7 minute read
Profile: Kurtis Blow
SevenVenues announced that “The Hip Hop Nutcracker”—scheduled last Christmas season, but canceled due to cast illness—is on the calendar for an exciting one-night-only performance, December 15th. Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber and celebrating its 10th-year anniversary this season, the contemporary dance spectacle is a high-energy, reimagined version of the classic by mixing hip hop dance and Tchaikovksy’s timeless music together. “The Hip Hop Nutcracker’s” incredible cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ, a violinist and legendary hip hop founding father Kurtis Blow are energized to be performing at Chrysler Hall. This is an amazing opportunity to experience “The Nutcracker” as never before. I recently chatted with the show’s special guest, MC Kurtis Blow.
YIORGO: Why should people come and see “The Hip Hop Nutcracker?” What will they experience, what will they get out of it?
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KURTIS BLOW: “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” is a modernized version of the classic “Nutcracker.” It’s a story about two young people who are in love and their love creates a special magic that can defeat evil. We need that now more than ever. We have a lot of the same elements like Clara/Marie, “The Nutcracker,” drosselmeyer and so on. It’s what we call a hip hop, holiday season extravaganza for the whole family to come together, show each other love, in the spirit and the theme of love conquers all. It’s a modernized version where instead of regular dancing we have b-boys and b-girls doing pop locking, electric boogie, ticking. All the footwork and power moves and head spins and windmills, backspins and air twists. It’s incredible to see these young dancers, I call them the B-Boy Dream Team. We have assembled this action-packed show with these amazing dancers from all around the world. They have their own styles and they are dancing to classical music that is incredible to hear along with the fusion of funk. Funky hip hop beats are something to witness and check out. We also have our own violinist. He is a hip hop musician, blending the styles of classical music along with hip hop on his violin. His name is Jarvis L. Benson, he is classically trained and he is incredible.
You of course started with The Hip-Hop Nutcracker as a guest MC and it has blossomed into this beautiful love affair. Can you share how that process started and how it has evolved for you?
“The Hip Hop Nutcracker” and I have mutual friends and one of my buddies came to one of my shows in the Bronx. He came backstage and he said, “Man. you would be incredible and wonderful for this new idea for this new play called ‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker.’” I was amazed right then and there with just the concept of a hip hop “Nutcracker.” I went to their rehearsal where they were performing. I checked out these young dancers, B Boys and B Girls doing their thing to classical music and a DJ playing those funky beats up on their classical music. I was floored and I knew I had to be a part of this. I said, ‘count me in, sign me up.’
You wound up having trouble with your heart and thank God, you had a very successful heart transplant and you are now a living testament. How are you feeling today and can you talk about it?
[ by yiorgo ]
[ PHOTOS by Cheryl Mann ]
One on one with hip hop founding father Kurtis Blow and special guest MC for “The Hip Hop Nutcracker”
My transplant was a miracle. I am a walking, living, breathing testimony of the reality that God is still in the miracle business. When something like this happens to you, it changes you. I was and am an ordained minister since 2007, but do you think I love me some God now? Everything is enhanced and I am so grateful and overjoyed with just the fact that I can wake up. I used to say that any day above ground is a good day, but I’ve been having some great days lately and I thank God every morning that I woke up.
Can you talk a little bit about growing up in Harlem and what influenced you in the creation of hip hop?
I was born in Harlem in 1959 and the ‘60’s were a very special time. It was the civil rights movement, with community organizers, government officials having debates about equal rights for our people. It was a lot of chaos, a lot of murders like President John Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X and Robert Kennedy. They were troublesome times. The music that happened right after that was disco, the love movement, the hippie movement, and just loving each other. Everyone was trying to come together, unite and have a good time when they went out. Music became our escapism—especially for people in Harlem and the South Bronx. Because during that time, New York City was [financially] broke in the ‘70’s. You had landlord owners up in the Bronx and in Harlem burning down the buildings on purpose so they could collect the insurance money. It became a scam all over the city. There was a community organizer who said, ‘The buildings are burning down on one side of the block but the kids on the other side are trying to put something together.’ That was the parable of hip hop and how it first started because we were just trying to forget our troubles, forget about the oppression, forget about all the dirt, the rubble, the fires and the abandoned buildings. We said, ‘we are living in all this dirt but we are not dirt. Take a look at us.’ That was the expression. It started with the graffiti, trying to paint up the buildings and make them look better. You had these artists come out and paint these enormous murals on the dilapidated train system. You can see these big, big, colorful murals miles away because the trains in New York, in the Bronx and Harlem, are elevated. You can stand on one corner on the grand concourse and look all the way down the block by Yankee Stadium and you can see the number four train go by and it has this enormous, vibrant and colorful mural that is a piece by a graffiti artist that made you feel good inside. That was the beginning of hip hop. “My name is John, I leave my
TOP LEFT and RIGHT: The ensemble cast is a collection of supercharged, all-star dancers
RIGHT: Jackie “JK-47” Agudo, Randi “Rascal” Freitas, Seth “REAKTION” Hilliard, and Anthony “OMEN” Cabrera
ABOVE: Gabriel Emphasis, Anthony “OMEN” Cabrera, Jon “gifted” Jimenez, Seth “REAKTION” Hilliard and Lily Frias ABOVE: Bryan Longchamp, Dustin Payne, Lisa “LBOOGIE” Bauford, Lily Frias and Jon “gifted” Jimenez
name to carry on. Those who knew me, knew me well. Those that didn’t can go to h***.”
Tell us about your incredible homage to Dr. Martin Luther King with your song, “King’s Holiday.”
That song to me was the most meaningful production. I had the pleasure and honor of recording Whitney Houston, Tina Marie, Stephanie Mills, Menudo. Incredible to have Ricky Martin in the studio when he was 16. All the artists, Stacy Latishow, Run DMC, Fat Boys, Melly Mel.... Man it was incredible to have been a part of that. And do you know that Prince paid $90,000 for the video so we could shoot it?
You are the driving force behind the creation of the Universal Hip Hop Museum. Can you tell us about it?
Great project, thank you for asking me about it. The Universal Hip Hop Museum is just that: a brick and mortar location that everyone around the world can come and see the legacies, the pictures, the artifacts, the stories, all the memorabilia that is a part of the embryo, the history of hip hop. It is such an important project to document and preserve our history and have it in one place for the world to see. We plan to open up in 2024 and you can go and learn more about it at uhhm.org.
Yiorgo is an arts, entertainment and sports writer. A stage, TV and movie actor, he is also a sports entertainer, educator, motivational speaker, writer, storyteller and columnist.
