Blowfly

American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer who has been described as the root of Gangsta rap. Also known by the stage name and alternate persona Blowfly, he released over 25 parody albums as Blowfly and another three albums as Clarence Reid.

Reid first wrote sexually explicit versions of hit songs for fun but only performed them for his friends at parties or in the studio. In 1971, he along with a band of studio musicians, recorded a whole album of these songs under the name Blowfly. The album The Weird World of Blowfly features Reid dressed as a low-rent supervillain on its cover. Blowfly continued to perform in bizarre costumes as his Blowfly character and record sexually explicit albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Reid claimed to be one of the first artists to perform in a mask, and transitioned from a "tuxedo like Dracula" or a "buttless" Clint Eastwood inspired outfit, to the spandex suits that he became known for in response to public demand. The albums were widely popular as "party records". He recorded the explicit version of his song "Rapp Dirty" (a.k.a. "Blowfly's Rapp") in 1980.

Clarence "Blowfly" Reid died on 17 January 2016 from cancer and multiple organ failure at the hospice facility in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, aged 76. His daughter is former WNBA player Tracy Reid.