Clarence Reid, the Miami artist renowned for making X-rated rap records under the alias Blowfly, has died aged 76.
Reid penned a string of hits for soul and funk artists in the 60s and 70s, including Gwen McCrae’s ‘Rocking Chair’ and Betty Wright’s ‘Clean Up Woman’, as one of the main songwriters for famed Miami label TK Records.
As his sexually explicit alter-ego Blowfly, he laid the foundation for hip-hop with songs like ‘Blowfly’s Rapp’ and ‘Shake Your Ass’, and was considered one of the first rappers. Starting in 1973, he released almost 30 albums as Blowfly and has been sampled by artists like Wu-Tang Clan, DJ Shadow and the Avalanches over the years.
El-P, Flea, Pete Rock and Just Blaze all paid tribute to Reid on Twitter, while Flying Lotus shared a picture of one of Blowfly’s famous stage masks with the words: “Thanks for the insanity and the mask.”
According to his drummer Tom Bowker, Blowfly will release one final album, 77 Rusty Trombones, in February.
