Mr. Magic

This article is about the Rap and Hip-Hop pioneer. For the album by Grover Washington, Jr., see Mister Magic. For the ice hockey player see Kent Nilsson.

Mr. Magic
Birth name	John Rivas
Born	March 15, 1956(1956-03-15) Bronx, New York, United States
Died	October 2, 2009(2009-10-02) (aged 53) Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	DJ
Years active	1979 – 2002
Labels	Magic Records
Associated acts	Marley Marl Juice Crew

John "Mr. Magic" Rivas, (March 15, 1956 – October 2, 2009)^[1] was an important^{[citation needed]} figure in the world of hip hop radio.

Biography

Mr. Magic debuted in 1981 on WHBI-FM in New York City with the first exclusive rap radio show to be aired on a major station. Billing itself as Rap Attack, Magic's show featured Marley Marl as the DJ and Tyrone "Fly Ty" Williams as the show's co-producer. Magic moved to WBLS-FM in July 1982. Magic's reign on the New York City airwaves lasted six years and was instrumental in broadening the scope and validity of hip-hop music.^[2] Mr. Magic recorded one 12" single as an artist "Magic's Message (There's A Better Way)",^[3] produced by Spyder D for Posse Records in 1984.

During the mid-80s there was a rivalry between Mr. Magic and Kool DJ Red Alert, who hosted a weekly show on WRKS-FM. The feud also played out between proxy rap groups, the Juice Crew and Boogie Down Productions (see The Bridge Wars). The Juice Crew - headed by Mr. Magic's on-air assistant, DJ Marley Marl - was named after one of Magic's aliases, "Sir Juice."^[4] In April 2000, Mr. Magic began to take on a new role, with new faces; Kdabra, and Mah Gambino (aspiring rap artists). Mr. Magic first met Kdabra then was introduced to Mah Gambino, and soon discovered their lyrical capabilities. He then took them under his wing as their manager and offered them positions to become interns at Hot 97 FM on his then show "The Classic Showcase" with Fly Ty, and DJ Mr. Cee.

In 2002 Magic lent his voice to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, playing a DJ on one of the in-game radio stations.

Death

As confirmed by DJ Premier, Mr. Magic died on the morning of October 2, 2009 from a heart attack.^[5]

References

1. ^ Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed October 2009
2. ^ www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:73820r1ay48p~T1
3. ^ rtsp://rtsp-youtube.l.google.com/CkYLENy73wIaPQnU5e6rgQYlthMYDSANFEIJbXYtZ29vZ2xlSARSBXdhdGNoWg5DbGlja1RodW1ibmFpbGD05L7cgs79rEoM/0/0/0/30/video.3gp
4. ^ Mr. Cee and Mr. Magic: Interview
5. ^ Mr. Magic, Real Name John Rivas, Brought Hip-Hop to Masses HispanicBusiness.com. Retrieved on October 2, 2009.

External links

• Excerpt about Mr. Magic from "The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop," (New American Library/Penguin, 2010
• Biography on Allmusic
• Vice City biography on IGN

Persondata
Name	Magic, Mr.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 15, 1956
Place of birth
Date of death	October 2, 2009
Place of death