He became an MC in his own right around 1977, and changed his name to Kurtis Blow (as in a body blow) at the suggestion of his manager, future rap mogul Russell Simmons. Blow began his career in New York City in the mid-1970s, when he was a breakdancer until switching to DJing under the name Kool DJ Kurt and then finally rapping. He was the first rapper to record a full length album on a major label (1979). This occurred after recording "Christmas Rappin", his first single; during this time, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang became the first hit for hip hop. The whole field was derided as a fad, though, and thus there was much resistance to signing Blow. In 1980 he opened for reggae legend Bob Marley at the Madison Square Garden where he performed for an audience of 20,000.
He has appeared in several feature films, including Krush Groove and The Show. A duet with rock icon Bob Dylan called "Street Rock", appeared on Blow's 1986 album, Kingdom Blow[1] by special arrangement of Wayne Garfield (Garfield and Blow co-wrote, "Reasons For Wanting You" on Kingdom Blow)[2] and Debra Byrd, American Idol's head vocal coach and former Dylan backup singer (see album credits).[citation needed]
And in 2004, he recorded the song "Hey Everybody" with Max C and Bomfunk MC's for their album, Reverse Psychology. He also co-wrote songs with The Fat Boys, including their signature songs, "Fat Boys" (1984) and "The Fat Boys Are Back" (1985).
Kurtis Blow also became the first hip hop musician embraced by the mainstream advertising industry with his appearance in a commercial for the soft drink Sprite.
He is currently a DJ on Backspin 43, which is the old school hip hop station on the Sirius Satellite Radio service. According to an interview with I Suppose Productions, he is also currently a theology major at Nyack College working to enter the ministry. According to Blow, "Man's real telos... the real purpose in life, is to serve God."
8 Million Stories
Kurtis Blow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(intro)
There are 8 million stories in the naked city
8 million stories (x4)
(verse one Kurtis blow)
There are 8 million stories in the naked city
Some ice cold and told without pity
About the mean streets and the guetto culture
The pimps the pushers the sharks and vultures
Things that happen when it reaches dark
And all the things you hear about Central Park
You got to be down,you got to have strength
If you're gonna survive past 110th
The emergency ward is capacity filled
And nothin' ever comes as a big surprise
And the naked city never closes its eyes
A new story every day
Told a thousand different ways
That's how it is and that's how it goes
The city with the 8 and six big O's
New York is a crazy city man.....
Yo, my home boys Run DMC
(verse two Run DMC)
A young girl seemed to be gaining weight
Her parents all thought it was the food she ate
Their attitudes were all la-de-da-de
But little did they know there's a baby in the body
She tried to hide it,but they'll soon know
Because sooner or later that baby's got to show
Can her daddy just accept it as a fact
That it wasn't the meals and it wasn't the snack
Then there's another girl,her name is Vicki
The girl is fine,but sho'nuff tricky
Vicki's fine,,but then she's not very kind
She'll lay you down and then she'll rob you blind
You wake up in the morning and you're feelin' blue
Because Vicki is gone and your money is too
She's more sinister than Peter Lorre
And this is just two of 8 million stories
8 million stories (x12)
(verse three Kurtis Blow)
Fresh kid and the stories complete
Born on a dim lit ghetto street
Father unknown,mother astray
He learned about life the real hard way
Wearin' pretty things for all the ladies to see
Funky fresh diamonds and gold jewelry
Spent all his time just counting his bank
Because he's a fly muh-ha-ha,now fill in the blank
Because he's a fresh kid and his money's long
Been the subject of a ghetto song
Poor kids admire,ladies desire
They say water can't put out this fire
Because he's a fresh kid,yeah he's alright
Grew up with the pushers and the pimps of the night
And you could measure or even treasure
The thought that cocaine became his pleasure
Puruvian rock never cut with speed
And he gets skied until his nose would bleed
And that was just one weakness,must admit
That when he took a hit he could never quit
Because he's one slick pusher livin' day by day
When the crazy thing happened along the way
You know he started to base at a hell a pace
And now it's a disgrace,he's got the pipe in his face
For twenty-four seven a terrible Jones
Didn't take care of business,didn't answer the phone
He stayed home alone all in the twilight zone
Just bittin' on a pipe like a dog on a bone
Turnin' blue in the face,by holdin' his breath
With the white cloud bullshit stuck in his chest
But then he tried to stop,but it never worked
And then the ladies started calling him a freebase jerk
Just to break it all down,you know he's not very slick
Because he spent all his money and he spent it real quick
He lost his car,his house,his friends and his wife
And basing cocaine made him lose his wife
Because he bought some on credit and couldn't pay
And then the pusher looked for him and blew him away
In a blaze of glory in his own territory
8 million stories sad but all real stories
8 million stories (x12)
Kurtis Blow’s song “8 Million Stories” featuring Run DMC describes the diverse and real-life stories in New York City. The song title refers to the number of people who live in the city, and how each individual has their own unique story to tell. The lyrics focus on the harsh realities of life in the city, from the ghetto culture to pimps, pushers, sharks, and vultures. The first verse indicates that the city is dangerous and corrupt and survival requires strength and toughness. The second verse illustrates the story of a young girl who hides her pregnancy from her parents and another girl, Vicki, who uses her fine looks to lure men and then robs them. The third verse tells the story of a fresh kid, who started his life wearing pretty things for women to see and quickly became a drug pusher. He lost everything including his wife and friends, and eventually lost his life due to his addiction.
The song speaks to the difficulties of living in poverty and the effect it has on individuals. The lyrics provide a glimpse of the many problems that plague urban society such as drugs, teenage pregnancy, and crime. The line where Kurtis Blow raps “You got to be down, you got to have strength if you're gonna survive past 110th” refers to the fact that the city is divided into areas of affluence and poverty, where the former is located above 110th street and the latter below.
Line by Line Meaning
There are 8 million stories in the naked city
New York City is full of diverse experiences
Some ice cold and told without pity
Some stories are harsh and brutal
About the mean streets and the guetto culture
Stories that reflect the tough environment and poverty of the ghetto
The pimps the pushers the sharks and vultures
The dangerous characters in the city who exploit others
Things that happen when it reaches dark
Danger and criminal activity increase at night
And all the things you hear about Central Park
Central Park is known for its crime and danger
You got to be down,you got to have strength
You need to be tough to survive in the city
If you're gonna survive past 110th
Survival is especially difficult once you pass 110th street
Well it ain't no thing when blood is spilled
Violent crime is common and not surprising
The emergency ward is capacity filled
Hospitals are always busy and overwhelmed with trauma cases
And nothin' ever comes as a big surprise
The city is full of unexpected events and surprises
And the naked city never closes its eyes
The city never sleeps and is always active
A new story every day
There is always something new and interesting happening
Told a thousand different ways
Stories can be exaggerated or told from different perspectives
That's how it is and that's how it goes
This is the reality of life in the city
The city with the 8 and six big O's
A reference to the population of 8 million and the area code 212
A young girl seemed to be gaining weight
A story about a young girl in a difficult situation
Her parents all thought it was the food she ate
Her parents were unaware of her pregnancy
Their attitudes were all la-de-da-de
They were dismissive and uncaring
But little did they know there's a baby in the body
They didn't realize their daughter was pregnant
She tried to hide it,but they'll soon know
She attempted to conceal her pregnancy, but it would become obvious
Because sooner or later that baby's got to show
Eventually, the baby bump will become visible
Can her daddy just accept it as a fact
Will her father be able to come to terms with her pregnancy?
That it wasn't the meals and it wasn't the snack
Her weight gain was due to pregnancy, not her diet
Then there's another girl,her name is Vicki
Another story about a girl named Vicki
The girl is fine,but sho'nuff tricky
Vicki is attractive, but also deceitful
Vicki's fine,,but then she's not very kind
She may be attractive, but she treats people poorly
She'll lay you down and then she'll rob you blind
She will take advantage of people
You wake up in the morning and you're feelin' blue
You're left feeling sad and deflated
Because Vicki is gone and your money is too
Vicki has taken your money and disappeared
She's more sinister than Peter Lorre
She is more evil than some notorious villains
And this is just two of 8 million stories
These two stories are just a small sample of the many stories in the city
Fresh kid and the stories complete
A new story about a young man
Born on a dim lit ghetto street
He was born and raised in a poor neighborhood
Father unknown,mother astray
His parents were not involved in his life
He learned about life the real hard way
He had to learn tough life lessons on his own
Wearin' pretty things for all the ladies to see
He's flashy and likes to show off
Funky fresh diamonds and gold jewelry
He has expensive and conspicuous jewelry
Spent all his time just counting his bank
He focuses on accumulating wealth
Because he's a fly muh-ha-ha,now fill in the blank
He considers himself to be cool and impressive
Because he's a fresh kid and his money's long
He's young and wealthy
Been the subject of a ghetto song
He's famous in his neighborhood
Poor kids admire,ladies desire
He is admired by poor children and desired by women
They say water can't put out this fire
He has a burning passion for wealth and success
Because he's a fresh kid,yeah he's alright
He thinks highly of himself
Grew up with the pushers and the pimps of the night
He was exposed to dangerous and criminal people
And you could measure or even treasure
His wealth is impressive
The thought that cocaine became his pleasure
He became addicted to cocaine
Puruvian rock never cut with speed
He preferred high-quality cocaine from Peru
And he gets skied until his nose would bleed
He used so much cocaine that his nose bled
And that was just one weakness,must admit
Cocaine addiction was just one of his flaws
That when he took a hit he could never quit
He was unable to stop using cocaine
Because he's one slick pusher livin' day by day
He is a successful drug dealer
When the crazy thing happened along the way
Something unexpected and disastrous occurred
You know he started to base at a hell a pace
He began smoking crack cocaine frequently
And now it's a disgrace,he's got the pipe in his face
He's become a slave to drugs and is smoking crack incessantly
For twenty-four seven a terrible Jones
He has an intense craving for crack cocaine 24/7
Didn't take care of business,didn't answer the phone
He neglected his responsibilities and avoided calls
He stayed home alone all in the twilight zone
He isolated himself and experienced a sense of unreality
Just bittin' on a pipe like a dog on a bone
He's obsessively smoking crack
Turnin' blue in the face,by holdin' his breath
He's depriving himself of oxygen by holding his breath
With the white cloud bullshit stuck in his chest
He has problematic and dangerous mucus buildup in his lungs
But then he tried to stop,but it never worked
He unsuccessfully tried to stop using cocaine and crack
And then the ladies started calling him a freebase jerk
His addiction was criticized and mocked by women
Just to break it all down,you know he's not very slick
He is not as impressive or successful as he once thought
Because he spent all his money and he spent it real quick
He wasted his wealth and became broke
He lost his car,his house,his friends and his wife
He lost everything due to his addiction
And basing cocaine made him lose his wife
His crack addiction led to his wife leaving him
Because he bought some on credit and couldn't pay
He couldn't afford his drug habit and went into debt
And then the pusher looked for him and blew him away
He was murdered by a drug dealer
In a blaze of glory in his own territory
He was killed in his own neighborhood
8 million stories sad but all real stories
There are countless tragic and realistic stories in the city
Lyrics © MAXMEL MUSIC, MUSIC MANAGEMENT, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANNY HARRIS, KURT WALKER, STEPHEN ROLFE BRECK, WILLIAM WARING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeff Carter
on Rappin' Blow
Those aren't the full lyrics. What are the lyrics after the "Ho, ho's"?