dj clark kent

DJ Clark Kent Details Creating JAY-Z’s “Brooklyn’s Finest” in Celebration of Hip Hop 50 for Serato’s ‘Unscripted’ Podcast

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DJ Clark Kent Details Creating JAY-Z's "Brooklyn's Finest" in Celebration of Hip Hop 50 for Serato's 'Unscripted' Podcast

In celebration of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, renowned audio software company Serato has released a captivating new episode of its podcast series, Serato Unscripted. This episode features a candid conversation with influential hip-hop producer, music executive, and DJ Clark Kent, shedding light on music’s profound impact and the evolution of DJs within the hip-hop culture.

Hosted by Serato’s own Matt Perry, Serato Unscripted is a platform for candid discussions about the transformative power of music. In this installment, Clark Kent delves into his journey as a pioneering figure in the hip-hop industry. He reflects on the trailblazing DJs and artists who have shaped his work, emphasizing DJs’ integral role in hip-hop’s dynamic landscape.

Clark Kent’s legacy in hip-hop is undeniable, having left an indelible mark on the careers of luminaries like Jay-Z, Kanye West, The Notorious B.I.G, and Lil’ Kim. The episode unveils the fascinating story behind the creation of Jay-Z’s iconic track “Brooklyn’s Finest,” which resulted from Kent’s innovative DJing skills and creative vision.

“Ohio Players ‘Ecstasy’ to me is the best record I’ve ever heard,” Clark Kent said. “It doesn’t have verses. It doesn’t have hooks. It doesn’t have bridges. It just has feeling. And every time I listen to it, it’s the same. It’s just like, God, listen to the feeling… I played it as the last record at every party. And you know, when you got your crew – [Jay-Z] and [Dame Dash], [Biggie Smalls] – every night they hear this song… it becomes the crew’s favorite record.”

Throughout the conversation, Clark Kent pays homage to the legendary DJs who were his early inspirations, including Larry Levan, Kool DJ Red Alert, and Grandmaster Flowers. Their influence helped shape his trajectory and contribute to the rich tapestry of hip-hop culture.

“I love [Kool DJ Red Alert] for being like, one of the only people who can challenge me in a club,” DJ Clark Kent said. “The only other guy I probably ever felt challenged in a club with is Louie Vega… Little Louie Vega is literally the house version of me in the club.”

You can watch the entire episode below.

The post DJ Clark Kent Details Creating JAY-Z’s “Brooklyn’s Finest” in Celebration of Hip Hop 50 for Serato’s ‘Unscripted’ Podcast first appeared on The Source.

The post DJ Clark Kent Details Creating JAY-Z’s “Brooklyn’s Finest” in Celebration of Hip Hop 50 for Serato’s ‘Unscripted’ Podcast appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] DJ Clark Kent Says Biggie Was Killed Because 2Pac Lied About The Quad Studios Shooting

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Famed Hip Hop radio personality Angie Martinez has been using her Iconic Records podcast to talk to those notables who were close to the Notorious B.I.G., with the fifth episode entitled “My Downfall” where she interviews legendary Brooklyn DJ Clark Kent.

Martinez spoke with Clark Kent about his work on BIG’s last LP, Life After Death, in which the song “My Downfall” took on a different meaning following the rapper’s untimely death in Los Angeles. Kent says that he didn’t even remember he did the scratches on the album and delved into BIG’s diss track aimed at Nas.

Kent went on to allege that “Biggie is dead because 2Pac lied,” and stated that 2Pac’s “lies” about Biggie setting up the Quad Studios shooting led to Biggie’s death. 

Clark Kent asked why ‘Pac would lie knowing “1000%” that BIG had nothing to do with the robbery/shooting, but says that he did it “because he didn’t want to tell what really happened.”

Go to the 24-minute mark to hear Clark Kent’s commentary with Martinez about the ‘Pac and Biggie beef that led to the Brooklyn rapper’s death.

The post [WATCH] DJ Clark Kent Says Biggie Was Killed Because 2Pac Lied About The Quad Studios Shooting appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Slick Rick Dropped His Last Album ‘The Art Of Storytelling’ 24 Years Ago

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slick rick

On this day in Hip Hop history, Slick Rick released his final studio LP, The Art of Storytelling.

Produced mainly by DJ Clark Kent and Kid Capri, this album featured guest verses from Redman, Rev Run, Outkast, Nas, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg.

Critically the album has been hailed as the only proper sequel to his breakthrough debut album, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick. Due to continuous run-ins with the law, the public could never fully experience Slick Rick as an artist. For the same reason, the world will never know what his outstanding ability and outspoken persona could have done for Hip Hop culture. What is apparent is that when the master storyteller has the time, he can pen and deliver a masterpiece.

The Art of Storytelling was Slick Rick’s most commercially successful album, peaking at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop charts. The album even went gold during its first week of sales. True to the title, the album is full of narratives that could only be crafted by the pen that scribed the famous “Children’s Story.” And although he has not strayed away from his signature rhetoric, The Art of Storytelling shows improvement and Slick Rick’s ability to stay relevant as far as his style blending with the popular sound of the time. This album is deserving of all accolades and is a proper farewell to Slick Rick as an album rapper.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Slick Rick Dropped His Last Album ‘The Art Of Storytelling’ 24 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” Isn’t A Classic, According To DJ Clark Kent

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Dr. Dre’s The Chronic is undoubtedly an album that has every right to be a classic. From groundbreaking production to stand-out performances from Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre delivered a body of work that earned its place on the National Recording Registry. However, not everyone feels that way. During an appearance on Angie Martinez’s Iconic Records, DJ Clark Kent claimed that Dr Dre’s The Chronic doesn’t stand alongside albums like Doggystyle, Reasonable Doubt, or Ready To Die.

Clark Kent listed a number of classic albums before Angie Martinez mentioned Dre’s seminal debut album. “I can’t even put The Chronic before I put [Doggystyle],” he said. “Snoop Dogg’s album is better than The Chronic. Anyways – it definitely is.” Martinez was taken aback by DJ Clark Kent’s claim about Dr Dre’s album. He added that projects like Ready To Die, Reasonable Doubt, and Life After Death are “the same album.” “All of these albums do the same thing: they begin, they hold you in the middle, they hug you, and then they end,” he added.

DJ Clark Kent’s Take On “The Chronic”

Ultimately, he felt as though every classic album needs to captivate you from the beginning to the end. Even one skip deters a project from reaching the status of being a “classic,” he explained. “But you have to have great songs that make that thing happen. If you don’t – if you got one song that doesn’t hit properly, you done took yourself out of the classic [thing]. Because if you could, you ain’t got a classic,” he said. “That’s why, I won’t say The Chronic is a classic because I could skip RBX.”

Clark Kent Doubles Down 

Clark Kent later took to the comment section of @92bricks where he said that it was solely his opinion and not one that he expected others to share. Later on, he took to his Twitter page where he divulged further on his stance. “Having an opinion, that may not be popular, doesn’t make you a hater. Also doesn’t make you bias. It makes you human,” he wrote. “I respect everyone’s opinions as their own. I will never expect anybody to be in total agreement with me.” Check his comments above and sound off with your thoughts below. 

DJ Clark Kent Says LL Cool J Passed On 2 Iconic Notorious B.I.G. Beats

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DJ Clark Kent says that LL Cool J passed on two beats that The Notorious B.I.G. later went on to use on classic tracks. Appearing on the second episode of Warner Music Group’s Iconic Records podcast series, Clark Kent explained that the beats for “Sky’s the Limit” and Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “Player’s Anthem” were originally in LL Cool J’s possession.

“[‘Player’s Anthem’] rings off in the Tunnel,” Clark Kent began. “[Kap] plays it like 10 times in a row. Now, me and Biggie are standing against one of the walls in the Tunnel. LL COOL J’s walking by and the club’s going crazy. I’m like, ‘Yo, wassup?’ And he goes, ‘Yo, what is this?’ I was like, ‘It’s the new joint with Big and his crew.’ He was like, ‘Who did this?’ I was like, ‘I did.’ He was like, ‘Yo, dawg, I need a joint like that.’ I said, ‘Well, remember that tape I gave you with the silver label on it? That was the first one on the tape.’ And he was like, ‘This?!’ I was like, ‘Yeah, you had it first.’ ‘You had it before [JAY-Z], you had it before all the guys that you had any rivalries with. You had it first. I shouldn’t have gave it to you but I did. But you had it first and you didn’t pick it. So now you hear it in the club.’ And he was just like, ‘Damn.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, listen to the tape.’”

DJ Clark Kent In New York City

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 18: DJ Clark Kent attends CQ3 The Harlem Renaissance With DJ D-Nice presented by The Apollo on March 18, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

“The next track on there was ‘Sky’s the Limit,’” he said. “He missed that. LL had ‘Player’s Anthem’ and ‘Sky’s the Limit.’ And then it was magical because the Tunnel was upside down that night. And I was just like, ‘We did this yesterday. This shit shouldn’t even be playing.’ But it’s me, Big and Un. Un’s like, ‘Yo, this gon’ be the first single!’ And Big’s like, ‘I told you so, I told you.’ And I was just like, ‘Okay, you told me.’”

Clark Kent went on to praise Biggie for his ability to recognize and incorporate a good beat into his songs. He felt that LL Cool J, on the other hand, didn’t “listen to it properly.” He explained that not all artists can hear an entire composition when they listen to a beat. “Most people hear the track and they think, ‘How do I rhyme to it?’ Biggie’s like, ‘Oh no, there’s a whole song here,’” the DJ said. Check out the second episode of Iconic Records below.

Read More: Pusha T Labels Biggie’s “Life After Death” The “Best Double Album Ever”

DJ Clark Kent On “Iconic Records

[Via]

Today in Hip-Hop History: Slick Rick Dropped His Last Album ‘The Art Of Storytelling’ 23 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip Hop history, Slick Rick released his final studio LP, The Art of Story Telling.

Mostly produced by DJ Clark Kent and Kid Capri, this album featured guest verses from the likes of Redman, Rev Run, Outkast, Nas, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg.

Critically the album has been hailed as the only proper sequel to his breakthrough debut album, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick. Due to continuous run-ins with the law, the public was never really able to fully experience Slick Rick as an artist. For the same reason, the world will never know what his outstanding ability and outspoken persona could have done for Hip Hop culture. What is apparent is that when the master storyteller has the time, he can pen and deliver a masterpiece.

The Art of Storytelling was Slick Rick’s most commercially successful album, peaking at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop charts. The album even went gold during its first week of sales. True to the title, the album is full of narratives that could only be crafted by the pen that scribed the famous “Children’s Story.” And although he has not strayed away from his signature rhetoric, The Art of Storytelling shows improvement and Slick Rick’s ability to stay relevant as far as his own style blending with the popular sound of the time. As a whole, this album is deserving of all accolades and is a proper farewell to Slick Rick as an album rapper.

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Slick Rick Dropped His Last Album ‘The Art Of Storytelling’ 23 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.