Punk Rock architect and UK Hip-Hop Icon Malcolm McLaren Died Today April 8th at the age of 64.  If you don’t know what Malcolm McLaren is then you don’t know hip hop or punk rock. Think Sex Pistols, Buffalo Gals, New York Dolls, Bow Wow Wow, Adam and the Ants. His songs and sounds have been sampled and quoted in thousands of hip hop songs throughout the years. If you ain’t Heard “3 buffalo gals, go round the outside, rounds the outside,” or “All that Scratching is making me itch.” Then you ain’t sh*%t!

Ask  Africa Bambata, Dr. Dre, Diddy, RZA, Ski Beats, Timberland, Primo, Niles Rogers, Quincy Jones, and Pharell  about Malcolm McLaren.  They all know his work.

Malcolm McLaren was a pioneer in UK hip hop. Be befriended Africa Bambata, Grand Master Flash, Fab 5 Freddy and many of the New York founding fathers, hung out with them at block parties, and all the birth places of hip hop. Malcolm McLaren then took all his hip hop influences back to the UK. He was managing British punk bands in the the UK and becoming quite famous, He often invited his New York hip hop friends to the UK to perform and hang out.

In 1983, McLaren released his first album Duck Rock, an album which mixed up influences from Africa and the Americas, including hip-hop. The album proved to be highly influential in bringing hip-hop to a wider audience in the UK. Two of the singles from the album (“Buffalo Gals” and “Double Dutch”) became top-10 hits in the UK. Uk hip hop had hit the mainstream and UK hip would never be the same.  Malcolm McLaren used real B-boys and Graffiti artist in his videos and take them on tour with him. Check your history he did a lot for hip hop and punk.

Hip-Hop and Punk Rock Lost a legend today. Rest in Peace Your Legend and Music Lives ON. Somewhere in the wolrd Somebody is dancing, spinning on their head, doing a crazy uprock, a wicked backspin or in a mosh pit getting their punk rock slam on to you music. True legends never Die.