The Mo B. Dickapedia: Life, Language, & Lyrics

By Raymond Poole

No Limit Records is a force in urban culture that inspired its sound, fashion, & narrative.
Percy "Master P" Miller lead the charge, & drafted some exceptionally talent soldiers to assist him in that accomplishing that conquest. 1 of those soldiers is his cousin Raymond
"Mo B. Dick" Poole who gives an account of the timeline from his formative years to young adulthood becoming a pioneer of Southern Hip-Hop. He references semi-chronological events that created & defines his legendary status.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781312695245

Book preview

About Raymond E. Poole

Off top,

I Am a musician in every sense of the word.

I Am publicly & professionally known as the Multi-Platinum Songwriter, Recording Artist, & Record Producer Mo B. Dick who is no less than 33.3% responsible for the sound of No Limit Records & ultimately the Southern hemisphere of Hip-Hop. That sound is the dominant & influential force of today’s culture.

I Am the Visionary & a co-founder of the in-house production collective Beats By The Pound. Our DNA is heard in the songs of major artists such as Kanye West, Future, Travis Scott, & many more. It’s also heard in TV commercials & shows, blockbuster movies, & sporting events.

I Am a record producing pioneer of Southern Hip Hop along with KLC, Craig B, Odell, Carlos Stephens, N.O. Joe, Mannie Fresh, Precise, Pimp C, Mike Dean, T-Mixx, DJ Paul, & Juicy J.

I Am Who I Am.

Preface

1

st

of all, I must acknowledge The Most High Creator for making it All possible. I remember the televangelist Oral Roberts, Sr. repetitiously quoting, Ye are of God, little children, & have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. from 1 John 4:4. Hearing that scripture still resonates to this present day. It’s a reflection of the household that I was raised in. My parents made sure that my sister & I obtained a knowledge of The 1 who is responsible for the existence of Everything.

I also want to show major appreciation to my cousin Percy Robert Miller a/k/a Li’l Percy p/k/a Master P for giving me an opportunity to showcase my talent on his platform to the entire world. Witnessing the genius of his business, marketing tactics, & hustle that forever changed the landscape of urban entertainment was an absolute blessing & a marvel to behold. Making history with family & friends is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I can’t ever forget the fans of No Limit Records, Beats By The Pound, & Mo B. Dick to whom my gratitude is due. Without them mentioning us in conversation & purchasing those albums - sometimes twice, there would be no reason to write nor publish this literary piece.

The 1

st

time I heard & saw Legend attached to Mo B. Dick, I paused in suspended animation not realizing the magnitude of the contribution that I made to the culture. Via the comments on social media & YouTube, I’m constantly reminded of the impact that I made not only as part of a collective, but as an individual. However, a great amount of my No Limit Records experience was a blur due to the constant grind, so I called on a number of family & friends who bear witness to some of the events that were pivotal in my journey of

Life

. I would be most remiss & selfish not to mention them: Momma Ann W. Poole, Baby Sister Mykel Barthelemy, Ernest Walters III, Alton Guidry Jr., Larry Jones Jr, Herman D. Norwood III, Charles Chuck Thomas, Marvin Young, Jr., Joseph Francois, K-Lou, Charles Chuckie Clark III, Dwayne Peabody Myers, Norma Jean Davis, Jeff Murdock, & Eboni Hamilton.

I want to acknowledge the following for their genuine support post No Limit Records: Nephew Stanley Ledet, Nephew Rashad Bass, Big Sister Yvette Eubanks, LaShonda Hubert, David Boyd, André Coleman, Parish Johnson, Michelle J. Dziduch, Kameila Dziduch, Ms Beulah Dziduch, Rusty J, T.W.I.N. Combined Minds, Quanus, Project Nut, Issac Ike Moe Williams, Tommy Dunn, Sr., Carl Lemons, Troy Mack, Wayne Carmichael, Dr. Kevin Harrison, Jody Perry, Juan Perry, Jermelle Perry, Jamie Sowers, Jonathan Jones, Leo Williams, Harry Willis, Jerry Brooks, SE Trill, Sippi Bond, Frayzer Boy, OJ Da Juiceman, DJ Funky, Darryl D.A. Allen of Mista, Truu Scotchy, Janaya Payne, Antoinette Richardson, Coalition DJs, DJ 3, DJ P Know, Tony Jacobs, Gerald Kazmere Johnson Green, B High ATL, Mista Meana, J Dog of Black Menace, Bishop of ATL Top 20, Tynisha Baker, Richie Hard Knox, Meme Williams, DJ Burn One & The 5 Points Bakery, Pimpin’ Ken, Cat Daddy, Greg Street, Angelo Rodriguez, Hip-Hop Fraternity, & Studiolinked.

Last but most certainly not least, this work is a literary legacy of infinite unmeasurable love for my offspring Raymond E. Poole II, & my surrogate children Audreanna Davis-Poole, Quantrel Baker, Shantrell Baker, Kameila Dziduch, & Camri Ballard. I most certainly can’t forget my beautiful nieces Destiny, Pytianna, Amber, & Skyy.

Free Corey Miller  Free Lawrence Johnson  Free Christopher Dorsey  Free Michael Tyler

Life

The Bloody 60s

On July 4, 1965, Ann W. Poole delivered her 1

st

born child, Raymond Emile with her husband Raymond

⊛

in Morgan City, Louisiana. While pregnant with me, she would feel me moving aggressively whenever she was around music. I entered the world during 1 of the most turbulent eras for Black people in United States history; especially in the Deep South. That era is infamously known as The Bloody 60s whereas Medgar Evers, John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Sam Cooke, Malcolm X, Che Guevara, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, & Fred Hampton were all assassinated in that order ⁽¹⁾. Also, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Kent State Shootings, & Vietnam War ⁽²⁾ claimed many lives.

The 60s was an altogether pivotal decade with the birth of the Civil Rights Movement including The Black Panther Party of which the late great Morgan City native Geronimo Pratt was affiliated with, The Nation of Islam, Congress of Racial Equality, & The Howard University Student Protesters just to name a few. That time period inspired the emergence of a wide range of music. I was exposed to The Motown Sound, Stax Records, James Brown, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone, The 5

th

Dimension, & more. This began the soundtrack of my life. I also referred to it as my musical timeline.

⊛

Deceased

⁽¹⁾

Assassinations:

      Medgar Evers (06/12/1963)

      John F. Kennedy (11/22/1963)

      Lee Harvey Oswald (11/24/1963)

      Sam Cooke (12/11/1964)

      Malcolm X (02/21/1965)

      Che Guevara (10/9/1967)

      Martin Luther King, Jr. (04/04/1968)

      Robert F. Kennedy (06/06/1968)

      Fred Hampton (12/04/1969)

⁽²⁾

A substantial number of Morgan City natives died in the Vietnam War.

608 Bowman Street

Lineage

My dad was the 3

rd

born of 5 children to Wilbur

⊛

& Mattie Poole

⊛

which makes me the 10

th

born grandchild of that union. My mom is the 1

st

born of 7 children to Emile

⊛

& Mary

⊛

Washington which makes me their 1

st

born grandchild of that union. My paternal grandparents were both deceased before I was born. So I unfortunately didn’t have them in my life. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember having a grandmother in my life because my maternal grandmother passed away shortly before my baby sister Mykel was born.

It’s in My DNA

Paw Paw (Emile) is the only grandparent I’ve ever known. He was the Choir Director & Minister of Music of Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church in Morgan City. As far back as I can remember, my mom & her siblings would sing & harmonize around the house. Paw Paw, his children’s (Sumpter Williams High School) Band Director Mr. Paul Bonneé, Mr. Donald Bourgeois

⊛

, & Mr. John Henry played in their own band called

The Skylarks

. Paw Paw played drums, Mr. Bonneé played the alto saxophone, Mr. Bourgeois played the piano, & Mr. Henry played upright bass.

My mother & all of her siblings played the following instruments in school band:

●

Mom - Alto Saxophone

●

Auntee Ollie - Alto Saxophone

●

Auntee Nita - Clarinet

●

Uncle Emile - Trumpet

●

Auntee May - French Horn

●

Auntee Sue - Alto Saxophone

●

Uncle Don Albert - Drums

The Drums

I spent the majority of the 1

st

6 years of my life with my maternal side of the family where it was an immense musical atmosphere. My Uncle Don Albert was a teenager when I was born, so I was like his little brother. Where he would go, he took me with him - Everywhere. He & his friends had their own band that would often rehearse at Paw Paw’s house & of which he was the guitarist. I was about 2 years old around that time. After 1 of their rehearsals, I picked up the drum sticks & commenced to beatin’ on the drums. My uncle & his band mates erupted in amazement saying Ooh! Did you hear that? He played what we were just playing & on the beat! It’s in his blood!

At that moment, the seed was planted.

Siracusaville

The Move

Fast forward to the 70s, Daddy purchased a house in Siracusaville Subdivision due East of the Morgan City corp limits, & due West of the town of Amelia. It is a neighborhood of indigenous

⁽³⁾

melanated people where the majority of the paternal side of my family resides. There was a time when it was called Tombstone because of its Wild Wild West-like characteristics with 3 bar rooms on the same corner; 200 yards from across the track. Towards the end of the decade, a group of teenagers from the neighborhood named it Chocolate City. 2 from the group (Randy Dardar & Tony Brown

⊛

) made a colorful wooden sign of that name, & posted it just across the track at the James Street entrance right off of Highway 90.

The Family DJ

Daddy had a record & 8-track tape collection that he kept in rotation. Off-top

⁽⁴⁾

, Sam Cooke was his favorite, then Brook Benton, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, The Spinners, Sam & Dave, King Floyd, The Staple Singers, & Al Green of course. When he & Momma hosted family & friends gatherings, they appointed me as the DJ. This started when I was about 9 years old using a hi-fi coffin style turntable & 8-track player combo stereo. Mom or Dad would say Poole play some music., & I was on it. After a while, I knew to organize the records & tapes when I found out that company was coming over for a gathering.

The Church

Around that time, my sister & I were baptized at Mount Esther Baptist Church which was walking distance from our house. Everybody in our household were dedicated members of the congregation of which Reverend Isaiah S. Holmes

⊛

was the pastor. My Parrain

⁽⁵⁾

Daniel Wilson

⊛

was the head deacon & his wife Martha

⊛

, my Nanaine

⁽⁶⁾

was