MUSI 2520 Lecture Notes - Russell Simmons, Campus Radio, Block Party
Document Summary
Given recognition for being good looking, charming; girls went crazy over him. First sign rapper to sign with a major label; mercury. In terms of hip hop being at a pre-touring stage, the first artist able to embark on an national and international tour was kurtis blow. First rapper to have a certified gold record after rappers delight is kurtis blow (the breaks: top 5 in r&b charts 1980. Got opening artist gigs (very rare cases) for the commodores/bob marley. First rapper to sign an endorsement deal (the deal was with sprite in 1985) By the time he made albums, most of the original rappers in his field had only released one songs. Barely any professional managers in the industry at this time. Russell simmons before he became famous/rich was a promoter, handing out flyers/posters. Because of simmons, kurtis blow was already somewhat of an underground sensation.
