Born John W. Bowman Jr. in Washington, D.C. on March 20, 1958, DJ Kool began making music during the golden age of hip-hop in the late 1980s and cultivated a sound shaped by the funk of Washington’s regional go-go scene. In 1990, Bowman released his debut album The Music Ain't Loud Enuff, featuring hip-house cut "House Your Body", and in 1994 served up a slice of dancefloor energy with mini-LP 20 Minute Workout, which was recorded live at Ivory's Nightclub in Richmond, Virginia on November 20, 1993. Bowman’s 1996 single "Let Me Clear My Throat" was a global hit, making it into the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and into the Top 10 in the UK and Netherlands in March 1997. The single was featured on the album of the same name, which also spawned chart-friendly, Naughty by Nature-sampling single "I Got Dat Feelin'". Remix compilation album Gimmie Dat Beat followed in 1997 and in 2003, Bowman contributed to the song "Hit the Floor" from the Be A Man album by US professional wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage.
