Mad Love for the DJ's!

DJ HEROS:
Dedicated to Roc Raida & Mr. Magic
(R.I.P.)

Written by: Slangston Hughes

The foundation of the Hip-Hop culture is without a doubt the Deejay. Way before the emcee ever came anywhere near the mic to recite his first “yes, ya’ll” it was the Deejay who kept the crowd moving and laid the groundwork for the culture and the music that has come to be known as Hip-Hop. And within the past few weeks, Hip-Hop has lost two of its most pivotal historical figures on the 1’s and 2’s: turntablist X-traordinare Grand Master Roc Raida and Hip-Hop Disc Jockey (the very first in mainstream radio, that is) Mr. Magic. May their memory, legacy, and priceless contributions never be forgotten!

Although his family called him “Ant”, Anthony Williams became known worldwide as legendary DJ Roc Raida. In 1999, Grand Master status was bestowed upon him by a group of pioneering Hip-Hop DJs during a conference at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum. With a very aggressive swagger on the turntables, those who knew Roc Raida were floored by his battles, performances, recordings, documentaries, videos, DVDs. and even a Pepsi commercial. Roc Raida influenced thousands of DJs, both to party rock as well as to battle. He began DJing at the age of 12, spinning at local parties around Harlem. In 1991, he won the AS 1 DJ Battle. By 1995, Roc Raida represented the United States at the DMC World DJ Championships and won! He was the first DJ from NYC to hold this title. Throughout his life, he lived his passion being a professional Hip-Hop DJ and was blessed to tour the world. Williams was honored to have worked with artists including Showbiz & AG, Lord Finesse, Kool G Rap, and, most recently, he toured exclusively with Busta Rhymes. As a member of the legendary turntablist crews, The X-Men and later, The X-ecutioners, he along with his brothers in vinyl took the world by storm, innovating, influencing and inspiring at every turn. In 2006, to progress and contribute to the Hip-Hop DJ battle scene, he founded Roc Raida’s Gong DJ Battle, a national DJ battle that occurs annually, combining head-to-head turntablist dexterity with comedy and drama.

Anthony “Grand Master Roc Raida” Williams was born in Harlem, New York on May 17, 1972. He passed away on Saturday, September 19, 2009 from a cardiac arrest resulting from injuries he suffered in an accident while training in Krav Maga, a type of self-defense system that he had been studying weekly for the last two years. Without a doubt, he is one of the greatest turntable experts in the history of Hip-Hop culture and is on any and everyone’s top 5 list of most technically skilled turntablist who knows anything about the art-form. An innovator in the craft of the Deejay who was handed the torch directly by legends such as Grand Master Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore, Anthony “Grand Master Roc Raida” Williams truly transformed the turntable into an instrument in ways that both his contemporaries and predecessors alike could never have imagined possible. To the Grand Master Roc Raida: Hip-Hop is forever grateful and we will forever miss you, a true turntable ninja and vinyl X-ecutioner like none another, the John Coltrane of the zigga ziggas, Roc Raida, Rest In Peace!

To read the entire dedication, click the link below:

http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2009/11/articles/2009_11_djheros.html