It’s been a decade since Kurtis Blow joined “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” but the legendary rap pioneer from New York City says he vividly remembers the moment it happened.
“They came to me and said, ‘Wow, you would be great being a part of this new show called ‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker,’ ” Blow says on a recent video call. “And I said, ‘What?’
“I remembered the old Nutcracker and so I went over to the rehearsals and I saw these B-boys and B-girls just doing their thing, rehearsing to classical music,” he says. “And I just thought to myself, ‘This is amazing,’ because I’m a big fan of classical music. And that fusion of hip-hop and classical music, I became a fan of it.
So when I saw these dancers, B-boying and B-girling to Tchaikovsky’s music, it was, man, it was the epitome of the fusion I’m talking about. And I just had to be a part of it.”
- Dancers Zuce Morales, Dustin Payne, Lily Frias, and Jon “Gifted” Jimenez are part of “The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Rap icon Kurtis Blow hosts the show which plays Riverside on Nov. 14 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16. (Photograph by Cheryl Mann).
- Rap pioneer Kurtis Blow is emcee of the touring production of “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” which plays Riverside on Nov. 14 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16. (Photograph courtesy of The Hip Hop Nutcracker)
- Dancers Bryan Longchamp, Dustin Payne, Lisa “LBOOGIE” Bauford, Lily Frias, and Jon “Gifted” Jimenez are part of “The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Rap pioneer Kurtis Blow hosts the show which plays Riverside on Nov. 14 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16. (Photograph by Cheryl Mann).
- Dancers Seth “Reaktion” Hilliard and Anthony “Omen” Cabrera are part of the cast of “The Hip Hop Nutcracker.” Hosted by rap legend Kurtis Blow, the production plays Riverside on Nov. 14 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16. (Photograh by Cheryl Mann)
- “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” hosted by rap pioneer Kurtis Blow, includes a dozen dancers. Seen here are Jackie “JK-47” Agudo, Randi “Rascal” Freitas, Seth “Reaktion” Hilliard, and Anthony “Omen” Cabrera. (Photograph by Cheryl Mann)
- Dancers Gabriel Emphasis, and Dustin Payne are part of “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” which is hosted by rap pioneer Kurtis Blow. (Photograph by Cheryl Mann)
- Dancers Gabriel Emphasis, Anthony “Ome” Cabrera, Jon “Gifted” Jimenez, Seth “Reaktion” Hilliard, and Lily Frias are part of the cast of “The Hip-Hop Nutcracker.” Rap pioneer Kurtis Blow serves as emcee. (Photograph by Cheryl Mann)
- Dancers Bryan Longchamp, Dustin Payne, Lisa “LBOOGIE” Bauford, Lily Frias, and Jon “Gifted” Jimenez are part of “The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Rap pioneer Kurtis Blow hosts the show which plays Riverside on Nov. 14 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16. (Photograph by Cheryl Mann).
- The company of ‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker’, featuring dancers Gabriel Emphasis and Ann-Sylvia Clark. Rap icon Kurtis Blow hosts the show that plays Riverside on Nov. 14 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16. (Photograh by Cheryl Mann)
- “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” with rap icon Kurtis Blow as emcee, plays Riverside on Nov. 14 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16. (Photograh by Cheryl Mann)
- Rap pioneer Kurtis Blow serves as emcee for “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” which plays Riverside on Nov. 14, 2022 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16, 2022. (Photograph by Cheryl Mann)
Blow, who serves as the host and emcee of the touring show, returns to Southern California for a pair of shows this month as “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” celebrates its 10th anniversary.
The production, which includes a dozen dancers, a DJ, and an electric violinist, stops at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside on Monday, Nov. 14 for a preview show, and holds its official season opener at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Nov. 16.
(A new film adaptation of the live show, featuring Blow in a cast that includes Rev Run of Run-DMC, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and the Jabbawockeez dance crew, premieres on the Disney+ streaming service on Nov. 25.)
The show opens with Blow, who is healthy again after a heart transplant in December 2020, in a brief performance to warm up the crowd for the main performance. He then returns at the end to perform his biggest hit “The Breaks,” a single from his 1980 debut that became the first gold rap record.
Blow, the first rapper signed to a major label, has a history with Christmas holiday-themed performances: His 1979 debut single “Christmas Rappin’” was a rap revision of ” ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.”
