East Village lounge Sutra will throw a fundraiser for seminal hip-hop artist D.J. Kool Herc tonight. Owner Ariel Palitz asks people to "give what they can" and to expect younger artists influenced by the master to show up at the venue, where Herc is a regular.
Word spread yesterday that Herc, who many say invented the art of turntable mixing, was struggling under the weight of mounting medical bills. Despite his contributions to the genre, Herc remained a D.J. instead of moving into record production, which "The Guardian" claims contributed to his current financial woes. Herc is apparently out of the hospital, but friends like D.J. Premier continue to rally for donations.
