Leather Jacket and Pants Worn by Kurtis Blow

Leather jacket and pants formerly worn by Kurtis Blow

This leather jacket and pants were formerly owned by Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Walker, b. 1959) and custom-made for the New York City premiere of the film Krush Groove and the after-party held at Studio 54 in 1985. The film is a semi-fictionalized account of the founding of Def Jam Recordings and features well-known artists and producers as themselves. The film opens with Run DMC performing King of Rock for Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, and Kurtis Blow. 

In 1979, Kurtis Blow became the first rapper to be signed by a major record label, Mercury Records. His first single “Christmas Rappin’” sold more than 400,000 copies and became a holiday staple. With his second release “The Breaks” in 1980, Blow earned the first gold record ever for a rap artist and launched the careers of The Fat Boys and Run-DMC. He went on to accomplish many other firsts including being the first rap artist to star in a national television commercial (Sprite, 1986), making the first rap video (“Basketball,” 1984), and acting in a soap opera (One Life to Live, 1991). He is also the founder of the International Hip-Hop Museum.