Photo: Ferhat Ataman / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kurtis Blow is a genuine founding figure, and the firsts here say it all. Born in Harlem in 1959, he was the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major label, and his 1980 single The Breaks became the first certified gold rap song. That's not just a career, that's a doorway the rest of hip-hop walked through. Seventeen albums later, the detail that sticks with me is that he became an ordained minister, a turn that says something about a man who moved from the block parties to the pulpit. I have real reverence for pioneers who made the path others now take for granted.
Overview
Kurtis Walker (born August 9, 1959), known professionally by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Walker is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major record label. "The Breaks", a single from his 1980 self-titled debut album, is the first certified gold record rap song. Over his career he released 17 albums. He is an ordained minister.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kurtis Blow
- Name (Japanese)
- カーティス・ブロウ
- Reading
- かーてぃす・ぶろう
- Born
- August 9, 1959 (age 66)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Boar
- Origin
- New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer / record producer / composer / beatboxer / rapper
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Nyack College
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer — see all → · Record producer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.