Rashad Hanif Harden (October 9, 1979 – April 26, 2014), known as DJ Rashad, was a Chicago-based electronic musician, producer and DJ known as a pioneer in the footwork genre and founder of the Teklife crew. He released his debut studio album '' Double Cup'' on

Hyperdub __NOTOC__ Hyperdub is a British electronic music record label and former webzine based in London, founded by Kode9, Steve Goodman, a.k.a. Kode9. The label was formed in 2004, and grew out of the UK's early dubstep scene. Artists signed to the l ...

in 2013 to critical praise. He died in April 2014 from a drug overdose.

Early life

Born in

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Located along Lake Michigan, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the Li ...

, on October 1, 1979, Harden was the son of Gloria and Anthony Harden. He grew up on 159th Street in the southern part of

Calumet City, Illinois Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History Calumet City (commonly referred to locally as "Cal City") was founded in 1893 ...

, a suburb of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He developed an early interest in music and began to DJ in his early teens, influenced by

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

and juke. In high school, Harden gained further DJ experience at the Kennedy-King College radio station WKKC. He also became a member of local dance troupes, including the HouseOMatics, The Phyrm, and Wolf Pac. In 1992 he made his first public appearance as a DJ at his high school dance party jubilation. While attending Thornwood High School, Harden met Morris Harper (aka DJ Spinn) during homeroom class. The two began to spend time at each other's houses producing tracks and performing at parties. Harden was one of the founders of the Teklife crew and developed the footwork style around dance battles in the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

Career

Harden's first recording released to vinyl was the track "Child Abuse" on ''Dance Mania'' in 1998. He gained global attention after releasing his single "Itz Not Rite" on

Planet Mu Planet Mu is an English electronic music record label created and run by Mike Paradinas. The label started out as a subsidiary of Virgin Records then Paradinas set up the label independent of Virgin. After releasing intelligent dance music, the ...

and being included on their ''Bangs and Works'' album in 2010. Throughout 2012 and 2013, Rashad performed regularly at 285 KENT in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, drawing further national attention to his own music and to Footwork. In 2013, Harden released the EPs ''I Don't Give a Fuck'' and ''Rollin on the

label. These were followed by the debut full-length album '' Double Cup'' (2013), which featured collaborations with DJ Spinn, Taso, DJ Phil, Manny, Earl and Addison Groove. He was one of the performers at the

Pitchfork Music Festival Pitchfork Music Festival was an annual music festival in Union Park (Chicago), Union Park in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the online magazine ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork.'' Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris ...

in Chicago in 2013 and completed support-slot on the tour of

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...

in December 2013. His last performance as a DJ was at Club Vinyl in Denver, Colorado on April 24, 2014.

Death

On Saturday, April 26, 2014, Harden was found dead at an apartment on West 21st Street in

. An autopsy confirmed that the death was drug related, with

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

, and

alprazolam Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of moderate duration within the triazolobenzodiazepine group of chemicals called benzodiazepines. Alprazolam is most commonly prescribed in the ...

(Xanax) being found in his system. A variety of artists paid tribute thereafter, with ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' writing that "Rashad will undoubtedly be remembered as one of contemporary dance music's most innovative stylists and most irreplaceable presences."

Musical style

Harden's music as DJ Rashad is multifaceted, largely built around samples and drawing from other genres such as trap and

jungle jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...

. Ruth Saxelby of DUMMY Magazine said that his debut album ''Double Cup'' "crystallises the inherent duality of footwork (as represented by the ingredients of the titular syrupy drink: the blunt slowness of codeine and swift sharpness of sugar)." This refers to the low sub-bass and frenetic percussion at a high BPM featured in Harden's music, characteristic of footwork as a whole. His music ranges in emotional tone but often has a sadness to it, drawing from the samples he used as well as the way he manipulated them by stretching, chopping or looping them. Harden's use of samples has been compared to

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

, and he is regarded as both a pioneer and an exemplary artist in the footwork genre. He aimed to extend footwork beyond its sole use as dance music, saying in 2013:

"My goal is now, that you don't have to footwork or dance. As long as you get into it and enjoy it, that's cool. You don't have to know certain moves to get down with the music. Just have a good time. That's what I'm trying to have and get across to people. As long as you feel the rhythm and the bass, just vibe with it, you'll be alright. It's for everybody, not just footworkers."

Partially due to this element of his music, Harden was one of the first footwork producers who became popular outside of Chicago.

Legacy

On June 29, 2015, Hyperdub released the ''6613'' EP, a four-track EP of previously unheard tracks by DJ Rashad. ''Afterlife'' was Harden's last album. It featured previously unreleased songs in collaboration with other members of the Teklife crew. It was released on April 8, 2016, as the first release of the new Teklife Records label.

Discography

Albums

* ''Da Juke Project'' (1999) * ''Juke Trax Online Vol. 3'' (2006) * ''Something 2 Dance 2'' (2008) * ''Just a Taste Vol. One'' (2011) * ''Teklife Volume 1 – Welcome to the Chi'' (2012) * '' Double Cup'' (2013) * ''Afterlife'' (2016)

Singles and EPs

* 2004: "Girl Bust Down" (with DJ Spinn; Juke Trax) * 2004: ''The White Tees EP'' (with DJ TY; Juke Trax) * 2007: "Jukestacy" (Juke Trax Online) * 2007: "Send It Up" (Juke Trax Online) * 2007: "Get It Shorty" (Juke Trax Online) * 2008: "We Break It Down" (with DJ Chi Boogie; Juke Trax Online) * 2008: "You Know What It Is" (Juke Trax Online) * 2008: ''Juke Trax Online Vol. 13'' (Juke Trax Online) * 2008: "Imma Do Me" (Juke Trax Online) * 2008: "Freakin Me on the Flo" (Juke Trax Online) * 2008: "Tek-9" (Databass Online) * 2010: "Grace" (Ghettophiles) * 2010: "4 the Ghetto" (with DJ Spinn; Ghettophiles) * 2010: "Itz Not Rite" (

) * 2011: "Meet Tshetsha Boys" (with DJ Spinn and RP Boo; Honest Jon's Records) * 2013: ''I Don't Give a Fuck'' (Hyperdub) * 2013: "Its Wack" (Grand Theft Auto V) * 2013: ''Rollin (Hyperdub) * 2014: "We on 1" (Southern Belle Recordings) * 2014: "Don't This Ish" (with Alix Perez and DJ Spinn,

Exit Records Exit Records was an independent record label founded in 1982 and run by Mary Neely, a veteran of the music business and a host of several national rock and roll radio shows, including '' Rock Scope''. The label folded in 1987. Based in a large bu ...

/''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...

'') * 2014: "Make It Worth" (with Alix Perez and DJ Spinn, Exit Records) * 2015: "6613" (Hyperdub)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rashad, DJ 1979 births 2014 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians African-American DJs American electronic musicians Cocaine-related deaths in Illinois Deaths attributed to Xanax overdose Deaths by heroin overdose in the United States Electronic dance music DJs Hyperdub artists Musicians from Chicago People from Calumet City, Illinois