Kid Capri

New York DJ, producer, and rapper Kid Capri is a pioneer of the hip-hop mixtape format, and an all-around well-respected figure in the music industry. He started scratching and spinning records as a youth, and eventually played sets at the legendary Studio 54. He began selling cassettes of his DJ sets, creating an underground empire, and his first album as an artist, the Biz Markie-produced The Tape, was released in 1991. Capri then produced artists like KRS-One and Heavy D, while performing as a DJ and providing music for the popular Def Comedy Jam television program. His second album, the more mixtape-like Soundtrack to the Streets (1998), featured major guests like Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Busta Rhymes. Capri continued to tour and make music with numerous major stars in multiple genres, as well as perform at award shows and other high-profile events. He continued occasionally releasing mixtapes and singles through his own No Kid'n Records, and his first album in 25 years, The Love, arrived in 2022. He also worked with the hip-hop duo the Hoodies, producing their 2023 album Hidden Gems. David Anthony Love, Jr. was born in Brooklyn, but raised in the Bronx. He began scratching records on his father's stereo system when he was eight, and was soon DJ'ing at block parties. He was playing at major clubs like Studio 54 by the time he was in his twenties, and he sold cassette recordings of his mixes, sometimes earning thousands of dollars a night. In the early '90s, he signed to Cold Chillin' and released The Tape, showcasing his skills as a rapper (Biz Markie produced the music, with co-production by Cool V). Capri appeared on the KRS-One-helmed H.E.A.L.: Civilization vs. Technology along with other rap stars such as Run-D.M.C., Queen Latifah, and L.L. Cool J. He also regularly performed on HBO's Def Comedy Jam, giving mainstream exposure to the art of hip-hop turntablism. From there, Kid Capri became in-demand throughout the entire music industry, working with artists including Quincy Jones, Mary J. Blige, Nas, and countless others. He toured with Puff Daddy & the Family in 1997, then signed with the Columbia-distributed Track Masters, which issued Capri's second album, Soundtrack to the Streets, in 1998. Boasting guests and regular collaborators or tourmates such as Jay-Z, Slick Rick, Foxy Brown, and Brand Nubian, the album charted in both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Continuing his status as one of hip-hop's most sought-after DJs, Capri guest hosted shows on MTV and BET, was the featured DJ/announcer at the 2000 Source Awards, and appeared on VH1's Hip Hop Honors in 2004, among other high-profile gigs. He occasionally made appearances on tracks such as Diana King's 2005 single "Get Me@ This Party," and released Old School Mix Tape through his own No Kid'n Records in 2010. Capri remixed Madonna's song "Masterpiece" in 2012, and made appearances on Kendrick Lamar's 2017 album DAMN. as a narrator. As a solo artist, Capri became busier than ever during the early 2020s, and he released the studio album The Love in 2022, featuring vocals by his daughter, R&B singer Vina Love. Capri produced Hidden Gems, the debut album by upstate New York hip-hop duo the Hoodies, in 2023. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi