20. KURTIS BLOW
Before DaBaby was a twinkle in his grandparent’s eyes, Kurtis Blow was rocking the mic and the Billboard charts. Considered the first commercially successful rapper, he signed to a major label during a time when most emcees couldn’t get on the radio … much less obtain a big contract from a record company. But he did.
His 1979 hit single, “Christmas Rappin’” has sold over 400,000 copies and he is looked at as a legend in the game.
Kurtis Blow is Hip-Hop personified; he rapped, DJ’s, and b-boyed. But after the hits top rolling and his tour requests slowed down, he like many others, turned his face to The Lord.
In 2009, he was ordained as a Christian minister and the founder of The Hip Hop Church in Harlem as the rapper, DJ, worship leader, and preacher.
Seven years later, he was called back to his roots to be the Chairman of The Universal Hip Hop Museum. The museum is slated to open in 2023 in the Bronx point section of NY.