1983

In 1983, rap music was in a transitional phase. The disco and funk inspired rap records played by the house bands of Sugar Hill and Enjoy records were losing popularity, and with perfect timing, Run-DMC ushered in the stripped down drum machine-only sound with the Larry Smith produced, "It's Like That"/"Sucker MC's."

A year earlier, Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force released the game changing "Planet Rock" and popularized the electro sound that German group Kraftwerk pioneered in the late 1970's. 1983's "Renegades of Funk" by Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force was one of the few records by a first generation rap act to maintain a cutting edge (besides Grandmaster Melle Mel's "White Lines" and "Problems of The World"/"F-4000" by the Fearless Four) in this new sonic landscape.

G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid

In the same year of '83, Soul Sonic Force member MC G.L.O.B.E. released his first solo single, "Play That Beat Mr. DJ," with the late DJ Whiz Kid. Craig Harris' Synclavier bass line, and Whiz Kid's Roland TR 808 drum machine programming, gave G.L.O.B.E. the perfect sound bed for his unique cadence in his celebration of The DJ.

He spits, "Punk Rock, New Wave & Soul, Pop music, Salsa Rock & Roll/Calypso, Reggae, Rhythm & Blues master mix those number tunes."

Whiz Kid's customized scratching on the three versions of the song put a cherry on top of an already perfect piece of work. Even the artwork for "Play That Beat" was special, with a white piece of vinyl (the Jonzun Crew's Lost In Space album) on a turntable and a woman's hand featuring the iconic Tommy Boy dancing B-Boy logo on each fingernail. While other rap labels generally issued 12-inch singles with a generic jacket with the label's logo, Tommy Boy often presented their singles with stunning artwork such as comic book illustrator Bob Camp's "Renegades of Funk" jacket, The Force MD's "Let Me Love You" cover, and the jacket for Keith LeBlanc's "No Sellout."

Play That Beat

MC G.L.O.B.E.'s cadence and appeal was evident to a few in the industry. G.L.O.B.E. was one of the first MCs to record with an R&B act when he was featured on New Edition's "Pass The Beat" from their debut 1983 album, Candy Girl. He was also featured on "B-Boys Beware" by Two Sisters in the same year. Tommy Boy founder Tom Silverman suggested that he collaborate with the immensely talented DJ Whiz Kid for "Play That Beat."

"Tom always told me that DJ Whiz Kid [God rest his soul] did beats and he asked me if I wanted to do a record with him," G.L.O.B.E told The Foundation. "I said sure, and Whiz Kid dropped a beat which I took it home and wrote to. I got every little kid in the neighborhood and rented a van and took them to the studio and they screamed and did background vocals on the record. I gave them pizza and every time I got paid I broke them off with somethin'."

"Play That Beat" endures as one of Tommy Boy's best releases, as well as one of Hip-Hop's greatest dedications to the DJ — Hip-Hop's backbone. "Play That Beat" has been remixed and updated several times since its release, and the late Guru of Gang Starr covered the song with DJ Skribble in 1999 for Skribble's Traffic Jams 2000 project.