KURTIS BLOW

'Kurtis Blow' (born Curtis Walker, 9 August 1959, Harlem, New York) is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major label. "The Breaks", a single from his 1980 debut album, is an early hip hop classic.

Contents

History

References in popular culture

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

References

External links

History

Starting out as a breakdancer in New York in the mid 1970s, he then DJed under the name Kool DJ Kurt. Influenced by pioneering rapper DJ Hollywood, he began MC-ing around 1977 (using the name "Kurtis Blow", suggested by his manager, Russell Simmons). An early DJ of his who used the name "Son of Kurtis Blow", went on to greater fame under the alias DJ Run, as part of Run-D.M.C.. Blow's first release, the "Christmas Rappin'" 12-inch single (1979, Mercury), was the first major label hip hop release. His second single, "The Breaks"—released hot on the heels of the Sugarhill Gang's mainstream breakthrough hit "Rapper's Delight"—broke into the top five of Billboard's R&B chart. In 1980 he opened for reggae legend Bob Marley at the Madison Square Garden where he performed for an audience of 20,000.
Over the course of the 1980s, Blow released five more albums and two EPs. He revisited the charts a number of times with various albums and singles. On his 1986 album, ''Kingdom Blow'', Bob Dylan contributed vocals to the cut "Street Rock" (an arrangement set up, in part, by Wayne Garfield (co-writer of Blow's "Reasons for Wanting You") and Dylan's backing singer, Debra Byrd. Along with his own career, he has worked with other artists, writing and producing; The Fat Boys, for one, benefitted from his help.
He has been in several films (usually appearing as himself), including ''Krush Groove'' and ''The Show''. Blow also became the first hip hop artist embraced by the mainstream advertising industry with his appearance in a commercial for the soft drink Sprite.
In the mid 1990s, Blow was a DJ for Los Angeles based hip hop FM radio station, Power 106, (KPWR 105.9) every Sunday night on the "Kurtis Blow Old School Show." He now DJs on Sirius Satellite Radio's old school hip hop station, Backspin.^[1]
In 2004, he recorded the song "Hey Everybody" with Max C and Bomfunk MC's for their album, ''Reverse Psychology''.
A theology major at Nyack College (Class of 2009), Blow's recent focus has been on spirituality, evidenced by ''Kurtis Blow Presents: Hip Hop Ministry'' (2007, EMI Gospel), a compilation of Christian rap.

References in popular culture

The They Might Be Giants song "Where Your Eyes Don't Go" on their second album, ''Lincoln'', features the lines "You're free to come and go / And talk like Kurtis Blow."

Discography

Albums

★ ''Kurtis Blow'' (1980, Mercury)

★ ''Deuce'' (1981, Mercury)

★ ''Ego Trip'' (1984, Mercury)

★ ''America'' (1985, Mercury)

★ ''Kingdom Blow'' (1986, Mercury)

★ ''Back by Popular Demand'' (1988, Mercury)

Singles and EPs

★ "Christmas Rappin'" (1979, Mercury)

★ ''Tough'' EP (1982, Mercury)

★ ''Party Time?'' EP (1983, Mercury)

References

1. Backspin DJ profiles

External links

★ All Music Guide entry

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