Wake Up Show co-hosts Sway and King Tech held an event honoring a handful of Hip-Hop veterans at The Regent Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night (December 14).
Among the honorees were DJ Revolution, Rock Steady Crew b-boy Ken Swift, KXNG Crooked, Ras Kass, Supernatural and Large Professor, who were recognized for their vast contributions to Hip-Hop culture.
Fellow MCs, producers, breakers and turntablists (and AllHipHop) turned out in droves to show their support, including RZA, Xzibit, B-Real, Qbert, Dan the Automator, DJ Rhettmatic, Demrick and DJ Choc. Other familiar faces in the crowd like drummer Daru Jones, Digital Underground’s Money B and podcast host Bootleg Kev kept popping up throughout the night, illustrating just how tight-knit the Hip-Hop community really is.
DJ Revolution was up first, and Sway took his time introducing their longtime collaborator with a show-and-prove scratch session, which involved a demonstration of how scratching has evolved over the years. Both Sway and Tech got emotional talking about Revolution, who’s been a part of The Wake Up Show for decades.
“He’s been with us for almost 30 years, and that’s beyond a work relationship,” Sway said as he turned to face DJ Revolution. “Sway and Tech hereby acknowledge you, DJ Revolution, as a DJ icon, one of the greatest talents ever to represent at the World Famous Wake Up Show.
“Your contributions to the art of DJing at the highest level helped the advancement of Hip-Hop culture and the legacy of Sway and King Tech. Without you, the Wake Up Show would have never been the same. We value your friendship, your passion and your commitment to the craft. We are forever grateful to have been a part of this journey together. You are our brother for life.”
As the night progressed, each honoree was met with an in-depth (and often times humorous) video about their origins and how they navigated their careers. Swift was up next. Even before he got on stage, he was met with a symphony of applause from the audience. Swift’s appearances with Rock Steady Crew in films like Style Wars, Wild Style, Flashdance and Beat Street helped take breaking from New York streets to a global mainstream audience, transforming him into a cultural icon in the process.
Large Professor, who as part of Main Source introduced a young Nas to the world on the 1991 album Breaking Atoms, was honored with the plaque by RZA. He also posed for photos with attendees and his peers as did Supernatural, Xzibit, B-Real and the seemingly countless others who were in the building.
The evening was a staunch reminder to celebrate those who supplied the building blocks of Hip-Hop one element at a time. The inaugural For the Culture event was held in July, with the award going to Tha Dogg Pound co-founder Kurupt. Sway currently has a slew of content commemorating the evening on his Instagram Stories. Find it here before it disappears and/or check out some clips from Rock the Bells’ Jacob Rohn below.