KurtisBlow

Ashburn

As the first commercially successful rap artist, Kurtis Blow is a towering figure in hip-hop history. His popularity and charisma helped prove that rap music was something more than a flash-in-the-pan novelty, paving the way for the even greater advances of <a href="spotify:artist:1JfnADNz5yYEq3hrzlZHLk">Grandmaster Flash</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:3CQIn7N5CuRDP8wEI7FiDA">Run-D.M.C.</a> Blow was the first rapper to sign with (and release an album for) a major label; the first to have a single certified gold (1980's landmark "The Breaks"); the first to embark on a national (and international) concert tour; and the first to cement rap's mainstream marketability by signing an endorsement deal. For that matter, he was really the first significant solo rapper on record, and as such he was a natural focal point for many aspiring young MCs in the early days of hip-hop. For all his immense importance and influence, many of Blow's records haven't dated all that well; his rapping technique, limber for its time, simply wasn't as evolved as the more advanced MCs who built upon his style and followed him up the charts. But at his very best, Blow epitomizes the virtues of the old school: ingratiating, strutting party music that captures the exuberance of an art form still in its youth.

Kurtis Blow was born Kurtis Walker in Harlem in 1959. He was in on the earliest stages of hip-hop culture in the '70s -- first as a breakdancer, then as a block-party and club DJ performing under the name Kool DJ Kurt; after enrolling at CCNY in 1976, he also served as program director for the college radio station. He became an MC in his own right around 1977, and changed his name to Kurtis Blow (as in a body blow) at the suggestion of his manager, future <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Def+Jam%22">Def Jam</a> founder and rap mogul <a href="spotify:artist:7HXSDsfCgKWhoeWD31IdWw">Russell Simmons</a>. Blow performed with legendary DJs like <a href="spotify:artist:1JfnADNz5yYEq3hrzlZHLk">Grandmaster Flash</a>, and for a time his regular DJ was <a href="spotify:artist:7HXSDsfCgKWhoeWD31IdWw">Simmons</a>' teenage brother Joseph -- who, after changing his stage name from "Son of Kurtis Blow," would go on to become the first half of <a href="spotify:artist:3CQIn7N5CuRDP8wEI7FiDA">Run-D.M.C.</a> Over 1977-1978, Blow's club gigs around Harlem and the Bronx made him an underground sensation, and Billboard magazine writer Robert Ford approached <a href="spotify:artist:7HXSDsfCgKWhoeWD31IdWw">Simmons</a> about making a record. Blow cut a song co-written by Ford and financier J.B. Moore called "Christmas Rappin'," and it helped him get a deal with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mercury%22">Mercury</a> once <a href="spotify:artist:7zliF6Q946WznVk3ZMYhZX">the Sugarhill Gang</a>'s "Rapper's Delight" had climbed into the R&B Top Five.

Blow's second single, "The Breaks," was an out-of-the-box smash, following "Rapper's Delight" into the Top Five of the R&B chart in 1980 and eventually going gold; it still ranks as one of old school rap's greatest and most enduring moments. The full-length album Kurtis Blow was also released in 1980, and made the R&B Top Ten in spite of many assumptions that <a href="spotify:artist:7zliF6Q946WznVk3ZMYhZX">the Sugarhill Gang</a>'s success was a one-time fluke. Although the album's attempts at soul crooning and rock covers haven't dated well, the poverty-themed "Hard Times" marked perhaps the first instance of hip-hop's social consciousness, and was later covered by <a href="spotify:artist:3CQIn7N5CuRDP8wEI7FiDA">Run-D.M.C.</a> Blow initially found it hard to follow up "The Breaks," despite releasing nearly an album a year for most of the '80s. 1981's Deuce and 1982's Tough weren't huge sellers, and 1983's Party Time EP brought D.C. go-go funksters <a href="spotify:artist:7fIfKG7oJGO4p8wvyi6adh">E.U.</a> on board for a stylistic update. Around this time, Blow was also making his mark as a producer, working with a variety of hip-hop and R&B artists; most notably, he helmed most of <a href="spotify:artist:3537Phr9t8GWkY2GtxDpnt">the Fat Boys</a>' records after helping them get a record deal. 1984's Ego Trip sold respectably well on the strength of cuts like the DJ tribute "AJ Scratch," the agreeably lightweight "Basketball," and the <a href="spotify:artist:3CQIn7N5CuRDP8wEI7FiDA">Run-D.M.C.</a> duet "8 Million Stories." Blow followed it with an appearance in the cult hip-hop film Krush Groove, in which he performed "If I Ruled the World," his biggest hit since "The Breaks."

"If I Ruled the World" proved to be the last gasp of Blow's popularity, as hip-hop's rapid growth made his style seem increasingly outdated. 1985's America was largely ignored, and 1986's Kingdom Blow was afforded an icy reception despite producing a final chart hit, "I'm Chillin'." Critics savaged his final comeback attempt, 1988's Back by Popular Demand, almost invariably pointing out that the title, at that point, was not true. In its wake, Blow gave up the ghost of his recording career, but found other ways to keep the spirit of the old school alive. In the early '90s, he contributed rap material to the TV soap opera One Life to Live, and later spent several years hosting an old-school hip-hop show on Los Angeles radio station Power 106. In 1997, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rhino+Records%22">Rhino Records</a> took advantage of his status as a hip-hop elder statesmen by hiring him to produce, compile, and write liner notes for the three-volume series Kurtis Blow Presents the History of Rap. The same year, he was a significant presence in the rap documentary Rhyme and Reason. Blow's music has also been revived by younger artists seeking to pay tribute; <a href="spotify:artist:20qISvAhX20dpIbOOzGK3q">Nas</a> referenced "If I Ruled the World" on 1996's It Was Written, and R&B group <a href="spotify:artist:2MGT7CYlixSPxAnnkhLpaA">Next</a> sampled "Christmas Rappin'" for their 1998 smash "Too Close." The following decade, Blow founded the Hip Hop Church in New York, became an ordained minister, and recorded religious rap albums with the Trinity. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow - Topic

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Breaks · Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow

℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1980-01-01

Producer, Associated  Performer, Recording  Arranger: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Associated  Performer, Recording  Arranger: Larry Smith
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Russell W. Simmons
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith

Auto-generated by YouTube.

The Breaks

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Breaks · Kurtis Blow

The Best Of Kurtis Blow

℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1994-01-01

Producer, Associated  Performer, Recording  Arranger: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Associated  Performer, Recording  Arranger: Larry Smith
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Russell W. Simmons
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

If I Ruled The World · Kurtis Blow

The Best Of Kurtis Blow

℗ 1985 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1994-01-01

Producer: Kurtis Blow
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Aaron O'Bryant
Composer  Lyricist: David Franklin Reeves

Auto-generated by YouTube.

If I Ruled The World

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Basketball · Kurtis Blow

The Best Of Kurtis Blow

℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1994-01-01

Producer: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: James Robert Bralower
Composer  Lyricist: Full Force
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Shirley Walker
Composer  Lyricist: William Waring

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Basketball

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Christmas Rappin' · Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow

℗ 1979 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1980-01-01

Producer: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Associated  Performer, Recording  Arranger: Denzil Miller
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Denzil Miller
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Christmas Rappin'

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

8 Million Stories · Kurtis Blow

The Best Of Kurtis Blow

℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1994-01-01

Producer: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Daniel Harris
Composer  Lyricist: William Waring
Composer  Lyricist: Stephen Breck

Auto-generated by YouTube.

8 Million Stories

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

AJ Scratch · Kurtis Blow

The Best Of Kurtis Blow

℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1994-01-01

Producer: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Blow

Auto-generated by YouTube.

AJ Scratch

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Basketball (Instrumental) · Kurtis Blow

Basketball (Single)

℗ 2013 X-Ray Records

Released on: 2013-06-19

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Basketball (Instrumental)

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Party Time · Kurtis Blow

The Best Of Kurtis Blow

℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1994-01-01

Producer, Associated  Performer, Recording  Arranger: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Associated  Performer, Vocal  Arranger: Full Force
Composer  Lyricist: James Robert Bralower
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Party Time

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Rappin Blow (Part 2) · Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow

℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1980-01-01

Producer: James B. Moore
Producer: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Blow
Composer  Lyricist: Denzil Miller
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Rappin Blow (Part 2)

Provided to YouTube by Danmark Music Group

Christmas Rap (Vocal Version) · Kurtis Blow · Denzil Miller · J.B. Moore

King Of Rap

℗ Krush Records

Released on: 2015-02-27

Music  Publisher: ASCAP
Music  Publisher: Denzil Miller
Composer: J.B. Moore
Lyricist: J.B. Moore
Lyricist: Kurtis Blow Walker
Music  Publisher: Kuwa Music
Music  Publisher: Larry Smith
Music  Publisher: Neutral Grey Music
Music  Publisher: Robert Ford

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Christmas Rap (Vocal Version)

Provided to YouTube by Danmark Music Group

If I Ruled The World (Vocal Version) · Kurtis Blow · Alyson Williams · Sheila E · Kurtis Blow Walker

King Of Rap

℗ Krush Records

Released on: 2015-02-27

Music  Publisher: ASCAP
Music  Publisher: Aaoron Obryant
Music  Publisher: David Reeves
Lyricist: Kurtis Blow Walker
Composer: Kurtis Blow Walker
Music  Publisher: Kuwa Music

Auto-generated by YouTube.

If I Ruled The World (Vocal Version)

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Tough · Kurtis Blow

The Best Of Kurtis Blow

℗ 1982 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1994-01-01

Producer: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Russell W. Simmons
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Tough

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Daydreamin' · Kurtis Blow

The Best Of Kurtis Blow

℗ 1982 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1994-01-01

Producer: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Orin Jones
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Daydreamin'

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Breaks · Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow

℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1980-01-01

Producer: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Producer: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Blow
Composer  Lyricist: Kurt Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith
Composer  Lyricist: Russell W. Simmons

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

The Breaks (Re-Recorded - Sped Up) · Kurtis Blow · J. MOORE · L. SMITH · L. WALKER · R. FORD · R. SIMMONS

The Breaks (Re-Recorded - Sped Up)

℗ 2023 Cleopatra Records

Released on: 2023-04-14

Music  Publisher: NEUTRAL GRAY MUSIC
Music  Publisher: BMG GOLD SONGS OBO FUNK GROOVE MUSIC PUB

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The Breaks (Re-Recorded - Sped Up)

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

The Breaks (Re-Recorded - Slowed + Reverb) · Kurtis Blow · J. MOORE · L. SMITH · L. WALKER · R. FORD · R. SIMMONS

The Breaks (Re-Recorded - Sped Up)

℗ 2023 Cleopatra Records

Released on: 2023-04-14

Music  Publisher: NEUTRAL GRAY MUSIC
Music  Publisher: BMG GOLD SONGS OBO FUNK GROOVE MUSIC PUB

Auto-generated by YouTube.

The Breaks (Re-Recorded - Slowed + Reverb)

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

If I Ruled The World (Non.Linear Remix) · Kurtis Blow

If I Ruled The World

℗ A Def Jam Recordings Release; ℗ 2022 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 2023-01-13

Producer, Associated  Performer, Vocals: Kurtis Blow
Producer: Robert Reed
Studio  Personnel, Remixer: Non.Linear
Studio  Personnel, Mastering  Engineer: Adam Grover
Programmer, Studio  Personnel, Remixer: Lawrence Andrew Sherrod
Programmer, Studio  Personnel, Remixer: Ben Rosen
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Aaron O'Bryant
Composer  Lyricist: David Franklin Reeves

Auto-generated by YouTube.

If I Ruled The World (Non.Linear Remix)

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

I'm Chillin' (Non.Linear Remix) · Kurtis Blow

I'm Chillin'

℗ A Def Jam Recordings Release; ℗ 2023 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 2023-01-13

Producer, Associated  Performer, Vocals: Kurtis Blow
Producer: Robert Reed
Studio  Personnel, Remixer: Lawrence Andrew Sherrod
Studio  Personnel, Remixer: Ben Rosen
Studio  Personnel, Remixer: Non.Linear
Studio  Personnel, Mastering  Engineer: Adam Grover
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Blow
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Reed

Auto-generated by YouTube.

I'm Chillin' (Non.Linear Remix)

Provided to YouTube by KM Records

These Are The Breaks · Kurtis Blow

What About Us

℗ 2006 Cugate Ltd.

Released on: 2006-03-03

Auto-generated by YouTube.

These Are The Breaks

Provided to YouTube by RBC Records

Strings & Louis V · Kurtis Blow Jr.

Champagne Dreams & Purple Clouds

℗ 2012 BMG Rights Management (US) LLC d/b/a RBC Records

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Strings & Louis V

Provided to YouTube by RBC Records

Ima Do Me · Kurtis Blow Jr.

Champagne Dreams & Purple Clouds

℗ 2012 BMG Rights Management (US) LLC d/b/a RBC Records

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Ima Do Me

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Breaks · Kurtis Blow

Black History Month: Funk + Hip-Hop

℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 2022-02-11

Producer: Johnny B. Moore
Producer: Robert Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Ford
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith
Composer  Lyricist: Russell Simmons
Composer  Lyricist: Johnny B. Moore

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Breaks · Kurtis Blow · CC Raider

Tribute To The Funk

℗ 2004 Yanis Records

Released on: 2021-10-15

Producer: Fathi Barkati
Composer  Lyricist: James B. Moore
Composer  Lyricist: Kurt Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Lawrence Smith
Composer  Lyricist: Robert Arthur Ford Jr.
Composer  Lyricist: Russell W. Simmons

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Party · Kurtis Blow

Tribute To The Funk

℗ 2004 Yanis Records

Released on: 2021-10-15

Producer: Fathi Barkati
Composer  Lyricist: Kurtis Walker
Composer  Lyricist: Alexander Scander
Composer  Lyricist: Fathi Barkati

Auto-generated by YouTube.

KurtisBlow

Father, Son & Holy Ghost

Just Do It

Back By Popular Demand

Kingdom Blow

Kurtis Blow

Basketball (Sped Up)

The Breaks (Re-Recorded - Sped Up)

If I Ruled The World (Non.Linear Remix)

I'm Chillin' (Non.Linear Remix)

Let's Move It (Remix Collection)

Don't Stop

Best Of

Basketball (Single)

Daydreaming Live

The Breaks (Re-Recorded / Remastered)