Scott Monroe Sterling (March 2, 1962 – August 27, 1987), known by the stage name DJ Scott La Rock, was an American hip-hop disc jockey and music producer from

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

, New York. He was a founding member of the

East Coast hip hop East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the Bronx, New York City. In contrast to other styles, East Coast hip ...

group

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, '' Criminal Minde ...

. Sterling's death in August 1987 is said to be the first murder of a major hip hop artist.

Early life

Scott Sterling was born on March 2, 1962, in the Bronx, New York City. His parents separated when he was four years old, so he was raised by his mother, Carolyn Morant, a municipal employee. They moved from

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York City, to the Bronx: first

Morrisania Morrisania ( ) is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern Bronx, New York City, New York. Its boundaries are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Crotona-Prospect Avenue to the east, East 161st Street to the south, and Webster Avenue ...

and then Morris Heights. He excelled in both academics and sports at Our Saviour Lutheran High School, graduating in 1980. He attended

Castleton State College Castleton University is a public university in Castleton, Vermont. It has an enrollment of 2000 students and offers more than 30 undergraduate programs, as well as master's degrees in education and accounting. It is accredited by the New England ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

and earned a varsity letter in basketball there.

Career

La Rock returned to New York City in hopes of finding work and making inroads to the music industry. Through a connection of his mother's, Scott landed a job as a

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

at Franklin Armory Men's Shelter on 166th Street in the Bronx. At night, though, he spun records at the hip hop hot spot, the Broadway Repertoire Theatre. During his time as a social worker, La Rock met

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

in 1986 at Franklin Men's Shelter where KRS resided. The pair formed

(BDP) with DJ Derrick "D-Nice" Jones, a cousin of the shelter's security guard, Floyd Payne. The group's 1987 debut album, '' Criminal Minded'', is considered a hip-hop classic.

Shooting

On August 27, 1987, D-Nice was assaulted by men upset that he had been talking to one of their ex-girlfriends. D-Nice asked La Rock to help defuse the situation. Later that day, La Rock, Scotty "Manager Moe" Morris, DJ McBooo, D-Nice and BDP bodyguard Darrell rode a

Jeep CJ-7 The Jeep CJ models are a series and a range of small, open-bodied off-road vehicles and compact pickup trucks, built and sold by several successive incarnations of the Jeep automobile marque from 1945 to 1986. The 1945 Willys Jeep was the world' ...

to the Highbridge Homes Projects building on University Avenue in the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Mott Haven, Melrose, and Port Morris. In the early 1900s, the South Bronx was orig ...

. As they were leaving, bullets were fired through the side and top of the Jeep. La Rock struck his head on the dashboard, not realizing at the time he had been struck by a bullet in the back of his head. He was driven to Lincoln Hospital. He was conscious as he was wheeled into the emergency department, telling doctors he was feeling cold and tired. He died in the operating room. Two men were arrested and charged with La Rock's murder, but they were acquitted at the trial.

Discography

* '' Criminal Minded'' (1987) * '' By All Means Necessary'' (1988) (La Rock was killed during the making of this album) * '' Man & His Music (Remixes from Around the World)'' (1997) * '' Best of B-Boy Records'' (2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Rock, Scott 1962 births 1987 murders in the United States African-American rappers American hip hop DJs Rappers from the Bronx Deaths by firearm in the Bronx Castleton State College alumni East Coast hip hop musicians American hip hop record producers African-American record producers American murder victims 20th-century American businesspeople American social workers People murdered in New York City Male murder victims 20th-century American rappers Record producers from New York (state) Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) 1987 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians

Early life

Career

Shooting

Discography

See also

References