Kurtis Blow, the King of Rap from Harlem U.S.A., is a true hip hop pioneer. He was the first rapper signed to a major label, the first rapper to tour overseas, and, back in 1981, he was the first national rapper to headline in Minneapolis.

Now, Kurtis Blow is back in the Twin Cities, and he joins The Current's Sean McPherson to talk about his role as MC for The Hip Hop Nutcracker; the final show takes place Wednesday, Nov. 25, at the Ordway in St. Paul. "This is hip hop at its best," Kurtis says. "I'm a firm believer that hip hop and rap is so malleable; you can shape it in any form. We have these fusions like rock n roll rap, reggae rap, country and western rap — incredible stuff throughout the years. So I always had this idea of using classical music with hip hop beats. The flow, just the big sound of the orchestra — wow!"

Listen to the complete interview to hear more about how Kurtis Blow brings the party atmosphere into the theater, and hear him compare and constrast the theater environment with the small-club atmosphere. Kurtis also describes the elements and influences that inspired the emergence of hip hop in the 1970s. "We were like a small crowd of cats who were rebels to disco," he says.

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