Grandmaster Roc Raida on Wax

Recent days have seen many friends forwarding their favorite youtube and audio clips of Roc Raida in action over the years (the above - from Fat Beats' days on East 9th - passed along by JBX). While Raida's wizardry behind the wheels in battle or exhibition was, of course, jaw-dropping to witness, his recorded contributions - scratch records, productions, and featured moments on song choruses - were exhilarating in their own right. For the latest "Spine Blowing Decisions" I've collected many of my favorites as a tribute to this portion of his legacy (shouts to Monk for providing the one exception - a brief snippet of Raida live on WBAI's Underground Railroad from '96). Though most folks are no doubt familiar with Raida's appearance on one of the greatest hip-hop singles of the '90s, O.C.'s "Time's Up," he also had a huge hand in what is, for my money, one of the best of this decade, Aasim's similarly intense, severely slept-on "Hip-Hop 101." Download here. Playlist as follows:

Roc Raida - X-Men Style Beatz

Roc Raida - The Funky Beat

E. Bros - Funky Piano (produced by Roc Raida)

Artifacts - C'mon Wit Da Get Down (cuts by Roc Raida)

Fat Joe - Bad Bad Man (cuts by Roc Raida)

Jungle Brothers ft. De La Soul & Q-Tip - How Ya Want It We Got It (produced by Roc Raida)

O.C. - Time's Up (cuts by Roc Raida)

Aasim - Hip-Hop 101 (produced by Roc Raida)

The X-ecutioners - X-Outtakes 2

The X-ecutioners ft. E. Bros - Raida's Theme

Cactus Jack ft. Ed OG - Act Like What You Say (cuts by Roc Raida)

Big Punisher ft. Prodigy & Inspectah Deck - Tres Leches (cuts by Roc Raida)

Showbiz & AG - Next Level (cuts by Roc Raida)

Sadat X - The Lump Lump (cuts by Roc Raida)

The X-ecutioners ft. Ghostface Killah, Trife & Black Thought - Live From the PJs (produced by Roc Raida)

SWV - Right Here (Funkyman Extended Remix) (cuts by Roc Raida)

Roc Raida - On the Cut

The X-ecutioners ft. M.O.P. - Let It Bang (produced by Roc Raida)

Roc Raida Live on WBAI Underground Railroad, 4.27.96

The X-ecutioners - One Man Band

I had the pleasure of DJing twice at APT with Raida over the past couple of years. And even based on my limited experience of hanging with the man, I can't help but echo the sentiments being expressed by countless others in the wake of his passing: he was as incredibly chill and laid back an individual as he was supremely talented. Grandmaster Roc Raida, Rest in Peace. Rock, rock, rock-on.

Benefit For Roc Raida's Family 2nite in NYC

Some memories of Roc Raida from DJ Eclipse, as well as an announcement about he and Premier's monthly party tonight for those in NYC:

As you all I'm sure have heard by now we lost another incredible DJ this past weekend. Roc Raida passed away on Saturday after having a cardiac arrest stemming from an accident he had two weeks ago. While the DJ community lost one of its brightest stars, for many of us we lost a good friend. I'm proud to have known him and am thankful for all the years we've had of friendship. His DJ contributions are so numerous that it would take a few days just to type them out. I mean, who else has earned the title "Grandmaster" from the man Grandmaster Flash himself? He was a leader to us all and we will continue to study (and practice) his routines for years to come. He was one of the nicest guys you would want to meet. Always humble, soft spoken... and always joking! This pic below is from when we were on tour in Australia a few years ago. We were walking through a mall and came across a store selling bear skins. The pic says the rest.

 

Since Premier and I's "Like They Used to Say" party is tonight we've decided to donate all of our proceeds to Raida's wife and children. It's also my man DJ Finesse's birthday so he'll be doing a set with us as well as my girl DJ Rachel. So if you need to unwind and take your mind off some of the problems of the world then please come through and party with us tonight.

APT, 419 W. 13th St. NYC 10:30pm-4am, $10 (upstairs for now)

Also, there is an official Roc Raida benefit concert being planned for Oct. 22nd at B.B. King's in NYC. More info to come.

Enter Samp-man

After rock-shockin' it on the Left Coast, the homie Sampo invades NY with a set of guest appearances around town starting tonight (vital stats on all of 'em here) running up to this Saturday evening with yours truly. Samp is too damn humble (hence his DJ handle). He's the man. He's got all the good records in the world (and from what I can gather never had to $pend for any of 'em), his knowledge of material across all genres and eras is king, his edits rock, and he puts it all to perfect use whenever he plays. DL his great set at the Do Over in L.A. last weekend here for evidence of his party-people pleasing talents. Check us Saturday for more big fun in the big town.

ALSO: Be sure to check out Sampo and Matthew Africa's just uploaded mellow soul mix here. In the words of Egyptian Lover, yes-yes-yes!

Program Alert

Haven't noticed anyone linking to this yet, so wanted to spread some love. Check out the latest installment of Matthew Africa's on-line radio show, 2 Busy Saying Yeah, here. It's very simply dubbed "Soulful Disco Mix." Don't be fooled by the modest show title. It's a great, seamlessly mixed program of classics, rarities, and under the radar album cuts - the perfect soundtrack for the long weekend as we unofficially close out summer.

Weekend

The last time Gump came through he ripped it with a relentless set of b-boy breaks, climaxing with this:

Since the vibe is a lil' more, uh, genteel upstairs at APT - and that's where we're at till the basement re-opens - this time he's gonna augment the break-age with other good stuff. Also got late word from Rollins that DJ Nuts is en route from Sao Paolo and should hopefully be stopping by the night of with a bag of Brasilian treats. If you're not up on him you can download all his fine mixes here (including the incredible Cultura Copia). Alas, the stars did not align for a Nuts appearance, but maybe next time. Great night regardless.