..September 10th 2001..starts off like any other Monday.Dollar cab ride to the “D” train,”D” train to 34th st., walk to the studio, set up for Preem and waaaaiiiiit.While waiting,the phone rings and Preem is on the line..”Yo what reel you got up now?”..me..”Nothing,waiting on you.We doin GS today right?”..him..”Nah we gotta do a remix for this kid Craig David”..me..”Fuck is a Craig David?”..him..”Some kid from London,supposed to be big,find a reel with some space I’ll put something together by the time he gets there”..me..”Aight.”So I find my reel,set my space,lay the SMPTE,all that good engineering stuff and resume waaaaiiiiting.Preem walks in a few minutes later,kinda early for him but from his tone earlier it’s a rush job,gotta get it done quick!He’s in there doing what he does and then Craig David walks in.Tall,light skinned “good hair” having R&B cat I saw on MTV just that weekend,making chicks loose their minds along with their underwear.OK,now I can put a face the hype.He’s a cool cat though.Me,him and Preem kick it for a minute while he tells Preem what he wants the remix to sound and feel like,that he plans to have Mos Def spit on it and that he can’t go to the mall without a police escort nowadays..WOW!..A little while later Preem comes up with a nice lil something for dude to vibe to,he goes..”That’s it right there,I’m going to the hotel and write my part tonight.I got pro tools on my lap top so I can do a reference vocal, and we’ll see if you like it”..Preem..”Aight then”..looks at me and we concur without speaking..”We don’t have pro tools here”.Time is set for the next day,which no one shows up on time for anyways, and Craig takes off to his hotel with his lil pro tools and me and Preem leave shortly after,him to Queens,me to Brooklyn.It’s around 2am September 11th and my session is at 11am,I’m taking a cab home…
…September 11th 2001, around 8:30ish in the am.I just stumbled into my lil BK basement apt a few hours ago.Phone rings.All types of mental expletives are flying around in my head.Can’t go off on who might on the line,could be moms…me(groggy voice)..”Hello”..my then girlfriend..”Dex turn on the TV…the World Trade Center is on fire!”..me..”Shut up yo,it’s to early for these games you playin”..her..”Dude I’m serious,turn on your TV”..me..”Aight”..fumbling around for the remote,on goes the TV,quickly switch to NY1….SHIT!IT’S ON FIRE..me to her..”I’ll call you back”.As I’m sitting there watching the coverage of the tower bellowing smoke, a small figure appears out of nowhere.I thought,because I’m still groggy eyed, it was a bird.No sir it was a commercial airliner,similar to the one that hit the the other tower moments before.”What The…!!”..”How is this happening!”On my block,people are going cookoo!In my apartment,I’m remaining calm.The phone rings..it’s her..”They evacuating the city,no trains,buses,nothing,I gotta walk home”..me..”Get to walking babe,call me when you get home!”..click!..My mental rolodex is on 100 right now.Who do I know that works in the Towers?Shit who works in that area?I’m watching people scampering for their lives,diving out of the towers and thinking damn,this is crazy.This is CRAZY!.Soon after there is no phone service what so ever,and only one channel broadcasting.I’m hearing about planes crashing all over the place,the Pentagon got hit,supposedly LA was gonna be next,all types of madness.”Stay calm dude and stay in your crib”.My landlady knocks on my door..”Are you seeing this?..me..”Yeah’..her..’My God what is this”..”I wish could tell you something Paulette,I really wish I could”.New York stood still for the next few hours and it felt like an eternity.At some point,I managed to fall asleep..not sure what time but it seemed like only seconds before my phone rang and woke me up..”Yo..sorry but Preem said we may have to go in tomorrow”..me..” Eddie you jokin right”..
..September 12th,2001,10 am.Another day but not like the others.You can feel the tension.People are scared to death, as we should be.We just watched a landmark crumble and lives lost and couldn’t do anything about it.There no answers but a slew of questions.NY is resilient and bounced back quick,not at full strength,but we back at it.The routine ensues..dollar cab ride to “D” train,”D” to Manhattan.Damn…look at this.As the train crosses the bridge to my left I see what’s left of the towers.Still smoldering.Everyone on the train is silent for a minute,or sobbing as they look out the window.”What the hell happened yo?”..this kid across from me asks looking dead at me like I had the answers.”Duke I dunno”..Few minutes later here comes my stop.34th street..I exit the train..exit the station..go out on to the street and pause.Silence.34th street at 11am..and nothing is happening.All the stores are closed,there is no traffic in any direction,literally I was walking down the middle of 34th st without dodging a vehicle.It was surreal.The air was filled with the smell of smoke, it felt eerie.Yet here I am in the city on my way to work!Got to the studio,second routine done and I wait..Eddie shows up and we wait.Gordon shows up and we wait..Preem shows up and says..”Let’s get this done,I wanna get outta here!”No shit we shouldn’t be here in the first place bruh!But we gotta get this shit done regardless.Mind you the kid David..he was on the first thing smoking outta the US…like Fuck u guys I’m going Home.So we working,Preem’s making music..me, Gordon and Eddie are watching TV for coverage,well repetitive BS about yesterday’s events.”What a mess”..I’m thinking as I watch expert after expert dissect this thing.All of a sudden Preem bursts out the room..”Yo they just called in a bomb threat at the Empire State Building…Let’s get outta here..fuck this!”..I don’t think I ever locked up the studio so fast,cause Gordon was giving me a ride home, and any second less than the time he said to be downstairs he woulda left my ass…no joke.We zoom outta Manhattan,cross the bridge and Gord drops me off at my crib…”Good Lookin”..him..”Yea Laterz”..He’s out and I’m in my basement apt.Sits on the couch and turns on the TV..nothing new..I turn it off.Cell phone rings..answers..”Yea?!”..then girlfriend..”you aight?”..me..”yea I’m home,we gonna do the joint another day”..her..”You know when?”..me..”Hmmph..maybe tomorrow..yea..maybe tomorrow”…
Written by Dexter Thibou
