Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blows Joins SAG-AFTRA Picket Lines
Actors still striking got an ally in Hip-Hop legend Kurtis Blow.
These Two Former Billboard Staffers Produced One of Rap’s Biggest Christmas Hits
Since the business of Christmas music is growing so fast – it occupies five of the top 10 places on the Billboard Hot 100 this week – we are re-presenting some of our stories from Christmas past. This piece, about how two former Billboard staffers produced the holiday hit “Christmas Rappin’” for then-up-and-coming rapper Kurtis Blow, originally ran in 2019. Since then, in 2020, Robert Ford passed away. One groundbreaking Christmas hit didn’t just make the Billboard charts — it was produced by two former employees. In 1979, J.B. Moore and Robert Ford left the magazine to produce “Christmas Rappin’ ” for an up-and-coming rapper named Kurtis Blow. Released on Mercury Records, the single went gold, and Blow became the first rapper to sign a major-label deal. At Billboard, Moore ...
Hip-Hop Legend Kurtis Blow Has Successful Heart Transplant Surgery
Source: Derrick Salters/WENN.com / WENN The legendary Kurtis Blow is still ticking. The Hip-Hop pioneer is recovering after a successful heart transplant surgery. According to the Washington Informer, Blow, born Kurtis Walker, underwent heart transplant surgery on Sunday (Dec. 6) in Los Angeles per his wife Shirley Walker. Fortunately, the procedure was a success. “We give all glory to God for the perfect heart and transplant,” said the “Christmas Rappin’” rapper’s wife. “He is out of surgery. Keep the prayers and praises up. God does all things well.” Kurtis Blow has been having issues with his heart for years. In 2016, he suffered a heart attack in Los Angeles and credited police officers who administered CPR with saving his life. In 2019, he had heart surgery that w...
