Thrash Launching Pad...Trash Dumped!

The Hidden World of Thrash Metals Forgotten History.

South Jamaica, Queens, a predominantly African American neighborhood, is the home to great artists.      

LL Cool J, 50 cent, Nicki Minaj, and Grand Master Jay of Run DMC, Ja-Rule, Salt N Peppa, and Onyx.

    

It also has a large rock-loud history too.     The pictures below show the neighborhood streets where they once lived, rehearsed, and walked.  

This is the view from which three of the four M.A.S.M thrashers first saw when they arrived from San Francisco and daily commutes from other parts of NYC.

The old LIRR Station hasn’t been in use since 1977. A good six years closed during the bands time and stay.

Archer and Union Hall is where Metallica, Anthrax and Dave Mustaine future founder of Megadeth practiced and rehearsed just before recording their first ground breaking albums that brought Thrash Metal to the world.

The sidewalk you see may very well be one of the places Dave Mustaine searched for garbage and trash-cans to dump onto his neighbors front door whose music he disapproved or disliked.

As parents would pass by the Music Building, now a loading truck facility, they would cover up the ears of their children, all in an attempt to save their kids souls from damage…pretty funny.

As you can see the LIRR Station walls are in need of a good cleaning, it is not any wonder Kirk Hammett Thought NYC and it walls were dirty.

These phone booths are possibly how members of Metallica officially found out they would have to live in the music building, down the block on Archer Ave.
Although at that time it might have been a private booth.

Down Union Hall street is Jamaica Avenue where Run DMC would perform at Rufus King Park and near by Hill Crest Highschool and P.S 86.

The park was the place for early Hip Hop shows and events.

The famous Blimpies sandwich shop Metallica dinned back in the 80s, now a Baskin BR Robins and Dunkin Donuts. (Jamaica ave and 168 street)

The history of Jamaica Queen’s is a unique marker for NYC, the neighborhood was named Yameco, a corruption of the word for "beaver" in the language spoken by the Lenape, over the years construction companies have excavated and recovered native and African American unmark graves, a few were kept secret…in fear of ruining or slowing urban renewal projects. A number of Christian Churches with graveyards and a cemetery surround downtown Jamaica presently.
Rufus King a signer of the Constitution is buried not to far from Union Hall and Archer.
Resting place Grace Episcopal Churchyard.

See

Another burial grave site for many Revolutionary War soldiers, as well as some of Queens’ most prominent families with names like Van Wyck, Sutphin and Brinkerhoff.
Notably: Egbert Benson - was a Founding Father of the United States who represented New York and was also buried in Prospect Cemetery.

One block across from this historic site is the Music Building.
As you can see death and war was present at the final development stage of Thrash Metal and Hip Hop Music…ironically the genre’s famously deals within these subject matters.
It is befitting to which the building of two great cultures took place near one another in a location named after of all things a Beaver’ who are themselves architect builders as well as the locals whom some were founders and signer’s helped politically build our new nation.
(On a side note some of George Washington's ancestors lived in the area up until the 70's and 1980's... my family included.)
The great history of Jamaica Queen’s has produced a culture that has enrich people lives, unfortunately in the past some have decided to trample over it.

On the back of the Kill ‘Em All album the distain for Jamaica Queens led residents to believe Metallica were a racist band and too insensitive to black plight, in addition unpatriotic while some thought of Kirk Hammett a trader for playing white music… as an accumulative effect fans and residents in the area were perplex…while some further hid their love of metal.

When Metallica dropped Obey your master, upon listening to the title it conjures imagery of slavery, as you listen carefully you realize it is about a drug addictions hold…that said many people of color are left uneasy and perplex.

Anthrax members frequently took misogynistic and racist lyrical slants for effect, in the process lost Black and Latino fans, many never forgave them, it was perceived as passively exerting white dominance.

Recently making matters worse in an interview, Ian asserts that it was a deliberate choice, albeit one that might be difficult to successfully make nowadays.

The resent return of S.O.D for a Youtube quarantine video is deeply problematic, the character created by Scott Ion is meant to be racist, however the action taken discredits him to speck on anti-Semitic remarks made by a colleague.

When Dave Mustaine created Megadeth one of his bandmates lied to him and said he was of Spanish origin, when it was found out his background was actually mulatto he was fired because Dave couldn’t trust him. The truth is unfortunately it takes a lot of guts and courage for a black man to hang with white people let alone listen to and play their music… takes a special kind of person. Rather than keeping him aboard Dave made the situation about him.

At some point his stint with Metallica, led to his own firing, later he asked to come back, and was granted another chance.
Ultimately he couldn’t hold it together and was let go for good. The point is Dave got a second chance…something he would not afford others.
That second chance of course was a trial run.

It appears many of the members of Metallica, Anthrax and singer Dave Mustaine of Megadeth suffers from the same pattern of white male privilege, in addition has done nothing to lend a hand to the poor residents as a collective whole… instead they hide behind their success.
What is needed is for them to acknowledge as a person with white privilege, they hadn’t always made the right decision.
Second: Recognize Queens contribution to Black and Latino culture.
Third: Recognize Thrash history interceding with Jamaica Queen’s and what that means to all New Yorkers.
Fourth: Visit Jamaica Queens again…and play a rocking great show… a benefit concert to bring the races together.
Fifth: Cut a check to the black lives matter movement…
As we all do our part maybe someday #BlackLivesWillMatter

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President Trump who was born in Jamaica Queens as a child attended church services in the area, and at this moment has done more for the neighborhood than these Rock Stars have combined.
Thrash Launching Pad was truly Trashed dumped…and forgotten by it’s leaders.