Family and friends are mourning an icon of the Long Beach music scene, Cletus Anderson, who died Sunday at the age of 82 after being diagnosed with aggressive gallbladder cancer, according to family members.
Anderson was described as a father of West Coast hip-hop and a pioneer in the music industry. At VIP Records in Long Beach, which was founded by Anderson in 1967, there are pictures of him with the Jackson 5, James Brown, Switch and Donna Summer.
Kelvin Anderson, his younger brother, said Cletus "was like my dad.”
The Long Beach store is the last remaining and most famous of the VIP Record stores. Snoop Dogg featured the store's landmark sign in his music video for “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” from his debut album “Doggystyle.”
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VIP Records expanded to 12 stores in its heyday, helping launch the careers of some of rap’s biggest names.
“I saw him in the early days work with Dr. Dre,” said Kelvin Anderson. "He recorded the first ever Ice-T record.”
But loved ones say Anderson was about faith and family first, which was part of the reason why VIP Records has stayed in the family for more than half a century. Kelvin is now the owner. Kelvin’s daughter and Cletus’ niece Tenisha runs operations.
"Friends at school would think that I was telling lies when I’m like, 'We hung out with the Jacksons this weekend,' when the fact is we hung out with the Jacksons on the weekend,'" Tenisha Anderson said.
When asked what she will miss most about her uncle, Tenisha said, "Having fun with him. I’m going to miss that.”
