A Quote by Kurtis Blow
I started DJing, breakdancing and MCing in the '70s and I got my record deal in 1979 with 'Christmas Rap.'
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To me, that's the biggest problem with hip-hop today is the fact that everyone believes that all of hip-hop is rap music, and that, when you say "hip-hop," it's synonymous with rap. That when you say "hip-hop," you should be thinking about breakdancing, graffiti art, or MCing - which is the proper name for rap - DJing, beat-boxing, language, fashion, knowledge, trade. You should be thinking about a culture when you say, "hip-hop.".
I got into DJing and making beats when I was about 17. I was always fascinated by the four elements of hip-hop: you know, writing, rhyming, breakdancing and graffiti.
I started radio, actually, when I was 13. I started DJing when I was 13, but later in that year, I started a high school station at Phillips Academy. I didn't actually go there, but it was in the town I went to high school in. So literally, within six months of DJing, they started mailing me records; it was crazy.
Way before we got a record deal, we were playing clubs seven nights a week, three one-hour sets a night. Then we got the record deal, and we took off on the road and stayed out.
When I moved to London, I was working on music - producing, writing - and that's where I discovered DJing. I started partying every night because I just needed to dance and enjoy music and forget about things, and that's when I started to notice DJing is the best job in the world. I honestly believed I could do it very well.
But, Eminem... No, I've loved rap for a long time, especially when it got out of its first period and became this gangsta rap, ya know this heavy rap thing? That's when I started to fall in love with it. I loved the lyrics. I loved the beat.
For Christmas when I was about four I got given 'Can the can' by Susie Quatro, so that was the first record I got. And I got Skyhooks "Ego is not a Dirty Word.... I was sorta listening to the Beatles and stuff the whole time since I was about ten anyway, then I started getting into Kiss and David Bowie at the same time
Yeah, before DJing, judo was my passion. I've always loved it but DJing and producing took over my life and finding time to fit it in was hard once the touring started.
I wanted to be part of pop culture, so I started songwriting, and I got signed to my first record deal.
Back in college, when I got kicked out of school, I was still in school, I'd just written the song that got me my record deal. If I hadn't gotten kicked out of school I wouldn't be where I am now. Three months after that, I got my record deal and the rest is history.
I guess, like, I've always listened to rap, and I remember I specifically started listening to, like, pop-rap when I was, like, 11, you know, like Shaggy. I love Shaggy. And then I discovered, like, underground rap when I got to high school, and really, that's when it kind of blossomed. I don't feel like my love for rap blossomed off of Shaggy.
When I first got my record deal, I was like, 'I just want to sing,' and I never put much thought into what really goes into a record. But as I got older, I developed a passion for writing.
I would see b-boys breakdancing in the hallway, I thought it was cool. I started practicing in my living room, then started battling, and then I joined a crew, and we started getting into competitions. In fact, we still battle - for fun now.
If I'm DJing a show, I will normally wear the designer I'm DJing for; if I'm DJing a party, I will most likely be wearing very high heels.
What really changed my life was watching the movie Juice and the opening scene - just hearing that record rotate. When I heard that I started getting serious about DJing and making beats and recording myself on the four-track.
I've always been into music. I used to DJ. I used to mix reggae and that. I used to be into reggae hard. Well first it was rap, then reggae, then rap again, then rap and reggae. But I was always DJing out my window for the whole estate. Everyone used to sit outside and all and listen. And I used to be running rhythms in that.
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