Today (June 21), one of Hip-Hop’s most luxuriant and visually grandest DJs and producers, DJ Scratch turns 50 years old.
You see, you ain’t really Hip-Hop if you have not experienced the prodigious deeds of DJ Scratch on the 1s and 2s. Especially, live. Hitting the scene during the late Golden era, Scratch was the youthful mentee of Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay, from whom he scholarly adapted the fundamentals of the DJ element. After pursuing a couple of impressionable exhibitions as an opener for the classic trio on their Run’s House World Tour, the late Jam Master Jay endorsed the ambitious young DJ to become the official turntablist for Golden era duo EPMD.
With EPMD, the Brooklyn born DJ made his mark in Hip-Hop history on their sophomore album Unfinished Business. Scratch’s signature persona is evident through his robust cuts, smooth blending, and ruling scratching techniques which demand order in any given groove. He lured into the ’90s as one of Hip-Hop’s most in-demand DJs and also flourished as an esteemed producer, where his responsibility lies amid hits such as EPMD’s “Rampage,” Busta Rhymes’ “Gimme Some More” and “NY Shit,” and 50 Cent’s “50 Shot Ya.”
Scratch continued to rule Hip-Hop’s DJ element into the millennium by obtaining culturally prestigious accolades. In 2010, he won season one of BET’s Master of the Mix and meritoriously become the inaugural recipient of the Global Spin Awards “Turntablist of the Year Award” in 2012. He was also recently heralded as a Hip-Hop Icon by The Source Magazine.
DJ Scratch continues to rock crowds through his mesmerizing visual customs and technical smarts. For the sake of preserving Hip-Hop’s DJ element, he has developed the ScratchVision television and app network, where he showcases the works of legendary DJs and also drops jewels for aspiring DJs. You can also catch him busting classics on 107.5 WBLS every Saturday night, in signature fashion. He is a prime example of the actual fact that the DJ is the first star of Hip-Hop Culture.
Happy Birthday to one of Hip-Hop’s most Grandest and Legendary DJs: DJ Scratch!
