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.
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.
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.”
