Hip Hop celebrated 50 years on August 11th 1973, Where DJ Kool Herc spun at a back to school party that his sister put on at 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx.
DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican who grew up around sound systems in Kingston, Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc pioneered hip hop in the Bronx by mixing and toasting over record breaks. This lead to scratching, breakdancing and rapping over the breaks as a DJ kept the beat going. Grandmaster Flash improved his style and launched hip hop as a global phenomenon. Since that time, several Jamaican-Americans have helped to fuel the rise of hip hop. While we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the genre, we will also celebrate hip-hop stalwart of Jamaican descent.
HEAVY D
Dwight Myers, better known as Heavy D, was born in Manchester, Jamaica and moved with his family to New York as a child. He was the leader of the group, Heavy D & the Boyz, which included dancers/background vocalists G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), Trouble T Roy (Troy Dixon), and Eddie F (born Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s.
PETE ROCK
Peter Philips, better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer and rapper who rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically-acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Pete Rock was born in The Bronx to Jamaican parents. He is also the cousin of late rapper Heavy D.
CANIBUS
Germaine Williams, popularly known as Canibus, is the son of late Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Basil Williams. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica before moving with his family to New York at a young age.
BUSHWICK BILL
Richard Shaw, known professionally as Bushwick Bill, is best known as one-third of the pioneering Texas rap group Geto Boys alongside Scarface and Willie D. Bushwick Bill, who is a small person, was born in Jamaica but grew up in the southern United States.
GRAND PUBA
Maxwell Dixon, professionally known as Grand Puba, is the frontman of early 1990s rap group Brand Nubian. He was born in New Orleans and is of Jamaican descent. He was featured on Shaggy’s Why You Treat Me So Bad of the reggae singer’s successful Hot Shots album.
SPECIAL ED
Edward K. Archer, known professionally as Special Ed, is a New York rapper born to Jamaican parents. Ed is best known for the songs I Got It Made, Think About It and I’m The Magnificent from his debut album Youngest in Charge released in 1989 when he was sixteen years old. Special Ed has a combination with Bounty Killer called Just Killa.
PEPA
A member of the Grammy Award-winning female rap group Salt-N-Pepa, Sandra Pepa Denton was born in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to Queens, New York at an early age. Salt-N-Pepa have sold 15 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling female rap acts of all time. They are often referred to as “The First Ladies of Rap and Hip Hop”.
BUSTA RHYMES
Trevor Smith Jr, the American rapper and songwriter popularly known as Busta Rhymes, was born in New York to Jamaican parents. He is known for songs such as Woo!! Yah!! Got You All In Check, Break Ya Neck and Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See. Busta wore dreads at the start of his career and regularly uses Jamaican slang, or Jamaican Patois, in his raps. He has a number of collaborations with Jamaican dancehall artistes including Bounty Killer, Sean Paul and Vybz Kartel.
SLICK RICK
Ricky Walters, more popularly known by his stage name Slick Rick, is an English-born rapper with Jamaican parents. Also known as Rick The Ruler and MC Ricky D, he is known for his narrative style in songs such as La Di Da Di and Children’s Story, and ‘Hey Young World’. His music has been sampled extensively.
NOTORIOUS B.I.G
Widely regarded as the greatest rapper of all time, Christopher Wallace, known professionally as the Notorious B.I.G., was born in Brooklyn, New York to Jamaican parents. His debut album Ready to Die made him a central figure in East Coast hip hop, and increased New York City’s visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast hip hop (led by Death Row Records) dominated the mainstream.
LUTHER CAMPBELL
Also known as Luke Skyyywalker and Uncle Luke, he was born in the US to a Jamaican father and a mother with Bahamian ancestry. The Miami rapper is best known for being the leader of controversial, best-selling rap group 2 Live Crew.
WILL.I.AM
William James Adams, known professionally as Will.I.Am, was born in the US to Jamaican parents. He is best known as a member of the Black Eyed Peas, and for songs like I Like To Move It and Scream and Shout.
CHUBB ROCK
Chubb Rock is the stage name for rapper Richard Simpson who was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Based in Brooklyn, New York, he rose to fame in the early 1990s for hits such as Treat Em Right.
TYGA
L.A. rapper Micheal Ray Stevenson known as Tyga was born to a Jamaican father. His stage name Tyga is a backronym for Thank You God Always.
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