Wendell Timothy Fite, also known as DJ Hurricane (born January 12, 1965) is an American

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- ...

DJ, producer and

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 ...

. He is best known for his work with the

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

. He was a member of the groups Solo Sounds and The Afros and recorded three solo albums, featuring many well-known artists such as

Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "''exhibit''), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, radio personality, and record executive. He began his musical career in 1992, ...

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Cr ...

Black Thought Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, singer, actor and the lead Emcee (hip hop), MC of the hip hop group The Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove in Philadelphia. Regar ...

Papoose Papoose (from the Narragansett ''papoos'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in ...

and

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

Career

One of New York's premier hip-hop artists on the turntables, DJ Hurricane fostered his skills alongside Run D.M.C. in the

Hollis, Queens Hollis is a residential middle class, middle-class neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Queens. While a predominantly African-American community, there are small minorities of His ...

area of New York City. His first hip-hop experience was with

Davy DMX David Franklin Reeves Jr. (known professionally as Davy DMX, Davy D, or Davy Dee) is an American musician, DJ, and producer best known for his work in cooperation with Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, the Fat Boys, and Jam Master Jay. An early associate o ...

, the first hip-hop DJ from Hollis. Hurricane became his rapper for The Solo Sounds crew who performed at block parties and Russell Simmons promotion events. He was also a member of the Hollis Crew. Hurricane began rhyming at the age of 13,

Jam Master Jay Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician, record producer and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC becam ...

and Hurricane were best friends in school.Owen, Frank (2003)
The Last Days of Jam Master Jay
fxowen.com When Jam Master Jay got the job to DJ for Run D.M.C., he asked Hurricane to come on tour. While serving as a bodyguard on the 1986 Raising Hell tour, he became friends with the Beastie Boys, who were the tour's opening act. Hurricane and Davy DMX collaborated and made ''Davy's Ride'' album in 1987. The next big tour The Together Forever Tour, with Run-DMC, The Beastie Boys and Davy DMX, saw Hurricane perform with all three acts every night. Hurricane later formed the Hollis, Queens-based novelty group The Afros along with DJ Kippy-O and Kool Tee. The Afros were the first group signed to Jam Master Jay's JMJ Records, releasing the single "Feel It" and the album ''Kickin' Afrolistics'' in 1990. They made cameos in various rap music videos and concerts before disbanding. When the Beastie Boys were stuck without a DJ they asked Hurricane to sit in and he did them a favor. It was not long before the Beasties returned the favor and offered Hurricane an opportunity to be their exclusive DJ. That gig would last for 13 years. In 1993, along with the Beastie Boys, he contributed the track "It's The New Style" to the AIDS-benefit album ''

No Alternative ''No Alternative'' is an alternative rock compilation album produced by Paul Heck and Chris Mundy that was released in 1993. It was the third compilation put together by the Red Hot Organization, a charity dedicated to raising money for and awa ...

'' produced by the

Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...

. DJ Hurricane also produced songs on MC Breed's "Fundafied" album, including the cut "This Is How We Do It 1" featuring George Clinton in 1994. As the Beasties rose in fame with each successive album in the 1990s, Hurricane simultaneously reveled in the spotlight, releasing his first solo album in 1995 on

Grand Royal Grand Royal was a vanity record label founded in 1992 by rap group Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings. It was based in Los Angeles, California. ''Grand Royal'' was also the name of a maga ...

, titled '' The Hurra'' (guest artists include the Beastie Boys,

MC Breed Eric Tyrone Breed (June 12, 1971 – November 22, 2008), better known as MC Breed, was an American rapper best known for his singles " Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'", which peaked at #66 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and " Gotta Get Mine" (fe ...

, and

Sen Dog Senen Reyes (born November 20, 1965), also known by his stage name Sen Dog, is a Cuban-American rapper who is best known as a member of the hip hop group Cypress Hill and as the lead vocalist for the nu metal band Powerflo. He has nurtured a sol ...

). The single "Stick 'em Up" was the first single on the CB4 movie soundtrack. Hurricane started his own production company, Don't Sleep Productions in 1999. After having parted ways with the Beasties prior to their album ''

Hello Nasty ''Hello Nasty'' is the fifth studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 14, 1998, by Grand Royal and Capitol Records. The album sold 681,000 copies in its first week, debuting at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 cha ...

'' in 1998, Hurricane did co-write the song "Three MC'S and One DJ" for The Beastie Boys. Hurricane released his second album ''Severe Damage'' on Wiija Records in the UK. It was only released in the UK and Asia. Hurricane's third solo album via TVT, ''Don't Sleep'', which found him much more conceptually collected and with a broad scope of guest artists, including

Scott Weiland Scott Richard Weiland (, ; né Kline; October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots from 1989 to 2003 and again from 2008 to 2013, r ...

Rah Digga Rashia Tashan Fisher (born December 18, 1974), known professionally as Rah Digga, is an American rapper and actress. She is best known as a longtime member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. Her debut album, '' Dirty H ...

Pharoahe Monch Troy Donald Jamerson (born October 31, 1972), better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.Edwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: ...

Ad-Rock Adam Keefe Horovitz (born October 31, 1966), popularly known as Ad-Rock, is an American rapper, guitarist, and actor. He was a member of the Hip hop music, hip-hop group Beastie Boys. While Beastie Boys were active, Horovitz performed with a si ...

Big Gipp Cameron F. Gipp (born April 28, 1973), better known by his stage name Big Gipp, is an American rapper. He is a member of the Atlanta-based hip hop group Goodie Mob, with whom he has released six studio albums, as well as the duo Ali & Gipp, with ...

, Hittman among others. Hurricane produced the entire album. The track "Come Get It" featured

Flipmode Squad Flipmode Squad is an American hip hop collective formed and fronted by Busta Rhymes. History In 1993, Busta Rhymes first introduced the Flipmode Squad when he still was a part of former group Leaders of the New School, with the members bei ...

peaked at No. 73 of

Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

Discography

Solo

1995 – '' The Hurra''

1997 – ''Severe Damage''

2000 – ''Don't Sleep''

* Song "Come Get It" appeared in Whiteboys (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) * Song "We Will Rock You" appeared in Ready To Rumble (Soundtrack) * A&R - Leonard B. Johnson

With Beastie Boys

References

External links

*
DJ Hurricane on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurricane, DJ 1965 births American hip-hop DJs Beastie Boys members Living people People from Corona, Queens Rappers from Queens, New York Rappers from Dallas East Coast hip-hop musicians 21st-century American rappers People from Hollis, Queens Fellaheen Records artists