Recently, there's been quite a bit of internet buzz about the predicament that DJ Kool Herc has found himself in, and just on a tangent, it has made me think about the people who's creations have shaped the way i think about music, and who i owe thanks to for doing what they did, and the resulting pleasure i have personally gained from their creativity....
So who helped make me the person i am today? here's a list, but it is by no mmeans comprehensive....in a couple of days i will probably remember someone else that i owe a debt of gratitude to....
Anyway, here goes, in no particular order.....
JamMaster Jay from RUN D.M.C.
Jay did the first scratch that i actually ever heard...on "Walk this Way" By RUN D.M.C. and Aerosmith. That simple "Duvva Duvva Duvva Duvva" sound set something in my brain on fire, and made me want to learn how to make that noise for the rest of my life. When i first saw the video to that track, i was so awestruck by the beats and the cuts i nearly cried. I actually did shed a tear when i heard he was shot dead in 2002, and i still carry the sadness around with me that i will never be able to say "thankyou" to him either in person, or by email....God rest your funky soul Jay, and Thankyou a million times from the bottom of my heart.
DJ Kool Herc.
Herc is widely regarded as the Father of HipHop, Born in 1979 @1520 Sedgewick Avenue (HipHop, not Herc!). It was at his sisters party he threw down the newest of his DJ'ing ideas...something he called "The Merry-go-Round", which was basically looping up and mixing the breakbeats from his records.
This innovative approach to DJing led to all sorts of creative ripples flowing out from it's epicenter....It led to a whole new approach to DJ'ing, as well as paving the way and clearing the road for MC's to step in and toast the instrumental breaks with their own lyrics and vocal stylings. If you like HipHop in any way, shape or form, you owe Herc a nod of thanks at the very least! Thanks Herc, you are a true musical pioneer, and i owe you!
GrandWizzard Theodore
GrandWizzard Theodore is credited with the invention of the scratch, an artform i have loved and loved more every day since "walk this way" hit my ears. It never ceases to amaze me how much Theodore's trick has evolved and mutated through the years, and how many people have jumped on that train (including myself) to try and see how far they can take it, and we haven't seen the limits yet!!!! Thankyou Theodore, for inventing the sound that changed my life!
Tim Westwood
Back in the days when i first got into hiphop, there wasn't a hell of a lot around in small town Scotland....the only place i ever got to hear fresh new HipHop was sat in my little Vauxhall Chevette with my mates listening to the Tim Westwood Show on BBC....This was in the early nineties, when all the golden hiphop was bursting out....The Rap industry was still young, and just about everything that came out sounded funky, individual and fresh as hell! I loved those days, so yeah, The Big Dog Westwood gets a mention! Thanks for exposing me to that whole music scene Tim!
My Mum and Dad
Ok, aside from the obviously fine job they did of raising such a nice young man and amazing DJ, *ahem*, they had an AMAZING music collection.....Now i think about it, i have heard most of the tracks that some of my favourite HipHop tracks are made out of....Mum was really into her Soul and Tamala Motown, and Dad was into his Led Zep and Hendrix type stuff....perfect combo of soul and chunky-ass beats!! They weren't too down with Rap music, but they were HipHop without knowing it :D
Thanks Mum and Dad, i owe you everything. (especially that £100 i borrowed.....eek!)
pic to be uploaded :)
That's all for now, can't be arsed typing anymore, need to hit the decks for a bit.....more to come soon!
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