LevelUp
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Hip-Hop fans woke up yesterday (10/12) to the news of the passings of Brooklyn's DJ Freddy B of Freddy B & The Mighty Mic Masters and DJ Groove Da Moast of Philly.
Freddy B & The Mic Masters pioneered the Brooklyn "Bum-Rush" sound, and their Pumpkin-produced underground 1986 hit, "The Main Event," broke them through to regions beyond New York. Tuff City Records President Aaron Fuchs confirmed Freddy's passing in a press release.
βAs rough as the music of the Mighty Mic Masters was, Freddy was a gentleman and just the type of person youβd want to be ambassador of your label," said Fuchs. He continued, βHip Hop in its original form was hard street music, but in the mid-80's, to make a record like 'The Main Event', as Freddy B. Barton did with his group the Mighty Mic Masters, in the face of Rap softening itβs edges to get radio play, youβd have to want to make a record as hard as 'The Main Event'."
Philly's Groove Da Moast released "Get Busy" with Lord Supreme on Dana Goodman's Word-Up Records (the same label that Will Smith debuted on as The Fresh Prince) in 1986. Groove, who also went by the moniker Captain Groove and Supa Genius, is a staple in Philly Hip-Hop. His friend, Philly's legendary DJ Cash Money, explained Groove's legacy to Rock The Bells.
"I go back with Groove to the days of watching Kung Fu movies together," he says. "People don't realize that Groove was originally with Will [Smith]. A lot of those early ideas like "Girls Of The World" and "A Touch Of Jazz" musically originated with Groove. Groove was also the DJ for a crew called The Hypnotic 3 MC's."
Groove's passing comes only weeks after the passing of Grand Dragon KD, another Philadelphia icon who was Steady B's DJ and is credited with performing the first "transformer" scratch on a recording with "Bring The Beat Back" in 1986.