DJ Disco Wiz

Though Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash are often cited as the holy trinity of Hip Hop music pioneers, Luis "DJ Disco Wiz" Cedeno, the first Latino Hip Hop DJ, should figure among this founding-fathers framework. Teaming up with his best friend, MC Curtis "Grandmaster Caz" Fisher, Cedeno started throwing jams in his 183rd Street nabe back in 1975, later expanding to popular Bronx haunts, like Morris Park, Echo Park, and the Webster P.A.L. Just like Kool Herc did with his monstrous speaker system and Grandmaster Flash with his deft record scratching, Caz and DJ Disco Wiz changed Hip Hop music's trajectory with their creation of the mix plate in 1977 a ten-inch demo record that fused some of their own party sets, at-home turntable routines, and clear sound effects into a single piece of wax. Wiz deliberately created music that would appeal to the B-Boy community, which multiplied between 1975 and 1980.