When I was a freshman at NYU in 1992, Lenny Kravitz was dating one of the girl’s on my floor, the 8th at Rubin Hall, 35 Fifth Avenue. He seemed quite friendly. I provoked him a bit by playing the Public Enemy beat that he jacked for that Madonna track he produced (he used it wholesale!). He took it in good humour.

At the video shoot for “Welcome” by Eric Sermon in 1995, Keith Murray broke a window in a shop in NYC’s Bowery district. The police were called. Def Jam security played it off. Redman and Method Man were laughing their arses off. Because I was the only white guy at the video shoot, Keith Murray wanted to cause some static and stepped to me. I stood my ground and, again, Def Jam security got in between us and I left soon after.

I met Guru of Gangstarr at Giant Step in 1992 at Union Square. Never met a more nicer, humble and friendly star in my life. We chatted for a while and he signed a Giant Step flyer, with a little bit more than just his autograph. Sad that he’s gone.

Ice-T turned up for a lecture in the same year, at NYU. He was very erudite, funny and I managed to talk to him afterward. A very grounded and intelligent individual; inspiring too.

Harry Allen, at one time Public Enemy’s “media assassin,” lectured for several weeks at NYU in the world’s first academic hip-hop class, run by Professor Tricia Rose. NYU was probably more than a little progressive having Harry Allen lecture on the subject and have hip-hop in an academic setting. Of course, it was a mixture of African-American history, sociology, history and musicology, as hip-hop could never stand on its own two feet, and needed an inter-disciplinary approach for the Regents of NYU to accept it as a subject for legitimate study.

I did interview Rakim in 2012 whilst in London for a music website, while Rakim was on the phone in Ireland. Completely different from his reputation, he couldn’t have been more friendly answering my questions, including the admission that he played Bob James’ “Nautilus” many times over when his father passed away, and that he’d like it played at his own funeral.

Last, but not least, I was in an Indian restaurant in Hammersmith, West London, with my mum in the late 90s. As we were trying to enjoy our meal, a very noisy bunch at the table near the back of the restaurant kept talking loudly and being rowdy. My mum, never a lady to back down from pulling up people for being bad mannered, told the motley crew to keep quiet. One member of the table turned around and apologised, assuring us that they’d keep the noise down… it was Roger Daltrey of The Who!