DJ Red Alert Bio

There are precious few witnesses to the birth of hip-hop DJ culture in 1980s New York, and even fewer steel wheelers who are still alive and well within the scene. Yet decades later, DJ Red Alert (Grant Smith) is active in the world of hip-hop. Grant got his start with hale Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation, and after establishing himself as a master of the tables, went on to work with Boogie Down Productions, Queen Latifah, Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers, and Run DMC. He’s been honored with every type of award imaginable for a hip-hop impresario: Rolling Stone deemed him one of the 50 most influential musicians, he’s (perhaps oddly) a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-r, and an honorary ambassador to the UN, to boot. Throughout the years, Grant has proved wholly testament to the phrase, “hip-hop don’t stop.”

I wrote this for the Seattle Red Bull Music Academy in, like, 2004. Which is a really long time ago. But I like DJ Red Alert, so here you go.