On this date in 1976, rapper, actor and entrepreneur Cameron Giles, also known as Cam’ron, was born in New York City.
Following the break up of Harlem-based group Children Of The Corn, Cam’ron and childhood friend Mason Betha embarked on solo careers, with Cam releasing his debut solo album Confessions Of Fire, while Mase put out the platinum-selling Bad Boy powered Harlem World LP.
In 2001, Cam’s career took a sharp turn for the better when he signed with Roc-A-Fella Records and released his third and best-received album Come Home With Me. Following the success of the album, Cam debuted his talents as an actor and screenwriter when he appeared in the Roc-A-Fella Films Paid In Full, Paper Soldiers, Death Of A Dynasty, and State Property 2.
Currently, Cam is working on the second installment of his Purple Haze series while still working on other solo and Dipset endeavors.
On this day in 1975, Andre Antwon Patton, who is best known as Big Boi, one half of the legendary ATL duo Outkast, was born. Patton has morphed into one of the biggest rappers/actors of this generation.
With four Outkast albums as well as four solo full-length releases of his own, Big Boi is recognized as one of the driving forces that helped put the spotlight on A-Town as a Hip Hop powerhouse city. His acting career rivals that of any of ATL’s pioneers except his partner Andre 3000, with appearances in the movies ATL, Idlewild, and Who’s Your Caddy as well as appearances on the sitcoms such as King Of The Hill.
Happy born day to Sir Lucius wish him many more from The Mind Squad!
Born on this date in 1968, William Griffith Jr. aka Rakim Allah is considered the greatest emcee to ever touch the mic. His debut album along with DJ Eric B., Paid In Full, is a necessary piece of Hip-Hop’s creative history, used as an instructional tool to many up-and-coming emcees and deejays as a style and sound to emulate. There were a few emcees who cashed checks sounding like the “R”, so since it’s said that mockery is the best form of flattery, TheSource.com put together this list of Rakim soundalikes who owe the God some recognition for borrowing from his style.
King Sun The 6’8″ emcee, whose raps were also saturated with Five Percent Nation vernacular, had a flow and vocal tone that was very similar to Rakim, and being that he came out after Ra, his music immediately drew many comparisons.
MC Rell With all due respect, this guy was the epitome of what Hip-Hop considered a “biter.” Rell not only dressed exactly like Rakim on his Follow The Leader album cover but only true Rakim fans and Hip-Hop aficionados could tell the difference between this copycat and the 18th Letter. Needless to say, his career was very short-lived.
Antoinette As the only female on this list, her voice couldn’t possibly sound like the God, but she tried extremely hard to mimic his flow in order to get recognition in the male-dominated field of emceeing. Needless to say, her nemesis and pioneer femcee MC Lyte, used that in her “Beat Biter” battle record, saying, “..you should win a prize as a Rakim soundalike..”
Will Smith on “Summertime” In possibly one of his most celebrated singles, the lyrical funnyman borrowed Rakim’s slow flow and monotone voice instead of his regular, quirky octave that most fans of his TV sitcom, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, are familiar with.
Grand Daddy I.U. The rapper known for his “Something New” fame dropped several albums with a voice, flow, and cadence that was identical to Rakim. I.U. passed away in December 2022. RIP
On this date in 1965, Jeffrey Townes, better known to Hip Hop and television fans as “Jazzy Jeff” was born in the City of Brother Love and has become one of the best to ever place their hands on a pair of Technics 1200s.
Originally known as the DJ for rapper/actor The Fresh Prince aka Will Smith, Jeff’s claim to fame was his seemingly innate ability to play the wheels of steel like instruments, popularizing the “transformer” style scratching sound which was mimicked by many DJs who succeeded and preceded him. The two-time Grammy Award winner later became an established producer, sitting behind the boards for artists like Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, The Roots, Floetry, and many more. Just last year, Jazz worked on the Straight Outta Compton film, doing scratch overdubs for the classic flick.
Happy born day and salute to one of the pioneers of the 1s and 2s of Hip Hop culture!
Hip Hop lost a great DJ over two decades ago, but in celebration of JMJ’s life today, his legacy will forever live on
On this date in 1965 in Brooklyn, New York, Jason Mizell, who later became Jam Master Jay, was born.
Jay was the DJ for the legendary Kings from Hollis, Queens, Run-D.M.C. His musical career took him all over the world and even expanded his talents into Hip Hop filmographies, such as Krush Groove and Tougher Than Leather. JMJ is also responsible for breaking several artists from his Jam Master Jay Records imprint, including Onyx, Chuck D of Public Enemy, and 50 Cent.
On October 30, 2002, Jay was tragically shot and killed by an unknown assailant in a Jamaica, Queens recording studio. To this day, no one has been charged with his murder.
The Source Magazine would like to send a super born day salute to this icon of our culture. He may be physically gone, but his legacy will never be forgotten!
Happy Born day to Ahmir Khalib Thompson better known as ?uestlove a.k.a Questlove! Born in 1971, he turns a half-century today. The OG is originally known as the drummer for the legendary Hip Hop band The Roots, but he has many roles.
On February 17, 2014, he became a part of the in-house band for The Tonight Show, and with The Roots, he’s played the same role during the 969-episodes of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
Let’s not forget about the many artists he has produced such as Jay Z, Common, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, the late Amy Winehouse, John Legend, and old school R&B legend Al Green. The list goes on with all the production teams he has been a part of, including Hip Hop pioneers like The Soulsonics and The Grand Wizards.
The influence of this multi-faceted musician has reached far beyond most in his life thus far, and he’s nearly only halfway thru. Happy Birthday Questlove and many more to come!
On this day in Hip-Hop history, legendary west coast DJ, rapper, and producer DJ Quik was born in 1970.
David Marvin Blake a.k.a. DJ Quik was born in Pomona, California and shortly after relocated to Compton, California. His love for music began at a very young age, and by age 12 he could already play a number of instruments. Quik jumpstarted his path to fame by selling mixtapes he made with the turntable he received while still in school. Through self-promotion, his fame began to rise and he started to DJ and host events in Southern California.
Whether due to knowledge of his coming success or lack of interest, Quik dropped out of high school in the 11th grade. Shortly after, he suffered homelessness when his family home was taken away in foreclosure. There’s little information about what happened over that period of DJ Quik’s life but in 1990, everything changed.
DJ Quik had created so much of a buzz on the streets selling tapes and making appearances at parties and events he gained the attention of local record labels Ruthless Records and Profile Records. Despite a one million dollar offer from Eazy E, Quik went ahead and signed with Profile.
On February 12, 1991, DJ Quik released his debut album, Quik Is the Name, which debuted at #29 on the Billboard 200 chart, where it would peak, and sold 50,000 copies in its first week. After about four years, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA and has to date sold 1,068,203 copies. The album hosted hit singles, “Born and Raised in Compton” and “Tonite.” After his debut success, Quik went on to produce eight more solo studio albums and a collaborative album with rapper Kurupt called Blaqkout in 2009.
Outside of music, DJ Quik has made appearances as an actor on popular TV shows: Method and Red, Entourage, and Everybody Hates Chris. His career is one of the more influential ones on the West Coast. Quik was an instrumental part of the G-Funk sound and helped it to gain popularity early in the rap world. Countless rappers, producers, and DJs alike have noted their influence by DJ Quik and if you ride around SoCal today, there’s no doubt you can hear one of his hits playing on someone’s stereo. If you don’t already listen on the daily, take some time today to appreciated the career of one of the West Coast’s OGs.
James Todd Smith, a.k.a. LL Cool J, nickname “Ladies Love Cool James”; born on Long Island, New York, January 14, 1968. LL Cool J signed to pioneer Hip Hop label Def Jam Records in 1984. His career took off with classic hits, included on albums like: Bigger and Deffer, Walking with a Panther, Mama Said Knock You Out, 14 Shots to the Dome, Mr. Smith. LL turned to act, appearing in movies like B.A.P.S., Halloween H2O, and Any Given Sunday.
LL is undoubtedly one of the most tenured artists in the game, having started his career at the age of 15, signing to Def Jam with the hit demo single “I Need A Beat”. Many artists that are considered the greats on the mic have always been compared to Mr. Smith and his consistency to continue to put out hits and remain relevant over a span of four decades.
Happy born day to one of the GOATs of the game and wish him many more hereafter!
Born Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters on this date in 1965 in London, England, Slick Rick is undoubtedly the best storyteller in the history of Hip Hop.
From stories about his hectic lifestyle just “six minutes” before stage time to his almost unbelievable sexcapades, Rick The Ruler set the bar for rappers to tell their tall tales with style and cadence.
In honor of his born day, TheSource.com has compiled a list of the top five storyline rhymes from his album arsenal.
“La Di Da Di”
“Stepped out the house, stopped short..Oh No! I went back in, I forgot my Kangol..”
“A Children’s Story”
“He ran down the street, there he saw the sister/ shot for his head, he shot back, buit he missed her..”
“Mona Lisa”
“Callin’ me a thief? Please! Don’t even try it! Sit down, eat your slice of pizza and be quiet..”
“The Show”
“I was all alone, no one to be with/ stepped off the D Train at 205th..I saw a pretty girl..”
“Treat Her Like A Prostitute”
“‘Cause all they do is to hurt and trample/ Listen up close here comes my last example..”
On this date in 1970, Wu-Tang Clan swordsman and lyrical legend Raekwon The Chef was born in Staten Island, New York. The Staten Island-based emcee is one of the Wu’s most celebrated artists, with his Only Built 4 Cuban Linx projects reaching cult-like following proportions. Along with his Wu blood kin, Rae has appeared on every WTC project since the group’s inception in 1992, which led up to their monumental debut single “Protect Ya Neck”.
As for the Chef himself, Rae has released six solo albums plus the Wu Massacre project featuring his PNC Ghostface Killah and Method Man. Rae has also appeared in a couple of silver screen hits including the Hip Hop powered The Show and the race-baiting flick Black and White starring Wu-Tang manager Oliver “Power” Grant.
In 2009, Raekwon found religion and converted to Islam.
Happy born day to Shallah Raekwon, wishing him a great day and much more hereafter!
