Just heard Roc Raida passed today due to complications of spinal surgery?
Roc was one of the illest turntablists around.
Bummer.
“Anthony Williams, better known as Roc Raida was an American DJ, turntablist, producer and member of DJ group The X-Ecutioners. Roc Raida has won many awards including the 1995 DMC World DJ Championship. In 2009 he told HHC Digital that he was inspired to enter the DMC championships after seeing Cutmaster Swift win in 1989 on a VHS tape Steve Dee showed him”
Legendary turntablist/producer DJ Roc Raida, real name Anthony Williams, passed away today.
Roc Raida was part of the collective group The X-Ecutioners (formerly X-Men) and has won many awards including the 1995 DMC World DJ Championship.
Roc Raida was Busta Rhymes’ DJ on tour and the rapper announced his death on his Twitter:
“I am sorry 2 say that on this day at 2:05 Sept 19th we lost another incredible life…Dj Roc Raida died 2day my personal Dj is gone… I just wanna thank everyone 4 ur love and support and ur prayers…We will never let ur name die Roc…We love u and will 4ever miss u…RIP.”
Here is a statement released by his family:
Anthony Williams p/k to the world as The Legendary Grand Master Roc Raida has passed away unexpectedly today Sept 19 2009. He is survived by his wife, 3 lovely daughters, mother and friends. Raida was recently in an mixed martial arts accident, something that he has been practicing for several years. Although he had under gone 2 surgeries with great success, was released to an inpatient physical therapy facility and was in great spirits the past few days. This morning he started to have complications and passed. The family asks for privacy at this time.
RIP indeed. I had no idea he had been injured but then again I don’t follow the scene as closely as I used to.
Built from Scratch was THE definitive scratch-based album, probably of all time. And like beatboxing, it’s hard to come with a solid album’s worth of interesting scratches and cuts but the X-Ecutioners/X-men did it.
Hard to believe it’s already been out for 7 years now. I also enjoyed parts of the “General Patton” collab with Mike Patton (and many of the avant garde types here would probably enjoy it) from a couple years ago but it kind of felt forced at times and sorta drifted away from the real hip-hop scratch’n cut spirit of their earlier stuff.
