Mr. Magic
{{about|the rap and hip-hop pioneer and radio DJ|other persons known as Mister Magic, Mr. Magic etc|Mister Magic (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image =
| name = Mr. Magic
| image_size =
| background = non_performing_personnel
| birth_name = John Rivas
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1956|03|15|mf=y}}
| birth_place = The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|10|02|1956|03|15}}
| instrument = Turntables
| genre = {{hlist|Hip hop|Electro}}
| occupation = DJ
| years_active = 1979–2002
| label = {{hlist|Magic|Profile
}}
| past_member_of = Juice Crew
| associated_acts = Marley Marl
Juice Crew
| website =
}}
John "Mr. Magic" Rivas, (March 15, 1956 – October 2, 2009) was a Puerto Rican hip hop radio DJ.
Career
Mr. Magic debuted in 1979 on WHBI in New York City with “Disco Showcase” on the pay-for-time FM station. It was a far cry from the prime time in New York; what he didn’t realize was he was starting the very first rap radio show. A few short years would go by and Frankie Crocker, program manager for Inner City Broadcasting, took his rising star to commercial powerhouse WBLS with the first exclusive rap radio show to be aired on a major station.{{Cite web|url=https://newsone.com/1093115/top-20-radio-jockeys-of-all-time/|title=Top 20 Black Radio Jockeys Of All Time|website=Newsone.com|date=March 15, 2011}}
Rap Attack, Magic's show featured Marley Marl as the DJ and Tyrone "Fly Ty" Williams as the show's co-producer. Magic moved full-time to WBLS in July 1982. His reign on the New York City airwaves lasted six years and was instrumental in broadening the scope and validity of hip-hop music.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:73820r1ay48p~T1|title=Mr. Magic - Biography - AllMusic|author=Steve Kurutz|website=AllMusic|accessdate=9 March 2015}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Mr. Magic recorded one 12" single as an artist "Magic's Message (There's A Better Way)",{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvWAfwnyRv8|title=Mr. Magic - Magic's Message (There's a Better Way) on YouTube|website=YouTube |accessdate=30 March 2016}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}} produced by Spyder D for Posse Records in 1984. He is also interviewed in the 1986 cult documentary Big Fun In The Big Town.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2323202/|title=Big Fun in the Big Town|website=IMDb.com}}
During the mid-80s there was a rivalry between Mr. Magic and Kool DJ Red Alert, who hosted a weekly show on WRKS-FM. The feud also played out between proxy rap groups, the Juice Crew and Boogie Down Productions (see The Bridge Wars). The Juice Crew – headed by Mr. Magic's on-air assistant, DJ Marley Marl – was named after one of Magic's aliases, "Sir Juice."{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopmusic.com/interviews/magic.html|title=Mr. Cee and Mr. Magic: Interview|website=Hiphopmusic.com|accessdate=9 March 2015}}
In 2002 Magic lent his voice to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as himself, a DJ on one of the in-game radio stations.
Magic died of a heart attack on October 2, 2009, at the age of 53.[http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/newswire/2009/10/2/mr_magic_real_name_john_rivas.htm Mr. Magic, Real Name John Rivas, Brought Hip-Hop to Masses] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005001536/http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/newswire/2009/10/2/mr_magic_real_name_john_rivas.htm |date=2009-10-05 }} HispanicBusiness.com. Retrieved on October 2, 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2009b.html|title=The Dead Rock Stars Club 2009 July to December|website=Thedeadrockstarsclub.com|accessdate=9 March 2015}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://theurbandaily.com/news/one-of-the-last-interviews-with-mr-magic/ Excerpt about Mr. Magic from "The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop," (New American Library/Penguin, 2010]
- [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p312123/biography|pure_url=yes}} Biography on Allmusic]
- [http://ps2.ign.com/articles/373/373879p1.html Vice City biography] on IGN
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Category:Musicians from the Bronx