Wikipedia says the 17th.  I have in the Fresh Calendar I constantly build the 18th for a couple of years.  Who knows for sure, but Fresh Radio pays homage to one of the 1st and Important MC’s and DJ in Hip-Hop History!

April 18th – Grandmaster Caz a.k.a. Grandmaster Casanova Fly, of The Cold Crush Brothers, was born Curtis Fisher in Brooklyn, New York on this day in 1961.

Caz was first introduced to hip-hop culture in the early 1970’s when he attended a block party where hip-hop founder DJ Kool Herc was spinning.

Caz, soon after, teamed with DJ Disco Wiz and formed The Mighty Force DJ crew.

Caz would double his duties in The Mighty Force as both a DJ and an MC, one of the first people to ever do so.

Caz would then later join the legendary Cold Crush Brothers, whose original line-up included DJ Charlie Chase, Easy AD, The Original DJ Tony Tone, Whipper Whip, Mr. Tee and Dot-A-Rock, who all appeared with Caz in hip-hop’s first film 1983’s “Wild Style”.

But Caz would be best known for his lyrical contributions to rap’s first and most influential release ever 1979’s “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugar Hill Gang.

This would come about when Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson’s son Joey heard Cold Crush manager Henry Jackson rapping along with Caz’s verse on a tape of one of the group’s live performances while flipping pizzas part-time in a restaurant.

Joey Robinson asked Jackson, who would become known as Big Bank Hank in The Sugar Hill Gang if he had more rhymes to audition for a group his mother was putting together for the still unheard of label.

Hank replied in the affirmative and immediately asked Caz for more rhymes.
Caz gave Hank, who previously was not an MC, free reign of his rhyme book with the understanding that he would compensated later.

Caz would never be compensated until this day for rap’s most legendary recording ever.

Caz, however would release four albums of his own over the years 1992’s “The Grandest Of Them All”, 2004’s “You Need Stitches – The Tuff City Sessions – 1982–1988”, 2006’s “Rare And Unreleased – Old School Hip-Hop – ’86–’87” and 2008’s “Mid Life Crisis”.

Grandmaster Caz has also appeared on recordings by Chris Stein, DJ Signify, DJ Haitian Star, DJ Parker Lee, Mark The 45 King, as well as several one-off 12 inch singles of his own not released on albums.

In 1999, Caz was inducted into The Technics DJ Hall Of Fame and in 2008 he was inducted in The Bronx Walk Of Fame.

Today, Grandmaster Caz works as a celebrity tour guide for Hush Hip-Hop Tours.

In 2012, Caz co-starred in Ice-T’s documentary film “Something From Nothing – The Art Of Rap”.

Grandmaster Caz a.k.a. Casanova Lover is one of the first and most important MC’s and DJ’s in hip-hop history

Dope tribute mixes!!!

Happy Bornday to Masta Ace as well!

5:30a est: #FreshRadio Mixtape  (Replay of Who’s House) with DJ Bee (Philly/VA/SMC)

9a est: #FreshHouse with Chitronix (Chi/Bahrain)

10a est: #NeedleToTheGroove Salute to Jay-Z by DJ Bee

Noon est: Salute to Jay-Z mixed by DJ M-Rock

3p est: #TheShelter with DJ Mista Nice (NJ)

4p est: #Wildstyle with DJ Seven (NV)

5p est: #FreshRadio Mixtape LIVE salute to Masta Ace with DJ Bee (Philly/VA/SMC)

6p est: Skratch*Makaniks Radio with DJ Spinbad (Jay vs. Nas)

8p est: The Dungeon Show with DJ Jeyone (VA/DC/SMC)

9p est: The 5th Element Of Hip Hop with DJ Bee

10p est: Subsoniq Radio

November 14th – Rev. Run of the legendary Run-DMC was born Joseph Ward Simmons in Queens, New York, on this day in 1964.

Run, the younger brother of Def Jam Records co-founder and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and abstract painter Danny Simmons, began rapping as a young teen in a group called The Force.

Run’s older brother Russell, who at the time was an aspiring hip-hop promoter, was handling the career of his childhood friend Kurtis Blow.

Run, who got his new stage name by neighborhood friends because he talked so much and was accused of always “running off at the mouth” became DJ Run – Son Of Kurtis Blow when he backed one of rap’s first superstars as a DJ.

Run soon met Darryl McDaniels, who was also from Run’s neighborhood of Hollis, Queens and the two began rapping together.

After signing a record deal with Profile Records, the duo was in search of a new DJ after the group’s original turntablist got a full-time job and opted to leave the music business. The new duo eventually met a flashy young DJ name Jason Mizell at a block party at Two-Fifths Park in Hollis, who at the time used the DJ name Jazzy Jace. Mizell would change his name to Jam-Master Jay.

The group was then released the double A-sided 12 inch single “It’s Like That”/“Sucker MC’s (Krush Groove 1).” The two songs eventually became hip-hop classics.

Run-DMC released their Self-Entitled debut album the following year. Run-DMC would be at the forefront of the rock/rap fusion movement with a hit single on their debut set called “Rock Box”. That style would continue on into their second album released in 1985 called “King Of Rock” and would culminate in 1986 on their third album “Raising Hell”, which contained their collaboration with Boston rock legends Aerosmith on a remake of their mid-1970’s classic cut “Walk This Way”, whose break beat intro had been a hip-hop staple for New York City DJ’s for years. The success of the collaboration, which received heavy airplay on MTV, would revive the careers of Aerosmith in the process.

Run would go on to release four more albums with Run-DMC; 1988’s “Tougher Than Leather”, which also served as a semi-soundtrack to a film of the same name released the same year starring the group, 1990’s “Back From Hell”, 1993’s “Down With The King” and 2001’s “Crown Royal”.

Run-DMC also starred in the 1985 Warner Bros. film “Krush Groove”, loosely based on the life of Run’s brother, Russell, as well as the 1995 Def Jam docu-film “The Show”.

In the mid-1990’s Run became an ordained minister and began being known as Reverend Run and even released an album using the same moniker in 2005 called “Distortion”.

After the murder of Jam-Master Jay in 2002, Run disbanded Run-DMC and devoted a lot of his time to his ministry and collaborating with other artists like Jagged Edge and Liberty X.

Run eventually became a reality TV star with MTV’s “Run’s House”, a reality show about Run’s life at home with his wife and kids. Run also appeared on MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16” with his son Diggy Simmons and “Daddy’s Girls”, spun off from “Run’s House” starring Run’s two eldest daughters Vanessa and Angela Simmons.

In 2008, Gotham Press published Run’s book “Take Back Your Family: A Challenge To America’s Parents”, co-authored by his wife Justine Simmons.

The same year Run and Justine teamed up with Kool-Aid in a project called “KaBoom”, which builds playgrounds in underserved communities.

In 2009, Run-DMC were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio by Eminem.

On September 2nd of this year Run-DMC reunited for Jay-Z’s “Made In America Festival” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Jam-Master Jay’s sons TJ and Jason Mizell Jr. filling in for their late father on the turntables. The group would perform a 40 minute set of classics like “Peter Piper”, “Here We Go”, “Rock Box”, “It’s Like That” and others.

Run is one of the most influential MC’s of all time!

Source: ThisDayInHipHop.com