Lenny White, Najee, Kurtis Blow, and Alyson Williams

If there ever was an unsung hero of hip-hop, it would be Kurtis Blow. Pre-dating everyone who is credited with popularising hip-hop by a good five years, Kurtis Blow (born Kurt Walker in Harlem, New York), made his musical debut as a DJ when he was 13 years old. Walker spent the rest of his teenage years on a set of decks around as many Harlem block parties as he could find, but by the late-1970's, he became disenfranchised with the music he was hearing. It was beginning to get far too samey for his liking, but fortunately, he lived in the exact right place to discover hip-hop and rapping just as it was born. Walker was utterly inspired by this new music he was hearing, and decided to make some of his own, changing his stage name to Kurtis Blow in 1977.

As he started playing his own concerts as a rapper, he fell in with a lot of artists and businessmen who would go on to make hip-hop the phenomenon it is today. His first manager was Russell Simmons, the future founder of Def-Jam Records, and one of the DJ's for his first show as an MC was Grandmaster Flash himself. As a result of the press Walker was getting as a rapper, Mercury Records signed him in 1979, making him the first ever rapper to sign to a major label. That wasn't the only thing that Walker was the first to do, as his first single “Christmas Rappin'” was the very first hip-hop single to be certified Gold, and Walker was also the first rapper to undertake a national, then international headline tour.

As the 70's gave way to the 80's, Walker slipped under the tide commercially compared to the likes of LL Cool J taking the genre overground in spectacular fashion. Instead, Walker became a hugely respected producer, manning the mixing desk for hits by artists like The Fat Boys and Run-D.M.C (side note, Run from the latter band's first stage name when he started rapping was “Son Of Kurtis Blow”). While Walker might not be as famous as some of the artists that owe him a debt, he's been shouted out by everyone from 2pac and Biggie to They Might Be Giants and the Tom Tom Club, and that's the kind of influence and respect that far outweighs chart placings, any day of the week. For that, Kurtis Blow comes highly recommended.