Whoever thought that Go-Go would be on MTV so soon?  Our true believers -- that’s who.  I’m proud to say that our (when I say our I mean everyone in our go-go community) national status has been greatly boosted with only five minutes of airtime on one of mainstream media’s greatest outlets – MTV.

Getting us on MTV can be summed up in two words -- Difficult and Frustrating (but it was a whole lot of fun!!).  Selling what is perceived by many as strictly a local buzz to an internationally recognized medium for mainstream entertainment wasn’t by any means easy, but with a lot of politicking, hard work, setbacks, and help from a few friends in very influential positions, our dream had come true -- Go-Go on MTV.  It was short, but it was sweet.  I liked the final product (with the exception of its length), and I’m proud to say that we are finally a real buzz on a national level.

What most people don’t know is that I sent MTV more than seven hours of interviews and shows but they chose to only air five minutes of what they considered highlights.  I had no say in the editing process; however, I’m glad to say that they could only show what I gave them.  Though I tried my best, there was nothing I could do to increase the little airtime that we were eventually given.

I’ve been asked why was Junkyard the only band that was put on.  The answer is simple.  I couldn’t get in touch with Groovers or Backyard, and even though I did get in touch with RE, it eventually fell through (much love to y’all!!).  Junk was very open to help me with my work and I was especially blessed to get an interview with the entire band (thanks Moe!).  However, MTV chose not to air it.

Through a couple of friends I got in touch with, Scott Gorman (a producer at MTV), who was a great guy to work with and he helped us more than a little bit (especially when they tried to cancel our airtime), and with Footz and Heavy One looking on, I got the blessing to begin work.

I want to formally thank Kato, TMOTTGoGo, Clifton “Doc” Fenwick, Go-Go Rudy, Felicia Muhammad and her very supportive husband, Maurice Shorter, PA Palace, and my sister Tastee (for helping me out and putting up with my attitudes).  Without their help and support, I couldn’t have gotten where I needed to be to make this project a reality.  It isn’t easy to be an unknown and to get the faith and access I was blessed with, and I am forever thankful for their assistance.

Rashid Mahdi aka ROC