Funkmaster Wizard Wiz | Bellevue Patient | 1986
Bronx rapper Funkmaster Wizard Wiz is widely considered one of the leading innovators during hip hop's infancy during the early 1980s, and absolutely the most outrageous personality of the Old School. His first recordings were as the leader of 'The Undefeated Three', whose original line-up consisted of him, rapper T La Rock, and female MC Vicious T, but after some unsuccessful attempts to bring the group together a second version was created with himself, Kool Supreme, and Easy G. The group signed on Tuff Records but never got to put out a record, and Wizard Wiz moved to record as a solo artist. He got involved with some of the best old school beatmasters of the label such as Marley Marl, OC of the Fearless Four, and Ced Gee of Ultramagnetic MCs, and in 1984 released his most famous and controversial song called ''Crack It Up'', the most bizarre 'anti-crack' record ever, that was banned from the New York radio stations due to its pro-crack lyrics. In 1989 he was sentenced to spend a 3-year bid behind bars for selling the same drug he was rapping about, where he embraced Islam and decided to focus his music in a more positive direction, under the name Optimist Prime.