John "Mr. Magic" Rivas, (March 15, 1956 – October 2, 2009) was a prominent hip hop
radio
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New York City
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with “Disco Showcase” on the pay-for-time FM station. It was a far cry from the prime time in New York; what he didn’t realize was he was starting the very first rap radio show. A few short years would go by and Frankie Crocker, program manager for
Inner City Broadcasting
The Inner City Broadcasting Corporation ("ICBC") was an American media company based in New York City. It was one of the first broadcasting companies wholly owned by African-Americans.
History
Inner City was founded in 1970 by a group of prominen ...
, took his rising star to commercial powerhouse
WBLS
WBLS (107.5 MHz) is an urban adult contemporary formatted FM radio station, licensed to New York City. It is currently owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared services agreement, along with sister stations ...
with the first exclusive rap radio show to be aired on a major station.
''Rap Attack'', Magic's show featured Marley Marl as the DJ and Tyrone "Fly Ty" Williams as the show's co-producer. Magic moved full-time to WBLS in July 1982. His reign on the New York City airwaves lasted six years and was instrumental in broadening the scope and validity of hip-hop music. Mr. Magic recorded one 12" single as an artist "Magic's Message (There's A Better Way)", produced by Spyder D for Posse Records in 1984. He is also interviewed in the 1986 cult documentary '' Big Fun In The Big Town''.
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
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The Bridge Wars
The Bridge Wars was a hip hop music rivalry during the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, that arose from a dispute over the true birthplace of hip hop music and retaliation over the rejecting of a record for airplay.Marley Marl – was named after one of Magic's aliases, "Sir Juice."
In 2002 Magic lent his voice to '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'', as himself, a DJ on one of the in-game radio stations.
Magic passed away on October 2, 2009 at the age of 53 due to a heart attack.Mr. Magic, Real Name John Rivas, Brought Hip-Hop to Masses HispanicBusiness.com. Retrieved on October 2, 2009.
Biography on Allmusic
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IGN
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