Scott Monroe Sterling (March 2, 1962 – August 27, 1987), known by the stage name DJ Scott La Rock, was an American hip-hop disc jockey and music producer from

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York. He was a founding member of the East Coast hip hop group

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip-hop group formed in the Bronx, New York City, in 1986. It originally consisted of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the ...

. He was also known for his association with the rapper KRS-One who was a member of Boogie Down Productions. Sterling's death in August 1987 is said to be the first murder of a major hip hop artist.

Early life

Scott Sterling was born on March 2, 1962, in the Bronx, New York City. His parents separated when he was four years old, so he was raised by his mother, Carolyn Morant, a municipal employee. They moved from

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, New York City, to the Bronx: first Morrisania and then Morris Heights. He excelled in both academics and sports at Our Saviour Lutheran High School, graduating in 1980. He attended Castleton State College in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and earned a varsity letter in basketball there.

Career

La Rock returned to New York City in hopes of finding work and making inroads in the music industry. Through a connection of his mother's, La Rock landed a job as a social worker at Franklin Armory Men's Shelter on 166th Street in the Bronx. At night, though, he spun records at the

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

hot spot the Broadway Repertoire Theatre. During his time as a social worker, La Rock met

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...

in 1986 at Franklin Men's Shelter where KRS resided. The pair formed

(BDP) with DJ Derrick "D-Nice" Jones, a cousin of the shelter's security guard, Floyd Payne. The group's 1987 debut album, '' Criminal Minded'', is considered a

classic.

Murder

On August 27, 1987, D-Nice was assaulted by men upset that he had been talking to one of their ex-girlfriends. D-Nice asked La Rock to help defuse the situation. Later that day, La Rock, Scotty "Manager Moe" Morris, DJ McBooo, D-Nice and BDP bodyguard Darrell rode a Jeep CJ-7 to the Highbridge Homes Projects building on University Avenue in the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

. As they were leaving, bullets were fired through the side and top of the Jeep. La Rock struck his head on the dashboard, not realizing at the time he had been struck by a bullet in the back of his head. He was driven to Lincoln Hospital. He was conscious as he was wheeled into the emergency department, telling doctors he was feeling cold and tired. After lifesaving efforts failed, he was declared brain dead, and his mother later made the decision to terminate life support and donate his organs. Two men were arrested and charged with La Rock's murder, but they were acquitted at trial. He left behind an infant son.

Discography

* '' Criminal Minded'' (1987) * '' By All Means Necessary'' (1988) (La Rock was killed during the making of this album) * '' Man & His Music (Remixes from Around the World)'' (1997) * '' Best of B-Boy Records'' (2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Rock, Scott 1962 births 1987 deaths 1987 murders in the United States African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers American hip-hop DJs Rappers from the Bronx Deaths by firearm in the Bronx Castleton State College alumni East Coast hip-hop musicians American hip-hop record producers African-American record producers American murder victims 20th-century American businesspeople American social workers People murdered in New York City 20th-century American rappers Record producers from New York (state) Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) 20th-century African-American musicians People from Morrisania, Bronx

Early life

Career

Murder

Discography

See also

References