When Erick Sermon boasted on track in 1992, "I'm strictly hip-hop, I'll stick to Kid Capri," the nod was no mere tossed-off reference, and the recipient of the compliment, though only in his 20s, was already a 15-year veteran of the hip-hop scene. Hip-hop's original prodigy, Kid Capri began DJ'ing at Studio 54 when he was eight, and began selling his mixtapes (a relatively new invention) shortly after. As one of the first turntablists to uncover the creative potential of the DJ as editor and re-mixer, Kid Capri's influence on modern hip-hop should not be underestimated.