Kurtis Blow (born August 9, 1959) is an extremely influential and important figure for rap.
Kurtis is known for being the first rapper signed to a major label, and the first rapper to earn a gold record, As well as producing for other early hip-hop pioneers (The Fat Boys and Run–D.M.C.). Notable tracks included "Christmas Rappin'", "The Breaks", "Party Time?", "I'm Chillin'" and "The Bronx".
Discography
- Kurtis Blow (1980)
- Deuce (1981)
- Tough (1982)
- The Best Rapper on the Scene (1983)
- Ego Trip (1984)
- America (1985)
- Kingdom Blow (1986)
- Back by Popular Demand (1988)
I'm Kurtis Blow and I want you to know that these are the tropes:
- Autobiographical Role: Plays himself in Krush Groove and performs "If I Ruled the World".
- The Big Rotten Apple: "8 Million Stories"
- Christmas Songs: "Christmas Rappin"
- List Song: The verses of "The Breaks" lists off the various bad situations (i.e., "bad breaks") people can potentially go through:
- If your woman steps out with another man
(That's the breaks, that's the breaks!)
And she runs off with him to Japan
(That's the breaks, that's the breaks!)
And the IRS says they want to chat
(That's the breaks, that's the breaks!)
And you can't explain why you claimed your cat
(That's the breaks, that's the breaks!)
- New Sound Album: Back By Popular Demand was Kurtis' attempt to keep up with the (then) new school of hip hop, down to changing his flow and production, but it didn't take.
- Questioning Title?: "Party Time?"
- Sampling: Kurtis is among some of the most sampled and/or referenced hip hop artists of all time, with 1,281 known tracks that sampled his work, according to WhoSampled.
- Ur-Example: Though not the first rap act to score a Billboard hit (that goes to The Sugarhill Gang), Kurtis was the first to get a Gold RIAA certification, and was the first rapper to get a major label deal.
