DJ Cash Money Aims To Put Philly Hip-Hop Pioneers Back In The Spotlight

Roughly 104 miles north of the Bronx—the New York City borough that birthed Hip-Hop—lies Philadelphia, home to DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Bahamadia and The Roots.

It’s also where DJ Cash Money honed his skills as a prolific turntablist. A 1988 DMC World DJ Champion, Cash Money didn’t just perfect scratching, he invented an entirely new way to execute the art form (often referred to as “battle style”), pioneered several scratching techniques (including the Transformer), inspired a generation of DJs to follow suit and helped put Philly Hip-Hop on the map. He was also the first DJ to be inducted into Technics DJ Hall of Fame.

Despite all of his accolades and contributions to the culture, DJ Cash Money still doesn’t get the recognition he deserves—nor does Philly for cultivating so many talented Hip-Hop artists. But Cash Money is aiming to change that with a “Philly Hip Hop Legends Show” that would highlight fellow Philly artists Schoolly D, EST from Three Times Dope, Marvelous and, of course, himself.

“At one time, we were known,” Cash Money explains to AllHipHop. “There was a handful of us in Philly that broke the door down. That’s kind of the reason why I wanted to start doing this ‘Philly Hip Hop Legends Show.’ You look at Schoolly D and what he’s done. He influenced Ice-T, who influenced that whole gangsta rap genre. The problem is Philly just doesn’t respect its own. There was a gap where nobody was talking about Philly at all. Like Philly wasn’t even speaking about Philly. And then all of a sudden The Roots came up and started doing their movement.”

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While Cash Money says Philly is a “beautiful city,” he’s sometimes disappointed by the lack of respect the Philly Hip-Hop pioneers get.

“It’s not the people, it’s these so-called gatekeepers that hold everybody back,” he says. “It’s really sad because we have done so much, but you wouldn’t even know it. When you think about the history of Hip-Hop, it goes to New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta. Philly is nowhere around.  What’s crazy is at that time, the only cities really pushing Hip-Hop on the radio were New York and Philly. All these guys were touring in Philly. The whole Juice Crew was on a Philadelphia label because they couldn’t get a deal in New York.”

Aside from the Philly Hip-Hop showcase, Cash Money and Biz Markie’s longtime DJ/friend Cutmaster DJ Cool V are working on finishing their documentary about Cash Money’s indelible impact on the culture. In 2023, they released a 20-minute teaser of the film featuring interviews with DJ Spinna, Kid Capri, Biz, DJ Rob Swift, Kool DJ Red Alert and GrandWizzard Theodore, among others. But they’ve run into a few obstacles.

“It’s definitely financial, because when we were doing this, the whole pandemic thing happened and just crushed everything,” he says. “And then the guy that was filming it, he used to work for BMW, so this was his side thing, but I think he lost his job there so things have been a little tight. That’s why it’s been on hold. If I can’t jumpstart it myself, I will seek other investors.”

DJ Cash Money’s vast influence on the culture needs to be laid out for those who may not understand just how valuable it is. Even the name Cash Money Records could be loosely traced back to him. Producer Mannie Fresh will likely be the first to admit it.

“Mannie used to study me,” he noted. “He said our records were big down in New Orleans. And he was like, ‘Cash, we used to use your intro for all of our shows.’ I couldn’t believe it. I never knew that. To me, that’s the biggest high for me when you’ve influenced someone and you don’t even know that you did it.”

As explored in the documentary, DJ Cash Money was an idol to aspiring DJs and remains a beast on the 1s and 2s.

“I’m a worldly figure,” he says with confidence. “I’ve influenced the whole DJ culture. I am the blueprint to everything. I tell people all the time, it’s like there’s tiers: Grandmaster Flash, GrandWizzard Theodore and DXT, they made all DJs change and made the turntable into an instrument, right? I took what they did to a whole different level. So now you’re getting all these crazy styles and sounds coming out of my hands.”

DJ Cash Money is urging his fans to nudge their local promotors and booking agents to book the “Philly Hip Hop Legends Show” in hopes of touring in 2025. Find more information here.