Review: Bust A Move by Peter Relic
Bust A Move gives the history of Delicious Vinyl, the label that ushered in the golden era of West Coast Rap.
Bust A Move: Matt Dike, Delicious Vinyl, And The Hip-Hop Hits That Conquered Pop
Peter Relic
Citadel Publishing
Amazon
“Bust a Move” is an absolute must-read for any hip-hop fan. It offers a comprehensive, backstage look at the rise of Delicious Vinyl, the legendary independent label that completely redefined the sonic landscape of the late 1980s and 1990s. For anyone looking to understand the golden era of West Coast rap beyond the standard gangster rap narrative, this book is an invaluable historical resource.
The book masterfully balances pure entertainment with deep musical history. It provides an eye-opening education on how iconic tracks were built from scratch, revealing the meticulous crate-digging, sampling genius, and risky business decisions that fueled the label’s meteoric rise. It is as much a lesson in music industry hustle as it is a celebration of creative freedom, showing how a small, independent team disrupted major-label dominance.
The Enigma of Matt Dike
At the absolute heart of this story is Matt Dike, the brilliant, elusive architect of the label’s signature sound. Before co-founding Delicious Vinyl with Mike Ross in 1987, Dike was a legendary LA club DJ and even worked as a studio assistant to iconic artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Relic does a masterful job of rescuing Dike’s name from relative obscurity, painting a vivid portrait of a man who was, for a fleeting moment, the hottest music producer in the world.
Readers learn the astonishing DIY reality behind major pop-rap crossover hits: tracks like “Wild Thing,” “Funky Cold Medina,” and “Bust a Move” weren’t born in a high-tech studio. Instead, Dike engineered them in his cramped, second-floor apartment on Santa Monica Boulevard using a makeshift closet as a vocal booth. The book also dives into Dike’s incredible creative range, highlighting his pivotal role in shaping the dense, sample-heavy aesthetic of the Beastie Boys’ masterpiece, Paul’s Boutique.
Crucially, Bust a Move addresses the ultimate mystery surrounding Dike: his sudden, total disappearance from the music industry at the absolute peak of his commercial success. Earning the nickname “the Howard Hughes of hip-hop”, Dike cut himself off from friends, family, and collaborators for decades. Drawing from exclusive interviews—including the only in-person sit-down with Dike before his passing in 2018—the book solves a long-standing hip-hop urban legend while celebrating a monumental sonic legacy.
The Frontline Stars: Tone Lōc and Young MC
While Dike and Ross pulled the strings behind the scenes, the book highlights how Tone Lōc and Young MC became the distinct faces and voices that launched the label into the stratosphere. Relic brilliantly details the fascinating creative chemistry and contrasting dynamics between these two wildly different artists:
Tone Lōc (Anthony Smith): Signed as a relatively unknown local talent, Tone Lōc possessed a deep, unmistakable gravelly voice that became an instant cultural phenomenon. The book takes readers inside the raucous recording sessions for “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina,” tracks that blended rock riffs with rap beats to move nearly ten million copies worldwide.
Young MC (Marvin Young): Representing a completely different vibe, Marvin Young was an economics major at the University of Southern California (USC) when he began collaborating with the label. He initially used his sharp writing skills to pen the lyrics for Tone Lōc’s hits before stepping up to the microphone himself.
The book also touches on others signed to the label, like Mellow Man Ace and the Pharcyde. If anything, they could have used a little more space in the book; Ace helped to bring about Cypress Hill (as mentioned in the book), and the Pharcyde are one of the more underrated hip-hop groups of the ’90s.
The book reveals incredible DIY trivia, such as how Young MC wrote the multi-platinum anthem “Bust a Move” in just 90 minutes inside his USC campus apartment, recording his very first draft to the track. Together, these artists proved that hip-hop could achieve massive mainstream pop success without losing its foundational musicality and storytelling charm.
Why This Book Stands Out
Deep Label History: Offers an incredible, detailed education on the inner workings, philosophy, and daily operations of Delicious Vinyl.
Fascinating Backstories: Reveals the chaotic, brilliant, and often accidental origins behind massive, culture-shifting hits like “Bust a Move” and “Wild Thing.”
Cultural Context: Vividly captures the vibrant, raw energy of the Los Angeles hip-hop scene and its unique crossover into mainstream pop culture.
Industry Insights: Explores the complexities of early sampling clearance, independent distribution, and the delicate balance between underground credibility and commercial success.
Engaging Storytelling: Packed with humor, gritty industry hustle, and larger-than-life personalities that keep you hooked from the first page to the last.
The Educational Value
What makes this book truly exceptional is how much you learn about the evolution of the music business. It charts the transition of hip-hop from a regional subculture into a dominant global force, using Delicious Vinyl as the perfect case study. Readers get a front-row seat to the creative chemistry between visionary producers and iconic artists like Young MC, Tone Lōc, and The Pharcyde. You will walk away not just entertained, but genuinely educated on the sonic blueprints of classic hip-hop.
Final Verdict
Whether you are a casual music listener or a hardcore hip-hop head, this book delivers immense value and nostalgic joy. It leaves you with a profound appreciation for the artists, producers, and executives who took immense risks to shape a cultural movement. After closing the final chapter, you will immediately want to drop the needle on those classic vinyl records with a entirely new perspective.
