DJ Clark Kent‘s death has brought tributes from all corners of the Hip Hop world, as notable figures including Questlove and Tyler, The Creator shared memories of their experiences with the groundbreaking DJ, producer, and sneakerhead.
Kent’s death following a long battle with colon cancer was announced on Friday (October 25), and the tributes started flowing in almost immediately.
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Questlove remembered that Kent had lent him a helping hand “WAY before Things Fall Apart -Made-A-Name-For-Myself period.”
“Some of my earliest DJ gigs in the industry were because of Clark,” he wrote on Instagram. “Clark is the reason Nike hired me to design shoes… I’m not even gonna start with the HUNDREDS of times he hooked me up in the world of sneaker collecting.”
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Tyler, The Creator wrote: “Safe travels DJ Clark Kent.”
DJ Rob Swift recalled that Kent’s Supermen DJ crew provided both inspiration and competition for Swift’s X-Men crew, which eventually morphed into The X-Ecutioners.
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“DJ Clark Kent founded the Supermen DJs (DJ Scratch, Daddy Rich, Plaztic Man, etc.) in the 1980s. At that time, they were the world’s most loved, envied, and, to a degree, hated DJ crew (not because they sucked but because they were so good),” he wrote on Facebook.
“The fun fact is that Steve Dee and Sean C formed the X-Men (later known as the X-Ecutioners) solely because we saw the Supermen as our rivals! We wanted to battle Clark and his crew with a passion. That healthy (and sometimes no-so-healthy, if I’m being honest) competition was what inspired me to come up with routines like my ‘Nobody Beats The Biz’ because to be the best, you have to beat the best!
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“Thank you for teaching me how rivalry motivates me to be a better version of myself… I’m blessed that the energy that made us rivals ultimately transformed us into great friends.”
Bun B called Kent “My cultural mentor… My OG. My friend.”
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“I’m never gonna get those ‘Just called to tell you I love you. That’s all!’ calls again,” he continued. “Love you and I’m gonna miss you.”
The Game shared that Kent “texted me when my father died & checked up on me everyday after until the days began to feel somewhat normal again.”
Veteran music executive Lenny “S” Santiago, who was one of the earliest people to work alongside JAY-Z and Dame Dash at Roc-a-fella Records, and is currently the Senior Head of A&R at Roc Nation, shared a loving tribute.
“I actually loved arguing with Clark,” he wrote. “We argued bout Jay & Biggie, Lucali’s & Scars Pizza, Sneakers, DJ Set transitions and vacation destinations. Even when I knew he was right, I would troll him just to piss him off. I would leave Challenged and inspired.
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“He encouraged the shit outta me and made me feel like I was someone important in our culture. No matter how many times I doubted myself. I will forever be grateful for him for that.”
You can see more tributes to Kent below.
God bless you Clark Kent . Thank you for believing in me 💙
— Wale (@Wale) October 25, 2024
