Hitman Howie Tee: In Memoriam

It’s no secret that the skill, technique, and creativity from the likes of Grandmixer D.St., Whiz Kid, Mix Master Ice, Jazzy Jay, Jam Master Jay, The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff, and Cash Money runs deep in the ’80s. The music catalog from the aforementioned DJs inspired masters like Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Beat Junkies, and The X-Ecutioners. But considering we’re on the verge of celebrating 52 years of Hip-Hop this August, it’s the perfect time to go deeper and not just settle for celebrating Hip-Hop’s obvious DJ heroes. To understand how Hip-Hop DJing has evolved, you have to get out on the fringes and experience not only the popular DJs who influenced the greats of today, but also the innovators who were not blessed with massive DJ culture fame. I’m talking about DJs like Howie Tee, who not only DJed his ass off but was also a phenomenal producer. To this end, Brolic Army DJ School honors Hitman Howie Tee, who died this past weekend.

As unsung and under the Hip-Hop radar as Howie was, he compiled one of the most impressive music catalogues from any DJ in the Hip-Hop industry. His work is as comprehensive as it gets because not only does he make the cut (excuse the pun) on the master list of iconic DJs, but he also etches his name amongst the best producers of his era. If the ’90s were Hip-Hop’s golden era, the ’80s were its colossal epoch. Especially when it comes to hybrid wizards like Marley Marl, who produced their songs and put down a scratch clinic every time they recorded scratches over their beats. Howie Tee was just worthy of your attention. True fans of Hip-Hop know how much of a game-changer Howie Tee was. When it comes to production, all you need to do is check out songs like “Caught Up” by Chubb Rock.

But he was also an amazing DJ. His scratching on tracks like “(Nothing Serious) Just Buggin’” by Whistle and “Howie’s Teed Off” by The Real Roxanne set the bar for studio scratches.

Hopefully, this blog piece on Howie Tee has intrigued you enough to seek more information about this incredible artist and absorb his creativity and technique into your style as Brolic Army students. Above all, Hitman Howie Tee was the epitome of being a complete Hip Hop DJ, and even in his death, he’ll continue to serve as a vessel of multiple influences, as he not only was a master producer, but he also set the bar for scratching. Howie Tee is a legend in Hip-Hop. Rest in peace. 🎚️🤏🏾