Supreme Team Presents The Great DJ-MC Academy Awards Show Kool D.J. A.J., Busy Bee, Fearless 4, The Jazzy 5, Audobon Grand Ballroom, New York, NY, April 11, 1982
Party flyers were a staple in the early years of Hip-Hop and hard-copy invitations were the main medium for communicating information and promoting an event. The flyers symbolized many key appearances, acts, conventions, DJ performances, and contests in the Hip-Hop scene. Many flyers were created by local graffiti artists such as Buddy Esquire and Phase 2. The flyers were often presented by Hip-Hop promoters, DJs, and MCs who hosted the parties. Money was given to the artist to draw creative art and graphics for about $40-$60 for approximately 1,000 party flyers. The parks’ open public spaces have provided the perfect venues for park jams, impromptu dance-offs, DJ battles, and rap battles that established the sound, fashion, art, and message of Hip-Hop. Most of the Hip-Hop parties were a space for positivity where many of the Hip-Hop community could escape the realities of racism that included police brutality, drug abuse, and gang violence in their surrounding communities.
The historic Audubon Theater and Ballroom was located at 3940 Broadway and West 165th Street. Constructed in 1912 by Fox Film Corporation founder William Fox, the Audubon Theater and Ballroom was one of the first theaters in the Fox theater group for vaudeville and movies to open in Washington Heights. The Audubon was one of the main places where promoters use to host Hip-Hop conventions and parties. Many of the early Hip-Hop conventions were hosted at the Sparkle, but were moved to the Audubon. At many of the D.J. conventions, every D.J. brought his own system and as many as 5 to 6 groups perform one after another.
The Fearless Four was made up of four MCs and two DJs, including Master O.C. (Oscar Rodriquez, Jr.), MCs The Great Peso, Devastating Tito, Mighty Mike C and DLB alongside DJs Master O.C. and Krazy Eddie. Their Fearless Four’s two biggest rap hits were “Rockin’ It,” released in 1982, and “Problems of the World Today,” which followed in 1983. It was the first crew to be signed to a major label, Elektra Records. The group only released one studio album, Creepin' up on Ya, which was released in 1994.
Kool DJ AJ (Aaron Gerald O'Bryant, d. 2015), was a pioneering promoter and DJ for many Hip-Hop parties since the late 70’s and early 80’s. He was the the DJ for MCs Busy Bee and Kurtis Blow. One of Blow's hits, "The AJ Scratch," was written to pay respect and homage to DJ AJ's turntable skills.
Known for his comedic rhymes, old school MC, Busy Bee/Chief Rocker Busy Bee/Busy Bee Starski (David Parker, b. 1962) gained a large following from MC rap battles in the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. Busy Bee who was known for his fashion sense was a member of the Cassanova Gang who were also admired for their dress style. When he became a famous local DJ, his fashion sense also added to his popularity. He was called “Busy Bee Starski” because he was known to switch from one rap group to the next and his peers said his rhyming style was like Love Bug Starski. Busy Bee worked with several New York’s best Hip-Hop DJs, including Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Busy Bee’s legacy as an expert jive-rapper
