Mister C, Brooklyn's pioneering DJ, dies at age 57

Mr. C, the disc jockey who was a key figure in New York City's thriving hip-hop scene in the 1990s and was an early champion of the band Notorious B.I.G., has died. He was 57 years old.

His death It was confirmed on Wednesday By Skip Dillard, Brand Director at WXBK 94.7 The Block NYC, where Mr. Cee held a show. No reason was given.

Mr. C, whose stunning tracks have resonated on New York radio for decades, was a successful DJ on Hot 97 in New York City for more than 20 years before leaving the station in 2014. He was the executive producer of Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album, “Ready to Die.” “

Born Calvin LeBron in August 1966 in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Mr. C grew up in his grandparents' home and worked on turntables under his uncle, who was a DJ, he told the Rock The Bells satellite radio show. November.

He added that his early influences came from radio, where he would listen to hip-hop acts such as World Famous Supreme Team and Awesome Two.

“This turned into my passion for DJing and the dream that one day I wanted to be on the radio.” He said.

Mr. C lived the dream on Hot 97 before leaving the station, citing the station's new musical direction.

“I may be the answer right now, but I don't think I'll be the answer five or 10 years from now,” he told The Times in 2014.

Chris Green, a promoter at Capitol Musical Group who had known the DJ since the mid-1990s, said in a New York Times interview that year that Mr. C “was the glue between the old and the new” on Hot 97.

Mr C first resigned from the station briefly in 2013 after it was revealed that he had solicited the services of transsexual prostitutes.

Questions about his sexuality have angered the hip-hop community, which has long struggled with homophobia. He briefly returned to the station before eventually leaving in 2014.

Mr. C, still a highly respected figure, continued to make records in clubs and on other radio shows. Before his death, he had his own show playing throwbacks on 94.7 The Block NYC.

After his death was announced on Wednesday, the station honored Mr. C by playing a recording of his 2022 tribute mix to Notorious B.I.G. on what would have been the late rapper's 50th birthday.

Before The Notorious B.I.G., he DJed with Big Daddy Kane. Mister Cee is also credited with helping promote the careers of 50 Cent and other rap stars.

A complete list of Mr. C's survivors was not immediately available.

In an interview On the Kitchen Talk podcast Posted in 2021, Mister Cee showed the hosts a photo of himself as a 3-year-old holding a 45rpm record. He noted that his father gave him the photo before he died in 1993, the same year Mr. C joined Hot 97.

He added: “He said to me: ‘I knew this was what you were going to do.’”