At 53, he'd never lost the passion for the next big thing in hip-hop. With a chuckle in his belly and a twinkle in his eye, he'd invariably lead me back to the new rappers in the Brooklyn basement. I wanted Mr Magic to recount some tales of glories past, about the time he walked away from his show in 1984 when the station asked him to water down his playlist вЂ“ true to his motto of No More Music By The Suckers. I spent a day with the still spritely Mr Magic in Brooklyn last year, at a music school where the next generation of hungry rappers вЂ“ many of them students and from underprivileged backgrounds - were at work in the studio. He stepped away from the limelight in the 90s вЂ“ the last Rap Attack aired in 1989 вЂ“ but remained passionate about new music. When they hit the UK in 1987, the NME dedicated four pages to the travelling Mr Magic and chums. Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Bizmarkie, MC Shan and Roxanne Shante grouped together both in the studio and on tour.

More importantly, he was involved in the founding of the Juice Crew, the most influential rap posse of the 1980s, overseen by Marley Marl. His on-air arrogance led to rivalries that shaped the direction of hip-hop, KRS One and Boogie Down Productions siding with Red Alert and aiming shots at Magic on phenomenal dis records like The Bridge Is Over. Magic) I see you through the smoke Without you, a misery Blue with a migraine All the songs sound better when you're next to me Hey, coz they come naturally Chorus Laying on my bed I reach over for you And you so fresh you even make the standards bloom But its just to you through Chorus. He was soon dubbed 'The Official Voice of Hip-Hop', a position he cemented with a string of compilations for Profile Records in the late-80s, mostly consisting of artists he played a part in promoting, such as Public Enemy. His position made him a starmaker, and in 1982 Whodini released Magic's Wand, paying tribute to his clout (you may have heard it вЂ“ and Magic himself, on Wildstyle radio in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City).

Mr magic songs