Derek B
Derek B ( born Derek Boland, born January 15, 1965 in London, † November 16, 2009 ) was a British rapper and the most commercially successful national hip- hop artist.
Life
Boland began at the age of 15 years to launch a mobile disco jockey plates. Because of his interest in the London pirate stations Derek B joined the transmitters LWR and Kiss FM and later founded with a friend its own pirate radio station WBLS. This led to an awareness of the DJs in London rise. The working at the time at BBC Radio 1 DJ Froggy mediated Derek B different techniques of working as a DJ. Derek B then began plates at parties hang up.
1987 Derek B climbed in 1986 by the Chris France, Simon Harris and DJ Froggy founded label Music of Life. For a compilation of the label, which was published under the title Def Beats 1, Derek B took under the name DJ Derek B & MC EZQ to the song Rock the beat. Boland took over while the roles of both DJs, as well as the rapper. Rock the beat was later released as a 12 ".
Derek B published after the singles Get Down and Good Groove. Good Groove was able to reach number 16 on the UK Singles Charts. Boland reached by his success increased radio presence and appeared as one of the first hip hop artist to in the show Top of the Pops. When Derek B was able to celebrate his first successes, prevailed in the United Kingdom currently no infrastructure for hip- hop. In the existing scene Boland met success with rejection. This can be traced in part to the fact that the musicians used both the vocabulary and the slang originating from New York rapper.
Through his work at Music of Life Boland brought the hip- hop musician MC Duke, Demon Boyz and Hijack to the label. Hijack was later taken by Ice - T under contract. Derek B operates in the following as a producer and remixer, among others, Eric B. & Rakim, Cookie Crew and Big Daddy Kane.
After the success of Good Groove was signed Derek B of Russell Simmons ' Rush Artist Management company management. Published in 1988 Boland Album Bullet from a gun Tuff Audio over. This became his most successful recordings. It went into the U.S. charts and was able to reach gold status in the UK.
Boland went below with Run DMC and Public Enemy on a world tour and formed at concerts support for LL Cool J, Fat Boys and Salt'N'Pepa. In June 1988 he performed at the Nelson Mandela tribute concert, among others, Eric Clapton, Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder. There he presented at a packed Wembley Stadium and in front of a large number of television viewers the musical piece Free Mandela.
On the morning of November 16, 2009 Boland died of a heart attack.