The smile. The most recognizable thing about Kangol Kid was the smile that he flashed until his last days. Behind that smile was a genuine cat, who never acted like he was one of Rap music’s early super star dancers, M.C.’s and producers. Kangol's charisma was a part of the long-standing appeal of U.T.F.O.; the legendary foursome that helped announce Hip-Hop's "new school" mainstreaming in the mid-1980s.

Kangol Kid and I played phone tag for almost a full year before we finally sat down for multiple marathon length phone conversations where he revealed everything that I have wondered about U.T.F.O. since I was a teen. These conversations took place in 2019 before Covid and before Zoom calls were the chosen form of communication. There was so much information that I told Kangol that we would need to release multiple parts. When Covid hit and Zoom became the preferred method of communication I suggested to Kangol that we redo the conversations as Zoom calls. As always he was agreeable and replied "just let me know when Jay." We spoke of doing a Zoom call in October of last year, but Kangol entered the hospital for the last time before our conversation could come to fruition. I will forever be grateful for the jewels of information that Kangol shared with me.

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