The 50 Most Influential DJs

See where Jam Master Jay ranks.

13. Marley Marl - Marley Marl is a radio Hall of Famer in New York, where he spun behind Mr. Magic on WBLS-FM's "Rap Attack," perhaps hip hop's most influential radio show of all time. But he had an even bigger impact as leader, DJ and super-producer for the Juice Crew, pioneering revolurionary new beat-making and sampling techniques and steering the careers of Big Daddy Kane, MC Shan, Kool G Rap, Biz Markie and more. (Photo: djmarleymarl.com)
12. DJ Drama - DJ Drama is undoubtedly the most powerful mixtape mogul of the new millennium. His seminal early-2000s Gangsta Grillz releases helped propel Atlanta and the city's trap-rap movement to its dominant position in hip hop, and even attracted the attention of the Feds, who famously raided Drama's Atlanta offices and arrested him on bootlegging charges in 2007. Regardless, rap stars both new and old, Dirty South or not, still turn to Drama and his mixtapes to up their buzz level.  (Photo: John Ricard / BET)
11. DJ Clue - DJ Clue changed the mixtape medium forever with his mid-'90s releases, which emphasized breaking new, exclusive music instead of showcasing mixing and scratching skills, as the first wave of tapes did. He was one of the first mixtape DJs to graduate to major-label albums; his 1998 debut, The Professional, went platinum. Later, his label, Desert Storm Entertainment, broke the careers of Joe Budden and Fabolous. And through it all, he's been a mainstay on NYC's radio-waves and club circuit.    (Photo: Jerritt Clark/Getty Images)
10. DJ Screw - The creator of the screwed-and-chopped technique, the late, legendary DJ Screw's released a series of hugely influential '90s mixtapes with his crew, the Screwed Up Click. Screw's syrupy sound eventually became his city's signature, and can still be heard today in the music of ASAP Rocky, Big KRIT and others. (Photo: screweduprecords.com)9. Grand Wizzard Theodore - Bronx legend Grand Wizzard Theodore is widely credited as the inventor of scratching. Can't get much more influential than that.

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12. DJ Drama - DJ Drama is undoubtedly the most powerful mixtape mogul of the new millennium. His seminal early-2000s Gangsta Grillz releases helped propel Atlanta and the city's trap-rap movement to its dominant position in hip hop, and even attracted the attention of the Feds, who famously raided Drama's Atlanta offices and arrested him on bootlegging charges in 2007. Regardless, rap stars both new and old, Dirty South or not, still turn to Drama and his mixtapes to up their buzz level.  (Photo: John Ricard / BET)

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