--- title: "Bob Power — Kapell" description: "The first audio engineer whose name I knew was Bob Power. He shaped the sound of '90s hip-hop and soul, and he passed away this March." canonical: "https://kapell.fm/blog/2026-10-19-bob-power/" published: "2026-10-19" --- Essay October 19, 2026 # Bob Power 'Bob was our training wheels for how to present music.' A remembrance of Bob Power, the engineer behind the sound of '90s hip-hop and soul. [Cory G Watson](https://onemogin.com) Building Kapell, one credit at a time As a teenager discovering hip-hop I was used to features, shout-outs, and appearances. In fact, a lot of the music we chased down in those days came from these introductions. An artist getting a guest verse could work in either direction: bring an established artist in to bless your song, or give a new act a shot. This was how I first heard the name [Bob Power (on Kapell)](https://kapell.fm/l/artist/mb/07589fb1-c5d9-46b4-b98a-8dfdc27ef878). It was probably [A Tribe Called Quest’s Verses from the Abstract (on Kapell)](https://kapell.fm/l/album/am/278911460?track=278911466) or 1:38 in [The Chase, Part II (on Kapell)](https://kapell.fm/l/album/am/265670545?track=265670699) from [Midnight Marauders (on Kapell)](https://kapell.fm/l/album/am/265670545). Regardless, Bob didn’t fit the pattern I was used to. He wasn’t a rapper, singer, or producer (yet). He was an audio engineer! I’m not going to regurgitate Bob’s story here. You can watch him in his own words via this interview on YouTube: The whole thing is good, but if you jump to around 7:30 in the video you’ll hear why Bob Power’s work was so important. Hip-hop producers get a lot of credit but audio engineering helps to bridge the producer’s intention with what comes out of *your* speaker. You can [read this Red Bull Music Academy interview with Bob](https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2014/07/bob-power-interview) where he describes his contributions and his work with so many amazing artists in the ’90s hip-hop / soul era. Part of the reason I made Kapell was to make it easier to find folks like Bob Power. Easier to see how his ear and mind linked a body of work that anchors a chunk of what makes up my personal love of music. Bob Power passed away in March of 2026. The Roots’ drummer and hip-hop historian Questlove [posted a wonderful remembrance](https://www.instagram.com/p/DVaLW5qjhc3/) which I’m going to pull quote in it’s entirety because embedding an Instagram post sucks. > I Be Questlove……& I’m Really Really Tired Of Doing This You Guys……. > > whether you know it or not, one of these albums changed your life. > > This isn’t even a fraction of the work he is responsible for—-at least 8 of these artists entire career was presented to you by Bob Power. > > So legend has it that one night in Latin Quarter @kooldjredalert played “Go Stetsa” (from the original hip hop band (@stetsa.shop) Stetsasonic) and @qtiptheabstract’s mind is 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯——it was 87 and how the hell are those drums THAT LOUD (rock fans, you know how CHUNKY Bonzo’s drums sounded on @ledzeppelin lps?—-that is a risky move because if TOO loud your records would skip——but somehow he enhanced BOOM BAP!!!! (You know how when cars annoyingly rattle all that filth flarn filth & LOUD drums and your voice gotta cut thru ALL THAT?) welp, *Bob was the KING of the Low End*. Drums Crispy & Loud (cue A Tribe Called Quest “Buggin Out”) but the BASS is FULL (peep “On & On” from Erykah—-he makes it sound and feel so easy) but before him? Hip Hop was chaotic & muddy (in the most beautiful way ever—-peep Straight Out The Jungle for the OG Wu Tang dirty sound esthetic) I love dirty ish….but man——when Bob entered our sonic sphere? Jesus——- > > You could NOT encounter a more engaging, enthusiastic, laser focused craftsman of sound and Sonic’s (engineer/mixing/production) I mean he’d let me bug him ad nausea about “what does this button do? that button? > > **Bob was our training wheels for how to present music.** > > I’m so devastated by his passing. > > Thank you for changing all of our lives Bob. Emphasis mine. [Learn more about him on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Power) and use Kapell to see [everything he mixed, engineered, produced and mastered (on Kapell)](https://kapell.fm/l/artist/mb/07589fb1-c5d9-46b4-b98a-8dfdc27ef878). Thanks, Bob. Kapell — for macOS Press play. Meet the band. A deeper way to play the Apple Music® library you already have — the credits, samples, and history, surfaced as the music plays. Buy it once, own the whole thing. No subscription. [Download](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kapell/id6779394524) [See other journal entries](https://kapell.fm/blog/)