On this date in 1971, rapper Daniel Dumile also known as MF DOOM (Metal Face Doom), was born in London, England to his Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father. His family relocated to New York when Dumile was a teenager, which was where he developed a love for the Hip-Hop culture.
In 1988, Dumile, under the moniker Zev Love X, created the rap collective KMD (Kausing Much Damage) along with his brother and DJ of the group, the late Subroc. From here DOOM gained fame from the timeless “Peachfuzz” single, which catapulted Dumile to the status of being able to deliver an anticipated solo album.
With over 30 album releases under his belt and an international cult following unmatched by virtually any other solo emcee or group, MF DOOM will continue to leave his graffiti-style mark in the game, even though in another four years, we’ll be calling him Curtis Jackson.
Supreme salute to the GOD MF DOOM, wishing him a safe and enjoyable born day today and many more hereafter.
On this date in 1996, Busta Rhymes of the almighty L.O.N.S.(Leaders Of The New School) crew dropped his very first single as a solo artist entitled Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check. The frontman of the four-man squad had been expected to come out dolo since the early days of L.O.N.S., but made a few guest appearances on tracks within the circle of Hip Hop royalty, but didn’t officially go for self until 1995.
At the top of the following year, Buss A Bus released the first single “Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check” from his solo debut album The Coming, which was marketed and distributed by Elektra Records. The energetic track borrowed lyrics from The Sugarhill Gang’s impactful “8th Wonder” for the hook and added Busta’s signature animation for one of the most memorable singles of Buss ‘career.
Salute to Busta, the late Chris Lighty, and the entire Violator family for bringing Buss to us as a solo artist!
On today’s date, 43 years ago, “Rapper’s Delight” became Hip-Hop’s first Top 40 single. “Rapper’s Delight” was released by Englewood, New Jersey’s Sugarhill Gang in August of 1979. As one of Hip Hop’s earliest relics, this single, written by The Cold Crush Brothers’ own Grandmaster Caz, is credited with bringing the art of rap to a multicultural mainstream audience.
In the ’70s, disco and soul still reigned supreme in the clubs and lounges of the country’s urban centers. In its most primitive form, Hip Hop was still misunderstood (and exclusive to New York City and California). Breaking, tagging, rapping, and spinning records were widely recognized as the borderline criminal activities of whatever city’s urban youth. The culture’s cult following was majority made up of housing project residence, the type to not frequent the discos and bars of their respective downtown centers. Every once in and while someone would drop a single that would break through and get some shine on the club scene but never make much of a splash nationally. “Rapper’s Delight” was a different story.
On September 20, 1979, new wave bands Blondie andChic were playing a concert at New York’s renown Palladium with British punk rock band The Clash; Hip Hop’s earliest socialite (and soon to be television host)Fab Five Freddy was on the scene with Sugarhill Gang members Big Bank Hank, Mike Wright, and Master Gee. Having just released a single featuring Chic’s hit single “Good Times” from their recent international album Risqué, it was natural for the gang to hop on stage and start freestyling as soon as Chic dropped the bass line.
Sometime later, Chic’s Nile Rodgers was out at New York’s Club Leviticus and heard a recorded cut of the very song The Sugarhill Gang ever-so-delightfully interrupted his concert weeks earlier. Enraged, Rodgers immediately sought legal action and attempted to sue the Sugarhill Gang for using his band’s instrumental in their single. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and appropriate credit was given to Chic in their part of the song.
With the lawsuit and legal attention came a swarm of popularity. Disc Jockeys in clubs across the country began to spin this record every night of the week. The single gained so much play in the United States that clubs across the globe began to push this song like no tomorrow. Although the single may have peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200, it was #1 in Canada and the Netherlands, #2 in Belgium, France, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and #3 in Germany and the UK. This single song sold platinum in both the United States and Canada, with over 5 million copies sold worldwide.
“Rapper’s Delight” may be the most important single of Hip Hop culture. It didn’t event style, it wasn’t the first to gain mainstream success, it wasn’t even from New York, but it was the biggest of its time. What “Rapper’s Delight” did was make it “ok” to listen to and support rap music out in the open. Before this single, Hip Hop was an urban taboo. Upon its release, the connotation transformed from one synonymous with the ghetto to a new and hip musical genre. In a way, “Rapper’s Delight” gentrified Hip Hop in a way that made it profitable. Without it, the culture would not be a powerful as it is today.
On this date in 1958, a man who will forever reform the stance of the turntable was born; Joseph Saddler best known as Grandmaster Flash.
Amidst the infancy of hip-hop culture, Grandmaster Flash dominated the disc jockey scene of the North Bronx as he once was the DJ for big-time house rockers Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski in the mid-70s. Flash’s DJ sets became notorious for shaking crowds and it was evident he was influenced by preceding disco DJs in the likes of Grandmaster Flowers and Pete DJ Jones. Not only was Flash intrigued by the identity of the disc jockey through New York City disco DJ legends, but also, by the “hip-hopper” house rockers of his time, who reigned the opposing regions of the boogie down, DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa.
The DJ is the first star to brew out of hip-hop culture. With knowledge of the crowd’s desire to get down to the drum break known in hip-hop culture as the break beat (A type of instrumental that extends the dance part of the record), Saddler’s innovative nature caused him to develop a strategy that would deem his influence on the genre, unmatched and unquestioned, the quick-mix theory. The quick-mix theory was Flash’s way of endlessly playing the drum break, by using two turntables and two copies of the same record, playing the break on one record while setting the destined part on the other, and with use of a mixer, he switched to the other turntable, giving birth to an easier way to extend the break, which is currently known as the art of looping. The quick-mix-theory was heralded as a next level tactic that stemmed from DJ Kool Herc’s groundbreaking “Merry Go Round Technique.”
The signature success of the quick mix theory leads to his most famed act as the DJ for Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, whose 1982 hit “The Message” embodied the essence of New York City and brought global prominence to the once “thought-to-be-faddy” hip-hop genre. “The Message” is known to be a track that document’s Flash’s mastery on the turntable and is nonetheless recognized as one of the greatest songs of hip-hop history. The song is responsible for refining the content landscape of the rapping trend by bringing to light social commentary from the black youth of the Bronx, exposing the daily trials and tribulations caused by historically sanctioned methods of oppression.
Happy born day Flash! Salute to you on your special day and wishingyou many more!
On this date in 1991, Paramount Pictures presented the highly anticipated soundtrack to the hood flick Juice, which starred a still rising rap star by the name of Tupac Shakur, who plays a crooked criminal from Uptown by the name of “Bishop”.
His co-star, Omar Epps (Higher Learning, In Too Deep), plays a local DJ with industry potential named “GQ”, alongside Jermaine “Huggy” Hopkins(Lean On Me) and Khalil Kain, who all form a loosely knit crew of truants who are headed in the wrong direction.
This movie was very instrumental in bringing Hip Hop artists onto the silver screen, with cameo appearances from Treach of Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah, EPMD’s DJ Scratch and Special Ed. Juice also helped to introduce the soundtrack as a way to market movies for larger budgets.
The soundtrack to this monumental movie included hits from the likes of Eric B. and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, Teddy Riley and the “Uptown Anthem” by the legendary Naughty By Nature. The soundtrack was a success, making it to #17 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B Albums.
Lawmakers are criticizing Southwest Airlines over a series of flight cancellations in recent days. A bitter cold front swept across the country accompanied by snow and freezing temperatures this holiday season. Although the airline is currently rolling out a reset by moving crews and empty aircrafts around the country to place crews accordingly, lawmakers are pushing for oversight.
Southwest is not alone in this widespread nuisance as several airlines faced vast cancellations. Still, Southwest canceled at least 70% of its flights Monday due to the weather and a reported system meltdown. The airline canceled 62% of its flights Tuesday. In an unfortunate series of events for holiday travelers, 42% of Southwest’s flights were canceled on Christmas Day, and 48% were delayed, according to data from FlightAware.
On Tuesday the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said her panel will investigate the causes of the Southwest flight cancellations as, “the problems at Southwest Airlines over the last several days go beyond weather. The Committee will be looking into the causes of these disruptions and its impact to consumers. Many airlines fail to adequately communicate with consumers during flight cancellations. Consumers deserve strong protections, including an updated consumer refund rule.”
The extensive cancellations have prompted the Biden administration to step in. President Joe Biden stated, “Administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable” and the Transportation Department added, “We are concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service. We will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.”
Aggressive scheduling and underinvestment in operations coupled with shorter flights with tighter turnaround times has sent the airline into a chaotic frenzy. Stranded customers have not been able to get through to Southwest’s customer service lines to rebook flights or find lost baggage.
In a message vouching for frustrated flyers, Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., members of the Senate Commerce Committee, said, “[T]he company can start by fairly compensating passengers whose flights were canceled, including not only rebooked tickets, ticket refunds, and hotel, meal, and transportation reimbursement, but significant monetary compensation for the disruption to their holiday plans. Southwest is planning to issue a $428 million dividend next year – the company can afford to do right by the consumers it has harmed.” Cancellations are not solely at the fault of bad weather and therefore the public is demanding the airline to take accountability for failure of internal systems.
On the heels of wide-scale disruptions, we’re working diligently to Safely recover our operation & accommodate displaced Customers & Crews. We know this is unacceptable & sincerely apologize. If your travel was impacted, explore self-service options here: https://t.co/B6L8HR9Yqcpic.twitter.com/mLWndYMned
On this date two years ago, John “Ecstasy” Fletcher of the legendary rap duo Whodinia passed away suddenly in the presence of his family. Ecstasy was only 56 years old. As a member of Whodini alongside his partners Jalil and Grandmaster D, Ecstasy stood out as one half of Whodini’s smooth, mature lyricism coupled with their unique fashion style.
“The African and Native American ancestors have gathered around and chosen this day, during the Winter Solstice, Dec 23rd, 2020 to call upon a most endeared, generous, and sincere soul who graced The World’s heart through performance, hip-hop, family, children and grandchildren,” his family said in a statement on the date of his passing. “John ‘Ecstasy’ Fletcher was a beloved man, the life partner to Deltonia and ex-husband to Carla, twin brother to Joseph, artist, friend, and lifetime performing partner to Jalil.
“Please send love and prayers to our family, and with open hearts we ask the ancestors to cover his soul in peace and tranquility. Play his music if it moves you, and know he’ll be hearing you on his way home this day, Dec 23rd.”
On this date in 1960, record exec, rapper, producer and pioneer Luther Campbell aka Uncle Luke was born in Miami, Florida. Luke has morphed into one of the trailblazers of today’s strip club-based Hip Hop that is seen from southern artists such as Future, Kodak Black and even Megan Thee Stallion.
As the one time leader of the legendary 2 Live Crew, Campbell launched Luke Skyywalker Records, becoming the first Hip Hop mogul in the Dirty South boasting a gold album(The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are). After five group albums and eight solo albums, Campbell ventured into adult films, starred in his own reality show and even made a run for Mayor of Miami in 2011.
Happy 62nd born day to the Liberty City native who became a father, husband and a definitive part of Hip Hop history!
On this date in 1998, Earl “DMX” Simmons dropped his sophomore release, Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood on the Def Jam/Ruff Ryders imprint. Less than a year following his debut album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, X put out one of his most celebrated releases that shipped gold in its first week and were posted at the top of the charts for almost an entire month following its release.
The project, which was produced by Irv Gotti, Dame Grease and Swizz, debuted at number 1 on Billboard Top 200 just like X’s premier album. This feat was only accomplished once before by Tupac with All Eyez On Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.
The singles that led the album’s success were the dark, autobiographical “Slippin’” and the Swizz Beatz produced “No Love 4 Me” featuring then Ruff Ryders newcomer Drag-On. The album enjoyed additional success being that this was the project in heavy rotation during DMX’s silver screen debut alongside Nas in Belly.
Thanks to the entire Ruff Ryder team including the Dark Man Unknown himself for this timeless Hip Hop classic!
One of the most infamous graffiti artists of the 20th century is celebrating his 53rd born day today, and he goes by the name of COPE2, founder of the world-famous KINGS DESTROY crew.
Born Fernando Carlo on this date in 1968 in the Bronx, New York, COPE2 began his illustrious graff career in 1985, during the height of the crack era in the Kingsbridge section of his home borough. He picked up his throw up from graffiti bad guy CAP ONE MPC and the rest is history.
COPE’s work can now be found internationally in art galleries for tens of thousands of dollars, but with the game deeply embedded in his heart, you can still find some of his work somewhere in the Rotten Apple rockin’ on the walls.
Happy born day to COPE from the entire Mind Squad!
