DJ Hollywood

 DJ Hollywood, whose real name is Anthony Holloway, is an American MC and disc jockey born on December 10, 1954. He is considered by Kurtis Blow and Pete DJ Jones to be the "Father" of the Hip Hop style because he was the first rapper to use the hip-hop style of rapping. Before introducing hip hop style rapping, he had already impacted DJing by creating a set that included singing, rhyming, and call and response where he interacted with the crowd. Holloway's renown spread rapidly, and he became a regular at the Apollo, even having his name added to the marquee.

Holloway began DJing in 1972, and like every MC, he "rhythm talked". And like radio DJs, he usually pattered sequences of one or two bar rhymes. However, he wanted to flow with the record and used to listen to how other DJs would ride a track. In 1975, Holloway made his greatest contribution when he adapted the lyrics of Isaac Hayes's "Good Love 6-9969" to the breakdown part of MFSB's "Love is the Message," which made him into an instant sensation. He rhymed syncopated to the beat of an existing record uninterruptedly for nearly a minute, connecting the various short MC rhymes/patters into one continuous rhyme and giving birth to what would become known as the "hip hop" style. Before then, all MCs rhymed based on radio DJs, and this usually consisted of short patters that were disconnected thematically. By using song lyrics, Holloway imparted an inherent flow and theme to his rhyme, and this was the game-changer.

In 1978 and 1979, DJ Hollywood was the first DJ to bring turntables and a mixer to perform at the Apollo Theater. Before long, club owners in the South Bronx had hired him to play at a spot called Club 371. Kevin Smith, better known as Lovebug Starski, is considered one of the first hip-hop style rappers. Starski, however, was Hollywood's partner and simply imitated this new style.

Most of DJ Hollywood’s body of musical work was live, not recorded, although he did release a single "Shock Shock The House" in 1980 on CBS Records. Until the mid-1980s, he was one of the top DJs. He retired from the business and struggled with drug addiction. He has since returned to performing in the New York City area, appearing with Tha Veteranz, which reunited him with his former partner Lovebug Starski.