In the beginning, there were DJs that set this culture on its path. Herc, Bambaataa and Flash have come to be known as the Holy Trinity. From them spawned numerous other DJs who would go on to further the style and techniques that they created. While many were from NYC there was one from Philadelphia, PA who would turn the DJ world on its ear. Jerome Hewlett aka DJ Cash Money had caught the DJ bug around ’81 making a lot of noise throughout Philly and even making it to records by ’85. But it wasn’t until 1987 that his sound truly escaped Philly landing him a deal on Sleeping Bag Records with his MC Marvelous. The duo rivaled another group out of Philly who were a DJ/MC combination called DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Cash and Jeff were actually down together, practicing routines and doing parties back in Philly. Both were mentored by Grand Wizard Rasheen and both share credit in perfecting the infamous “Transformer Scratch” which in its original form can be traced back to Philly DJ Spinbad. However, it was the New Music Seminar (1987) and DMC (1988) DJ battles that made Cash a household name amongst DJs. What Flash and them had done to inspire Cash, he had just done the same to inspire everyone who came after him, winning both titles.
After Marvelous left the music business Cash continued on DJing putting out some ill mixtapes and even started doing the production. For a while in the early ’90s, he was touring with P.M. Dawn and when that ran it’s course he continued on touring the world, rocking parties by himself. As the scene changed and labels became a thing of the past, Cash found himself getting frustrated dealing with janky promoters. So much so that in 2017 he actually retired. But like most talented people who try to leave the game, it kept calling him back. Fast forward a couple of years and Cash is back at it with a new project. Cash teamed up with Street Orchestra to produce an instrumental album called “Street Ca$h”. Funky beats that you can rock a party with or even use in a battle. You can grab the album here.
And he’s not stopping there. Whether showcasing at a DMC event or spinning for Russel Peters on tour, Cash is back on the wheels right where he should be and we should all feel a little better knowing that DJ culture is safe. Until the next time he retires.
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