BOOKS: IT'S JUST BEGUN: THE EPIC JOURNEY OF DJ DISCO WIZ - Hip Hop's First Latino DJ

Thanks to TOOLS OF WAR for forwarding this:

Press Release:
IT'S JUST BEGUN: THE EPIC JOURNEY OF DJ DISCO WIZ - Hip Hop's First Latino DJ by Ivan Sanchez and Luis "DJ Disco Wiz" Cedeno

Half-Cuban, half-Puerto Rican, Luis "DJ Disco Wiz" Cedeño is 100 percent Boogie Down Bronx. Born in the 60s, Wiz struggled in a turbulent and violent relationship with his alcoholic father while trying to protect his mother who was suffering from breast cancer. Raised in the 70s, Wiz learned the code of the streets while hustling with his crew, the East Side Boys. In 1975, Wiz discovered salvation when he hooked up with the legendary Grandmaster Caz to form the Mighty Force Crew, waging some of the biggest DJ battles in the Bronx during Hip Hop's earliest years.

When Hip Hop first hit, the DJ was king. Rockin' the party on two turntables for the b-boys and fly girls on the dance floor, DJs like Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash pioneered an art form that has come to define our times. The first Latino DJ in the game, Wiz, along with Caz, went on to make a "mixed plate" in 1977 which combined sound bites, special effects, and paused beats. An innovator, originator, and a battle-style DJ with no fear, Wiz swept through the Bronx like a tornado.

Luis "DJ Disco Wiz" Cedeño, the first Latino Hip Hop DJ, is credited, along with Grandmaster Caz, for being the first DJs to make a "mixed plate" in 1977. In the years since, Wiz has been an influential force in educating the world about the early years of Hip Hop. Wiz was a major contributor in the opening of the Experience Music Project in Seattle in 2000, and was instrumental in the making of Jim Fricke and Charlie Ahearn's Yes Yes Y'all (Da Capo Press, 2002). He was also featured in the Emmy-nominated VH1 Rock Doc NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell, and is the creator and founder of the Hip-Hop Meets Spoken Wordz series.

Release date: May 19, 2009
Available at fine book stores as well as online at www.amazon.com



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Every Friday, DJ Disco Wiz hosts Hip Hop Chronicles: from 10pm-12am EST on www.urbanlatinoradio.com