Roc Raida says "This is a secret. I shouldn't even be telling you fckin guys this. But this is a secret. I shouldn't be fckin telling anyone about this one." - Roc Raida giving up body tricks secrets.
Every DJ attempted to do body tricks, but no one could do them like Roc Raida. Watch and learn.
Every DJ who ever touched turntables always attempted the same thing first: scratching. Scratching, which was invented by Grandwizard Theodore, is probably still the primary reason a lot of DJs start DJ'ing at all. It was in the early 90's that scratching and the scratch community really started to grow. Fuelled by 5th generation dubs of legendary DJ Battles - NME, Superman, DMC - and featured on jazz records like Herbie Hancock "Rockit" and taken around the world with the likes of Jam Master Jay (RIP JMJ) on a world stage with RUN DMC, scratching birthed sons and daughters who would push it to heights unknown. These sons and daughters formed crews, and one of these crews belonged to Roc Raida - X-Men.
Roc Raida and the X-Men were legends and pioneers of the scratch. One of the catalysts for the explosion of scratching was the invention of the flare, by non other than DJ Flare. It was a method of reversing the crossfader action so that the sound would be open at start and closed in the middle and open again at the end. It was a reversal of the transformer (which was invented by DJ Jazzy Jeff) which started with the crossfader closed and open and closed in rhythm to the beat. For those who are still confused, the transformer played on the beat while the flare played in between the beat (like half notes). Simply the flare was a revelation which revolutionized the game. For all the advances the flare introduced, there was probably one other that ultimately pushed scratching and beat juggling to the mainstream: body tricks.
Body tricks were initially seen as a gimmick, a trick to to play to the masses and the audiences of lesser knowledge to gain their favour and support during head to head battles like the ITF's. There was an almost east coast/west coast rivalry that grew out of the body tricks debate. Crews on the west coast like Invisible Skratch Piklz claimed the "keep it real" tag and resorted to improving existing scratches while creating new ones for everyone to bite. Crews on the east coast like X-Men saw body tricks as an art, a skill that you had to work on for years just like you had to with your scratching. It was the next level in turntablism and it was warmly embraced by Roc Raida and fam. X-Men saw the full potential of body tricks and came up with the sickest body tricks routines and dared anyone to try to make a fool out of them.
I can remember every single DJ trying to do the back to back doubles body trick that Roc Raida made famous. In the middle of a DMC style routine Raida would lean into the mixer and send the crossfader over with his shoulder, as a warm up to his ace: the Roc Raida bodyroll (I don't know if his trick had an official name). Raida would put his back on the crossfader and throw his hands over the opposite shoulder (eg right hand over the left shoulder) and rock back to back while controlling the crossfader with his back and manipulating the records with his hands. It was unreal! Beat juggling was one thing, but beat juggling with body tricks - THAT body trick - was absolutely mind blowing. He didn't fck up, he didn't miss a beat, and most of all he mad it LOOK easy. Every DJ who ever saw Roc Raida do that went home that very same night and attempt it at home. That is why he is one of the all time greats in the DJ community. If you haven't watch the video yet, you will get to see him throw all his body tricks into a full routine. Sick. Can't believe we just lost him.
R.I.P. GRANDMASTER ROC RAIDA. A true pioneer, icon, legend, comedian. There'll be no other. Long live body tricks!
