Feb 2, 2005

I'm looking forward to seeing it...

Kurtis Blow Working On "History Of Rap" Documentary
By Nolan Strong and Kye Stephenson

Hip-Hop pioneer Kurtis Blow is working on a documentary, "The History of Rap," focusing on the origins of Hip-Hop, aimed at educating eager fans about the early days of the genre.

Similar to the VH1 special "And You Don't Stop," Blow promises that his two-hour documentary will delve deeper into the subject, with the histories of such luminaries as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Hollywood, Eddie Cheeba, Luv Bug Starski and others.

"We really get into it," Blow told AllHipHop.com. "We give you a half-hour on just Kool Herc. We start around 1972 all the way up to the early days of RUN-DMC. The story really needs to be told about how Kurtis Blow was inspired, how the Sugarhill Gang and RUN-DMC were inspired by these earlier cats that never got the props they deserve. These are the guys who are the true pioneers."

Blow hopes the documentary will enlighten people to the lesser known facts, like the oft-overlooked fact that hip-hop was heavily influenced by disco music.

"A lot of people don't know about that," Blow continued. "Hip-hop came from disco, it was a mutation of disco."

Blow, who also serves as a DJ and emcee every Thursday from 6-9pm at the Greater Hood Memorial AME Zion Church in Harlem, New York, aims for the documentary to be ready by Summer 2005.

Aside from “The History of Rap,” Blow has reportedly undertaken other business with a former manager, but he declined to discuss an alleged lawsuit against mogul Russell Simmons, who once guided his career.

He had more affectionate comments for the emerging generation of rap legends.

Blow, who was the first rapper to sign with a major label, the first to have a certified gold single and the first to embark on an international concert tour, explained that he did not have the bitter sentiments towards the younger hip-hoppers that many old school rappers are accused of harboring.

"A lot of old school cats are frustrated and jealous, because all the new-school kids are making the money,” Blow continued. “But not me. I support the new hip-hop and wanna see these guys be successful and get the money and make as much money as they can. My hat goes off to the new kids cause they've taken it to another level.”

2 comments:

Jdid said...

thats cause kurtis has been relatively successful compared to alot of the other old cats.

Anyway sounds like a great project , I'm definetly going to see that.

Anonymous said...

I give Kurtis his props for not being one of those hating-ass older cats, but at the same time, he has to be talking about admiring the new nigs in rap for their business acumen... Cause he can't possibly respect that bullshit they try to pass off as music. I'll take the Krush Groove soundtrack to Sweat/Suit any fucking day. Can I get a witness?