Video: Roc Raida’s 25th Birthday Party @ Club Vinyl (May 17th, 1997)

DJ Eclipse:

19 years ago today Roc Raida celebrated his 25th birthday at Club Vinyl. Not only were the rest of his X-Men crew there, but the 5th Platoon also showcased while I held down the party and Lord Sear hosted. Shouts to Fat Beats, John Carluccio, Peter Oasis and Rhythm Method for coordinating this event. In this clip here I edited it down to just the end of the X-Men showcase. Although some of these routines are now very familiar to us, a few of them were premiered for the first time on this night. From the moment you hear Rob Swift juggling “Flash It To The Beat” you know you’re in for a show. Raida jumps on next with his “Going Back To Cali” routine followed by another beat juggle before passing it off to Total Eclipse (who was the newest member of the X-Men back then). E destroys “Think (About It)” and “Scenario” and then Rob jumps back on to drop his infamous “Rock The Bells” routine. Raida closes out the night with “Sucker MCs” incorporating body tricks which was always a big part of his performances. He ends his set with LL’s “Jack The Ripper” accompanied by Total Eclipse and then gives us his traditional Raida smile when he is finished. The sets were not flawless, but that was always part of the gamble back then. Using vinyl and different equipment each time you performed you never quite knew how they would respond to what you had practiced at home. Nonetheless, these were some of the most entertaining shows in the 90s from one of the top DJ crews to ever exist. I would even go as far as to say that turntablism hasn’t been the same since. It’s been almost 7 years since Raida passed. He would have been 44 today. Happy birthday bro. Love ya.