Terminator X, or, DJs that Support the MC

[GlendaleViper]

I've been listening to Public Enemy A LOT lately and it made me realize that the hip-hop DJ has become something of a lost art. Most mainstream rappers are using more electronics than the traditional TT>Mixer>TT setup, and turntablism, well, that's another beast altogether.

It seems to me that the simplicity of early hip-hop has for the most part been swept to the side in favour of more complex beats and melodies. This isn't a bad thing, really, but it did get me thinking about earlier prominent DJs like Terminator X, The Biz, Yella, Muggs and Lethal, who were all about the beat, setting up simple sets for the boys on the mic to shine through.

I'm focusing on Terminator specifically, because he's a polarizing example - on one hand, his beats were so shaved down that they were bordering on noise; on the other, he incorporated "solos" into his performances, scratching and sampling all over the place. But it set the stage for one of the greatest rappers and lyricists to ever touch a mic. Of course, I'm talkin' about Chuck D (he know he nice). Terminator set up a beat and a flow for some of the most important hip-hop music made in the early 90s and it's the simplicity that helped Chuck's message come through with appropriate impact. What prompted the thread, is just how well it still holds up today.

There are still a lot of traditionalists out there. Cut Chemist, Hi-Tek and Q-Bert are particularly skilled turntablists who have shown real ability to keep themselves in check while someone spits. This thread is about guys like them - the DJ that lays it all out for one reason alone: Making the MC pop.

Any favourites?

[gtp]

One note about PE: I'm pretty sure the beats and music were all produced by the Bomb Squad - the Shocklee brothers and some other guys who I can't remember. They were the ones who brought the wall-of-noise aspects to rap. I think Terminator X just did scratching and theatrics. Agree with you about Chuck D - my favorite MC of all time.

These days, the DJs/producers are becoming rappers themselves because with commercialization of the art, the rapping skills don't matter much...e.g. Kanye.

Lastly, this thread won't be complete without mentioning Grandmaster Flash, one of the the originals of the genre.

[GlendaleViper]

You could be right about Terminator - I got into PE way before I got into researching music online... kind of a shame at the same time though.

Lastly, this thread won't be complete without mentioning Grandmaster Flash, one of the the originals of the genre.

You're right - I was hesitant at first just because he pre-dates my referenced DJs by a decent amount, but dude needs his propers and deserves all of it. I seem to have lost my Flash records, something I noticed just recently.

[hungrych]

Yeah, I've read that Terminator X didn't actually do all that much compared to the rest of the Bomb Squad.

[atothex]

Does Stoupe count? I loves me some Stoupe.

Edit: Oh shit, Stoupe solo album is out end of this month.