RESPECT
[Bill Operin] Bigga B.
Words: Tracii McGregor
Photo: Paul Meeker
1997
Bill Operin is one man that rocks many hats in Los Angeles’ flourishing hip-hop community. Originally from the San Diego area, he got started throwing hip-hop jammies during summer breaks from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After college he moved to L.A. where he, and his partner Orlando Fenderson noticed the need for a space where underground hip-hop artists who normally would not be seen, could showcase their talents in front of an audience of their peers.
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Today Unity, held in various warehouses and store fronts around Los Angeles has pulled Wu Tang Clan, Nas, Souls of Mischief, and Black Moon, Smif N’ Wessun, Beatnuts and put them side-by-side with the dopest local talents. Since Unity, Bill, better known as Bigga B., has parlayed his promoting skills into a job with Loud Records and Steve Rivkind Promotions.
“I noticed Loud getting ready to gear up, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to grow with a new company,” remember Bigga. “I approached Loud and Steve gave me a job.”
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During his tenure with Loud records, Bill has road managed Wu-Tang, promoted for Nas, as well as several acts for Jive/MCA, and Relativity. His current promotions include Geffen recording artists The Roots. “The most difficult thing is breaking a group that nobody knows about. And especially in L.A., people don’t get open until they hear something on the radio a lot,” Bill offers.
But the other side of the coin is the gratification you feel when something you’ve been working on blows up. “Like with Wu-Tang Clan, I remember a time when people were like, ‘Who’s this?’ and not being able to identify with it, to saying, ‘Hey let me have another!’ Stuff like that makes me feel like I’ve done my job.”
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Bill encourages kids to pursue other areas in the music business. To kids just starting out in the promotion business, his advice: “keep it real, work hard, and don’t slack off because it’s an everyday routine.”
“Just keep your shit out there,” he says.
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At the Speed
of Life
by Hannibal Tabu
Bill Operin was a big guy. At least six and a half feet tall, posessed of girth that’d make a pro wrestler think twice. Bill could shout from the back of a club, music blasting, and be heard backstage. He practically invented living large, apologies to Heavy D.
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In 1994, Bill, or “Bigga B” as he was more popularly known, walked into this hip hop spot Project Blowed, at 43rd Place and Leimert in LA. Now, as your average hip hop head was maybe 5’7” and possibly 160lbs, this guy comes in like the ocean parting for Leviathan. I worked the door at the time, and as a rule had a “fuck everybody” rule -- I asked Bushwick Bill and Chuck D to pay, as I figgered they could afford it. Bill spoke to me in a calm voice, promising reciprocity at his door as he just wanted to trade off love and work together. He and promoter Orlando ran Unity, the longest running underground concert series I ever heard of, so it sounded cool. I am so glad I didn’t trip.
Over the next few years, Bigga hit us up almost weekly. A promoter for Loud, he was always hustlin’ -- brought Wu Tang to LA for $10 a ticket, and we got to see Method stagedive into hard floor in a display too funny to recreate. Bigga and I would chat on the phone, him asking me which underground heads I knew, should he include on his guest lists. We never got personal or no shit, but we had a great working relationship and he was an honest sword who wouldn’t bullshit. Back when nobody took me seriously as a journalist, he did, and gave me some of my first wristbands, first little industry love. I saw a ton of great shows, and the two of us continued the underground work that people who don’t wanna be MCs do.
Bigga was a true underground evangelist, to borrow a page from the Artifacts. He was the A&R who brought the world Xzibit, one of my personal favorite lyricists, the resurrection of Likwidation. He gave love to all kinds of acts -- Heltah Skeltah, OC, Dilated People, Gravediggas, Blak Forest, Visionaries or a host of other people, put into jam packed rooms fulla heads lovin’ them. No radio commercials. No web sites. Just fliers and energy and hard work. That was Bill.
It seems that Sunday, May 2, 1999, while in Arizona working with Bad Azz, Bigga B left the mortal coil, a victim of a heart attack. 33 years old. Okay, he was this huge frickin’ guy, but by no means did he deserve to die. Hip hop lost a great deal when he left us.
At his West Angeles COGIC funeral, hardcore fools in suits and sneakers or heads in stocking caps and black jeans cried like schoolgirls. The Poetess, the Alkoholiks, and a host of other luminaries were on hand to say goodbye. Dammit, Bill, you wasn’t supposed to die.
In that I’ve already taken a vacation from journalism in using the word “I,” it just needed to be said. Bill Operin needs to be honored and remembered as an integral part of hip hop. We need to take care of ourselves, but more importantly, appreciate the people around us. I’d been planning to take Bill to lunch for six or seven months. Now I never will. I regret that, even thought he’d have probably ate me into the poorhouse.
On a final note, some people have complained that Damage Control has been less harsh since I found happiness with a sister. Get over it -- the reign of terror returns next month, with an in depth analysis of why fucking Madonna ruins your life.
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R.I.P. Bigga B.
"Club Hoppin' / Hip Hop"
March 20, 1997
UNITY, location and frequency varies, (213) 368-8927.
Showcasing everyone from the Wu Tang Clan to KRS, this six-year old floating club is one of the most pivotal clubs on the scene. If only it had a home!18 & over, cover varies (between $10 and $15).
"UNITY, an enduring, roving showcase for big-name and local rap talent, Unity-commandeered by behind-the-scenes man of many hats, Bigga B--provided the chance for underground heads to catch their favorite acts in a gangsta-free atmosphere."
From the Book
Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists
"Important Los Angeles Hip Hop Clubs"
by Sacha Jenkins
Published December 3, 1999
PROPS FROM
Jefroe A.L.L. > So many memories from the Hacienda. I will never forget the first time walking down the stairs into the smokey setting into the Nas show, and many more after that. I will never forget Rza's freestyle where he rapped about being a sperm all the way to being born. And the Dance circles were the best in LA
RIP unity!
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Lee P > i remember diamond d not showing up, but gravediggaz did. unity was the place to hear the newest joints, see dope dance battles (even b.e.p. use to rep b4 they went soft), freestyle cyphers, the samoan security guards that would let us puff. black moons first l.a. performance in a downtown warehouse, the x-men tour at the casino, epmd & group home at a bowling alley. R.I.P. BIGGA B & PEACE TO ORLANDO, thanx for the dope memories. UNITY! im that guy u seen rolling in his wheelchair.
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Starrsaxxon > I was at that same show and Diamond D did not "no show." He was actually standing right next to me throughout the entire Gravediggaz set. In fact, he, me, and my crew were passing the blunt around and vibing off of Gravediggaz, on the real!
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Then, out of nowhere, RZA stops the show and starts dissing Diamond, claiming he and the Psychotic Neurotics were garbage, and that Wu-Tang ran hip hop.
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Upon hearing that, Diamond shouts "What the fuck?" and then "Fuck Wu-Tang!" He threw up his middle finger and bounced!!!! We were shocked, but it was once of the best hip hop moments I ever witnessed live.
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Annabelle Cruz > Wow!!!! Saw soooo many dope performers here!!! I feel old now!! I was only 16...getting in with a fake ID...the only place in L.A. to listen to dope hip-hop!!
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Ace One > 9th & Hill the good old days. Jeru, KRS, Wu, Nas. DJ Shiite selling his mixtapes. Smoking with B real great memories. RIP Bigga B! Shout out to Orlando!
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TDR1977 > great times and memories...the dance circles were unmatched and the dj's always kept us entertained as we waited hours (sometimes) for the main acts to get on stage. I'll never forget Common getting booed for treating one of his fans like shit... and Ghostface Killah and Raekwon showing up super late and super fucked up...
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ariea51 > I LOVED UNITY! So many Hip Hop memories!! Words can't express! RIP Bigga B! One Love!
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Mike Harris > Proud to say I was at most of these shows...still got my Shiite tapes! We were so lucky to live in LA back then.
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Jason Pettway > there's nothing like this now, soooo many memories.
LIVING UP TO THE NAME
Club Unity's Excellent Record on Violence
From The Unity Era: Memories of a Legendary
Los Angeles Era. RIP Bigga B.
by Chace Infinite
March 4, 2013
For a brief period (96-97) we (Self Scientific) were signed to LOUD RECORDS. Bigga had been paying attention to the music Khalil and I were making and he arranged a meeting with Steve Rifkind and Rich Isaccson. At the time, Nefertiti was managing us, and had plans of making us one of the groups in a production situation she was discussing with a local, Likwit affiliated producer named Broadway. We always felt like Khalil had ill beats and would evolve to a great producer, so we opted to sign what we they called a “development deal” with LOUD instead. We were pretty excited… because of Bigga I was a regular at the LOUD office and spent many days smoking on the rooftop on Kings Rd. overlooking Melrose. Our manager had a great relationship with Diamond D, who was coming off the success of his classic Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop, and his work with The Fugees. We recorded a 3 song Demo at Ice-T’s home studio in the Hollywood Hills for LOUD that included 2 songs produced Diamond D. The experience was dope, Diamond D is a living legend, however, it also let us know that Self Scientific was meant to be the expressive vehicle for US…we have never worked with another producer since. The only song delivered to LOUD that was produced by Khalil was “Bullet Proof Cess Dreams” a song Bigga really loved. Time sure does fly…
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1998. Self Scientific and my brother from Krondon opened for BIG PUN. That still seems crazy to me. This was Krondon’s first official show. He was fresh off the buzz of his recent 12" The Rules, that my our brother Truly Odd put out on his label Heavyweights Records. Krondon recently reminded me that he was surprised to be performing in front of so many people, but that’s how Unity was. There wasn’t any difference in the crowd from when the doors opened to when the crowd left because people came for the experience, the show was just the icing on the cake. Plus, Bigga B was known for breaking artists, he introduced a of lot of groups to the Southern California audience and provided opportunity for many of the West Coast names that you know today.
Xzibit was promoting his album 40 Days & 40 Nights and came to the stage wearing a full body bomb suit with Sir Jinx as his DJ. X always had the illest shows. Not many people match the type of energy X created, especially during those days. I haven’t met too many people that love this Hip-Hop shit more than Xzibit.
If I recall correct Pun performed on crutches because he had twisted his ankle at a previous performance. Classic shit.
RIP BIG PUN.
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This night was a perfect example of why UNITY was the best club in the history of Los Angeles Hip-Hop. In 1997 this lineup may not have seemed like much to the general Hip-Hop public, but 2 of the 3 act on this bill Hall of Fame Hip-Hop groups, like it or not.
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UNITY had an extended relationship with the Wu, and Clan shoes always sold well, but at the time the other two opening acts were relatively unknown. The Black Eyed Peas had just started to figure out that they have a future in the pop world, and this little white guy named Eminem from Detroit had just starting making noise with his debut EP titled Slim Shady. I had seen Eminem earlier this year at the Rap Pages Magazine Rap Olympics Battle, where he single-handedly dismantled some pretty well respected Emcees (including PEACE from Freestyle Fellowship), but i was slow to listen to the Slim Shady EP. I just remember dude being a savant with the patterns, always respected that about Em, even when the subject matter misses me, his level of difficulty on each rhyme is unmatched.
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I went to the show that day with Bigga B, Tyreef Supreme (Wu-Tang), La The Darkman, Eminem’s boy from Detroit Royce da 5’ 9", and his manager Keno. That was also the first day I met Royce Da 5'9" who at the time was, believe it or not, even iller than he is now. I remember him rhyming backstage and I was thinking “what the fuck is in the water in D-Town? ” This was one of the only times Bigga threw Unity at the famous Ese nightspot Florentine Gardens. Florentine Gardens was one of those spots that always had banging parties but you never went to because it was just too many ese’s who didn't fuck with niggaz. It was fitting that the first time I partied in Florentine Gardens it was at a UNITY. Bigga had a way of bringing everybody together. This show was great I ended up smoking with Truly Odd in the Dj booth most of the night and clowning a young 3H who was all of 16 years old, hiding from security in the DJ booth because he was underage. Ahh, the good ol' days.
O.
