Its with much pleasure we announce our next tour for 2015 in the form of hip hop and multi award winning legend CASH MONEY.. Now accepting offers in April. Please get in touch with all your expressions of interest via email. bookings@cybergroove.com.au
DJ CASH MONEY.
Since 1984, DJ Cash Money has been pioneering, designing and defining the
art of turntablism. He is a cultural icon in the dj world and one of the most prolific
DJs in hip-hop history. Known in the industry as a dj, turntablist and producer, he
is best known for his pioneering scratch techniques, lightning speed and fierce
musicality on the turntables. Artistic creations such as the “transformer scratch”
and the DJ Cash Money Turntable Style Position are just a few of his inventions.
Many techniques and styles created by DJ Cash Money have single-handedly
revolutionized the technology for djs and the manufacturing of the turntables. He
is the first dj inducted into Technics DJ Hall of Fame.
Although Philadelphia’s indelible stamp on hip-hops’ historical legacies tend to
be downplayed to New York’s contributions, DJ Cash Money’s accomplishments
are undisputed as the champion on the turntables as the only dj to win all three dj
championships for the New Music Seminar and the DMC DJ Championships.
Background
DJ Cash Money’s music journey began in the streets of Philadelphia as a dancer
traveling from block party to block party in search of the spotlight. Even though
he was there to dance, he was intrigued by the turntables. Known as Jerome
Hewlett in the beginning, he took the name Cash Money from his nickname
on the basketball court. He was known to have the “money” shot and named
himself “DJ Cash Money”. He continued to build his skill as a breakdancer by
joining the dance group “Sonic Wave” and at the same time he was building
his skill on the turntables by making mix tapes for the group’s choreography.
He became a major player on the mix tape and dj scene in his high school and
in his Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood. He continued to dance, perform
and excel on the turntables, but it was not until he heard a cassette tape of DJ
Grandmaster Flash from New York City that changed his life forever. The sounds
of the manipulations of the turntables to make music is what made him decide
that this would be his career. He would be the musician and the turntables would
become his instrument. During his quest for knowledge of the turntables, he
found Grand Wizard Rasheen who taught him the craft of turntablism.
DJ Cash Money and MC Marvelous
In 1983, DJ Cash Money met Marvin Berryman later known as MC Marvelous,
along with MC Kool Breeze Steve and formed a new group. The trio began
performing with other groups on the local Tri-state circuit venues. One of the
groups would be Philadelphia’s hip-hop legends DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh
Prince aka Will Smith. Eventually MC Kool Breeze Steve left the group because
of creative differences. These groups performed together regularly before both
groups’ commercial successes in the record industry. In 1987 DJ Cash Money
and MC Marvelous signed with Mantronix and Sleeping Bag Records and
released their first album “Where’s The Party At?” that included the top selling
single “Find an Ugly Woman“ and the underground hits “Ugly People Be Quiet”
and the “The Mighty Hard-Rocker.” That same year, DJ Cash Money went on
to make music history as the only DJ to win all three major dj championships.
Astonishingly, he won all three in one year’s time: The New Music Seminar DJ
Battle (NYC), DMC American DJ Championships (San Diego, CA) 1988 and
represented the United States in DMC World DJ Championships (London) 1988.
Legendary Contributions
Inventor, innovator and stylist are titles that resonate when referring to DJ Cash
Money’s dj legacy. The “DJ Cash Money Turntable Style Position” and the
now-famous Philadelphia phenomenon of the “transformer scratch” are two of
his most famous contributions. His imagination has created some of the most
famous scratching and mixing techniques in the hip-hop genre including ”twins
of spin”, “doubling”, “remixing live on beat with vinyl” and his overall style of dj
techniques.
• DJ Cash Money Turntable Style Position
The turntable position referred to by many DJ’s; as the “battle style position”, was
created by DJ Cash Money and DJ Grand Wizard Rasheen in the early 1980s.
This style requires rotating the turntables counter-clockwise by 90 degrees so the
tone arm is positioned at the top of the turntable with the small Gemini mixer in
between the turntables. This position was in fact, not created for battle purposes
but because his sleeves kept obstructing the tone arm of the turntable and it
was more comfortable for him to execute lightning fast scratches and back-to-
back mixes. The DJ Cash Money Turntable Style Position was so popular that
turntable companies began to manufacture turntables with the tone arm in that
position. The Japanese company, Vestax Corporation began manufacturing a
model of turntables based on his turntable style position in the mid 1990s.
• Transformer Scratch
In the mid 1980s, DJ Cash Money watched a videotape of a legendary
Philadelphia dj named DJ Spinbad perform the original technique template of
taking a record and cutting a sound as he back spins the record. DJ Cash Money
extended the sound of the record and added a funky, rhythmic style and took
it to new artistic levels. One of the mcs in his group, MC Kool Breeze Steve,
named it the “transformer scratch” because it sounded like the popular animated
Transformer Cartoon about alien robots. At the same time, DJ Cash Money
and DJ Jazzy Jeff were spinning routines together and perfecting the scratch,
therefore sharing the credit along with DJ Spinbad as its inventors. According
to DJ Cash Money, there are no bragging rights on who was first, and he gladly
shares the milestone with his “brothers in cut.” In his own words: “Spinbad
created the template, DJ Cash Money gave it the name, style, funk and perfected
it, and DJ Jazzy Jeff was the first to put it on wax.”
• Twins of Spin
The exhibition routine of two or more DJ’s that is referred to as the “carousel” by
many djs was a routine first created by DJ Cash Money and DJ Grand Wizard
Rasheen in the early 1980s. The routine consists of DJ’s simultaneously spinning
on turntables in musical phrases alternating in a circular motion during the same
record. DJ Cash Money and DJ Jazzy Jeff were the first to perform this routine
together during an on-stage hip-hop performance in Philadelphia.
Collaborations
In the early 90s DJ Cash Money began producing tracks and remixes for several
top hip-hop and pop artists such as P.M Dawn, The Roots, Busta Rhymes and
Q-Tip. During that time he went on tour with P.M. Dawn and produced the gold-
selling single “Ways of the Wind” on Island Records and produced several
compilations and remixes such as “Head Bangin Funk 45’s”, “Kickin’ Flava”,
“Old School Need Ta Learn‘O” and “WKIS Mixtape Series”. In 1998, DJ Cash
Money produced a radio show called “The DJ Cash Money All-World Show” on
Philadelphia’s 103.9 FM. His unmistakable scratches have been sampled on
countless records and soundtracks including the famous Public Enemy song on
“Fight the Power”. The intro is actually DJ Cash Money scratching the “Pump
Me Up Scratch” which is a sample from the record “Scratchin to the Funk” by
DJ Cash Money/Dr. Funkenstein. Ironically, each time Russell Simmon’s Def
Comedy Jam opening credits are played the world is hearing DJ Cash Money’s
scratches. The 90s served as another milestone for DJ Cash Money as he was
the first inductee into Technics DJ Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2004 he performed
at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece and in 2007 he received a sneaker deal
with Puma that produced the “DJ Cash Money YO-MTV Raps Limited Edition
Puma Sneaker”.
DJ Cash Money, Now
DJ Cash Money continues to tour throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East,
Canada, South America and the United States dazzling audiences with his one-
man show. He stays relevant by keeping his ear to the streets and studying
current trends in music. The pioneer and family man says he spins everything
from hip-hop, soul and house to EDM, reggae and rock music but stays loyal to
his foundation as a pioneering hip-hop dj who believes in preserving the artistry,
skill and history of the turntable.
DJ Cash Money performs without limitations and believes to always do your best
because “you never know who you will inspire.”