HIP-HOP HISTORY

THE BIRTH OF HIP-HOP

In 1973, Clive Campbell, known as DJ Kool Herc, began his sound system experiments in the recreation room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, all while keeping it secret from his father that he had rewired his component set system. He recalls, “What I did was I took the speaker wire, put a jack onto it, and jacked it into one of the channels. I had extra power and reserve power. Now I could control it from the preamp. I got two Bogart amps, two Girard turntables, and then I just used the channel knobs as my mixer. No headphones. The system could take eight mics. I had an echo chamber for one and a regular mic for another. So, I could talk plainly and, at the same time, wait halfway for the echo to come out” (Chang). Kool Herc spun funk classics from artists such as the Bongo Band, James Brown, and Dennis Coffey. Ultimately, he developed the Merry-Go-Round technique, allowing him to extend the break (the drummer or percussion solo) of funk songs and establishing the musical foundation of Hip-hop. Meanwhile, the development of breaking was also taking place and is believed to have occurred between 1972 and 1977 (Steffan Clemente).
 
The release of “King Tim III” by the Fatback Band on March 25, 1979, signified the onset of recorded Hip-hop music. However, it was not until the summer of 1979, with the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” that the world was truly introduced to Hip-hop music and culture. Dart’s article “1981: The Year Hip-hop Broke” points to an April 22, 1981, edition of the Village Voice, which featured an article by Sally Banes and Martha Cooper called “Physical Graffiti: Breaking Is Hard To Do.” This became the first published piece dedicated to B-Boy culture. A subsequent article in the May 15, 1981, edition of The New York Times announced a series of public B-Boy exhibitions at New York University during The Bronx Folklore Conference on May 16 and 17, 1981. Another significant moment in the mainstream exposure of rap occurred on July 9, 1981, when ABC aired a special report on “20/20” titled “Rappin’ To The Beat” by Steve Fox. This segment showcased performances by Kurtis Blow, Funky 4+1, Sugarhill Gang, and The Furious Five, along with B-Boys from the Rock Steady Crew, supplemented with commentary from Debbie Harry of Blondie and noted radio personality Jocko Henderson. This special inspired countless viewers to try rapping and led many youths to identify as B-Boys overnight. Furthermore, 1981 was also the year graffiti began transitioning from walls, bridges, and subway cars into art galleries, following the first-ever article on graffiti published in The New York Times in July 1971, titled “TAKI 183 Spawns Pen Pals.”
 
Afrika Bambaataa played a crucial role in shaping Hip-hop culture. Although he did not coin the term “Hip-hop,” his interview with Sally Banes influenced the widespread acceptance of the term Hip-hop as a way to represent a new generation of Black youth. Others attribute its creation to MC Love Bug Starski, MC Cowboy from Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, or DJ Kool Herc himself. Rennie Harris suggests that the term “Hip-hop” may date back to the 1940s. However, sometime later Bambaataa defined Hip-hop as comprising the four core elements: graffiti, DJing, MCing, and breaking (B-boying or B-girling). He later added a fifth element, “Knowledge,” out of concern that Hip-hop was losing its direction.
 
As noted by Dart Adams, the Rock Steady Crew evolved from performing at venues like Common Ground and The Kitchen in SoHo to clubs such as The Ritz, Mudd Club, and Negril. Michael Holman’s Negril gained popularity in October 1981, coinciding with the Rock Steady Crew’s influential “Graffiti Rock” shows at The Kitchen, hosted by Fab 5 Freddy and showcasing artists such as Lee and Dondi. During this time, Afrika Bambaataa began spinning records in downtown clubs, facilitating interactions between Zulu Nation members, B-Boys, and Hip-hop fans with punk and new wave audiences. This exchange led to collaborations, including Malcolm McLaren working with The World Famous Supreme Team and overseas tours, with rap groups opening for The Clash.
 
By the end of 1981, the Rock Steady Crew was drawing large crowds to exhibitions, including the legendary Lincoln Center battle against the Dynamic Rockers in August of that year. The genre of rap continued to gain traction, culminating in Fab 5 Freddy pitching an idea to filmmaker Charlie Ahearn, which ultimately became the feature film “Wild Style.” Dart asserts that various aspects of Hip-hop reached mainstream visibility simultaneously in 1981, marking the first-time individual components receive notable attention. Importantly, the films credited with showcasing Hip-hop culture in its entirety both began filming in 1981, following the first national news segment that highlighted the connection between rap and breaking, which aired in July 1981 on “20/20.” By 1984, Hollywood had appropriated the culture with the releases of “Wild Style,” “Style Wars,” “Beat Street,” and “Breakin.” Ultimately, Hip-hop culture had officially arrived.