Funeral Arrangements and Information for Thursday, September
24, 2009
The viewing for Anthony Williams will be held from 10am to
12 noon,
followed by the funeral beginning at 12noon. Both will be held at:
Mount Neboh Baptist Church
1883 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (W.114th St. & 7th
Ave)
New York NY, 10026
Phone: 212.866.7880
http://mountneboh.org
* Those who wish to send flowers can kindly arrange for them to be delivered to the church on Sept. 24th between
9am – 10am only.
** The family requests that No Filming or Photography Take Place within the church during the viewing and during the funeral.
Directions:
Train: 2 or 3
to 116th St. Exit near
intersection of W 116th St and Lenox Ave.
Go West
on W 116th St towards Lenox Ave. or Bus M11 to W 116
St and Adam C Powell Blvd
Please visit http://www.hopstop.com
for more directions.
All accurate information, official tributes and fundraisers (approved by his family)
will be posted at:
http://www.myspace.com/rocraida
http://www.myspace.com/thegongdjbattle
Donations can be sent via paypal.com using the email
address: ladietye@yahoo.com.
Please contact toolsofwar@gmail.com for hi res photos- press purposes.
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[The following information has been supplied and
approved by Roc Raida's wife. Thank you in advance for your kind words
and sympathy. To post front page comments, please visit http://www.myspace.com/rocraida
Anthony "Grand Master Roc Raida" Williams was born
in Harlem New York on May 17th, 1972 to Brenda Williams-Bolling & William
“Tony”
He passed away on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 from a
cardiac arrest resulting from injuries he suffered in an accident while
training in Krav Maga, a type of self defense system that he had been studying weekly
for the last two years. He was
proud that his 15-year-old daughter, Asia, shared his passion for Krav Maga and
was the only girl in their class.
At an early age, Anthony joined the Mt Neboh Baptist Church & was baptized
under the leadership of the Late Rev. William D. Gardner. It is at Mount Neboh
where he served faithfully during his youth. He was a member of the Children's
Choir, the Junior Choir, the Usher Board, and a former mascot for the Male
Chorus of which his grandfather, the Late Deacon Early Williams was a member.
Anthony Williams was both African-American and Puerto Rican.
He lived most of his life in Harlem but after marrying his soul mate, Tyeasha on
June 26, 1997, they moved to the Bronx. Several years ago, they realized their
dream of owning a home and relocated their family to Maryland. He encouraged
and shared in his wife’s dream of one day opening up her own beauty salon.
He began DJing at the age of 12, spinning at local parties
around Harlem. By 1995, Roc Raida represented the United States at the DMC
World DJ Championships and won! He was the first DJ from New York City to hold
this title and was automatically inducted into the DMC/Technics DJ Hall of
Fame. Throughout his life, he lived his passion - being a professional Hip Hop
DJ. He was blessed to have touring
the world as his day job. Williams
was honored to have worked with recording artists including Showbiz & AG,
Lord Finesse, Kool G Rap and most recently, he toured exclusively with Busta
Rhymes.
Although his family called him “Ant” (short for Anthony), he
became known worldwide as legendary DJ Roc Raida. In 1999, Grand Master status was bestowed upon him by a group
of pioneering Hip Hop DJs, during a conference at the Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame & Museum.
Before he passed, he asked his 10 yr. old daughter, Nyra,
who was the most interested, of his children, in DJing to take over for him as
a DJ. She agreed!
With a very aggressive swagger on the turntables, those who
knew Roc Raida were floored by his humbleness. His wife, Tyeasha reports, “His
notoriety amazed him every day!” He never took that for granted. Williams was also known to be very
quiet, private and easy going. His
self-control was commendable unless he was pushed to his limit and then he
would roar. In fact, Lord Finesse called his friend “the quiet lion” for this
very reason. Those closest to him have the pleasure of remembering him also as
a hilarious comedian, loving to joke and laugh.
Roc Raida through battles, performances, videos, dvds, documentaries and
even a Pepsi commercial, influenced thousands of DJs, both to party rock as
well as to battle and he took several aspiring DJs under his wing to mentor
personally. As a member of
legendary turntablist crews, The X-Men and The X-ecutioners, he along with his
brothers-in-vinyl took the world by storm, innovating, influencing and
inspiring at every turn. In 2006,
to progress and contribute to the Hip Hop DJ battle scene, he founded Roc
Raida’s Gong DJ Battle, a national DJ battle that occurs annually, combining
head to head turntablist dexterity with comedy and drama.
Not only was he a World Champion DJ, he was a dedicated father
and husband.
Anthony leaves to cherish his memories; his loving wife: Tyeasha
Williams; three beautiful daughters: Asia, Nyra & Tia; one son: Earl Tyric
Smiley; mother: Brenda
Williams-Bolling; his step-father: Clarence Bolling; mother-in-law: Clarice Powell; father-in-law: Deryl
Hunt; sister: Tamneka Bolling; 2
brother-in-laws: Willie Neat & Keith Powell; 3 aunts: Arlene Tramble,
Jacquline Knox of FL, & Jacquline (Donald) Tramble; 1 god-sister: Tina
Carter; Adoptive Grandmother: Juanita
Jackson and a host of cousins & dear friends.
Anthony is now reunited with his grandparents, Deacon Early & Helen
Williams & his Aunt Minister Carol Knox.
The family would like to acknowledge these amazing "God-sends". They
have truly been Tye's backbone throughout this ordeal. To: Henley "Pro" Halem, Sean C, Fat Man Scoop, Busta
Rhymes, DJ Premier and Christie Z. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!!!
The family would like to expressly thank Chatman-Harris
Funeral Home in Baltimore MD as well as Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem NY
for their generosity and kindness.
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“As one of the Godfathers of Hip Hop, this is a tremendous
loss to the Dj community. It’s sometimes rare to meet an individual who was a
supertalent, be so mild mannered and so calm. His skill level was admired
worldwide. It was pleasure to see him in action. It was a pleasure to know him.
I give my condolences to his family.”
- Grandmaster Flash
“My heart is in pain over the passing of a good friend. He’s
like a brother to me because he holds the same values I hold when it comes to
my family, friends, music and life. He will be missed but not forgotten. I will
keep his wife and children in my prayers. Rest in Peace Grand Master Roc
Raida!” – GrandWizzard Theodore
“Roc Raida was an innovator on the turntables at a time when
we thought the best of the best had been seen. His artistic wizardry
seemed so effortless it reminded me of a young GrandWizzard Theodore. His
easy going attitude was a pleasure to see in a time where most artists of his
caliber were big headed. Salute young general and RIP to our latest Grand
Master!” - GrandMaster Caz
"The Lord is forming his band right now. He called home
Michael Jackson. But he was missing a DJ that could match the skill level as
Michael. So he called upon Grandmaster Roc Raida." - DJ Scratch
“Since the day I met Raida, he was the most humble, strong willed, genuine,
ultimate competitor. The greatest DJ in my book.” - Lord Finesse
“Grand Master Roc Raida was one of the greatest DJs to ever
touch a turntable. To guys like myself and Craze who came up right after the
monumental generation of X-Men, ISP and Beat Junkies, Raida was the ultimate
inspiration as a battle DJ. For those who knew him personally, Raida was also
the kindest, more generous and funniest friends we had. He was like a mentor to
me, I can't even count the amount of times he helped me out over the years. I
feel like I just lost a big brother. He will be sorely missed.” – DJ A-Trak