Indicative of an experienced champion, in this video Roc Raida responds to the multiple accolades being thrown at him with a swift and humble reminder as to who he is and what he does. You best believe, whenever you see him, you see hip-hop.
And here he was reminding cats in Oakland how NY held it down. At times Picklz mania seemed to overshadow the X-Men but sometimes I think it’s just cause fans in the west express their support differently.
Roc Raida was there to remind people:
IGN Music: Now you can’t possibly hold that position forever. I mean not to be negative, but nobody stays on top forever. Do you ever think about that? I mean before you guys came on the scene it was like The Invisibl Skatch Piklz were like The Who or The Rolling Stones of the DJ world. Then they split up and you guys kind of came in and became the torch bearers…
Roc Raida: I’ve gotta disagree with that. I think the three main crews, of course I’m not taking anything away from the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, when they were on top, they were like the most innovative DJ crew I’ve known to date. But if you asked somebody on the East Coast they might tell you ‘No, I think it would be the X-Men.’
IGN Music: That might be it. Since I hail from the Bay Area I was naturally up on the Piklz before I heard about you.
Roc Raida: Exactly. And out here it was the opposite.
IGN Music: So it’s just a matter of where you were from and your perspective. But you were about to name the three most influential crews…
Roc Raida: Us, The Invisibl Skratch Piklz, and The Beat Junkies. I’ve never looked at one crew being better than the other because it was always a matter of taste. On the East Coast scratching wasn’t the main thing, but on the West Coast beat juggling and doing body tricks wasn’t the main thing. So it does matter where you’re from.
IGN Music: One of the last times I saw the Piklz before they disbanded, they were using lots of effects, like wah-wah pedals, delays, and other gear normally used by guitarists and bass players. It’s never seemed like you and the rest of the X-Ecutioners have been that into using effects.
Roc Raida: No, not at all.
IGN Music: Is that a conscious decision?
Roc Raida: Yeah, we just want to keep it hip-hop. I’m not saying by using that stuff you’re not hip-hop, but we’re just traditional. We like sticking with the turntables and that’s that.
His loss is being felt around the world. A few salutes have popped up, expect more. According to this statement from his family he is survived by his wife, daughters, mother and friends. But let’s not forget his music and recorded performances and hopefully the continuation of his Dj Gong Battles.
RIP TO PIONEER & CHAMPION DJ GRANDMASTER ROC RAIDA
