Melle Mel has made plenty of headlines for his polarizing opinions on rappers that have come after him, but he changed his tune when it came to Pusha T.
King Push remixed Mel’s 1982 hit “White Lines (Don’t Do It)” which is fittingly titled “White Lines” and the track landed on the Cocaine Bear movie soundtrack earlier this year.
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AllHipHop recently caught up with the Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five member who lent his stamp of approval to Push and harped on how his record was able to stand the test of time four decades later.
“I think it’s just a great testament to the legacy of the group and myself to make a record that’s 40 years old that can still be relevant,” he said while serenading himself. “It’s an iconic record. Again, it’s just a testament to how well our music was written and produced. It’s been in numerous movies and Duran Duran did the record over. Mobb Deep used it, too.
“Even up to right now with it being in Cocaine Bear and Pusha T doing the remake, it’s a testament to how powerful our music was and the imprint that it left and is still leaving within the music business.
He continued: “Hats off to everybody involved—E.T. Thorngren who mixed the record, Sylvia Robinson at Sugar Hill Records and arranger Reggie Griffin. We got in the lab and we came out with something that stood the test of time. Congratulations to everybody.”
Melle Mel’s “White Lines” warned listeners about the dangers of coke while Pusha T, who often rhymes about his days of dealing drugs, plays more to the movie script with his remix, which stars a rabid bear that’s high on cocaine and can’t be stopped from ravaging the city.
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Back in 1983, “White Lines (Don’t Do It)” enjoyed commercial success as the track reached a peak of No. 47 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart.
