Roc Raida | |
---|---|
Birth name |
Anthony Williams |
Also known as |
Grandmaster Roc Raida |
Born |
May 17, 1972 |
Origin |
Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
Died |
September 19, 2009 (aged 37) |
Genres |
|
Occupations |
DJ, turntablist, record producer |
Years active |
1989-2009 |
Labels |
Asphodel, Loud/Columbia/SME, Ipecac, Epic, Fat Beats |
Associated acts |
Busta Rhymes, Hard 2 Obtain, Knobody, MF Grimm, O.C., Rob Swift, Showbiz and A.G., Wayne-O, The X-Ecutioners |
Anthony Williams (May 17, 1972 - September 19, 2009), better known by his stage name Roc Raida, was an American hip hop DJ, turntablist and record producer from Manhattan, New York. He was a member of the legendary turntablist group The X-Ecutioners.
Williams joined the group known as the X-Men in the late 1980s, but due to copyright reasons, the group changed their name to The X-Ecutioners. The group released three studio albums: 1997's X-Pressions, 2002's Built from Scratch and 2004's Revolutions. In addition to his work with the X-Ecutioners, Williams released mixtapes as a solo artist as well as two collaborative albums, with his most notable being 2005's Rock Phenomenon, a mash-up album he released with DJ Vlad that blended rock songs with hip hop songs. He also produced songs for artists including Ill Al Skratch, Showbiz & A.G., the Jungle Brothers, Mad Skillz, Smif-n-Wessun, and Big Pun. Williams was the tour DJ for Busta Rhymes and MF Grimm.
He won the 1995 DMC World DJ Championships and was inducted into the DMC Hall of Fame four years later. Roc Raida appears in the 2001 documentary film Scratch.
He died in 2009 following complications from a martial arts incident that had taken place a few weeks earlier. He was a father of four.[1]
Discography[]
Collaborative albums[]
- 2001: We Them Niggas (with Wayne-O)
- 2005: Rock Phenomenon (with DJ Vlad)