Roses are red, violets are blue...
Uncle T aka Tommy DeStefano started his emcee adventure with cheesy poems. His lyrical vocabulary started at a young age. Through his adolescent and teen years, Uncle T wrote poems to express how he felt about life situations, but never let anyone read them. I begged him to hear or see one, but he wouldn't oblige. "I'm a big dude, I can't go reading poems." Obviously no one ever told Uncle T that reading poems to a woman will make her melt! That was the only moment that Uncle T's baby boy shyness has ever been visible to me. Uncle T wanted to do something else, wanted to get away from the "in-touch" poetry, that's when he realized that words have so much power through music. Uncle T gravitated towards Hip Hop. He used to dance to K Solo's Your Moms In My Business. Now you know I wanted to see him dance, and once again he shut me down when I asked! It's hard to believe he ever kept to himself, but rhyming in front of people was something that he wasn't comfortable with at first. He knew that he had to overcome that in order to unleash the desire to flow. Uncle T started doing battles all over the Greater Philadelphia Region. After doing a significant amount of battles, he got bored, and the battle scene got old. Uncle T would show up here and there, grab a mic and go to work. One day he was doing just that when he met Digs DarkLighter and Adam 12. After chillin with them for a bit, Uncle T met up with PCP from Arrakis Records. The next day he appeared on a compilation. He's been doing shows with the Arrakis family for a year, and they've been working on getting that piece of the pie ever since.

Hunger or Confidence...
It's no secret that Uncle T has a serious communication problem. He recognizes that downfall within himself. "I never disrespect anyone. If my views offend you, I didn't mean to, but I own them, they're mine." Uncle T has an offensive, controversial personality. Many people are quick to make up their mind about him. I wanted to get to the bottom of why everyone comes up with the same conclusion that they flat out don't like him. "I don't hide. I'm visual, and I say whatever to you, but I say it as a man, and I expect the same in return. If you have a problem with me, just come to me and we won't fight, we'll talk." I guarantee if you met him and didn't know who he was, you'd think he was just a real chill person. Uncle T loves to sit down and talk to people with opposing views. Regardless if he'll let you believe it or not, he listens. The fact that he doesn't want to help other people makes him look like a sorry player, as if he is selfish, and he is! According to him, everyone trying to make it is selfish, and there is no problem with that. Uncle T never means to start an argument, and most of the time he's agreeing with the masses, he just has a perspective on it that is taken as arrogance and sarcasm. I'm not making excuses for him, cause he could care less. Uncle T won't come over your house to eat, if you can't cook. "Why am I going to take advice and help from someone that doesn't have what I want? How can you help me if you can't help yourself? Coincidentally, the only person that has close to what I want in the underground hates me." No, sweetie...it's no coincidence!

He doesn't know why people believe we all have to be friends. I try to explain to him my "Pat Croce" philosophy about helping each other, and he says, "that's great and all but the people that are trying to help me will get my album for free anyway, so I'm not trying to become best friends with them. The people that help you get to where you are going aren't the same people that you call your friends." Uncle T understands that he has a lot of improving to do in front of the mic and away from it. He is willing to do that, just not at the cost of having to constantly explain himself to others. It sounds negative, but it's real. Maybe he should go back to St. Josephs for communication! That's just a suggestion, and yes, I've earned my right to say it. Tommy, you aren't the only one with a sharp tongue and a strong mind. Move over! Easy now...

Need vs. Want...
Uncle T is blessed to have a bangin production team behind his upcoming 12-inch, which is expected to be released summer of 2002. Among the team are RJD2 and Kamutao from Megahertz. In mentioning RJD2, Uncle T says, "he is an amazing producer that doesn't get enough credit. He is doing huge things. I guarantee he is the one that'll take Hip Hop to another level." Rolling with the right people is a key to his planned success. He makes it clear that he only chills with people who know what they're doing. The songs for the release are still being determined, but let me warn you that Digs Darklighter has his space on the single. They argue a lot, but when it comes down to it, they make good music together and that's what it's all about. Uncle T credits Todd (Intell) and Hoe Joe for making things happen in the college radio department. "People just don't know the power the two of them have in this business." Added to the constant local Arrakis shows Uncle T is involved in, he opened up for the recent High Times Tour at the TLA, as well as The Beatnuts earlier this year. When we discuss underrated talent, names like Edo G, Pete Rock and Rasheed come to Uncle T's mind. As far as local talent, Uncle T mentions Ben Frank from cheesteakmedia.com, 40th Dimension, Digs, Briz, and Baby Blak as artists that are impressionable with their talent and can flow with uniqueness that makes them entertaining. Grand Agent and Beanie Sigel are also on Uncle T's rotation list. His collaborations range from Foul Mouth, Briz, Digs, Alaska, Breezevahflowin, ToneDeff, Icon the Mic King and 40th Dimension.

The first time I saw Uncle T rhyme, I was amused and surprised. Before he went on stage, I looked at the person next to me and said, "What's wrong with him?" and she said, "Don't pay him no mind, he's always like that. Nobody knows why." His articulation and pronunciation of every word and every syllable makes you listen. You can actually understand what he's saying. The words come across as clear as the attitude. Absorb and digest both, if you choose. The beats and his voice are always in unison. He adjusts to the beat as need be. He's actually pretty calm on stage, but quite intense. Reasons for that, well...I'll let that go. Uncle T's advice to up and coming emcees is, "don't remake what you hear. Make your own situation. Be careful of being typecast as a battle emcee, cause most of them don't make good songs. Most importantly, don't mess with cocaine." The Wendy Williams in me took over and asked him where that last statement came from, he answered me honestly and I'll give it to you in the form of one word, experiences. He knows he will only be 22 once, and so he has fun with whatever comes his way. Enough said!
I decided to do this interview because I wanted to find out more about Uncle T and the story behind his rebellious reputation. I found out he is a cool, laid back sweet person. I'm not going to say he's misunderstood cause he's not, or that I feel sorry for how people see him. He's a grown man in a grown world. His talent is obvious and his skill is nice. If you don't like him, that's fine. If you don't like his music, that's fine. Uncle T doesn't want you to pretend or dress up your criticism. Frankly, my dear, he doesn't give a damn! "You make good music, then you make good music! I just want to be the background music, and participate on the soundtrack of life."

uncletsite.com

Article by Deesha
May, 2002