Jimmy Spicer, Hip-Hop Pioneer, Dead at 61
Jimmy Spicer, the pioneering MC who released influential early hip-hop songs in the late ’70s and early ’80s, has died, The New York Times reports. At the time of his death, Spicer had been suffering from brain and lung cancer. His family had been crowdsourcing funds to pay for his treatment. He was 61 years old.
Spicer was one of the first artists signed to Russell Simmons’ Rush Management, but stopped making music in the early ’80s. His most lasting legacy is likely “Adventures of Super Rhyme,” a nearly 15-minute rap marathon with no hook that showcased Spicer’s innovative rhyming style. His 1982 single “The Bubble Bunch” is recognized as legendary freestyle producer “Jellybean” Benitez’s first remix, and 1983’s “Money (Dolla Bill Y’all)” pioneered the phrase famously used in the Wu Tang Clan’s ode to capital “C.R.E.A.M.”
Rappers such as Snoop Dogg and DMX have named Spicer among their favorite MCs, with the former crediting “Adventures of Super Rhyme” with inspiring him to start rapping. Spicer’s final recording was 2010’s “$ Can’t Buy U Love.”
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
