by Cousin Geoff

Justin just launched a killer batch of old school rap, including a ton of rare local stuff.  But the record that caught my eye was Disco D, A Night At The Booty Bar EP. 

Disco D, real name Dave Shayman, grew up in Ann Arbor, like me, and attended Pioneer High School.  A lot of the kids I grew up, along with my friends from Funktelligence and Athletic Mic League, with were real tight with Dave as he was a huge part of the Ann Arbor/Detroit hip-hop/techno music scene.  Shayman was a badass DJ even back in high school, playing all over Detroit and helping DJ Godfather to popularize the Detroit Ghetto Tech sound.  He helped found the Ghostly International label, and then cut out to New York after graduating from U-M.  In New York, he started his own label, Booty Bar Records (and released this EP), and produced tracks for major hip-hop artists including 50 Cent.

Disco D was a brilliant, brilliant music mind who went to all levels to perfect his art, even studying Brazilian funk and Jamaican dancehall in the quest for the perfect dance track.  Unfortunately for everyone who knew Dave or was associated with him, he committed suicide in January of 2007 at age 26.  Dave had just prior to this gone public with his battle with bipolar disorder. 

This got quite a bit of press at the time, including numerous blogs, myspace pages, and message boards.  I felt really bad about it, knowing quite well who he was, and having just lost a close friend to suicide.  Fortunately for us, Disco D’s music lives on.  I wanted to write this post, but I feel bad about potentially profiting from the sale of this record based on this article.  So I’ll donate the proceeds of the sale of this record to a charity or good cause in his honor.  If it doesn’t sell, I’ll keep it - and play it loud. 

Go here to view the listing.

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