Run-DMC and Afrika Bambaataa were early pioneers of hip hop music in the Bronx in the 1970s-1980s. They helped establish hip hop music and culture through innovations like DJing, breakdancing, graffiti art, and blending musical styles. Record labels like Sugar Hill Records and Def Jam Recordings were also important in the early development and commercial success of hip hop. Pioneers like Russell Simmons through Def Jam helped bring hip hop from the Bronx to mainstream audiences through signing influential artists.
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Listen and find out more about rap and hiphop music at
http://www.BestOfRap.com/
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ROLL CALL
During the early to mid '70s, visionaries like Kool DJ Herc introduced new ideas to the way music
was played. Like some other music-loving 'bredren and sistren' along with myself, Kool DJ Herc
was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Following the footsteps of Jamaicans that came before him, he
relocated to the Bronx, NYC and took root. With a sound system like no other, there was always a
party when Herc spun records. Folks from all city boroughs showed up, and brought their friends.
Most of them had never experienced anything like Herc's thunder in the clubs or at 'block parties,'
where he was a hometown favorite. There'll be more on these unique, social gatherings a little
later. Kool DJ Herc was one of those cats that was thinking outside the box for a long time, and
inspired other DJs to follow suit. Everywhere Herc touched down, he left a distinctive mark
imprinted in the minds, bodies, and souls of music lovers in and around the vicinity.
Afrika Bambaataa was homegrown in the Bronx. He is best-known for taking the radical,
independent factions of the Hip-Hop lifestyle and organizing it all into an urban music society...and
for being the first rapper, ever. In 1984, he worked on the song "Unity" with the recently departed
Godfather of Soul, James Brown. (We're gonna miss ya, 'Soul Brother #1.') By mixing block
parties with DJs and break-dancers, he synergized all the varying entities of Hip-Hop through his
Zulu Nation. The Zulus educated inner-city youth about their history and empowered them to be
productive citizens. His ears were open to all types of music as he became a catalyst for blending
rhythmic styles from Africa with Funk, Go-Go, Jazz, Reggae, Rock, Salsa and Soca for the first
time in music history.
Bambaataa's affiliations included the Rock Steady Crew and Double Dutch Girls. There was also a
spray-painting graffiti artist who parlayed his love for 'visual art' into being the host of a popular
show that engaged the minds of America's Black and White youth. It ended up changing Rap
music history all over the world. Now with a 'retired' can of spray paint, Yo MTV Raps' Fab 5
Freddy was also a key player in the classic film, "New Jack City." There'll be more on that
captured moment in time a little later, after we finish up with Afrika Bambaataa (& friends),
and dig further into the chapter: there's some real meat in thar! That's what's up.
Afrika Bambaataa became a major music producer in his own right. He spent a lot of time logged
in at Tommy Boy Records between 1982 and 2005. While there, he produced a huge hit for the
New York club and radio scene, 1982's "Funky Sensation." To me, that song defined a new era of
music for both myself and the City of New York. "Funky Sensation" helped to establish a path that
many dance music producers followed, well into the new millennium. Another historical Rap label
that Bambaataa put some time in with was Profile Records.
Profile was the home of a trio that made music history: Run-DMC and the late Jam Master Jay.
2. Their chronicles defined the next wave of Hip-Hop and fashion by way of brimmed Fedoras,
leather pants, blues jeans, and unlaced, Adidas sneakers. During the winter, they sported snorkels
with fur around the hood. In New York winters of the 70s, we sported hats like Kangols (still
popular) and 'Robin Hoods'(with side feathers) on the dome. Some folks liked toboggins and ski
caps for their 'masking' feature. Brooklyn later picked up a pseudonym--Crooklyn. Our 70s fashion
also consisted of colorful silk shirts (Versace predecessors), polyester pants with stitched pleats
running down the sides called Swedish Knits, and bell-bottom blue jeans with zippers at the foot.
Squares (L-7's) wore no name 'rejects,' but our popular footwear included Converse All-Stars, red,
black and green Pro Keds, Pumas (my favorite were rust-colored), PONY's, and shell-toe Adidas.
We had interesting acronyms for the latter two brands. "I could tell you, but..." you know the story.
Looking back now, I notice that Adidas kept the same body style longer than the Ford Explorer did!
My New York winter-wear included snorkels, sheepskins, leathers, 'Maxie' and 'Cortefiel' coats
with soft fur on the collar; they were the rage. People got stuck up (ganked) for them, too. I once
witnessed someone grab a friend's hat right off his head - as the train doors closed (this guy was
quick!)
Some of my 'classic' garments are still intact: a black Robin Hood hat with a now-wilted side
feather, a colorful, winged (big collar) polyester shirt with a Disco theme on the front, my sky-blue
high school graduation three-piece suit, 'Mack' full-length Maxie coat (it looked good; mom made
it), and black Cortefiel coat are all stashed somewhere around Area 51. Don't ask me what I'm
going to do with them, but my coats still have fur around the collar. Does "E.T.W." (Extra
Terrestrial Wear) sound catchy to you? Let's check in with 'Rush' (Phat Farms), 'P-D' (Sean John),
'J to the Z' and 'Double D' (RocaWear), 'Fiddy' (G-Unit), and WTC (Wu Wear) for the final answer.
I'm being told to nix the trip down memory lane and stick to the script, so it's back to the original
'bad boys' of 80s Rap. Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay opened up Pandora's box with their classic
hit "Rock Box." I got a premonition of what was around the corner for Rock and Rap early on:
sampled 'guitar crunches' fused with 'dem phat Hip-Hop beats, boyee!' Then the crystal ball
revealed something else to me - up jumped Def Jam Recordings, LL Cool J, Public Enemy and the
Beastie Boys, all using overdriven guitar sounds riding along with the big, deep 808 beat that
caused car trunks (and the inside of your body) to vibrate.
Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay un-laced their Adidas and went on to re-make Rock group
Aerosmith's classic "Walk This Way," then invited the original rockers to get in on it. Along the
way, Run-DMC sold a 'few million' records. In the background was one Russell Simmons, pushing
buttons on his remote control. Then he got a cellphone. But before groups like Run-DMC made it
to the game, there was one of the first major league rappers--Afrika Bambaataa. Oh yeah; along
with his group The Soulsonic Force, Bambaataa fired off a ground-breaking shot remembered as
being 'most strategically launched' from the annals of New York's urban jungle.
When the classic "Planet Rock" hit Billboard's charts (it hit the year 1982 in a BIG way too), the
song considerably changed music history. It used a similar robotic, vocoder-like sound as the one
found in Kraftwerk's smash "Trans-Europe Express." "Planet Rock" was a smorgasbord of cool
electronic sounds and Hip-Hop beats. Meshed together with samples from other records, it
captured the attention of music lovers caught dancing to the non-stop, funky sensation of this
incredible new beat. Afrika Bambaataa's Electro-Funk style went on to influence the sound of
music styles like Dance, Electronic, House, and Techno. If a sound system exists anywhere in the
3. galaxy, I predict that "Planet Rock" will rock it. In the meantime, you can listen out for this classic
hit on Internet radio, satellite radio, broadcast radio, clubs and dance parties everywhere. 'Nuff
said--next!
Creative minds of legendary pioneers such as Russell "Rush" Simmons, Eddie Cheeba, Spoonie
G, Lovebug Starski, The Juice Crew, Marley Marl, MC Shan and D.J. Hollywood are also among
those credited as being key leaders in the surge that brought Rap music and Hip-Hop culture to
mainstream society. Many people may think the Sugar Hill Gang was one of a few initiating forces
in Rap, but there were actually many other hot acts out there grinding to earn their dues
--like those affiliated with Rush Productions. Rush was building a name for itself as a music
promotion company to be noticed. I'll expound upon the meteoric rise of the dynamic institution
which followed this event shortly thereafter.
With affiliations everywhere and credits that include the timely debut of Hip-Hop players like Kurtis
Blow, Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Scott La
Rock, DJ Red Alert, and countless other faces hidden in the trenches, Rush was on a mission to
conquer the world. The first-generation of Rap and Hip-Hop spawned a godfather, Russell
Simmons, in addition to all these other creative talents. Collectively and in unison, they helped to
centralize the cultural origins and sound of this music for an evolving world. The second-
generation leaders of this new movement would include Russell's little brother Joseph, who along
with Darryl McDaniels and the late Jason Mizell, made up Run-DMC: the first artists of their kind to
go platinum by selling a million Rap records on Profile Records. This was just the beginning; Def
Jam Recordings was on the way.
Now let's connect the dots with Sugar Hill: Back in 1957, a group called Mickey & Sylvia
recorded a Bo Diddley song, "Love Is Strange." Guitarist Mickey Baker and a vocalist named
Sylvia Vanderpool established themselves in the music market as a potential hit-making duo. In
1964, Sylvia married a man named Joe Robinson. Their union led to the formation of a legacy that
wouldn't play itself fully out until the Rap craze hit. In 1973, Sylvia rolled the dice and released a
huge hit, "Pillow Talk." This song established a format that would be followed straight into the
Disco heydays. Originally written for Al Green, his pass became Sylvia's score when it tallied up a
#1 R&B and #3 Pop hit. "Pillow Talk" was a sexy song that featured lots of heavy breathing,
whispers, sighs and moans. It's reminiscent of Donna Summer's classic hit, "Love to Love You
Baby."
Sylvia Robinson synergized her abilities as a singer, musician, producer, and record executive to
take her whole game to another level. As a key player at All Platinum Records, she had a hand in
Shirley & Company's 1975 hit "Shame Shame Shame." This became a top dance song, and
hit #12 on the Pop charts. By 1979, Englewood, New Jersey's Sugar Hill Gang busted a big move
by releasing a classic, "Rapper's Delight." In the background were Sylvia, Joe, and their Sugar Hill
Record label. Passing their genes on to son Joey, Sugar Hill's West Street Mob went on to release
hits like "Ooh Baby" and "Sing A Simple Song/Another Muther For Ya." Other aces in the deck
included groups called The Sequence and The Funky 4+1. They scored a few hits with "Funk You
Up," "Simon Says," and "That's the Joint," which used a nice sample from my girl Cheryl Lynn's
song "Got To Be Real." We'll be taking her song apart and putting it back together again in
another chapter of this book series, "What Is A Song."
Using finance money from Roulette Records chief Morris Levy (you can find out more about this
4. guy in the book "Hit Men"--a highly-recommended favorite of mine. "I could tell you more, but..."
You know the drill. As Sugar Hill grew, so did its artist roster, with the addition of Grandmaster
Flash and his collective unit, The Furious Five. Although the Sugar Hill owners paid up a big
balance and purchased the remaining interest in their company by the early 80's, things began to
sour for them: a deal with MCA Records died and a fire toasted their legendary studio. The label
eventually shut it doors by 1986.
Almost 10 years later, retail-friendly Rhino Records picked up the Sugar Hill catalog and
resuscitated the masters in the same way that they've done with many other lost or obscure
masters. Through creative re-packaging, Rhino went on to revitalize the music (and some careers)
of artists that were probably still waiting on royalties from the previous owners of their master
recordings. The Sugar Hill Gang, West Street Mob and Sequence all have been released on
various Sugar Hill compilations. An interesting occurrence after the Sugar Hill assault was the
massive availability of the sequencer, drum machine, synthesizer, sampler and MIDI around the
early 80s.
'Creatives' and 'infamists' among the likes of Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, The Bomb Squad and
producer Marley Marl locked themselves up in 'Big Apple laboratories' coming up with the next
lethal mix of sound. When released, Def Jam and the 'Sound of Marl' quickly put music listeners
into a 'yoke' as concoctions they whipped up became highly potent chemicals on the proverbial
'periodic music table of elements' upon hitting the airwaves; through radio station, mobile and club
DJs. I cannot over-emphasize it enough: 'BIG UPS' to these guys! After the creative synergy of
vocalists, musicians and producers, DJs are credited as being one of the most direct pipelines to
exciting new music. You should take note that "DJ" makes up the initials of Def Jam. Now let's
keep the record playing; teacher's not through with today's lesson yet...
Independent labels like Profile, Sugar Hill, Priority, 4th. & Broadway and Tommy Boy
scooped up young, talented Hip-Hop artists. Major labels like Columbia, Epic, MCA, Mercury and
Warner Brothers got an early jump on the game as they formed alliances with Rap labels and
artists. Moves like these were executed through street-savvy labels like Def Jam. It grew into the
premier, multi-faceted music conglomerate of the century. Started in a college dorm room, Def
Jam is now managed from a corporate boardroom, and worth hundreds of millions.
Founder Russell Simmons parted from his share of the company in 1999, after the Universal
Music Group made him a $100 million offer that he couldn't refuse. We're not talking pesos here,
folks! Let's breeze through a few landmark events regarding Def Jam Recordings: In 1983, the
company was founded by Russell, who was called "Rush" when he was business partners with
one Rick Rubin. Before this form of osmosis occurred, Simmons 'did the business' behind
pioneers like Kurtis Blow, the first Rap artist with a major record deal. He signed on with Mercury
Records; it was a part of the PolyGram distribution machine. The label went on to forge a long-
lasting relationship with Kurtis Blow, Russell 'Rush' Simmons, and his growing company.
In spring of 1984, I began a two season internship with Def Jam's distributor. By fall quarter, I was
a college rep. During Def Jam's first decade, I marketed and promoted every record released
through the pipeline. This included music by the distributor's affiliated Epic label. Epic was born to
CBS Records (a division of CBS, Inc.) during the early 50s. It was a cute little Classical/Jazz label
and grew to be a strong, healthy major label with many active body parts (Rock, R&B,
Country). Epic picked up other siblings. One of them was T-Neck Records. An influential
5. Soul/R&B/Funk collective of the 50s, 60's, 70's, 80's and beyond the new millennium terrain,
The Isley Brothers ran a music empire tucked inside this fully-functional sibling unit's clothes. And
bank account--let's call it a budget.
Another sibling was Portrait Records. By the 80's, Portrait had sold millions of records by major
stars like Cyndi Lauper, Sade and Stanley Clarke. Since Epic was the oldest kid, it acquired a firm
place in history as the foundation that supported the throne of none other than the King of Pop
music, Michael Jackson. As a matter of fact, the former lead singer of Motown's Jackson Five
actively participated (along with wildly colorful CBS Records group president Walter Yetnikoff) in
the disbursement of CBS' unwanted offspring (CBS Records, Inc.) to the Sony Corporation in
1988. By 2004, Sony Music Entertainment had consolidated its monster Columbia and Epic labels,
then merged with another major record label: BMG. On the Internet, iTunes was selling millions of
digital downloads. But that's a story for later. Stay tuned.
Def Jam product began flowing through shortly after I jumped in the big game to see if I could
swim. I witnessed the music of many groundbreaking artists 'rushed' through the system. Notable
executives like Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles entered the fold, as promoters like Wes Johnson and
Johnnie Walker locked down efforts to turn the airwaves into 'Def Jam radio.' Def Jam became
one of the hottest commodities in distribution by the other major label within a major label.
This record company made its mark by using a red trademark on the product it manufactured.
Columbia Records was the big brother of Def Jam: the hottest Rap label in the Hip-Hop market.
Def Jam had million-selling acts like LL Cool J, Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, and later arrivals
like DMX, then Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records. Columbia, also known as "Big Red," was owned
by music giant CBS Records. By 1991, CBS Records was purchased by the Sony Corporation for
some $2 billion that I'll say came out of the 'petty cash fund' (they had OLD money, and plenty of
it). CBS Records later became Sony Music Entertainment. If you haven't guessed already
(where've you been?), here's a prediction: you'll read about more adventures with 'the firm' as we
move along.
Between all of this 'promoting' (as a college rep), I managed getting an introduction to Russell
Simmons at a Jack The Rapper convention in Atlanta by Columbia's national director of Black
music promotion, Miss Mike Bernardo, who is such a sweet lady. At this time, she was next in
line to the vice-president of Columbia's national promotion department: Vernon Slaughter and
Mike Bernardo were responsible for the overall performance of Columbia's Black radio and club
promotion department. Vernon later became one of Atlanta's top power brokers. He was LaFace
Record's first general manager, personally signing artists like Toni Braxton to the label. He later
became a key player at a law firm headed up by powerhouse entertainment lawyer Joel Katz, and
was the legal muscle behind many artist deals, movie soundtracks and no telling what else!
As vice-president and national director respectively, Vernon and Mike implemented the national
strategies set forth by Columbia. The staff consisted of dozens of regional promotion people
strategically placed in key American cities. Throughout my career at the label Vernon, Mike, and
the promotion people I knew showed me plenty of love, and were first-class players in the game,
too. Not long after Def Jam's arrival, I became an account service rep, then a Black music
marketing rep for Sony's southeast regional branch in Atlanta. I doubt if there was any connection.
Anyway, Def Jam left Sony for PolyGram in 1994 (also the year that I parted company with Sony
and launched a recording studio); that same year, PolyGram purchased 50% of Sony's holdings in
6. Def Jam.
By 1996, PolyGram bought another 10%, and in 1998 the Universal Music Group (UMG) acquired
PolyGram Group Distribution (PGD) to become the world's biggest record label. After a series of
major operational changes, longtime staffers Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles severed ties with Def
Jam, which by now had grown to include other hot labels like Atlanta-based Def Jam South
(headed up by The Geto Boys' Mr. Scarface), Disturbing Tha Peace (Ludacris), Def Soul, Jay-Z,
Damon Dash and Roc-A-Fella. Though DMX's product was released through Def Jam, his Ruff
Ryders crew got a label deal with Interscope. In the post Cohen/Liles era, former LaFace/Arista
big-wig L.A. Reid re-appeared at the helm of the big ship. Then, multi-platinum rapper Jay-Z
became the new chief of Def Jam (now part of Island Def Jam Music Group), proving that he too,
could do what Rap music guru Russell Simmons' legendary rapper Kurtis Blow said he wanted to
do: 'Rule The World.'
The future of Def Jam included plans for more affiliations with labels like Atlanta's Slip-N-Slide
Records (Ying Yang Twins). Atlanta was now a city on the move, and Simmons made it a
frequent stop on his international itinerary. From Rush Productions and Kurtis Blow to Def Jam,
OBR and Rush Associated Labels, to Rush Communications and Phat Farms, the Visa 'Rush
Card,' a beautiful model-wife and kids, to astronomic amounts of future cash flow, Russell
Simmons demonstrated his ability to serve as the Rap game's foremost guiding hand...and 'head
of the household,' too. He was the proverbial captain of a ship, navigating through those often-
bumpy waters of the constantly shifting Rap/Hip-Hop industry. Def Jam Recordings became an
extraordinary multimedia company because of a determined visionary's ability to reach out and
touch people-- through the power of Rap music and the Hip-Hop culture. Simply put, none of
these entities could be spoken of without mention of the great and powerful, "Mr. Rush."
A valedictorian and contributing author to Bernard Percy's books during elementary school, L.A.
finished high school in Brooklyn, then went to L.A.City College. He graduated in 1987 from
Georgia State University in Atlanta. An internship led to 10 years with CBS Records/Sony Music,
where L.A. worked with almost every act, implemented sales/marketing campaigns, received
numerous gold/platinum albums, awards, and traveled throughout the U.S., Canada and Jamaica
to events.
As a recording studio owner, AV technician and manager for a global audiovisual company
(TAVS), L.A. owns MKM Multimedia Works. In 2001 he executive-produced the Million Mom
MarchÂ’s Atlanta Artists Against Gun Violence compilation CD, featuring top Atlanta acts. In 2002,
L.A. secured a commercial with The GAP for Arrested DevelopmentÂ’s Baba Oje. L.A. now
initiates his ‘6 books in 5 years’ plan.
With a vision of where he's going, L.A. works towards a goal. A quote that L.A. picked up from
mentor/author/educator BernardPercy.com is: "Everything turns out right in the end - if it isn't right,
it isn't the end."
