In 2000 years from now, it’s reasonable to think that Hip Hop’s story will be contained and accessible in a collection of texts that are as significant as the Bible, the Quran, the Torah, the Tripitaka, and the Vedas. In our sacred Hip Hop text, I foresee the opening sentence reading as follows:
“In the beginning, there was the DJ [or Disc Jockey/Crowd Controller/Cut Master/Mix Master]. For thou extremities, serving as an extension of thine heart and projecting the passions contained within thine soul, controlled the emotion of the crowd, and quelled the collective angst.”
I grant you that my zeal for the Hip Hop DJ is perhaps extreme [and even blasphemous based on the reader] but it is appropriate. Hip Hop culture started with the Disc Jockey. And it would be because of this foundational role, Hip Hop would be conceived and nurtured into the global powerhouse of a culture that so many of us have come to support and love. But like anything else that is nurtured, it inevitably matures and morphs into something that is an exact manifestation of its own hopes and dreams. And that is a refined, highly skilled, and progressed version of its predecessors and younger self.
With certainty, it can be stated that Hip Hop’s DJ Pioneers hoped for the progressiveness of the discipline and absolutely, DJ Rob Swift has contributed to leading the effort of fulfilling these hopes. More than a DJ, Rob Swift is a skilled Turntablist; a musician of sorts whose instrumentation is a result of his skillful and admired manipulation of sound through a carefully crafted and honed technique.
This week on TCOHHL (The Chronicles of a Hip Hop Legend) Radio, D.D. Turner and stats kicks it with the legendary, DJ Rob Swift. During their park bench-esque conversation, the duo discuss with Rob his DJing roots, growing up in Queens, his foray into academia, and a host of other topics. And because we’re sure of your inquiry about the playlist, we’re proud to announce that it’s ALL ABOUT THE DJ.
By: D.D. Turner , Founder/Executive Producer/Host
TCOHHL (The Chronicles of a Hip Hop Legend) Radio
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