Jimi Hendrix ‘would have pioneered rap’, says his producer

Jimi Hendrix‘s former producer says that the guitar legend would have helped pioneer rap music if he was alive today.

Eddie Kramer, who worked with Hendrix on his final album ‘Electric Ladyland’ in 1968, has told BBC Radio 6 Music that he would have helped “pioneer” the genre had he not died in 1970.

“This whole idea of street music would have definitely influenced him,” Kramer said. “Jimi was aware of everything that was going on, he was a musical sponge. The next step? Who knows… He may have even gotten into rap.”

Kramer added: “I think about this all the time. Not only would he have been a great record producer, but he would have had his own record company, a film company, a musical production company.”

“He would have been an enormous force – pretty much like Jay-Z is today. He would have been king of the heap.”

Kramer was speaking ahead of the release of new documentary, Electric Church. Hendrix died in September 1970.

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Meanwhile, the estate of Jimi Hendrix is reportedly suing a music shop owner for the return of a guitar once owned by Hendrix himself.

As reported by The Arizona Daily Star, Experience Hendrix LLC, the company that runs Hendrix’s estate, has filed court documents against Harvey Moltz.

Moltz runs Rainbow Guitars in Tucson, Arizona and is in current possession of the Acoustic Black Widow guitar, which is valued at between $750,000 (£488,376) and $1 million (£650,000).

Hendrix’s estate are seeking damages as well as the return of the guitar.

Moltz claims to have bought the guitar in June 2014 from an individual who had purchased it from Sheldon Reynolds, the ex-husband of Hendrix’s adopted sister, Janie Hendrix.

However, the estate’s attorney, Ed McPherson, says Reynolds – a former member of the band Earth, Wind and Fire – stole the item.