Crimson League & Da Backyard Studio L.G. Brooklyn

I think the first time I've heard of Crimson League and Backyard Recordings was back in '97 when one of my friend named Samire bought the Jewelz Of Da Nine EP, a comp produced by Saran Rap and Thyst. 

EP - 1997 - Backyard Recordings 


Crimson League was a group hailing from Lafayette Garden, Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, and consisted of Sargent ScrewFace, Don Mateo a.k.a Rob, Mr. Riggs, Zakar Debonair and Flash. 

Thyst has recently uploaded a comp of unsigned unreleased demos of the Crimson League. Everything was produced by Thyst, Saran Rap, T.O.S., Da Dean and Fish Lover (Dj Fishfire) who was their manager. Crimson League was one of the first groups to come out of Da Backyard Studio L.G. Brooklyn. 

Da Backyard Studio L.G. Brooklyn was a real Hip-Hop institution. Thyst took a moment of his time to explain to me how everything started for that studio and label, and by the way how the connection happened with the Crimson League.  

Photos courtesy of Thomas Rivera

Thyst : "My name is Thomas Rivera and I was born in Manhattan, raised in Bed Stuy Brooklyn in a housing project known as Lafayette Gardens aka L.G.

My parents are Puerto Rican and both were factory workers. My brother and sister were 13 & 10 yrs older than me so I was the most spoiled, least entertained, and least mentored to. I was born premature so I was a slow grower. I got picked on in public school by bullies. I took cheap karate lessons for 50 cents per week at my church and still got beat up. My mother’s solution was to place me in Catholic private school where the Nuns kicked my butt for anything. I was mostly a recluse and didn’t fit in until I started listening to Hip Hop and watching the Dj’s spin in the park with no permits and running wires from the street lamps or someone’s apartment. I was fascinated. I was about 12 and the year was 1982. I went to High School and got into Graffiti. My first tag name was Tomcat, then Crisis, but I hated those names. I collected comics, so I got this book called Amethyst Princess of jemworld in a trade so I cut off the Ame and made the Thyst my new tag name.My mentor in Graffiti was a guy named Donald who went by the tag name Pero37. I don’t know what the number means. He taught me how to tag. Shortly after, he began talking about DJing. He would frequent Dj. Clark Kent’s home and DJ Clark Kent would let him practice there. Dj Clark Kent was producing The Real Roxane and soon to be Special Ed and Chubb Rock. I couldn’t go with Donald so I found a friend in my neighborhood that had turntables who wasn’t big or famous. His name was Ebo. He was a Graffiti writer as well.

Ebo’s mom had passed away due to cancer so he was home alone a lot until his dad got home from work. So we would practice every day after school for months. I would take in Donald’s info and technics and go and practice it on Ebo’s set. I knew I had to get my own set but I was poor. I got my first job at 14 then I saved my money and bought 1 tech 1200 turntable then 2 years later I had 2 turntables and a small mixer. I bought a used 12 inch home made speaker for $60 from the local Street Dj. I practiced and studied Dj Mister Cee who would play in the parks of LG on summer nights. I then became a mobile Dj with 3 other friends and we named ourselves “The Iron Dj’s”. We did Sweet 16’s, school dances and church dances. But never made much money or namesake. I think my friends did it to get girls and I did it because I loved to Dj. In my college years, 1989, I was ready to quit and study more instead. Then a few friends from the block knocked on my door and asked if I would help them produce beats for their rhymes. It was Dj Saran Rap & Dominique Da Dean. We formed a group called Step One: The Next Of Kin. Then we started recording from tape to tape. I then bought a 1.9 second sampler for $300. It was not designed to be a sampler but I used it like one. It was the Digitec 2001 efx processor that had a hold button to retain and loop an echo. I simply looped beats and re-recorded them over and over using 2 tape decks. The sound was horrible but it was enough to get an overall idea for a track. We would then take the records/cassettes to a real studio and re produce and record demos. Back then, I was the only one with a job so it took time to make the tracks. Studio time was $25/hr and I was making $6/hr. Less than 20 hrs per week. We then started producing anyone who had money to pay for studio time. Like Dominques cuzin Splive B (formerly of the Playboys). He used to rap with Big Daddy Kane back before he got deals. So the three of us went from being a group to producing. We used the famous Firehouse studio when it was in Brooklyn and sometimes later when it moved to Manhattan. Firehouse recorded artists like Mc Lyte, Audio Two, CashMoney, Gangstarr, Wu Tang, Masta Ace, Mob Deep, etc...
We then changed our name many times: Smooth Nation, Inner Circle Conjunction Productions. I went and got married at 21 and things went sour. We broke up. I divorced my wife after 3 years so in 1994, I had my own production company called Amethyst Productions. During those 3 years I produced Da Odd Kuple. Those tracks were recently released by "Ruff Roosta Records" Netherlands."

Saran Rap & Thyst - Photo Courtesy of Saran Rap 

Thyst : "Saran Rap formed his own production company and called it Recycled Music. The Dean just hung around Saran. We came back together slowly but then The Dean’s mother passed away. She left him a large sum of money and the apartment in the projects. He wanted to fulfill his dream of becoming a rap star so he used his money to purchase an Adat & a Condenser Mic. He came to Saran and myself and asked if we could build a recording studio in his now vacant room. We put our equipment together and got furniture from the street or bought used stuff and I worked in a kitchen and brought cardboard egg crates and glued them to the walls. That was the end of 1994 and it was the birth of Backyard Studio soon to be Backyard productions & Backyard Records. I had just enrolled in a trade school called IAR Institute of Audio Research (now closed). Saran was working with this group called Blackstract and they had this rapper featured on one of their tracks called Sgt Screwface."

12" - 1995 - Stickman Ent 

Thyst : "Screwface was a member of the Crimson League. I briefly met him because he soonafter had to do a bid in jail. Saran wanted to wait for him to get out so he could record him since he was already on wax. So he brought in the rest of the Crimson league. First Rob, then Sakar, Flash and Mr. Riggs. I believe Rob, Sakar & Flash were low level soldiers of the local CMB crew (Cash Money Brothers).
We were trying to create a paying recording studio were we could both make money and produce hip hop hits. Most of the money we made went back into the studio for repairs and the rest went into the Jewelz of Da nine EP. From 94-97 we were making moves! So the backyard consisted of : Thyst, Saran Rap, Da Dean, Dj Fish Lover, TOS, Erving G, Little Phil and artists. In that time we produced : Kool G Rap’s Enter the Dragon( Remix), Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (Remix), Chris Styles, Piece of the Pie, WendyWilliams intro for Hot 97, Crimson League, Jewelz of Da Nine EP, Tape Kingz Booty records, Dj Mister Cee’s bootyrecords, Da Veteranz (Recorded), and many demos. I was also freelancing at Firehouse Studio at the same time and got to work with Masta Ace, Bahamadia, and Dj Mister Cee."

Saran Rap - Roger Pollen - Thyst @ Da Backyard Studio - Photo courtesy of Thomas Rivera

"We broke up the Backyard because we each needed to move on. Saran Rap moved to Tulsa Oklahoma where he goes by the name Brokbundlez and has had a very successful underground hip hop career. Myself Dj Thyst, moved to another part of Brooklyn, got married for the second time and has since done projects: Moe Devious- Ghetto Fabulous , Space- One Night, Chipluva - The Essence and currently looking to re-release and remix a few tracks independently. Da Dean moved to Queens NY and is still producing his own music. As for the Crimson League, I only know about one member Rob, and he is still rapping. 
I just have to say this: Backyard Studio LG was a heaven for young hip hop artists developing in LG. It provided an outlet for aspiring producers, Dj’s, rappers, performers, and dancers. Yes at times it was a smoke filled hangout spot but with free electricity and fellowship amongst peers it served its purpose. Backyard did not discriminate. We recorded drug dealers, working class, non workers, ex convicts, High school dropouts, whomever."

From Left to Right : Thyst1 - DJ Fish Fire - Bobby Stallion (Phil) - Photo courtesy of Thomas Rivera

Mad Props to Thyst and Saran Rap