A b-boy salute to Jimmy Castor...R.I.P.

Jimmy Castor (1947 - 2012) was one of the most sought after artists by b-boys. For me, it was realizing that his soundtrack was the beat in Flashdance. You know, the classic scene where Jennifer Beals and her friend bump into Mr. Freeze and Frosty Freeze from Rock Steady rocking in an alleyway.

 

Since then, Jimmy Castor's name has been sampled by pop, rap and dance acts across the oceans. Christina Aguilera ("Back In The Day" used "Troglodyte"), Kanye West (“We Don’t Care” used “I Just Wanna Stop”). Even the UK's dancefloor hits were reaching into Jimmy's archives for vibes. Neneh Cherry (“Buffalo Stance” used “Troglodyte”), M.A.A.R.S. (classic tune “Pump up the Volume” sampled “It’s Just begun”) and Soul II Soul (“Jazzie’s Groove” grabbed “Soul Travelin’).

Super B-Beat Show blog interviewed Jimmy Castor in 2010. Check out the audio here at this b-boy fanzine from San Diego, CA.

Go visit Jimmy's website. It's pure funk! The Total Entertainer. Jimmy Castor. The Everything Man!