About

All blog posts written by Dave Paul. I don’t use ghost bloggers.

Dave Paul began his music career in 1985, starting as a mobile dj and evolving into a prominent college radio and club dj in San Francisco. In 1991 he launched the now legendary company Bomb Hip-Hop. With an emphasis on the four elements of hip-hop, Dave Paul created the archetypal independent company, encompassing everything from management to an online store, concert promotion to magazine, merchandise to a record label. He has been featured in URB magazine, CMJ, XLR8R, appeared on the front cover of Billboard, and is featured in the motion picture SCRATCH. With the b-boy’s revenge and the DJ’s return, the one man army of Dave Paul is a true hero of the global independent scene, having unleashed upon the world the pioneering Return of the DJ series as well as a slew of international artists and producers. Mr. Paul has dj’ed throughout the US, toured Europe and the UK, and currently produces a Prince vs Michael party series.

Bomb has evolved since it’s humble beginnings in 1991 as a hip-hop publication to “one of the fifteen independent labels that matter” according to Rolling Stone. Bomb’s Return of the DJ series was ranked by Spin Magazine as #25 in their “The 90 Greatest Albums of the 90’s”. Having been credited with the revival of the D.J. as an artist in their own right for the Return of the DJ series, featured in the movie Scratch playing on the Sundance channel and available on DVD (Palm/WB), the label is also known for spotlighting Hip Hop from around the world. Some of the artists that have appeared on releases from Bomb Hip-Hop include Dilated Peoples, Blackalicious, J-Live, Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5, Qbert, DJ Craze, Z-Trip, Rob Swift & Roc Raida from X-ecutioners, Mr. Dibbs of Atmosphere, DJ Honda, DJ Format, Peanut Butter Wolf, Swollen Members, Defari, Paul Nice and AG of D.I.T.C., Jedi Mind Tricks, Mystik Journeymen, Kid Koala and Mixmaster Mike of the Beastie Boys.

Bomb Hip-Hop has produced various Bay Area concerts and club nights from the early 90’s to the present including the legendary sold out “Bomb” parties at the DNA from ‘92-’95, the 2003 “Bomb Hip-Hop Tour” in Europe as well as the “Return of the DJ” and the “DJ’s & MC’s” tours in 2004. Some of the cutting edge hip-hop artists that have performed at Bomb events include; Jurassic 5, Pharcyde, Kool Keith, Dan the Automator, Aceyalone, Invisibl Skratch Picklz (Q-Bert, Disk, Shortkut, Mixmaster Mike), Blackalicious, Beat Junkies (Rhettmatic, J Rocc, Babu, Melo D), Mystik Journeymen, Supernatural, Volume 10, Schoolly D, Akinyele featuring Rob Swift, Shakey featuring Rahzel, Ultramagmetic MCs, Pete Nice & Daddy Rich, Alkaholiks, Masta Ace, Freestyle Fellowship, Nas, DJ Craze, DJ Swamp, J-Zone, Grandwizzard Theodore, DJ Shadow and House of Pain (with B-Real from Cypress Hill).

“David Paul and Bomb Hip-Hop have helped define one of the most exciting forms of music in the ’90s: turntablism” – Pulse Magazine

“David Paul has been a trendsetter for 10 years, his projects have defined genres and jump-started now legendary careers” – SF Weekly

“Starting in 1991 as a ‘zine and later evolving into a full-fledged record label, Bomb put San Francisco on the underground hip-hop map. The label was also one of the first to champion deejaying as an art form with it’s groundbreaking Return of the DJ compilations.” – Stance Magazine

“Bomb dedicated itself to what’s now called true school aesthetics, establishing a blueprint since emulated by numerous others – including Def Jux, ABB, Warp, Quannum, Revenge and Battle Axe… one even has to wonder if Shadow’s Entroducing would have been widely lauded without Bomb’s precedent-setting Return of the DJ comp.” – XLR8R Magazine