Biography
RP Boo, at times rendered Arpebu, earns frequent credit as the originator of footwork, the hyperactive Chicago house variant that fuses elevated tempos, thunderous low end, and jagged, stuttering samples. Underground staples he crafted across the 1990s and 2000s finally reached broader audiences once British imprint Planet Mu began issuing archival collections throughout the 2010s. His first album proper, Legacy, surfaced in 2013, with Fingers, Bank Pads & Shoe Prints arriving two years later; both anthologized older material. The 2018 set I'll Tell You What! marked his initial effort conceived and executed as a unified album, while Established! in 2021 returned to foundational juke and Chicago house elements. Legacy, Vol. 2, issued in 2023, revisited further vintage cuts.
Kavain Space, known professionally as RP Boo, entered Chicago’s House-O-Matics crew as a DJ in the 1990s and later added dancing to his activities. Early productions made on machines such as the Roland R-70 led to the 1997 track “Baby Come On,” built around an Ol’ Dirty Bastard sample and now viewed as the inaugural footwork record. Several of his pieces appeared on the storied ghetto-house label Dance Mania near the close of its first era. He supplied the Godzilla-sampling “11-47-99,” issued under DJ Slugo’s name on the 2001 Born Ghetto – From My Hood to Your Hood 12" EP via Detroit’s Databass Records; despite ongoing debate over authorship, the cut attained cult status and broadened the style’s global reach. The 43-minute continuous mixtape Dude Off 59th Street, released in 2007, showcased his own work alongside contributions from DJ Rashad, DJ Clent, DJ Spinn, and Traxman.
Planet Mu, the UK electronic label operated by Mike Paradinas (µ-Ziq), first spotlighted the footwork scene in 2010 with albums and EPs from Chicago artists including DJ Nate and DJ Roc, plus the overview Bangs & Works, Vol. 1, which contained two RP Boo selections. A follow-up volume in 2011 added two more of his tracks. That same year he joined DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn on Shangaan Shake, a compilation of international reworkings of South African shangaan electro tracks whose rapid pace drew parallels to footwork. Legacy, his first full-length, finally appeared on Planet Mu in 2013 after nearly twenty years of behind-the-scenes activity, drawing on unreleased material spanning his career.
Classics, Vol. 1—an EP gathering landmark cuts such as “Baby Come On”—and the second album Fingers, Bank Pads & Shoe Prints both emerged in 2015, the latter mixing further archive pieces with newer productions. The EP The Ultimate followed in 2016. I'll Tell You What! arrived in 2018 as his first project composed and recorded from the ground up as a cohesive album. Established! returned in 2021 with a leaner collection of party and battle tracks. Legacy, Vol. 2 gathered scarce recordings made between 2002 and 2007, marking the tenth anniversary of the original Legacy.
Kavain Space, known professionally as RP Boo, entered Chicago’s House-O-Matics crew as a DJ in the 1990s and later added dancing to his activities. Early productions made on machines such as the Roland R-70 led to the 1997 track “Baby Come On,” built around an Ol’ Dirty Bastard sample and now viewed as the inaugural footwork record. Several of his pieces appeared on the storied ghetto-house label Dance Mania near the close of its first era. He supplied the Godzilla-sampling “11-47-99,” issued under DJ Slugo’s name on the 2001 Born Ghetto – From My Hood to Your Hood 12" EP via Detroit’s Databass Records; despite ongoing debate over authorship, the cut attained cult status and broadened the style’s global reach. The 43-minute continuous mixtape Dude Off 59th Street, released in 2007, showcased his own work alongside contributions from DJ Rashad, DJ Clent, DJ Spinn, and Traxman.
Planet Mu, the UK electronic label operated by Mike Paradinas (µ-Ziq), first spotlighted the footwork scene in 2010 with albums and EPs from Chicago artists including DJ Nate and DJ Roc, plus the overview Bangs & Works, Vol. 1, which contained two RP Boo selections. A follow-up volume in 2011 added two more of his tracks. That same year he joined DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn on Shangaan Shake, a compilation of international reworkings of South African shangaan electro tracks whose rapid pace drew parallels to footwork. Legacy, his first full-length, finally appeared on Planet Mu in 2013 after nearly twenty years of behind-the-scenes activity, drawing on unreleased material spanning his career.
Classics, Vol. 1—an EP gathering landmark cuts such as “Baby Come On”—and the second album Fingers, Bank Pads & Shoe Prints both emerged in 2015, the latter mixing further archive pieces with newer productions. The EP The Ultimate followed in 2016. I'll Tell You What! arrived in 2018 as his first project composed and recorded from the ground up as a cohesive album. Established! returned in 2021 with a leaner collection of party and battle tracks. Legacy, Vol. 2 gathered scarce recordings made between 2002 and 2007, marking the tenth anniversary of the original Legacy.
Albums
Legacy Volume 2
2023
Established!
2021
I'll Tell You What!
2018
The Ultimate
2016
Fingers, Bank Pads & Shoe Prints
2015
Classics, Vol.1
2015
Legacy
2013
Singles
