For those who tried to construct a rap star in a lab, your consequence can be one thing near Kurtis Blow.
As we speak, it’s commonplace to have a rapper that may additionally maintain a be aware, however add beauty, charisma, legit avenue credibility, and an encyclopedic information of music and enterprise, and also you’d have the right ambassador for hip-hop tradition, which is strictly what Kurtis Blow got here to be.
Take heed to Kurtis Blow on Apple Music and Spotify.
Born Curtis Walker in Harlem, NY, there was no a part of the tradition that this trailblazer didn’t contact. He began DJing within the early 70s at simply 13 years previous, and even spent a quick time in one of many infamous Bronx gangs that closely divided the borough, The Peace Makers, the place he befriended fellow pioneer Melle Mel. However his singular give attention to changing into an entertainer would information his steps away from the road life. Evolving from Kool DJ Kurt to Kurtis “Sky” Walker and eventually Kurtis Blow (due to prodding by his former associate in celebration promotion-turned-manager Russell Simmons), Curtis was barely 20 years previous when he made music historical past as the primary rapper signed to a significant label.
Kurtis Blow’s first single, “Christmas Rappin,” was rejected by over 20 label executives earlier than being launched on Mercury Information in 1979. Blow was a school pupil on the time and solely considered what number of copies he’d should promote to repay the rest of his tuition. The track was so profitable that he left college to go on tour and advertise.
Along with being the primary rap single launched on a significant, “Christmas Rappin’” was additionally the primary import. (Blow was signed by way of Mercury’s London workplace within the UK.) “Christmas Rappin” led to the recording of his self-titled debut album, which contained the hit single “The Breaks.” All of Blow’s abilities and charms had been on show on this nod to the b-boy dancers who had taken over the events and streets with their gravity-defying strikes. The intelligent wordplay and bass-driven groove earned Blow the primary licensed Gold plaque for a rap track ever.
Whereas even Blow will credit score Grandmaster Flash and The Livid 5’s “The Message” as one of many best rap songs of all time, he additionally helped lay the muse for what some think about “conscious” rap with songs just like the motivational “Throughout Your Years,” an affirmational monitor encouraging youngsters to set targets, from his debut.
Blow went on to launch eight albums on Mercury Information, however noticed the largest success with singles like “Basketball,” from his 1984 album Ego Journey, and “If I Ruled The World” from his 1985 album, America. The latter was featured prominently within the hip-hop movie Krush Groove, with a efficiency by Blow.
However what made Blow much more of an outlier was his manufacturing for different artists throughout this similar interval. Together with the late Larry Smith, he co-produced the music for an up-and-coming trio generally known as the Disco Three. Their track “Fat Boys” turned such a success, the group made it their new title. Blow went on to supply The Fats Boys’ 1984 self-titled debut album in addition to its follow-up, The Fats Boys Are Again in 1985. Blow additionally produced the soundtrack to the aforementioned Krush Groove; and “King Holiday,” a younger, hip, “We Are The World”-esque tribute that includes New Version, Whitney Houston, plus a younger Ricky Martin and his group Menudo, celebrating the primary nationwide remark of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in 1986.
Blow additionally ghostwrote Run-DMC’s 1985 monitor, “You Talk Too Much,” on a $200 dare. The guess was that he couldn’t write a track in two hours. He did it in simply half-hour, giving his former DJ, Joseph “Run” Simmons, and his crew a lead single for his or her sophomore album King Of Rock.
Round this similar time Blow added one other first to his rising checklist of accomplishments by showing in a TV spot for Sprite years earlier than the soda launched their hip-hop centered “Obey Your Thirst” marketing campaign. His family-friendly voice and worldwide recognition made him a super pitchman for absolutely anything, however soda was an ideal product pairing for his bubbly persona, as he declared the “limon” style of Sprite the chosen taste over rival 7-Up.
Maybe the largest nod to Kurtis Blow’s continued relevance and timeless attraction, nonetheless, is the quantity of instances he’s been sampled and lined. “If I Ruled The World” was sampled by Queens MC Nas for his 1996 track of the identical title with Lauryn Hill singing the hook. (Lauryn and the Fugees beforehand referenced the hook of their hit “Ready or Not”). The Trackmasters, in the meantime, mixed Blow’s hit with that of his associate Larry Smith’s manufacturing for Whodini’s “Friends,” giving the younger’n from Queensbridge his first High 20 R&B hit.
Lower than a 12 months later the R&B trio Subsequent sampled “Christmas Rappin” for his or her libidinous “Too Close.” To not point out, the ever-present “Hold it now!” phrase from the intro to “Christmas Rappin” has been sprinkled throughout too many compositions to depend; from the Beastie Boys (who turned the pattern right into a track title), to junior rap stars One other Unhealthy Creation. Kurtis’ attain even prolonged to southern aware rap and Arrested Growth’s hit “Tennessee,” which interpolated Blow’s “Tough.”
Blow’s most enduring contribution to hip-hop tradition and the music enterprise, nonetheless, was proving that somebody born of the previous may succeed within the latter with out compromise. In reality, it was his natural and genuine participation within the varied components that made Kurtis Blow such an impactful performer from high to backside. Each MC who has taken their artwork from the stage to the display – and all over the place in between – owes him a debt of gratitude.
This text was first revealed in 2020. We’re re-publishing in the present day in celebration of Kurtis Blow’s birthday. Black Music Reframed is an ongoing editorial collection on uDiscover Music that seeks to encourage a special lens, a wider lens, a brand new lens, when contemplating Black music; one not outlined by style parameters or labels, however by the creators. Gross sales and charts and firsts and rarities are essential. However artists, music, and moments that form tradition aren’t all the time best-sellers, chart-toppers, or rapid successes. This collection, which facilities Black writers writing about Black music, takes a brand new take a look at music and moments which have beforehand both been neglected or not had their tales advised with the correct context.
