It's Just Begun: The Epic Journey of DJ Disco Wiz, Hip Hop's First Latino DJ

Description

DJ Disco Wiz was the first Latino on the scene that was already playing host to the legendary DJs Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and Kool Herc. He took Brooklyn by storm, praised for his innovative style and no-fear approach to DJ battles. Street life, however, was never far behind him and he was convicted of attempted murder at the age of 17 and sentenced to nine years in jail. In an inspirational work, he shares how he overcame his struggles and forcefully embraced an approach of love and self-determination.

Luis "DJ Disco Wiz" Cedeno, the first Latino Hip Hop DJ, is credited for being the first DJ to make a "mixed plate" in 1977 along with Grandmaster Caz. In the years since, Wiz has been an influential force in educating the world about the early years of hip-hop. Wiz was a major contributor in the opening of the Experience Music Project in Seattle in 2000, and was instrumental in the making of Jim Fricke and Charlie Ahearn's Yes Yes Y'all (Da Capo Press, 2002). He was also featured in the Emmy-nominated VH1 Rock Doc NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell, and is the creator and founder of the Hip-Hop Meets Spoken Wordz series. Ivan Sanchez is the author of Next Stop: Growing up Wild Style in the Bronx (Simon & Schuster, 2008), and was awarded the National Novel honors for his first fiction offering in 2004. His work has appeared on SaborHR.com, SiTV.com, HipHopGame.com, and he is currently developing a TV series based on Next Stop, with the help of April Lee Hernandez. Sanchez is also an anti-gang youth advocate and motivational speaker, who works with the Virginia Beach Police Department's gang unit.

"If there are words to describe DJ Disco Wiz they would be 'true survivor, ' born in a time when war and injustice was the state of America. This book is a must-read for all fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and educators alike, so that one may understand the pain that so many young people born in harsh conditions have to endure." -- Jamel Shabazz "It's Just Begun has opened my mind up to so much more about hip hop history than I could've imagined, and is a sure-fire tool to help younger generations understand the volatile 70s decade in all its mess and glory. DJ Disco Wiz represents for all Latinos who have ever grabbed a set of headphones since. Estoy tan orgulloso de el." -- Bobbito Garcia