Anthony Williams (May 17, 1972 – September 19, 2009), better known as Roc Raida or Grandmaster Roc Raida, was an American DJ,

turntablist Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA system ...

and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

. He was also a member of the DJ group

the X-Ecutioners The X-Ecutioners are a group of American hip hop DJs/turntablists from New York City, New York. The group formed in 1989 and currently consists of three DJs, including Total Eclipse, DJ Boogie Blind, DJ Precision. Original members of the grou ...

. He joined the X-Men in the late 1980s, but due to copyright reasons, the group later became known as

. The group released three studio albums, 1997's ''

X-Pressions ''X-Pressions'' is the debut studio album by New York City DJ group The X-Ecutioners. The album was released on September 23, 1997 for Asphodel Records and was produced by four members of The X-Ecutioners, including Rob Swift, Total Eclipse, R ...

'', 2002's '' Built from Scratch'' and 2004's '' Revolutions''. In the 1990s he and MF Grimm were an emcee/DJ team, and his DJ contributions can be heard on MF Grimm's Scars & Memories compilation. In addition to his work with MF Grimm and the X-Ecutioners, Roc Raida released albums as a solo artist, his most famous being 2005's ''Rock Phenomenon'', a mash-up album he released with DJ Vlad that blended rock and hip hop, which won the Mash-Up Mixtape of the Year at the Justo Mixtape Awards. He also produced songs for artists including Ill Al Skratch, Showbiz and A.G., the

Jungle Brothers Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop trio composed of Michael Small (Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall ( Afrika Baby Bam), and Sammy Burwell (DJ Sammy B). Known as the pioneers of the fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and house music, they were the first hi ...

, Mad Skillz, Smif-N-Wessun, Jehst, and Big Pun, and he served as

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

' DJ. He won the 1995

DMC World DJ Championship DMC World DJ Championships is an annual DJ competition hosted by Disco Mix Club (DMC) which began in 1985. Championships were sponsored internationally by Technics, but in 2010 Technics has been replaced by Serato and Rane. From 2011, the viny ...

and was inducted into the DMC Hall of Fame four years later. He was the DJ for rapper MF Grimm through the mid-1990s, during both of the early stages of their careers. He also appeared in the 2001 film '' Scratch'' and the international television series ''

Kung Faux ''Kung Faux'' is an international action comedy television series and audiovisual art assemblage created by Mic Neumann, an American creator–developer showrunner, conceptual artist and multimedia entrepreneur, who remixes classic kung fu films ...

''. He died on September 19, 2009, from cardiac arrest due to complications a few weeks earlier relating to an accident while training in

Krav Maga Krav Maga ( ; , ; ) is an Israeli martial art. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it is derived from a combination of techniques used in aikido, judo, karate, boxing, and wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situat ...

Album

On March 20, 2012,

Rob Swift Rob Swift (born Robert Aguilar; May 14, 1972), is an American hip hop DJ and turntablist. He was an original member of the turntablist group The X-Ecutioners until 2004. He has also released numerous solo albums and collaborated with various art ...

released the album ''Roc for Raida'', a collection of songs (some unreleased) and battle style routines that defined Roc Raida as an artist, lost interview archives (from John Carluccio), and other material, with proceeds going to Roc Raida's family.
DJ Rob Swift Releases Roc for Raida, March 20, 2012

Discography

Solo

*1997: '' The Adventures of Roc Raida... One Too Many!'' *2000: ''

Crossfaderz ''Crossfaderz'' is the second album by turntablist, Roc Raida. It was released on July 11, 2000 for Moonshine Music and featured production from Roc Raida, DJ Q-Bert, D-Styles and The X-Ecutioners. Track listing #"Who You Fuckin' Wit?"- 2:07 # ...

'' *2001: ''

We Them Niggas Anthony Williams (May 17, 1972 – September 19, 2009), better known as Roc Raida or Grandmaster Roc Raida, was an American DJ, turntablist and producer. He was also a member of the DJ group the X-Ecutioners. He joined the X-Men in the late ...

'' *2003: ''

Champion Sounds Anthony Williams (May 17, 1972 – September 19, 2009), better known as Roc Raida or Grandmaster Roc Raida, was an American DJ, turntablist and producer. He was also a member of the DJ group the X-Ecutioners. He joined the X-Men in the late ...

'' *2004: ''

'' *2005: ''Rock Phenomenon'' which went on to win the Justo Mixtape Awards- Mash Up Mixtape of the Year w/ DJ VLAD *2007: '' Beats, Cuts and Skits''

With The X-Ecutioners

*1997: ''

'' *2002: '' Built from Scratch'' *2004: '' Revolutions''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roc Raida American hip hop DJs African-American DJs Mixtape DJs 1972 births 2009 deaths American hip hop musicians Musicians from New York City 20th-century American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people