Rest in Peace Dj Grand Master Roc Raida

Iconic legend on the 1s and 2s, DJ Roc Raida passed away last week of undisclosed complications, rumored to be related to a freak spinal injury after his mixed martial arts practice according to The EUR Report.  The New York native and son of a hip-hop pioneer, Mean Machine of the Sugar Hill Records group, lost his life at the age of 37.

Roc Raida, who began DJaying when he was 10 years old, was a member of the vital DJ community during the re-birth of the DJs’  prominence in hip-hop – the mid-‘90s.  He was a DMC World Champion in 1995 and produced timeless tracks for Fat Joe, Ghostface Killah, Linkin Park, Black Thought, Smif-N-Wessun and Pink amongst others. Additionally he was an official tour DJ for Busta Rhymes along with DJ Skrtatchator. 

The significance of Roc Raida cannot be underestimated. As said before, he was one of the prominent DJs along with his partner Rob Swift, West Coast contemporaries like DJ B-Mello, Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike and others who during periods of fluctuation as it relates to the DJs status in hip-hop, remained a foraging scientist for the art and legacy of The DJ.  Roc Raida released 12 albums total as a solo artists and as a member of The X-Ecutioners.

“I am sorry to say that we lost an incredible life,” Tweeted Busta Rhymes.  “Roc Raida died today – my personal DJ is gone… We will never let your name die, Roc.”

Born Anthony Williams, Roc Raida is survived by his mother and three daughters.

Black Stax, Khingz & Sp aka Slo Poke to play Body Rock 1.0

A night of partying and paying homage to some of the Northwest’s best Hip-Hop artists is in store at The Royal Lounge in downtown Olympia for tonight’s Body Rock 1.0 party.

The Body Rock 1.0 features the clever combo of Black Stax (made up of Seattle underground hip-hop icons The Silent Lambs Project and songstress Felicia Loud) and DJ TC Islam (son of Afrika Bambaataa) — who formed in 2008 following a series of successful collabos.  Also featured is Khingz formerly Khalil Crisis — one half of super duo, Abyssinian Creole (with Gabriel Teodros) and recipient of Seattle Magazine’s Hip-Hop album of the year 2009 for his futuristic masterpiece, From Slaveships to Spaceships.  Olympia’s own SP aka Slo Poke and Source Unsigned Hype Alumnus will take the stage with upstart MC, Icky Spitz to shut the stage down and make way for 25360 DJ of The Year 2008, DJ Drastic and DJ Sweet Elite with yours truly being blessed to host the joint!  I couldn’t not get down with this lineup. Check out a dope show tonight.
[The Royal Lounge, Thursday, Sept. 24, 9 p.m., $5, 311 Capital way, Olympia, 360.705.0760]

Andre Nickatina in the lab with a new album for Fall 2009

Bay Area legend Andre Nickatina is in the studio revamping and renaming his forthcoming Fall 2009 album that will coincide with his fall tour that jumps off in October. According to sources at I-Khan Distribution Nickatina has changed the name of his new album from Cake to Khan.  The wildly heralded MC has not made a public statement of the reason for the change in titles, but the term “Khan” tends to be one of his favored terms of slanguage and he often refers to himself in lyrics as “The God of Khan.” 

Nickatina drops in on the Great Northwest for his Fall Tour on Oct. 16 in Boise, Idaho (Knitting Factory) and Oct. 17 in Spokane (Knitting Factory) followed by shows in Seattle at Studio 7 on Oct. 30 and a Halloween show in Eugene, Ore. at Wow Hall.

Check for more on Andre Nickatina at www.myspace.com/certifiedandrenickatina

Winners Train, Losers Complain… Do Yo’ Thang!!!

Peace & Love
 
Jose S. Gutierrez Jr. is an award-winning editor, writer, producer, educator, music director and consultant.  A graduate of Washington State University and student at The Evergreen State College, he writes and edits the Pacific Northwest section of Ozone Magazine and hosts and produces Live From I-5 Radio (since ’89) every Friday at 3 p.m. on KAOS 89.3 FM (www.kaosradio.org / Comcast Ch. 982 / TCTV Ch. 22) in Olympia.