K-Solo was one of the first Hit-Squad MCs that Parrish Smith put down with EPMD. The Long Island, New York rapper has been quite forthcoming in recent years about the early days of Erick and Parrish’s pioneering Hip-Hop crew. While he has not enjoyed nearly as fruitful a career as his brethren in the original Squad, such as Redman and Das EFX, his stories paint him as the linchpin of the legendary posse.

In a recent chat with Uncle Tom of Gully TV, K spoke about giving Redman his first real chance to rap. He also claims it was his tough love and guidance that helped Red become a superstar. When Tom asks Solo to, “Explain to everybody how you kind of molded Redman’s career.” The “Spellbound” creator replies, “I didn’t know if he was serious or not. When EPMD didn’t take him on the road first, I took him with me. I would give him 20 minutes of my stage [time] just to rock from behind the turntables [and] say some rhymes so people knew what he was holding. I laid the groundwork and would shape him in the studio.” At the same time, Reggie Noble was hoping to get his verses heard he was also a working DJ—including for DoItAll of Lords Of The Underground. K-Solo says the two would also freestyle together to hone skills.

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However, K-Solo then drops a bit of a bomb. He reveals that a young Red’ used to talk tough, so Solo used to tackle him on occasion to see what he was made of. Reportedly, every time he did so, the Newark, New Jersey MC would react by pulling out his gun. K recounts, “After I tested him there [the studio], I wanted to test him physically and see if he was really as tough as he was saying he was. So, I would grab him, and this motherf*cker would try to get the gun and shoot [at] me every time. I was like, yo, this motherf*cker is crazy!” He says during one incident that multiple shots rang out, “I couldn’t get it [the gun] one day, and he kept shooting.” Solo says, “He was a good kid; I just didn’t want him to get f*cked around.” Back then, Redman had been kicked out of his house and was living with Erick Sermon on the island. K-Solo believes his teachings helped shape Redman to become a mainstream superstar a decade later. “He was serious. I didn’t think he was. I used to tell him, ‘Put the blunt down; I’m trying to tell you something.’ But now I see that he was always listening. He was serious.”

Although Redman is often portrayed as a lovable “Everyman” MC with a blunt in his hand, this story might surprise some. However, Heads that were around in the early 1990s will remember that Reggie Noble was a bit wild when he first came on the scene.

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In the next segment of the interview, K says that some parties blamed Redman for the early 1990s shooting at Erick Sermon’s house that was part of the EPMD break-up. “Here’s the thing: when Erick’s house got shot up, we don’t know how it happened. Even though Redman got the blame for it, ’cause they shot in Redman’s room…they packed Redman’s sh*t up and made Redman get his own place. So I gave Redman my apartment.” K says that right as Red assumed his residence (and the then-Atlantic Records artist moved), his Def Jam contract money came, allowing Funk Doc to pay his way.

K-Solo last released Times Up in 1992. That album features production from PMD, as well as early credits by Sam Sneed. Solo and Sneed would later work together at Death Row in the mid-’90s. At the close of the interview, Solo recalls Suge Knight and the label putting him up in a California home.