Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, in association with Sal Abbatiello of Fever Records, celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop on May 6 at 8 p.m.
In the early 1970s, the hip-hop musical genre was born in the neighborhoods of the South Bronx. The Hip Hop Fever 2023 concert will feature performances by Grandmaster Melle & Scorpio, KRS-One, Kurtis Blow, Sugarhill Gang, Nice N’ Smooth, Soul Sonic Force, Cl Smooth, Black Sheep, Keith Murray, and Sweet G — hosted by Video Music Box’s own Ralph McDaniels and Abbatiello. Music will be by Grand Wizard Theodore, DJ Hollywood and DJ Brucie Lee.
Abbatiello, one of the pioneers of hip-hop, discovered many rappers and DJs such as Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow and Run-D.M.C. at the legendary night club Disco Fever. Abbatiello’s Bronx Latin dance club, The Devil’s Nest, is where Latin hip-hop was born and is now called freestyle. There he discovered Little Louie Vega, TKA, The Cover Girls, Lisette Melendez and many more.
Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio are two of the original members of the iconic hip-hop group Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. Composed of one DJ, Grandmaster Flash, and five rappers — Melle Mel, The Kidd Creole, Keef Cowboy, Mr. Ness/Scorpio and Rahiem — the group’s use of turntablism, break-beats and conscious lyricism was significant in the early development of hip hop music. In 2007, they became the first Rap/Hip Hop group inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Kurtis Blow grew up in Harlem rapping by the time he was 20, and became the first rapper to be signed by a major record label – Mercury Records, releasing “Christmas Rappin’” in 1979. He followed up with “The Breaks” which quickly sold over 500,000 copies and other hits like “Party Time,” “Basketball” and “If I Ruled the World.” And in 2016, Blow became the Chairman of the Board of the virtual Universal Hip Hop Museum.
The Sugarhill Gang inaugurated the history of recorded Hip Hop with the single “Rapper’s Delight,” a Multi-Platinum-seller and radio hit recorded in 1979 by NY rappers Master Gee, Wonder Mike and Big Bank Hank which sold more than eight million copies. In 1981, the group performed the hit title track of their second album, 8th Wonder, along with their hit single “Apache,” on the TV show Soul Train. In 2014 “Rapper’s Delight” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the following year Rolling Stone Magazine listed it as the #2 Greatest Rap Song of All Time.
Nice N’ Smooth is a Bronx hip-hop duo known for their humorous rhymes and catchy hooks. Comprised of “Greg Nice” Mays and Darryl “Smooth B” Barnes, plus DJ Teddy Tedd, they had their first big break as guests on Big Daddy Kane’s 1989 single “Pimpin Ain’t Easy.” Nice N’ Smooth achieved radio fame with the song “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow” from their 1991 album Ain’t a Damn Thing Changed, which also contained the popular MTV single “Hip-Hop Junkies.”
Soul Sonic Force was formed in 1982 in the Bronx by the popular DJ Afrika Bambaataa with DJ Jazzy Jay and rappers Mr. Biggs, Pow Wow, The G.L.O.B.E. and Cosmic Force. Raised in the gang culture of the South Bronx, Bambaataa began hosting hip-hop parties in 1977 as a way to draw angry kids out of the gangs. Credited as one of the originators of “Breakbeat DJ-ing,” he started experimenting with rap music mixed with euro-electronica.
CL Smooth is best known as the vocal half of the hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth. After the pair split in 1995, CL Smooth released his debut solo album, “American Me,” in 2006 and his second solo album, “The Outsider,” the following year. CL Smooth’s collaboration with Pete Rock has garnered acclaim and made Pete Rock one of the most acclaimed producers in hip-hop.
Black Sheep is a hip-hop duo known for their witty lyrics and unique rhythms composed of Andres “Dres” Vargas and William “Mista Lawnge” McLean, both native New Yorkers from Queens, who met as teenagers in North Carolina before both of their families moved back to New York. They debuted in 1991 with the hit song “Flavor of the Month” from their album.
Keith Murray, the Long Island native, gained fame in the 1990s with his debut album, The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World, which went gold. Murray’s collaboration with Erick Sermon on the song “Hostile” and his high-profile guest appearances on remixes for artists like LL Cool J and Mary J. Blige further cemented his status as a rising star in hip-hop.
Sweet G is a New York rapper who is known for his single “Games People Play,” released on Fever Records in 1983. The hit song peaked at No. 60 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and was played at every radio station in New York.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, on the Lehman College campus, is located at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West. Tickets for the Hip Hop Fever concert range from $40-$70, and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at (718) 960-8833, or the Spanish language line at (718) 960-8835. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and beginning four hours prior to showtime on weekend days. Tickets are also available at https://www.lehmancenter.org/events/hip-hop-fever. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. sharp.
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