Hip Hop has many unsung heroes, and while the name Grandmaster Caz may be familiar to those immersed in the hip hop culture, he didn't always get the credit he deserves. After attending a party in 1974 and seeing the way DJ Kool Herc controlled the crowd, Caz was inspired to try DJing for himself and took on the name Casanova Fly (which later became Grandmaster Caz). Caz later hooked up with Jerry Dee Lewis (a.k.a. JDL) and they became the Notorious Two.

During their time as a duo, Grandmaster Caz became first person to both DJ and MC at the same time, gaining notoriety for the Notorious Two. In the late 80s, the two joined the Cold Crush Brothers. At this point, Caz turned his attention away from the turntables and became a full-time MC. The Cold Crush Brothers went on to make a name for themselves, but their new popularity also caused them to become targets and they were challenged on the mic by many. In July of 1981, they faced-off in a battle against Grand Wizard Theodore and the Fantastic Five. Although they lost, Cold Crush had still cemented their legacy in hip hop and went on to release multiple commercial records including "Weekend" and "Punk Rock Rap".

In addition to his success with the Cold Crush Brothers, Caz contributed to other major hip hop milestones, most notably his role in "Rapper's Delight". When Big Bank Hank was asked to joined Sugarhill Gang, he asked Caz for rhymes he could use. Caz, hoping to have the favor returned in the future, gave Hank access to his rhyme book and told him he could use whatever he wanted. However, Caz was never given credit for writing the lyrics nor did he receive any royalties.

Although he may not have gained the recognition he should have for one of hip hop's most important songs, Grandmaster Caz has since been recognized as a hip hop pioneer in the 1980s. After his stint with the Cold Crush Brothers, he had a short go as a solo artist with songs like "Casanova's Rap", "Mr. Bill", "Count Basie" and more. Although his solo career never saw much commercial success, Caz has definitely left his mark on the game and should be recognized as one of the front-runners of the genre. So, to Grandmaster Caz we say...Respect Due.

What are your thoughts (or memories) about Grandmaster Caz? Be sure to comment and, of course, you can always e-mail at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.  


Peace.

*All information found in the above post comes from http://www.coldcrushbrothers.com/Grandmaster_Caz.html and http://www.wikipedia.org.