Jimmy Spicer

{{Short description|American rapper (1958–2019)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Jimmy Spicer

| image =Jimmy Spicer.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption =

| background = solo_singer

| alias =

| birth_name = James Bromley Spicer

| birth_date = May 12, 1958

| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|9|27|1958|05|12}}

| death_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

| origin =

| genre = Hip hop

| occupation = Rapper, songwriter

| years_active = 1970–1990

| label = Dazz, Mercury, Spring, Def Jam

| associated_acts =

| website =

}}

James Bromley Spicer (May 12, 1958{{cite web|url=http://hiphop101a.blogspot.com/2016/01/godfather-of-storytelling-adventures-of.html|title=Hip Hop 101A: The Adventures of Jimmy Spicer|first=Mark|last=Skillz|date=26 January 2016|website=Hiphop101a.blogspot.com}} – September 27, 2019) was an American hip hop recording artist who released a number of old school rap singles during the late 1970s and early 1980s including the classic "Dollar Bill Y'all," for which he was perhaps best known.Kellman, Andy "[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jimmy-spicer-p127439/biography Jimmy Spicer Biography]", AllMusic, retrieved 2011-08-08{{Cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.48533/title.jimmy-spicer-calls-out-russell-simmons-for-unpaid-royalties-disingenuous-ig-post|title = Jimmy Spicer Calls Out Russell Simmons for Unpaid Royalties & Disingenuous IG Post|date = 21 September 2018}} Spicer was managed by Russell Simmons' Rush Management. His single "The Bubble Bunch" featured Jellybean Benitez's first remix.

An obituary of Spicer in The New York Times described his 15-minute-long debut single, "Adventures of Super Rhyme," as being "widely regarded as the first true storytelling rap." Spicer's music was sampled by hip-hop artists including the Wu-Tang Clan, 2Pac, De La Soul, and Busta Rhymes. Rapper LL Cool J has cited Spicer's music as sparking his interest in hip-hop.{{cite news |last1=Caramanica |first1=Jon |title=Jimmy Spicer, Influential Early Rapper, Is Dead at 61 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/arts/music/jimmy-spicer-dead.html |access-date=4 August 2023 |work=New York Times |date=30 September 2019}}

Spicer had four daughters, Angelina, Leticia, Janel, and Princess and one son, James. In 2018, he was diagnosed with advanced brain and lung cancer.{{cite web |title=Hip Hop Pioneer Jimmy Spicer Diagnosed With Advanced Brain & Lung Cancer |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.48382/title.hip-hop-pioneer-jimmy-spicer-diagnosed-with-advanced-brain-lung-cancer# |website=HipHopDX.com |date=9 September 2018 |accessdate=14 September 2018}} He died on September 27, 2019, at the age of 61.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/arts/music/jimmy-spicer-dead.html|title = Jimmy Spicer, Influential Early Rapper, is Dead at 61|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 30 September 2019|last1 = Caramanica|first1 = Jon}}{{Cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.52970/title.jimmy-spicers-family-launches-gofundme-to-make-final-days-as-peaceful-as-possible|title=Hip Hop Pioneer Jimmy "Super Rhymes" Spicer Passes Away|date=September 27, 2019|website=HipHopDX.com}}