Egyptian Lover anthology coming out on Stones Throw in 2014
Los Angeles native Egyptian Lover (Greg Broussard) is internationally recognized as a pioneer of West Coast hip hop and helped bring electro rap to the masses, while influencing many DJs and MCs in his wake since the early ‘80s. The first West Coast rapper/producer to achieve international success, Egyptian Lover paved the way for the early West Coast hip hop pioneers like Dr Dre, Eazy E, Rodney O, Snoop Dogg, King Tee among others.
Egyptian Lover got his start compiling electro mixes – Kraftwerk, Prince, Rick James, Zapp – including his own instrumental beats created on the Roland 808 drum machine. The club-ready cassette tape mixes were selling in the thousands.
With his star status rising higher, Egyptian Lover joined hip-hop crew Uncle Jamm’s Army, moving crowds of 10,000 at the LA Sports Arena. In the mid ‘80s, L.A. was the electro rap capital and Egyptian Lover was at the forefront of this new West Coast sound, not only as a performer, but also as label owner of Egyptian Empire Records. His 12” singles sold in the hundreds of thousands around the world – “Egypt/Egypt”, “Dial-A-Freak”, “Girls”, “Freak-A-Holic”.
Since 1984, Egyptian Lover has remained true to his sound by recording on analog equipment, which creates his signature sound. Egyptian Lover’s influence cannot be overstated – not only did he change the face of West Coast hip hop, but also greatly influenced electronic, techno, R&B and pop music to this day.
Stones Throw Records have teamed up with Egyptian Lover to release a forthcoming anthology box set and 12” single in 2014 featuring classic and unreleased tracks taken from his original reel to reel master tapes.
Check out Egyptian Lover DJing and performing live at Amoeba Records in Hollywood on Friday, July 26th, 8pm – FREE show.