DJ Disco Wiz
- Music Department
DJ Disco Wiz (born Luis Cedeño), was born in the Bronx, New York, USA,
to a Puerto Rican father and a mother from Cuba. He is also credited
with being the first Latino DJ in Hip-Hop music.
After being inspired at a Kool Herc jam by the emerging hip hop
movement taking place in The Bronx DJ Disco Wiz teamed up with his best
friend, Casanova Fly (Grandmaster Caz), to form a group called the
Mighty Force crew. Mighty Force is credited as being one of the first
Hip-Hop DJ crews in the mid-to-late 1970s. Legendary for their DJ
battles in the streets of the South Bronx, the Mighty Force crew was
also responsible for presenting the first Latino rapper to the world,
Prince Whipper Whip, who is also of Puerto Rican decent. DJ Disco Wiz
is also credited for being the first DJ to create a "mixed plate" in
1977 (hip-hop's first mixed dub recording) when he and Grandmaster Caz,
combined sound bites, special effects and paused beats.
The grandson of the late Puerto Rican artist and Santero Norberto
Cedeño, Wiz is the creator of The Hip-Hop Meets Spoken Wordz Series, a
hip-hop and poetry performance series that gives a voice to up and
coming Latino talent in New York City. As a poet and pioneer DJ, DJ
Disco Wiz has performed at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, Trinity
Hip-Hop Festival, Powerhouse Arena, Tools of War Turntables Series, the
Apollo Theater and the landmark Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his poetry can
be seen in Joe Conzo's book Born in the Bronx. Wiz is also featured in
a few documentaries on Hip-Hop history including the Emmy Nominated Vh1
Rock Doc, ny77 The Coolest year in hell Developed by Nanette Burstein
and Firehouse Films for Vh1, "All Out War" and "1Love," a film about
the lives of Joe Conzo, Ernie Paniccioli and Jamel Shabazz; hip-hop's
early photographers.
Wiz has openly contributed to the community education of the formative
years of Hip-Hop. In the millennium issue of The Source magazine he
candidly shared his experience in being the first Latino during the
culture's evolution. He was also a major contributor in the opening of
the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington in 2000. His
contribution and donation of original hip-hop flyers, solely for the
preservation of hip-hop can be seen as part of the archives. He was
also instrumental in the making of Jim Fricke and Charlie Ahearn's
rendition of the early years of hip-hop entitled Yes, Yes Y'all;
sharing numerous original flyers and first hand accounts of the early
years of hip-hop including an account of the historical New York City
blackout of 1977.
He is also a board member of the Universal Federation for the
Preservation of Hip Hop Culture, chaired by Afrika Bambaataa of the
Universal Zulu Nation. The Federation also includes on its board;
Grandmaster Caz, DJ Tony Tone, Kurtis Blow, GrandMaster Melle Mel,
KRS-One, Lovebug Starski, Jorge "PopMaster Fabel" Pabon and
photographer Joe Conzo.
At present time Wiz is co-authoring his memoirs with Simon & Schuster
author Ivan Sanchez. The book is titled, It's Just Begun the Epic
Journey of DJ Disco Wiz, Hip-Hop's First Latino DJ. Powerhouse Books
Release Date June 2009. He is also the host of the Hip Hop Chronicles
on Urban Latino Radio.
to a Puerto Rican father and a mother from Cuba. He is also credited
with being the first Latino DJ in Hip-Hop music.
After being inspired at a Kool Herc jam by the emerging hip hop
movement taking place in The Bronx DJ Disco Wiz teamed up with his best
friend, Casanova Fly (Grandmaster Caz), to form a group called the
Mighty Force crew. Mighty Force is credited as being one of the first
Hip-Hop DJ crews in the mid-to-late 1970s. Legendary for their DJ
battles in the streets of the South Bronx, the Mighty Force crew was
also responsible for presenting the first Latino rapper to the world,
Prince Whipper Whip, who is also of Puerto Rican decent. DJ Disco Wiz
is also credited for being the first DJ to create a "mixed plate" in
1977 (hip-hop's first mixed dub recording) when he and Grandmaster Caz,
combined sound bites, special effects and paused beats.
The grandson of the late Puerto Rican artist and Santero Norberto
Cedeño, Wiz is the creator of The Hip-Hop Meets Spoken Wordz Series, a
hip-hop and poetry performance series that gives a voice to up and
coming Latino talent in New York City. As a poet and pioneer DJ, DJ
Disco Wiz has performed at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, Trinity
Hip-Hop Festival, Powerhouse Arena, Tools of War Turntables Series, the
Apollo Theater and the landmark Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his poetry can
be seen in Joe Conzo's book Born in the Bronx. Wiz is also featured in
a few documentaries on Hip-Hop history including the Emmy Nominated Vh1
Rock Doc, ny77 The Coolest year in hell Developed by Nanette Burstein
and Firehouse Films for Vh1, "All Out War" and "1Love," a film about
the lives of Joe Conzo, Ernie Paniccioli and Jamel Shabazz; hip-hop's
early photographers.
Wiz has openly contributed to the community education of the formative
years of Hip-Hop. In the millennium issue of The Source magazine he
candidly shared his experience in being the first Latino during the
culture's evolution. He was also a major contributor in the opening of
the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington in 2000. His
contribution and donation of original hip-hop flyers, solely for the
preservation of hip-hop can be seen as part of the archives. He was
also instrumental in the making of Jim Fricke and Charlie Ahearn's
rendition of the early years of hip-hop entitled Yes, Yes Y'all;
sharing numerous original flyers and first hand accounts of the early
years of hip-hop including an account of the historical New York City
blackout of 1977.
He is also a board member of the Universal Federation for the
Preservation of Hip Hop Culture, chaired by Afrika Bambaataa of the
Universal Zulu Nation. The Federation also includes on its board;
Grandmaster Caz, DJ Tony Tone, Kurtis Blow, GrandMaster Melle Mel,
KRS-One, Lovebug Starski, Jorge "PopMaster Fabel" Pabon and
photographer Joe Conzo.
At present time Wiz is co-authoring his memoirs with Simon & Schuster
author Ivan Sanchez. The book is titled, It's Just Begun the Epic
Journey of DJ Disco Wiz, Hip-Hop's First Latino DJ. Powerhouse Books
Release Date June 2009. He is also the host of the Hip Hop Chronicles
on Urban Latino Radio.