Guide Note:

Breakdancer and DJ Kurtis Blow began his career as "Kool DJ Kurt," then in 1977 began rapping under the name Kurtis Blow. In 1979, he became the first rapper to sign with a major label.

Fast Facts:

1. Real Name: Curtis Walker
2. Born August 9, 1959 in Harlem, New York City, NY
3. Years Active: 1979 - 1988
4. Opened for The Clash and Bob Marley
5. Record Label: Mercury Records

1. Kurtis Blow (1980)
2. Deuce (1981)
3. Tough (1982)
4. Ego Trip (1984)
5. America (1985)
6. Kingdom Blow (1986)
7. Back by Popular Demand (1988)
8. Kurtis Bow Presents: Hip Hop Ministry (2007)

In 1976, Kool DJ Kurt, then working as a college radio DJ and a breakdancer, joined the group "The Force" along with Russell Simmons. It was Simmons who brought the rapper to Queens and encouraged him to change his name to "Kurtis Blow" (as in the phrase "body blow"). During this time, Blow regularly rapped with Simmons' younger brother Joseph serving as DJ, before younger Simmons' left to join Run DMC under the name "DJ Run."

Blow released his song "Christmas Rappin'" in 1979 through Mercury Records, the first major-label hip-hop release. He followed this up with his biggest single ever, 1980's "The Breaks."

Over the next decade, Blow would release several more songs and albums, but had trouble following up on the success of "The Breaks." In 1985, Blow made a brief appearance in the hip-hop history film Krush Groove, and recorded the song "If I Ruled the World" for the soundtrack.

Blow retired from music, essentially, in the early 1990s, and has since worked as a DJ on Los Angeles radio station Power 106 and on Sirius Satellite Radio. In 2007, he returned with the Christian rap compilation Kurtis Blow Presents: Hip Hop Ministry.