When did Kurtis Blow become the first rapper signed to a major label?
Kurtis Blow became the first rapper signed to a major label in 1979. Mercury Records released his single Christmas Rappin that same year.
Questions about Kurtis Blow
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What album contains the first certified gold record rap song by Kurtis Blow?
The Breaks from his 1980 self-titled debut album was the first certified gold record rap song. This track achieved greater success than his previous work by selling more than 840,000 copies.
Where did Kurtis Blow live during the mid-1980s and what holiday song did he produce then?
Blow lived in Co-op City in the Bronx during the mid-1980s. He worked with Phillip Jones as co-producer on King Holiday which celebrated the first Martin Luther King Jr Day that became a U.S. federal holiday in January 1986.
Who is scheduled to open the Hip Hop Museum founded by Kurtis Blow?
The museum is slated to open in October 2026 in Bronx point section of NYC. Kurtis Blow was unanimously elected Chairman of the Hip Hop Museum in 2016.
Which documentary won awards for Kurtis Blow in 2016 and 2017?
He appeared in documentary Hip-Hop Evolution hosted by Canadian rapper Shad which won 2016 Peabody Award and 2017 International Emmy Award for Best Arts Programming.