West Coast rap has roots in Poplar Bluff

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Who really was the first white rapper -- Vanilla Ice, Eminem or the Beastie Boys?

Nope. Scratch (no pun intended) all the above. The first white rapper to sign a contract, according to MTV, was Lee "DJ Flash" Johnson, who spent most of his childhood just outside Poplar Bluff.

Johnson's career mirrors the evolution of hip-hop from disco to the multibillion-dollar industry. He worked with the biggest stars on the West Coast during his 30-plus year career, but before dropping tracks with Snoop, Dr. Dre, Ice-T and others, he was dropping a fishing line in Black River.

His grandparents lived on a five-acre farm on Highway 53 where they built a house, operated a wrecking yard and raised eight children. Johnson was born in 1957 and lived there until he was 10.

"My earliest memories around here were fishing in the Black River, Wappapello Lake, chasing fireflies at nighttime out there at my grandpa's place," Johnson said.

He and his family eventually moved to St. Louis and lived in housing projects there and in Kansas City before moving to California in search of a better life. He attributes his time here to his success later in life.

"I would say that my upbringing here helped me survive out there in California," Johnson said. "People here are so down-to-earth and friendly, I was able to take that with me. It was instilled in me. Be hospitable, respectful, treat people like you would want them to treat you," he said.

All the moving helped form his career, as his musical influences are a combination of the country, bluegrass and gospel of his grandfather's farm and the rhythm and blues hits of the metro areas where he resided. As a teenager in the 1970s, he listened to disco and rock such as Earth, Wind and Fire, Bruce Springsteen and other mainstream musicians.

"When I was here [Poplar Bluff], I was exposed to country music -- my uncles played banjo. When we moved to St. Louis and Kansas City, I was exposed to Motown, Curtis Mayfield. Man, it was just the '60s and that sound, I just loved that music so much. So when I got to California, I had roots in country music and R&B, blues," Johnson said.

His first job in the music industry was in the late 1970s as a mobile DJ in the Bakersfield, California, area. This was the disco era, marked by mirrored balls, platform shoes and groovy tunes. It also was an era coming to an end and giving way to the hip-hop movement as he spun records in the clubs of southern California.

"The music industry was going through a big change. You had new wave coming out, you had early hip-hop coming out of New York -- it was a good time for independent producers and record labels. In the '70s you had to be on the majors, Capital, Warner Brothers. But when disco came out, it was independent and clubs were driving the sales," he said.

Johnson landed a gig at a country station. There he played -- you guessed it -- the earliest rap songs in circulation. At the time it was the Sugarhill Gang, deemed by many to be the first rap group and a few other pioneers.

"I finally got a radio show in the afternoon. I was playing all the rap, disco ... It was a county station, but in the afternoon, she let me have my own show. I started playing music that no one in Kern County had ever heard before," Johnson said.

His career as a rapper began in November 1981 when he signed on with The Rappers Rapp Group. The group was on the label Rappers Rapp Disco Co. in Los Angeles, of which he is CEO.

But to earn a spot in the group, Johnson had to audition in an open-mic battle.

"I saw a record and said 'a Los Angeles rap label, this is awesome.' I ended up meeting the owner, and he said he was putting together a group and holding an audition in L.A. I said, 'Hey man, I can rap.' So I rapped for him on the phone, and he said, 'Come down,'" Johnson said.

Johnson made the cut, adding that his DJ experience helped, and became the first white rapper in the U.S. to sign with a rap label. The group consisted of six members -- MC Frosty, Lovin C, DJ Flash, King MC, Macker-Moe and Mr. Ice. Their first release was "Rappers Rapp Theme" in 1982.

"Back then, white people couldn't rap. It was a black culture thing. Even Mexicans weren't doing it. It was all black. We did shows; man, we performed for the Temptations. We were the first rap group to perform for Michael Jackson.

"But anytime we did shows, people were like, 'A white boy? We gotta see what this white boy is gonna do.' Anyway, I held my own. I knew what I was doing, and I got big respect. We went to the clubs where Dre was DJ-ing at the time and people would come up and say, 'Man ... you got down,'" Johnson said.

One year later, The Rappers Rapp Group changed their name to Dark Star and released the West Coast's first rap EP, "Sexy Baby." As his career evolved, Johnson still was performing but began playing a bigger role as a producer.

"We did a lot of solo and independent records. We took Ice-T into the studio his first time. We took Dr. Dre into the studio his first time and help those guys get going. We were on the forefront. We were making records about three years before the rest of the rap groups, who didn't start coming out until 1984," Johnson said.

From there, Johnson went on to join King MC and form the Future MCs. They produced three smash hits, "State of Shock Rapp," "Erotic City Rapp" and "We Are the Future." In 1984 he reteamed with MC Frosty to release "The Beverly Hills Cop Rap," using the theme from the movie.

While he continued to produce and perform through the 1980s, Johnson shifted his role somewhat to historian, producing the four-volume set "West Coast Rap-The First Dynasty" that chronicled the rise of West Coast hip-hop.

That was followed by "The Classic Collection" by Ice-T, another chart-topper. In 1994, Johnson formed the label Hitman Records and produced "Concrete Roots" by Dr. Dre, which rocked the charts of the day.

From there, he would go on to work with dozens of stars over the next two decades, and in 2014, he produced his most recent work "Westcoastin" with artists Snoop, Too Short, E-40, Wyclef Jean and others.

The album shot to the No. 3 best-seller slot on Amazon overnight. But after years in the industry, producing numerous hits and working alongside too many stars to mention, what does Johnson consider the pinnacle of his career?

"Besides all the early stuff and being a pioneer, I just got lucky. I was in the right place at the right time. I probably shouldn't have been in the Rappers Rapp Group. Divine intervention put me there. But as far as laying the foundation for West Coast rap, I'm very proud of that.

"I'm also very proud of the things I did later on. I documented the birth and rise of West Coast rap for Rhino. That, to me, was a pivot in my career, because that exposed the history to the masses, Germany, the Netherlands, everywhere," Johnson said.

He plans on continuing his work.

"I love putting deals together for people. I am always looking out for new talent, young talent. I went to a club here the other night. I met a guy there, and he is going to introduce me to some guys. I would love to find some talent from Poplar Bluff," Johnson said.

For more information on DJ Flash visit his page on Wikipedia, or visit MTV atmtv.com/artists/dj-flash/.