Kurt Walker (born August 9, 1959), professionally known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major record label. "The Breaks", a single from his 1980 debut album, is the first certified gold record rap song.
| Full Name | Kurtis Blow |
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Date Of Birth | August 9, 1959 |
| Place Of Birth | Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA |
| Occupation | Rapper, Record Producer, Singer, Actor, DJ, Bboy/Dancer, Minister |
| Profession | Record producer, Rapper, Minister, Actor, Disc jockey, Pastor, The Breaks, Christmas Rappin', Basketball |
| Education | City College of New York, Nyack College, The Breaks, Christmas Rappin', Basketball |
| Nationality | American |
| Siblings | Joseph Blow |
| Nicknames | Kurtis Blow, Blow, Kurtis |
| Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/kurtisblow1 |
| IMDB | http://imdb.com/name/nm0089423 |
| Movies | Rhyme & Reason, In Dark Places, Breaking Out: The Alcatraz Concert, Hip Hop Legends, Kurtis Blow: The Hip Hop Anniversary Tour: Live in Cologne 2008 |
| TV Shows | Hip-Hop Evolution |
| Star Sign | Leo |
| # | Fact |
|---|
| 1 | Has not released an album since 1988's "Back by Popular Demand". |
| 2 | One of the personalities mentioned in the song Genius of Love by Tom Tom Club. The others mentioned were James Brown, Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, 'Hamilton Bohannon', Bootsy Collins, and Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar (as Sly and Robbie) and 'Robert 'Robbie' Shakespeare' (as Sly and Robbie). |
| 3 | Changed his name to Kurtis Blow (as in a body blow) at the suggestion of his manager, future rap mogul Russell Simmons. |
| 4 | Currently a DJ on Backspin 43, which is the old school hip hop station on the Sirius Satellite Radio service. |
| 5 | The first hip hop musician embraced by the mainstream advertising industry with his appearance in a commercial for the soft drink Sprite. |
| 6 | He co-wrote songs with The Fat Boys, including their signature songs, "Fat Boys" (1984) and "The Fat Boys Are Back" (1985). |
| 7 | He has duet with rock icon Bob Dylan called "Street Rock", which appeared on Blow's 1986 album, Kingdom Blow. |
| 8 | In 1980, he opened for reggae legend Bob Marley at the Madison Square Garden where he performed for an audience of 20,000. |
| 9 | He was the first rapper to record a full length album on a major label (1979). |
| 10 | He began his career in New York City in the mid-1970s, when he was a breakdancer until switching to DJing under the name Kool DJ Kurt and then finally rapping. |
| 11 | Was the first hip-hop MC to be signed by a major label, which in this case was Mercury/PolyGram Records. |
| 12 | Hip-hop artist |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| The Goldbergs | | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 2016 writer - 1 episode, 2016 | |
| Danville 2nd Ward Young Men | | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 2014 writer - 1 episode, 2014 | |
| 22nd Annual Trumpet Awards | 2014 | TV Special performer: "The Breaks" / writer: "The Breaks" | |
| One Hit Wonderland | 2012 | TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode | |
| Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap | 2012 | Documentary performer: "The Breaks" / writer: "The Breaks" | |
| Dance Central 2 | 2011 | Video Game performer: "The Breaks" | |
| It's Kind of a Funny Story | 2010 | performer: "The Breaks" / writer: "The Breaks" - as Kurt Walker | |
| Angel Camouflaged | 2010 | performer: "I'm Tired" Angel Camouflaged Remix, "Gimme Three Steps" | |
| Welcome to the 80's | 2009 | TV Series documentary performer - 1 episode | |
| Notorious | 2009 | writer: "The Breaks" - as Kurt Walker | |
| Beautiful Losers | 2008 | Documentary performer: "The Blow" | |
| Everybody Hates Chris | | TV Series performer - 4 episodes, 2005 - 2007 writer - 3 episodes, 2005 - 2007 | |
| Scarface: The World Is Yours | 2006 | Video Game "The Breaks" | |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | 2002 | Video Game performer: "The Breaks" / writer: "The Breaks" | |
| Like Mike | 2002 | writer: "Basketball" - as Kurt Walker | |
| Empire | 2002 | writer: "Games People Play" | |
| Saturday Night Live | 2000 | TV Series writer - 1 episode | |
| In Dark Places | 1997 | performer: "Let's Dance" / writer: "Let's Dance", "I Wanna Freak You" | |
| Soul Food | 1997 | performer: "The Breaks" / writer: "The Breaks" - as Kurt Walker | |
| The Jerky Boys | 1995 | performer: "Dial a Jam" / writer: "Dial a Jam" - as Kurt Walker | |
| Knights of the City | 1986 | performer: "Kurtis Blow Rap" | |
| Krush Groove | 1985 | lyrics: "If I Ruled The World" / music: "If I Ruled The World", "Pump It Up - Let's Get Funky", "All You Can Eat", "Fat Boys" / performer: "If I Ruled The World", "Krush Groovin'" / writer: "Krush Groovin'" - as K. Blow | |
| Top of the Pops | | TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1980 writer - 1 episode, 1980 | |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| G-Funk | 2016 | Documentary filming | |
| Hip Hop Evolution | 2016 | Documentary | Himself |
| The Power of Soul | 2015 | Documentary | Himself |
| 22nd Annual Trumpet Awards | 2014 | TV Special | Himself |
| Reach Around Radio | 2013 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Hot 10 | 2011 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
| 2011 Soul Train Awards | 2011 | TV Special | Himself |
| Way Black When: Primetime | 2011 | TV Series | Himself - Performer |
| Unsung | 2010 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| White Lines and the Fever: The Death of DJ Junebug | 2010 | Documentary short | Himself - Hip-Hop Icon |
| VH1 Rock Docs | 2010 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Mo'Nique Show | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
| Welcome to the 80's | 2009 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Baisden After Dark | 2007 | TV Series | Himself |
| The (White) Rapper Show | 2007 | TV Series | Himself |
| Breaking the Rules | 2006 | Documentary | Himself |
| Disco: Spinning the Story | 2005 | Video documentary | Himself |
| Showtime at the Apollo | 2005 | TV Series | Himself - Musical Guest |
| Sex 'n' Pop | 2004 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| Il segreto del giaguaro | 2000 | | Himself |
| Breaking Out: The Alcatraz Concert | 1998 | Documentary | |
| Soul Train | 1980-1997 | TV Series documentary | Himself / Guest |
| Rhyme & Reason | 1997 | Documentary | Himself |
| The Show | 1995 | Documentary | Himself |
| Rapmania: The Roots of Rap | 1990 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Square One Television | 1987 | TV Series | Himself |
| Sun City: Artists United Against Apartheid | 1986 | Video documentary | Himself |
| Knights of the City | 1986 | | Himself |
| New American Bandstand 1965 | 1986 | TV Series | Himself |
| Artists United Against Apartheid: Sun City | 1985 | Video short | Himself (uncredited) |
| Krush Groove | 1985 | | Himself |
| New York, New York | 1981 | TV Series | Himself |
| Top of the Pops | 1980 | TV Series | Himself |
$5 million
