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Happy 63rd Birthday To Hip Hop Pioneer Grandmaster Caz!

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Curtis Fisher a.k.a Grandmaster Caz, one of Hip Hop’s very first and most well known ghostwriters, turns 63 today. He currently works as a celebrity tour guide for Hush Hip Hop Tours, a Hip Hop cultural sightseeing tour company in NYC and is a board member of The Universal Federation for the Preservation of Hip Hop Culture.

In his apex in the early 80s, Caz was a founding member of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers and also singlehandedly wrote Hip Hop’s most recognizable hit of all time, “Rapper’s Delight”, which was performed by The Sugar Hill Gang. Unfortunately, Caz was never compensated at all for that piece of Hip Hop history.

Caz has done his part to preserve the Hip Hop culture in his own right, and in 1998 he was listed #11 out of Blaze Magazine‘s Top 50 MCs of All Time. Caz was also inducted into the Technics DJ Hall of Fame in 1999 and June 2008, Grandmaster Caz was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame. We at TheSource.com want to wish a very happy 63rd to a true Grandmaster.

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Happy 53rd Birthday To Onyx’s Fredro Starr!

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Fredro Starr Talks Potential Onyx VERZUZ Battle and Highlights Opponents for JAY-Z

On this day in 1971, Fred Scruggs Jr., better known as Fredro Starr of the legendary Hip Hop group Onyx, was born. Fredro has morphed from being the front man of the crazy bald heads to an award winning rapper and actor.

Born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Starr moved to Jamaica, Queens as a teenager in the mid-80s and attended John Aams High School. There is where he met Sonny Seeza and Big DS, who would later become members of the mutli-platinum group Onyx which was founded by the late Jam Master Jay of the iconic Queens trio Run-D.M.C.

Fredro also made a name for himself in the television and movie world, with dozens of TV and silver screen appearances including Spike Lee’s Clockers, Forest Whitaker’s Strapped, Moesha starring Brandy and New York Undercover just to name a few.

Salute to Fredro on his born day, wishing him a great day today and many more hereafter!

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Happy 69th Birthday To Hip Hop Founder DJ Kool Herc!

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Kool Herc

On this day in 1955, DJ Kool Herc was born Clive Campbell in Kingston, Jamaica. He moved to the Bronx when he was 12 years old and took on the name “Kool Herc” when he became a member of the graffiti crew, the “Ex-Vandals.” The name is short for ‘Hercules’ because of his 6′ 4″ stature. He began DJing parties that he and his sister Cindy threw in their building, which was on 1520 Sedgewick Avenue(Sedgewick & Cedar) in the South Bronx.

Herc pioneered extending the breakbeat on records by playing the same record on two turntables and cueing the “break” in the record, which he noticed had the most significant effect on the dancers at the parties. This was emulated all over the NYC area during the 1970s, thus spawning the culture of Hip Hop. He coined the terms “B-Boys” and “B-Girls” for the dancers who were “breaking,” which Herc says was street slang for “acting energetically” or “causing a disturbance.”

Kool Herc has influenced other founding pioneers of Hip Hop culture, including Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and the Sugarhill Gang.

The Source would like to give Kool Herc his proper salute because, without him and his contributions, none of us would have the opportunity to experience this global phenomenon known as Hip Hop!

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Happy 50th Birthday to Da Brat!

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Da Brat aka Shawntae Harris was born in Joliet, Illinois on this day 50 years ago. The Grammy-nominated rapper/actress/radio host that is mostly known for her debut album Funkdified, is the first female solo artist to earn a platinum plaque and the second overall only to Hip Hop icons Salt ‘N Pepa.

Da Brat was raised in on Chicago’s West Side, living between parents with an older, beautiful half-sister by the name of Lisa Raye. The So So Def-based artist has recorded hits with rap icons such as Notorious B.I.G., Tyrese, Destiny’s Child, Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey, and the late Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes.

In 2020, Da Brat is now an internationally known radio host on the Atlanta-based, Rickey Smiley-produced show Dish Nation. She and hair care queen Jessica Dupart recently welcomed their new addition to their family last year wit a healthy new baby.

Happy Birthday to Da Brat on her special day and many more to come in the future!

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Happy Birthday To “The Human Orchestra” Biz Markie! (R.I.P.)

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On this day in Hip Hop history, Biz Markie (real name Marcel Theo Hall), one of the most respected and successful DJs in Hip Hop, was born. Growing up in Harlem, New York, The Biz has been moving the crowd with his unique style of rhyming since he was 14. From his earliest gig as Roxanne Shante‘s beat boxer to a headliner at Grammy Awards after parties, he’s done it all. Whether it be on screen, on the mic, or on the 1s and 2s, The Biz has remained a consistent brand in entertainment booking, averaging 175 shows a year across the globe.

Over the past four decades, Biz Markie has established himself as one of the most prolific rappers/DJs in music. Since his 1988 debut Goin’ Off (which peaked at #90 on the Billboard 200), he has grabbed hold of the hearts and ears of Hip Hop lovers everywhere. His second album, 1989’s The Biz Never Sleeps, contains his timeless hit “Just a Friend,” which has made a permanent impact on pop culture.

During the ’90s, The Biz retained his place as an icon. His third LP, I Need A Haircut, unintentionallychanged the scope of Hip Hop forever. The closing track from the album, “Alone Again,” contains a sample of the song “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan, which had not been cleared by Warner Bros. Records. In turn, Warner Bros. sued The Biz for his unlawful use of the sample, causing the courts to rule all samples must be cleared by the owning party before reuse from then on. The lawsuit prompted the title of Markie’s fourth LP All Samples Cleared!.

As the new millennium approached, Markie never saw much of a decline in popularity. In 2002, he made his first major motion picture appearance in Men in Black 2. From then, he continued to make a plethora of television and big screen appearances. From Nick Cannon’s Wild N Out to Grand Theft Auto, The Biz is seen and heard throughout visual media.

During this decade, he also started his endeavors as a child educator through the children’s program Yo Gabba Gabba. Through entertainment, Markie has helped educate young children on music and artistic expression on the Nick Jr. hit show.

Biz lost his battle with diabetes in the summer of 2021. He was 57 years old. Even though he is gone physically, the music and legacy of the human orchestra will live on forever!

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Happy Birthday to Living Legend DJ Premier! Top 5 Preemo Bangers

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On this day in Hip Hop history, super producer and generational sound shaper DJ Premier was born in 1966. As a producer, DJ Premier has worked with the likes of Big L (RIP), Big Daddy Kane, Bun B, Common, D’Angelo, Dr. Dre, The Game, Joey Bada$$, KRS-One, Ludacris, Mos Def, Nas, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G {RIP), Jay-Z, Kanye West, Immortal Technique and Busta Rhymes. As a founding member of Gang Starr, Premier and the late Guru helped the New York boom-bap sound get national acclaim and be the standard of Hip Hop throughout the 90s.

Known for his smooth soul samples and steady drums, DJ Premier either worked with or influenced a majority of the more prominent and most respected producers in Hip Hop. As Gang Starr, DJ Premier, and Guru put out six studio albums; No More Mr. Nice Guy, Step in Arena, Daily Operation, Hard to Earn, Moment of Truth, and The Ownerz. Although the group never got any official accolades or received any music awards, their influence can be heard almost anywhere real Hip Hop is found.

DJ Premier is responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed tracks throughout Hip-Hop history. In honor of his born day, below are some of his most popular songs that helped to define his career as a beatmaker.

Gang Starr – Mass Appeal

Notorious B.I.G. – Kick in the Door

Nas – Nas Is Like

Big L – Platinum Plus

KRS- One – MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know

From everyone at The Source Magazine, Happy Born Day DJ Premier. Thank you for all that you’ve done for this culture that we all love.

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Happy 54th Birthday To Hip Hop Matriarch Queen Latifah!

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On this date 54 years ago, Hip-Hop’s first matriarch was born in Newark, New Jersey.

Born Dana Owens, Queen Latifah grew from an affluent and promising basketball player from Irvington, New Jersey into one of the most iconic figures in the world’s most transformative sub-culture known as Hip Hop. Whether it’s hitting the booth over the past three decades, delivering solid albums for her fans or wowing viewers on the silver screen in some of her legendary roles like “Cleo” in Set It Off or “Mama” in her award-winning role in Chicago, the Queen of the legendary Flavor Unit is undoubtedly one of the most prolific figures and illustrious personalities not only in Hip-Hop but global pop culture in general.

Peace to Latifah on her born day but it wouldn’t be right unless we took it back to where it all started.

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Happy Heavenly 52nd Birthday To The Rap Bar-Barian Sean Price!

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On this day in 1972, the late legend Sean Price of the Boot Camp Clik was born.  His first appearance was on Smif-N-Wessun’s 1995 album Dah Shinnin’, and his next major appearance was in 1996 as part of the duo Heltah Skeltah, who released the album Nocturnal on Duck Down Records. They would release two more albums as a duo, Magnum Force in 1998 and D.I.R.T. in 2008.

During the 2000s, Price made a name for himself as a heavyweight in the underground Hip Hop community. His first solo album, Monkey Barz, was released in 2005 and received critical acclaim, peaking at #70 on the Billboard Hip Hop chart. To this day, the album is held in ridiculously high esteem among commercial and independent artists, and after that, he went on to release two more albums, Jesus Price Supastar and Mic Tyson, both of which made debuts on the Billboard 200 chart (Jesus Price Supastar hitting #196 and Mic Tyson hitting #59).

Sean Price passed away in his sleep on August 8, 2015, and the details surrounding the death are still unknown. Within four days of his passing, his fans were able to help raise $72,883 to help his family with funeral costs. Two years later, the posthumous Imperius Rex was released, with some of Price’s songs classed among some of BCC’s greatest hits.

In honor of his born day, here are a couple of his most popular videos to help educate those who aren’t aware of his greatness.

Sean Price – Bar-Barian

Sean Price and Lil Fame – “Center Stage”

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Happy Heavenly Birthday to X-Clan’s Professor X, Sissyyyyy! (R.I.P.)

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On this day in 1956, Lumumba Carson aka Professor X of the groundbreaking X-Clan was born. He would’ve been 68 years old today.

Known by his stage names Baba Professor X the Overseer, Professor X, or PXO, was born the son of Brooklyn-based activist and community leader, Abubadika Sonny Carson on this day. Abubadika was a black nationalist and very well known for his community leadership and political organizing, including many public demonstrations. Not to mention, the elder Carson was the subject of the 1974 film, The Education of Sonny Carson, which was based on the autobiography of the gang leader turned activist.

During the 20th century, every thirty years seemed to create a zeitgeist of politicism among African-American people. In the 1990s, the century’s last gasp at politicism played many parts, mostly manifested through the burgeoning hip hop movement. Public Enemy, the Native Tongues, and Brand Nubian are just to name a few because there was a wide variety of “conscious” rap acts back then, but none were like X-Clan, ostensibly founded by Paradise the Grand Architect, guided by Lumumba Carson, better known as, Professor X.

Being discovered by Paradise Gray, both Professor X and the brilliant Jason Hunter, known to the world as Brother J, unleashed lyrical masterminds on hip hop. The sound of his signature catchphrase, “Vanglorious! This is protected by the Red, the Black, and the Green with a key, sissy!,” could make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, and also not to mention, his African walking staff, aka “verb stick.” He was featured on nearly all songs on the albums, To the East Blackwards in 1990, and Xodus shortly after, in 1992. In the same year of 1990 he released a solo album, Years of the 9, on the Blackhand Side, and another solo album in 1993, titled, Puss and Boots the Struggle Continues.

Professor X passed away from complications of meningitis on March 17, 2006.

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Happy 65th Birthday to Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav!

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In 1959, William Jonathan Drayton, better known to the world as Flavor Flav, was born in NYC. Flav is the former hypeman of the iconic Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame Hip-Hop group Public Enemy.

Growing up in Freeport, Long Island, a young Flavor developed his love for music, teaching himself to play the piano, drums, and guitar independently. In Long Island, a young adult, Flav met Chuck Ridenhour, who later became known as Chuck D, the frontman of Public Enemy. The two linked at Adelphi University on the Island, where the two attended college and learned about each other’s love for Hip Hop.

As one of the founding members of PE, Flav was there in 1984 when the song “Public Enemy #1” was recorded, the first known track by the group. In 1986, the crew signed with Rick Rubin on Def Jam. However, Rubin did not initially want to sign Flav because he didn’t understand his role in the group.

Ever since PE’s debut album Yo! Bum Rush The Show, Flav was the hype jester to the ultra-serious, politically charged group, including Chuck D, Terminator X, and a security force known as the S1Ws. Songs such as “Fight The Power,” “911 Is A Joke”, and “I Can’t Do Nothin’ For Ya Man” featured the comedic darts of Flav, which brought a balance to PE.

Drugs and domestic issues hindered Flav for a short while during his career. However, he bounced back into the public eye as a reality show pioneer, with shows like Surreal Life and The Flavor Of Love breaking ground in reality TV. Earlier this year, Chuck D announced that Flavor Flav was indefinitely fired from the group for his response to PE publicly endorsing Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Presidential race.

Big ups to Flav on his born day, and TheSource.com wishes the Flavor Man many more!

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