Bad Boy Bill

Born and raised in Chicago, hard house DJ Bad Boy Bill started mixing records when he turned 14. A devoted listener of WBMX’s Hot Mix Five crew, he received his first on-air slot from Farley Jackmaster Funk, after which he quickly ranked among the Windy City’s most sought-after turntablists. In 1988 he claimed first place in the Midwest region of DMC’s Battle DJ contest. Worldwide bookings followed, including an extended residency in Germany, while back home he hosted the weekly Street Mix program on WBBM. He launched International House Records and, via its Mix Connection Multimedia Inc. arm, released the continuing Bangin the Box series of mixtapes. Drawing on his hip-hop roots, Bill routinely layered as many as fifty records—far beyond the ten most DJs employ—creating fluid, high-speed blends that earned him a reputation for fearless mixing. Alongside those volumes he collaborated with Richard “Humpty” Vission on multiple installments of the four-turntable battle project The House Connection. The Bangin series reached another milestone in May 2000 with the release of Bangin in London.