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."
Rappin' Blow
Kurtis Blow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you good buddy so clean out your ears
So listen very closely while I pop my game
Cause my name's in the Hall of Fame
The K-U-R, the T-I-S
The first is the best I must confess
The B-L-O and the WMakes you wanna catch the boogaloo flu
Now, If your name is Annie
Get up off your fannie
If your name is Clyde
Get off your backside
If you name is Pete
You don't need a seat
Cause i'm Kurtis Blow and i'm on the go
I'm rocking to the beat in stere-ery-ooh!
Now just throw your hands in the air
And wave 'em like you just don't care
And if your ready like Freddie to rock real steady
Somebody say, "Oh yeah!"
Young ladies, all the ladies in the house say, "Owww"
And you don't stop, come on, come on, come on, let me see you rock
Ah get down and stop messing around
When Kurtis Blow is in your town
I'm Kurtis Blow on the microphone
A place called Harlem was my home
I was rocking one day, it started to shake
I packed my bags, I said goodbye
I kissed my woman, and I started to fly
I came to Earth by a meteorite
To rock you all on the mic
So just kick off your shoes, let your fingers pop
Kurtis Blow's just about ready to rock
Now people in the back, if you're not too whack, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"
People in the front, if you want to bump, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"
People in the middle, if you want to wiggle, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"
And people on the side, if you want to slide, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"
Now a preacher or a teacher or a e-lec-tri-cian
A fighter, or a writer, or a po-li-ti-cian
The man with the key to your ignition
Kurtis Blow is competition
Young ladies, shock the house
Yes, the young ladies, shock the house
A-just throw your hands in the air
And wave them like you just don't care
If you're really, really ready to rock this house this morning
Somebody say, "Oh yeah!"
Somebody scream
Young ladies, Mercedes, all the ladies in the house say "ow"
"Ow"
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho-ho-ho!
In "Rappin' Blow," Kurtis Blow introduces himself and lets listeners know that his name is in the Hall of Fame. He then proceeds to spell out his name using an acrostic, setting up the catchy chorus that encourages people to get up and dance. Kurtis Blow then tells people to throw their hands in the air and wave them around, letting loose and enjoying themselves. The final verse sees Kurtis Blow incorporating different professions into his rhymes to let people know that he is in competition with everyone.
Overall, the song encourages people to let go of their inhibitions and enjoy themselves. The rhymes are fun and catchy, and the beat is perfect for dancing. The song has remained popular over the years, and Kurtis Blow remains a respected pioneer of hip-hop.
Line by Line Meaning
I see that its not clear
I can see that you might not understand
For you good buddy so clean out your ears
So you should listen closely and pay attention
Cause my name's in the Hall of Fame
I have achieved a lot of success in the music industry
The K-U-R, the T-I-S
My name is spelled K-U-R-T-I-S
The first is the best I must confess
K-U-R-T is the best part of my name
The B-L-O and the W
B-L-O and W are the other letters of my name
Makes you wanna catch the boogaloo flu
My name and music are infectious and make you want to dance
Now, If your name is Annie
If your name is Annie
Get up off your fannie
Get up and dance
If your name is Clyde
If your name is Clyde
Get off your backside
Get up and dance
If you name is Pete
If your name is Pete
You don't need a seat
You don't need to sit and watch, you should dance
Cause i'm Kurtis Blow and i'm on the go
I'm Kurtis Blow and I'm always on the move
I'm rocking to the beat in stere-ery-ooh!
I am dancing to the rhythm of the music
Now just throw your hands in the air
Now raise your hands up high
And wave 'em like you just don't care
And wave them around with joy and abandon
And if your ready like Freddie to rock real steady
If you're ready to dance and have a good time
Somebody say, "Oh yeah!"
Respond with enthusiasm and excitement
Young ladies, all the ladies in the house say, "Owww"
Ladies in the audience make some noise
And you don't stop, come on, come on, come on, let me see you rock
And don't stop dancing, let me see you enjoy the music
Ah get down and stop messing around
Stop fooling around and start dancing
When Kurtis Blow is in your town
When I am performing in your town
I'm Kurtis Blow on the microphone
I'm Kurtis Blow, the rapper on the microphone
A place called Harlem was my home
I grew up in Harlem
I was rocking one day, it started to shake
I was dancing so hard that the ground started to vibrate
It sound to me a-like a earthquake
It sounded like an earthquake
I packed my bags, I said goodbye
I left Harlem
I kissed my woman, and I started to fly
I said goodbye to my girlfriend and started my career
I came to Earth by a meteorite
I came to the music industry from out of nowhere
To rock you all on the mic
I came to perform for you all
So just kick off your shoes, let your fingers pop
Take off your shoes and dance with your fingers popping
Kurtis Blow's just about ready to rock
I am ready to dance and entertain
Now people in the back, if you're not too whack, say:
People in the back respond if you're not too shy
"Don't stop the body rock!"
Say "Don't stop the body rock!" to keep dancing
People in the front, if you want to bump, say:
People in the front respond if you want to dance
"Don't stop the body rock!"
Say "Don't stop the body rock!" to keep dancing
People in the middle, if you want to wiggle, say:
People in the middle respond if you want to dance
"Don't stop the body rock!"
Say "Don't stop the body rock!" to keep dancing
And people on the side, if you want to slide, say:
People on the side respond if you want to dance
"Don't stop the body rock!"
Say "Don't stop the body rock!" to keep dancing
Now a preacher or a teacher or a e-lec-tri-cian
Whether you are a preacher, a teacher, or an electrician
A fighter, or a writer, or a po-li-ti-cian
Whether you are a fighter, a writer, or a politician
The man with the key to your ignition
The person who's got control over you
Kurtis Blow is competition
I am your competition
Young ladies, shock the house
Ladies in the audience, make some noise
Just throw your hands in the air
Raise your hands up high
And wave them like you just don't care
Wave them around with joy and abandon
If you're really, really ready to rock this house this morning
If you're really ready to dance and have a great time this morning
Somebody say, "Oh yeah!"
Respond with enthusiasm and excitement
Young ladies, Mercedes, all the ladies in the house say "ow"
All the ladies in the audience make some noise
"Ow"
Make some noise
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho-ho-ho!
End of the song
Contributed by Penelope P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jeff Carter
Those aren't the full lyrics. What are the lyrics after the "Ho, ho's"?