Icon: DJ Premier Friday 14 October | Premier mini mix
Semtex talks to and charts the career of legendary producer DJ Premier. Hear the interview:

Part 1 | Part 2

"DJ Premier is the true essence of hip hop. He's part of one of the most influential groups, Gang Starr and was one of the first to merge jazz with hip hop. It opened the jazz world to a new, younger and vibrant audience.
Primo has his own sound, and has broken many artists both old and new. He is a pioneer, but more importantly he's still as relevant today, as he was in 1990. No-one can touch him as a DJ or a producer!" Semtex

A DJ Premier track is instantly recognisable – a soundclash of battling loops and heavy scratching – aggressive and raw. He defined the sound of Brooklyn and the sound of 90s hip hop.

Primo's real name is Chris Martin. He studied computer science in Houston, Texas before working in a record store in New York. He joined Guru's Gang Starr in 1988 and created a trademark sound, producing almost every track on Gang Starr's six albums.

His production characterised many of the East Coast's most important albums, Nas' Illmatic, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, Jeru The Damaja's The Sun Rises in the East, and Mos Def's Black on Both Sides. As well as big joints for MOP, KRS-One, Big L and Jadakiss.

Not only is Premier one of the most important and influential figures in hip hop history, but he is still making tunes that are killing it today. He is the original king of underground hip hop and he's created a benchmark for all the producers that have come through since. Check pictures of Premier with 1Xtra in Nottingham.

"I saw hip hop start from day one. Before there was any cutting and scratching." DJ Premier

Semtex every Friday & Saturday at 1900
Friday's show | Saturday's show

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"The most influential label when I was young. The first hip hop label to deal with not just the artist but the image of the artist as well – the whole hip hop culture." Rodney P

"The ultimate label – consistently producing quality tracks from the right artists. Def Jam has moved with the times too." Skitz

Rodney P & Skitz explore the history of the first and biggest hip hop label, Def Jam.

Def Jam has been running tings in hip hop for 21 years. Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin started the label in a college dorm room back in 1984. Their first ever release was by the 16-year-old LL Cool J (I Need A Beat).

Since then they've released some of the biggest albums by the most important hip hop artists of all time, from Run DMC and Public Enemy to DMX, Method Man, Redman, Ja Rule and Murder Inc, Ludacris, Jay-Z and Roc-a-Fella.

Def Jam is an unbreakable brand and a foundation of the hip hop industry. They have remained unshaken by losing artists and executives or the ownership of Def Jam passing from Sony to Polygram to Universal.

They have managed to stay on top of their game by extending the Def Jam name to television, theatre, comedy, poetry and fashion.

Big dog Lyor Cohen steered Def Jam through its biggest growth years. They earned $700 million in his first year in charge.

Current label head Jay-Z is ushering in a new era at Def Jam, with new imprints Roc La Familia (reggaeton) and Def Jam Left (alternative) and signings like Foxy Brown and Young Jeezy.

Semtex every Friday & Saturday at 1900
Friday's show | Saturday's show

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