Run DMC
Members Run (Joseph Simmons) b. 11/15/64 DMC (Darryl McDaniels) b. 5/31/64 Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) b. 1/21/65 d. 10/30/02 “Two years ago a friend of mine asked me to say some emcee rhymes So I said this rhyme I’m about to say, the rhyme was def and it went this way: Took a test to become an emcee, and Orange Krush became amazed at me So Larry put me inside his Cadillac, the chauffeur drove off and we never came back...
Kurtis Blow
The year was 1976. A young man named Curtis Walker (born August 9, 1959) hooked up with a group of party promoters who called themselves The Force. Among that group was a rather aggressive and bold member named Russell Simmons. The group sponsored parties in Harlem until 1977 when Russell, or Rush as he came to be known, moved the group to Queens. Kool DJ Kurt as he was known at the time was renamed to Kurtis Blow and, along with...
Fat Boys
Members Kool Rock-Ski (Damon Wimbley) (born November 4, 1966) Prince Markie Dee (Mark Morales) (born February 19, 1968) The Human Beat Box (Darren Robinson) (June 10, 1967 — December 10, 1995) Originally known as The Disco Three, these large boys were discovered at a 1983 talent show at Radio City Music Hall. First Prize at the contest included a recording contract. The Disco Three were protégés of Kurtis Blow , who produced...
Old School Feature – St. Louis Hip Hop Festival Review – Kurtis Blow, Slick Rick, Sugarhill Gang
St. Louis, MO – Home of the Cardinals, the Rams, the Arch and……Nelly. The first week of September 2006 saw the birth of the 1st Annual St. Louis Hip Hop Festival. To my great surprise (and excitement) it turns out the festival was being headlined by several Old School Hip Hop Legends. The festival was held on the Eads Bridge which is a four lane highway over the Mississippi River Monday-Friday, but on several...
Old School Feature – The Evolution of “Rapper’s Delight”
Everybody knows this song. Thanks to the revitalization of disco in the late 1990’s and several remakes (include one by a grandmother), the words “Now what you hear is not a test, I’m rappin’ to the beat/ And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try and move your feet” are recognizable. But how did this happen? Who were these guys? That’s this month’s topic. First of all,...
