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Oh My God I Think I’m Having a Rap Attack!

[ Ecstacy ]
Somebody get a doctor!
Quick, man
She’s having an attack!
[ Jalil ]
She said ‘rap attack’, man, not ‘heart attack’
[ Ecstacy ]
Oh, you mean she’s alright then?
[ Jalil ]
Of course, man
You never heard of a Mr. Magic Rap Attack?
Where is this guy from, man?
[ Ecstacy ]
Oh, I heard of a heart attack or a big mac attack
But what’s a rap attack?
[ Jalil ]
Come here, man, I see I’ma have to explain it to you
like this
See, a rap attack means……

– Whodini (Magic’s Wand)

Another sad day for hip hop fans as news broke yesterday of the passing of one of hip hop’s pioneering DJ’s, Mr. Magic aka The Official Voice of Hip Hop: Supa Rockin’ Mr. Magic, aka Sir Juice aka John Rivas. In the last few months we’ve seen the passing of DJ AM and DJ Roc Raida among others. For those of you who were fortunate to come up in the ‘golden era’ of hip hop as I was, you respect and appreciate the impact and influence he had on hip hop and commercial radio in general.

Every hip hop DJ with a mix show, podcast, voice and career is indebted to Mr. Magic.

You remember being glued to your radio with a stack of cassettes ready to record his show and feel the energy of his presence. You remember when a DJ co-sign actually meant something and gave an artist instant credibility. You remember his boldness (some would say arrogance) throughout the infamous ‘Bridge Wars’ that projected his own Juice Crew (WBLS) vs. another legend and his crew, Kool DJ Red Alert (WRKS Kiss-FM) & Boogie Down Productions. All in the name of competition, fun and hip hop. No gunplay.

It was all a dream
I used to read Word Up magazine
Salt’n’Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
Hangin’ pictures on my wall
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl
I let my tape rock ’til my tape popped

– Notorious B.I.G. Juicy [Explicit]

You remember the banter between the two and the in studio fun with Marley Marl, Fly Ty, Chilly Q and a whole host of artists. You remember staying up with your little pointy finger on the pause button of your boombox (not ipod) waiting for that magical “Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack Presents….. A World Premiere, A Woooorld Premier ‘mier ‘mier”.

And for those of us who weren’t in the NYC area, anyone who had access to any of those tapes was the absolute MAN on the block. Those joints were like gold. It was a special time in hip hop history that just like Mr. Magic, cannot be reproduced or replaced.

It’s an often repeated cliche’, but we need to take the time to give our “heroes” their flowers while they’re still here to receive them. That is a big part of our mission here at GFM. For more on Mr. Magic and his history, check out the following:

Davey D – Remembering Mr. Magic (RIP) – Hip Hop Loses It’s Frankie Crocker

DJ Premier – RIP Mr. Magic

DJ Premier Mr. Magic Tribute Mix

WBLS Stetsasonic Interview & Freestyle ’87

Downloads: Mr. Magic Rap Attack Show – WBLS

DJ Scratch put on a ridiculous 10 hr+ tribute to Mr. Magic (hopefully it will be posted soon) – Scratch Vision

NY1 Segment

Afrika Bambaata pays tribute to fellow pioneer Mr. Magic

DJ Nasty Nes offers condolences to Mr. Magic

Mr. Magic & Mister Cee Interview (1995)

Hip Hop World Mourns Mr. Magic

Shoutout to @brokencool for this clip

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