Hip-Hop Pioneer Robert ‘Rocky’ Ford Jr. Dies at 70

Robert ‘Rocky’ Ford Jr, the former Billboard journalist and Kurtis Blow collaborator, has died at 70, according to his son, Robert Ford, and Russell Simmons. Ford’s cause of death has not been made public. Simmons said in his Instagram post that Ford had suffered from diabetes during his life.

Ford Wrote the First Major Article About Hip-Hop for Billboard Magazine in July 1978

Kurtis Blow – Christmas Rapping (live on TOTP jan’80)Kurtis Blow – Christmas Rapping (live on TOTP jan’80)2008-02-27T00:45:29Z

Ford began working with Billboard Magazine in the 1970s and is credited with writing the first major article about hip-hop culture. Ford worte the piece, “B-Beats Bombarding The Bronx: Mobile DJ Starts Something With Oldie R&B Disks” in July 1978. The article followed the adventures of Cool Herc and the parties he hosted. The article concluded with the lines:

Herc hopes that someday he will be able to prodcue an entire B-beat album featuring, “Bongo Rock,” and other obscure numbers. Till then he plans to keep packing them in at the clubs and dances he works in The Bronx.

Ford left Billboard Magazine in 1979 to work with Kurtis Blow on the early hip-hop breakthrough hit, “Christmas Rappin’.” Ford worked on the song with another former Billboard Magazine employee, J.B. Moore. As a result of the success of the song, Ford helped Blow secure a deal with Mercury Records. This made Blow the first rapper to have a major recording contract.

Kurtis Blow-The BreaksClap your hands everybody If you got what it takes ‘Cause I’m Kurtis Blow and I want you to know That these are the breaks Breaks on a bus brakes on a car Breaks to make you a superstar Breaks to win and breaks to lose But these here breaks will rock your shoes And these are the breaks Break it up, break it up, break it up! If your woman steps out with another man (That’s the breaks, that’s the breaks) And she runs off with him to Japan And the IRS says they want to chat And you can’t explain why you claimed your cat And Ma Bell sends you a whopping bill With eighteen phone calls to Brazil And you borrowed money from the mob And yesterday you lost your job Well, these are the breaks Break it up, break it up, break it up Throw your hands up in the sky And wave ’em ’round from side to side And if you deserve a break tonight Somebody say alright! (All right) Say ho-oo! (Ho-oo!) And you don’t stop Keep on, somebody scream!( Owwwww!) Break down! Breaks on a stage, breaks on a screen Breaks to make your wallet lean Breaks run cold and breaks run hot Some folks got ’em and some have not But these are the breaks Break it up, break it up, break it up! Break down! To the girl in brown, stop messing around (Break it up, break it up) To the guy in blue, whatcha gonna do? (Break it up, break it up) To the girl in green, don’t be so mean (Break it up, break it up) And the guy in red, say what I said (Break it up, break it up) Break down! Brakes on a plane, brakes on a train Breaks to make you go insane Breaks in love, breaks in war But we got the breaks to get you on the floor And these are the breaks Break it up, break it up, break it up! Break down! Yo! Just do it, just do it, just do it, do it, do it! Just do it, just do it, just do it, do it, do it! Just do it, just do it, just do it, do it, do it! Just do it, just do it, just do it, do it, do it! You say last week you met the perfect guy (That’s the breaks, that’s the breaks) And he promised you the stars in the sky (That’s the breaks, that’s the breaks) He said his Cadilac was gold (That’s the breaks, that’s the breaks) But he didn’t say it was ten years old (That’s the breaks, that’s the breaks) He took you out to the Red Coach grill (That’s the breaks, that’s the breaks) But he forgot the cash and you paid the bill (That’s the breaks, that’s the breaks) And he told you the story of his life (That’s the breaks, that’s the breaks) But he forgot the part about…his wife! (That’s the breaks, Huh! Huh! that’s the breaks) Well, these are the breaks! Break it up, break it up, break it up! Break down!2009-09-01T03:56:18Z

Ford then worked with Blow again, this time alongside Russell Simmons, J.B. Moore and Larry Smith on the hit song, “The Breaks.”

Ford ‘Knew Everything’ About Basketball

Kurtis Blow – Basketball (Official Video)Music video by Kurtis Blow performing Basketball. (C) 1984 The Island Def Jam Music Group #KurtisBlow #Basketball #Vevo2009-10-07T11:37:02Z

In the December 2013 oral history of Kurtis Blow’s music video, “Basketball,” titled, “They’re Playing Basketball,” J.B. Moore said that he and Ford covered the RnB charts for Billboard. Smith is quoted in the piece as saying, “I believe Robert wrote the first ever article about hip-hop for an aboveground publication. We both knew it was going to be big, we could smell it.”

Moore is later quoted as saying that Ford “knew everything” about basketball. Moore recounted a time being at a VFW hall in Indiana where locals were shocked that Ford knew more about Indiana teams then they did. Moore added, “Ford knew oceans about hoops.”

Moore goes on to say that Blow and Ford “split” before the video was finished. Moore said that without Ford’s connections in the NBA, the producers were unable to secure official footage for the music video. Moore said had the video had that footage it “would have made for an all-time classic video.”

Russell Simmons Referred to Ford as His ‘Guru’

In his Instagram tribute, Simmons referred to Ford as his “guru.” Simmons said that Ford encouraged him to be honest throughout his career and to only take 10 percent from his artists. Shortly after working on “The Breaks,” Simmons became Kurtis Blow’s manager.

Simmons said in part:

When I met him, he worked at Billboard Magazine. He lived in Queens and one day, he found my promo flyer for a Hip Hop party and contacted me to write the first story on rap and how it was a hood phenomenon. He put me in the story as ‘the promoter.’ That was first time I ever saw my name anywhere in the media. He believed in Hip Hop and me.

Simmons finished his tribute by saying, “Farewell my lifelong friend and mentor Robert Ford junior. See u again when we are young and vibrant again.”

According to the book, The Men Behind Def Jam: The Radical Rise of Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin by Alex Ogg, Ford first encountered Simmons through Simmons’ brother Joseph. Ford had seen Simmons’ posters and stickers on the subways in New York City. Ford saw Joseph Simmons putting up one of these posters and made the connection.

The book says that it was Ford who convinced Blow to allow Simmons to be his manager. Blow’s inclination was for Ford to be his manager as it was Ford who already had the connections within the music industry.

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