The DJ. Once the linchpin of hip-hop, of moving the crowd, of dictating the night, the true DJ has been under siege from posers, pretenders, and button-pushers. Fortunately, there are those who unswervingly shove the art forward, asking nothing in return. We, as listeners, reap the rewards. One such stalwart is DJ C-Reality, born Christopher Lawand in Elizabeth, New Jersey. C-Reality came of age alongside the art form itself; he harkens to a 1992 Gang Starr show at Old Bridge, NJ’s revered but now defunct Birch Hill nightclub. And yes, that’s him, rocking the gumby and the goofy grin in the Funkdoobiest/Cypress Hill collab “Wopbabalubop.”
About the same time, C-Reality was making his own mark as part of the underground rap collective Myndcrukz, known best for their timeless single “Remember the Face.” The group enjoyed a good run alongside scene staples such as KRS-One, Company Flow, Scienz of Life, and Natural Elements. Myndrukz fractured, and C-Reality shifted to other musical pursuits. Long a proponent of incorporating turntablism into live music, he has since found his niche with the New Jersey funk/jazz/hip-hop ambassadors, Sunny Daze. A 7-piece ensemble –guitar, bass, drums, alto sax, tenor sax, trombone, and Tech 12s– Sunny Daze have dazzled crowds at countless festivals and opened for mega-acts the Roots, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Soulive.
Sunny Daze are currently balancing a steady performance schedule with recording their sophomore album, in the wake of their successful debut, Eclectric. Good For You Records has linked the Sunny Daze crew together with epic MCs including Grand Puba, The Artifacts and Redman for forthcoming joints and shows. Additionally, C-Reality stays busy writing, producing, and lending his deft hands to various projects, and is a regular on the longest running hip-hop show in New York City, the legendary Underground Railroad on WBAI 99.5FM. Catch him most Friday nights cutting and scratching his way through Golden Era rap, breaks, and a mélange of other musics. Long live the DJ.

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