DJ Rashad
| DJ Rashad | |
|---|---|
DJ Rashad performing in Moscow in 2013
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rashad Hanif Harden |
| Born |
October 9, 1979 Hammond, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | April 26, 2014 (aged 34) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Electronic, footwork, juke |
| Occupation(s) | Musician DJ |
| Years active | 1998–2014 |
| Labels |
Hyperdub Juke Trax Ghettophiles Lit City Trax Planet Mu |
Rashad Harden (October 9, 1979 – April 26, 2014), known as DJ Rashad, was a Chicago-based electronic musician, producer and DJ known as a pioneer in the footwork genre, and often associated with Hyperdub Records and Teklife crew.
Born in Hammond, Indiana on October 9, 1979, Rashad Hanif Harden was the son of Gloria and Anthony Harden. He grew up on 108 Street in the southern part of Calumet City, a suburb of Chicago. He developed an early interest in music and began to DJ in his early teens. According to his father, "since [Harden] was a kid, he's been doing this [and] he knew what he wanted to do". In high school, Harden gained further DJ experience at the Kennedy-King College radio station WKKC. He also became a member of local dance troupes, including the HouseOMatics, The Phyrm, and Wolf Pac. In 1992 he made his first public appearance as a DJ at his high school jubilation.
While attending Thornwood High School, Harden met Morris Harper (aka DJ Spinn) during homeroom class. The two began to spend time at each other's houses producing tracks and performing at parties. Harden was one of the founders of the Teklife crew and developed footwork around dance battles in the greater Chicago area.
Harden was one of the performers at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2013 and completed support-slot on the tour of Chance the Rapper in December 2013.
On June 29, 2015, Hyperdub released the 6613 EP, a four-track EP of previously unheard tracks by DJ Rashad. Afterlife was Harden's last album. It featured previously unreleased songs in collaboration with other members of the Teklife crew. It was released on April 8, 2016, as the first release of the new Teklife Records label.
On Saturday, April 26, 2014, Harden was found dead at an apartment on West 21st Street, Chicago. According to police reports, Harden was found by a friend and was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:50 p.m. An initial autopsy proved to be inconclusive. Initial reports suspected that the death was due to a drug overdose as his body was surrounded by "drug paraphernalia;" however, his cousin stated that his death was due to a blood clot in his leg and that the drug paraphernalia was related to cannabis and not hard drugs. However, on August 7, 2014 an autopsy confirmed that the death was in fact drug related, with heroin, cocaine and alprazolam being found in Rashad's system.
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