Kurtis Blow (album)

Kurtis Blow is the self-titled debut album by American rapper Kurtis Blow. It was released on September 29, 1980, by Mercury Records. The record includes the song "The Breaks", which was often sampled later in hip-hop records, mainly for its introduction made by Blow's a cappella vocal, and for the drum break, giving a wordplay dimension to the title. "Rappin' Blow, Pt. 2" was issued as a single that had a do-it-yourself B-side, the instrumental version. "Takin' Care of Business" is one of the first hip hop and rock ’n’ roll crossover attempts.

Kurtis Blow
Studio album by Kurtis Blow
Released	September 29, 1980
Recorded	1980[1]
Genre	Old-school hip hop
Length	50:45
Label	Mercury
Producer	J.B. Moore/Robert Ford
Kurtis Blow chronology
Kurtis Blow (1980) Deuce (1981)
Singles from Kurtis Blow
"The Breaks" Released: June 14, 1980[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Village Voice	B+[4]
Rolling Stone	(favorable)[5]

The album was placed at number 71 on The Greatest 80 Albums of 1980 by Rolling Stone magazine.[6]

Track listing

Side one

1. "Rappin' Blow, Pt. 2" (Kurtis Blow, Robert Ford, Miller, J.B. Moore, Larry Smith) 4:42
2. "The Breaks" (Kurtis Blow, Ford, Moore, Russell Simmons, Smith) 7:43
3. "Way Out West" (Moore) 7:43

Side two

1. "Throughout Your Years" (Kurtis Blow, Moore, Waring) 5:21
2. "Hard Times" (Jimmy Bralower, Moore, Russell Simmons, Smith, Waring) 4:38
3. "All I Want in This World (Is to Find That Girl)" (Moore) 5:00
4. "Takin' Care of Business" (Randy Bachman) 5:31

CD bonus tracks

1. "Christmas Rappin'" (Kurtis Blow, Ford, Moore) 3:57
2. "Breaks [Instrumental]" (Kurtis Blow, Ford, Moore, Simmons, Smith) 5:52

Personnel

Musicians

• Vocals: Kurtis Blow, Sudana Bobatoon, Wayne Garfield, Sheila Spencer, William Waring, Adam White
• Guitars: Eddie Martinez, J.B. Moore, Dean Swenson, John Tropea
• Keyboards: Onaje Allan Gumbs, J.B. Moore
• Bass: Craig Short, Tom Wolk
• Drums: Jimmy Bralower

Production

• Produced By Robert Ford & J.B. Moore
• Engineers: Rod Hui
• Assistant Engineers: Erik Block, Paula Stevens, Lisa Zimet
• Mixing: Vincent Davis
• Mastering: Suha Gur

References

1. "Key Tracks: Kurtis Blow's Self-Titled Debut Album". Red Bull Music Academy. 2015-12-07. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
2. Steve Sullivan (2017-05-17). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 3. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442254497. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
3. Kurtis Blow at AllMusic
4. Christgau, Robert (March 30, 1981). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 25, 2016.