Page The Hand Grenade....Mind Blowing Scriptures on Pages

Each time we talk about the Diggin' In The Crates crew, we always refer to the main DITC frontmen like Lord Finesse, Show & AG, Diamond D or Buckwild, just to name a few... but to me some affiliated artists like Stanley Grimes aka Page the Hand Grenade also need to be highlighted... 

If you're not familiar with this Bronx-based emcee originally known under the name of Rampage, who has been rhyming since the late 80s, you need to know that in the early 90s he featured on a few tracks produced by Lord Finesse or Buckwild and he also worked with O.C, Freestyle Professors and DJ Homicide.





I had the chance to ask him some questions...and he explained to me how everything started for him and told me more about his musical background ... here is a slice of the Bronx's Hip-Hop History ! 

Page :"I was born and raised on 180th Street and Boston Road which is right across the street from the famous Bronx Zoo.  So I literally grew up around a bunch of animals.  Hip Hop culture and music was all around me.  In my household with my mom's long stereo with 8-track tapes, and my older brother Ronald, who I shared a room with, attended all the park jams as he used to tell me about them when he came home late nights.  The first hip hop record that I liked was called "Fresh is the Word" by Mantronix.  The second record that caught my ear was called "Ego Trippin'" by the Ultamagnetic Emcees.  In 1987, I started high school on Boston Road and 166th Street.  Morris High School was the name of the Bronx Landmark where my mom attended there along with former Secretary of Defense, General Colin Powell.  Lord Finesse was in the 11th grade as he was the best emcee in the school at that time.  He lived in the nearby Forest Houses.  In the lunchroom, he would bang a beat on the lunch table and rhyme at the same time.  The only class we shared together was gymnastics where we would play basketball.  After I was expelled from Morris High School, I attended Theodore Roosevelt High School and used the same bang on the table and rhyme format and developed my own following.  I met DJ Doo Wop and we started making mixtapes and eventually changed the way other dee jays made mixtapes.  After Lord Finesse's second album release, he came to one of the Doo Wop parties at the Parkside Plaza and we exchanged numbers.  Shortly after, he invited Doo Wop and I to his apartment to listen to beats on his new SP 1200 and Akai 900 as he started producing tracks.  Lord Finesse was always a DJ and an emcee.  Buckwild who was also a mixtape DJ, was hanging out with Lord Finesse one day and he asked me to rhyme on his mixtape called "Back To School."  Me, Lord Finesse, Lord Tariq and a few others went crazy on Buckwild's mixtape."

Page : "Afterwards, I started working with Buckwild as we ended up recording our first song called "Masshysteria" for the D.I.T.C. compilation album in 1994. Buckwild was already working with O.C. on his "Word Life" debut album.  Buckwild introduced me to O.C. as we went on to record "Weak Ideas" in 1995."  

Page : "DJ Homicide was introduced to me by my friend Monte from Lambert Houses. We would travel down to his house on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and record songs and mixtapes. He produced the song "Flip Da Script" in 1994 for his mixtape.  We also did promos for the Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show. "

Photo courtesy of Stanley Grimes

Page : "There was no album released by me in the 90's because of me not knowing how to handle myself diplomatically.  In 2004, I joined the United States Air Force and began travelling the world and meeting new people.  In 2005, I bought a Tascam 8 track recorder and microphone and started learning how to record my own vocals.  I met the Freestyle Professors through a friend and producer named Amed who is also a D.I.T.C. affilliate.  He was featured on the 1994 D.I.T.C. compilation as well.  In 2006, I made a mixtape and had my friend Peter Gunz and his son Cory Gunz rhyming on it as Amed introduced me to the Freestyle Professors and we started recording together.  In 2009, I deployed to Kuwait and I recorded verses from over there and emailed the WAV tracks back for them to mix.  That's how "Devastating" with Sadat X was recorded." 

Page : "Last but not least, I am the original "Rampage" from the Bronx.  I am an Aries so the Ram is my zodiac and the Page is what I write on.  My name was established in 1989 but was never officially trademarked.  Rampage the last boyscout which is Busta Rhymes cousin, came out under the name in 1993.  When D.I.T.C. members were negotiating the deal with Sony for the compilation in 1994, I changed my name to Page The Hand Grenade....Mind blowing scriptures on pages."

Mad Props to Stanley Grimes a.k.a Page The Hand Grenade, thanks  for your time.