EGYPTIAN LOVER 60TH BIRTHDAY

Egyptian Lover (aka Greg Broussard) is internationally recognized as a pioneer of West Coast hip hop, helping bring electro rap to the masses in the early ‘80s and influencing DJs and MCs the world over in his wake. The first West Coast rapper/producer to achieve international success, Egyptian Lover paved the way for early West Coast hip hop pioneers like Dr. Dre and the World Class Wrecking Crew, N.W.A., Ice T, Rodney O & Joe Cooley, King Tee & DJ Pooh among others.

Growing up listening to Kraftwerk, Prince, Rick James and Zapp, Egyptian Lover got his start compiling mixes of his favourite records, including his own instrumental beats created on his Roland TR 808 drum machine. The club-ready cassette tape mixes started selling in the thousands. Following in the footsteps of The Sugarhill Gang, Broussard began rapping over his beats to give the party people what they wanted. The neighbourhood responded, transforming him into a local celebrity.

With his star status rising higher, Egyptian Lover joined Uncle Jam’s Army and moved 10,000 person crowds at the LA Sports Arena with his impressive knack for scratching, performing turntable tricks and MCing. In the mid ‘80s, LA was becoming the electro rap capital and Egyptian Lover was at the forefront of this new West Coast rap sound, not only with his unique producer/DJ/MC aptitude, but also as label owner of Egyptian Empire Records. Selling hundreds of thousands of his 12” singles to DJs and fans around the world. Egyptian Lover invented the innovative sound of combining uptempo, synth-heavy electro beats with rap vocals.

Since 1983, Egyptian Lover has remained true to his sound by recording on analogue equipment, which helps create his signature sound. Egyptian Lover’s influence cannot be overstated – not only did he change the face of West Coast hip hop, but also greatly influenced electronic, techno, R&B and pop music to this day.