in the parking lot. Once we got inside it was chaotic. Everyone was killing burgers, fries and nuggets and I didn't grab anything because of the little money I had on me. I needed to be smart and hold off until later to satisfy my hunger pains. You see, I worked at Mcdonalds during that time so my bankroll wasn't exactly fat. Not to mention my DJ gigs back then were about six months apart and I was still paying off my equipment. Fortunately, I had very gracious friends who all offered up their sides of crispy chicken nuggets so I had something to hold me over. After about twenty minutes a few of my friends discovered that I had killed at least twenty to thirty nuggets and they suggested (jokingly) that they should call me Nugget from here on out. You see where this is going.
Once we got to the event it was on and popping. There were kids from all over the east coast and I particularly remember these two cats from Miami that were extremely ill. We were all stretching out when the host got on the mic and said that there were sign ups for the battles at the front door. I'm in the middle of a stretch, talking to Moe about our strategy and The Brown Hornet came over and was kind enough to offer to sign us up.
A short time later, the battles had begun and people were going nuts. Moe and I waited patiently for our turn. Soon enough, the announcer came over the mic and asked Moe and Nugget from Pittsburgh to step out onto the dancefloor! To my dismay, Hornet had kept his word and signed me up as Nugget. All the Pittsburgh heads started chanting my name, laughing the entire time but in an encouraging way.
Moe and I ended up blazing through the competition and won the entire event. It's still a very proud achievement for me. Afterwards, all the b-boys from the other cities were coming up and giving me props. "Yo Nugget, let's get a picture and trade info!" Needless to say, I brought the name back to the Burgh' with me and it stuck. Two years later, with turntables under my arms, I started my freshman year at Point Park College in downtown Pittsburgh. During that time, Moe and some other good friends put me down with a few clubs to DJ at and I carried the name with me.
My mother recently went through a box of VHS tapes in my old bedroom and found all my old b-boy videos. She transferred them all to DVD and gave them to me for X-mas. The memories those brought back are amazing. This is also another reason I decided to share this story with everyone. I'm still friends with all the guys who went on that trip with me over 10 years ago. Here's to lifelong friendships and great memories. I wouldn't be the person I am today without all those great people who surrounded me and encouraged me back then. I'm so happy when I run into them today and hear what they have going on. Cheers homies! Happy New Year!
Big Shouts To Everyone On That Trip.
-Moe (killing the graphic design game in Miami not to mention the world)
-Brown Hornet (business owner, computer genius and one of the illest poppers ever)
-DJ Yamez (cut master and party rocker, killing em' up in NYC and all over)
-Tripod (business owner and graphic designer)
-Anthony (actor, musician & comedian in NYC)
-Deli Dave (accountant and snowboard enthusiast)
-Xtravagant (still smashing the b-boy scene)
-Kenny (was just alongside rapper Skillz in his latest video, singing the hook under the name Cornbread!).
