Hip hop was born in the Bronx.
It was the early 1970’s. A stock market crash had plunged the U.S. into a deep recession. No area in the nation was hit harder than the South Bronx, where unemployment levels were sky-high, crime was rampant, and arson was routine.
During an era of extreme poverty, how did Bronx residents enjoy themselves? They held loud, room-shaking, roof-raising house parties. What began as a diversion for the hardships of the 1970’s became the catalyst for hip hop, a new frontier of music and culture that would come to define the heart and soul of the Bronx.
Hip hop was born in the Bronx.
It was the early 1970’s. A stock market crash had plunged the U.S. into a deep recession. No area in the nation was hit harder than the South Bronx, where unemployment levels were sky-high, crime was rampant, and arson was routine.
During an era of extreme poverty, how did Bronx residents enjoy themselves? They held loud, room-shaking, roof-raising house parties. What began as a diversion for the hardships of the 1970’s became the catalyst for hip hop, a new frontier of music and culture that would come to define the heart and soul of the Bronx.
It all started in a small rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. There, a teenager that went by DJ Kool Herc would spin heavy, beat-driven funk records in the style of James Brown. Kool Herc noticed that people would really get going during the instrumental breakdowns of tracks known as break beats. One night in 1973, he used this small observation to change music forever.
By lining up two records on his turntable, he was able to switch seamlessly between break beats and combine them into one endless stream of music.
The crowd loved it, and hip hop was officially born.
It all started in a small rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.
It all started in a small rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. There, a teenager that went by DJ Kool Herc would spin heavy, beat-driven funk records in the style of James Brown. Kool Herc noticed that people would really get going during the instrumental breakdowns of tracks known as break beats. One night in 1973, he used this small observation to change music forever.
By lining up two records on his turntable, he was able to switch seamlessly between break beats and combine them into one endless stream of music.
The crowd loved it, and hip hop was officially born.
1
While DJ Kool Herc was spinning records, he’d watch dancers part the floor to exhibit their outlandish dance moves during the break beats. Kool Herc called this new style of dance “B-Boy,” the B standing for “Break.” This would later become known as Breakdancing.
As the trend spread, B-Boys and B-Girls literally hit the streets. What was formerly ground zero for gang violence became a stage for Bronx youth to showcase their new moves. Though the music was loud and the crowds were boisterous, the cops didn’t intervene. They knew that as long as there was dancing, there was peace.
While DJ Kool Herc was spinning records, he’d watch dancers part the floor to exhibit their outlandish dance moves during the break beats. Kool Herc called this new style of dance “B-Boy,” the B standing for “Break.” This would later become known as Breakdancing.
As the trend spread, B-Boys and B-Girls literally hit the streets. What was formerly ground zero for gang violence became a stage for Bronx youth to showcase their new moves. Though the music was loud and the crowds were boisterous, the cops didn’t intervene. They knew that as long as there was dancing, there was peace.
2
With the advent of hip hop, the DJ’s role soon grew beyond just spinning records. The DJ soon gave way to the MC, or Master of Ceremonies. The MC was the life of the party, in charge of raising the roof and keeping crowd energy at fever pitch. Microphone in hand, the MC would call out people’s names and fire-up the crowd with shouts of “Get your hands up!” and “Is the Bronx in the house?”
With the advent of hip hop, the DJ’s role soon grew beyond just spinning records. The DJ soon gave way to the MC, or Master of Ceremonies. The MC was the life of the party, in charge of raising the roof and keeping crowd energy at fever pitch. Microphone in hand, the MC would call out people’s names and fire-up the crowd with shouts of “Get your hands up!” and “Is the Bronx in the house?”
To really get the people going, MC’s started embellishing more, giving longer shout-outs and rhyming. By the 1980’s, MCing had evolved full-fledged into what we now know as rap.
3
Graffiti took hip hop’s in-your-face attitude to the walls and trains of downtown for all of New York City to see. Graffiti came to define the visual style of hip hop, due in large part to its prominent role in Blondie's music video for her song "Rapture"
The rap-infused single reached #1 on the charts, and catapulted hip hop into the mainstream. It also established graffiti as a trendy new art form. Exhibits curated in Manhattan by South Bronx mainstays such as Fab 5 Freddy triggered the spread of graffiti throughout the arts community, putting hip hop culture on display for the world.
Graffiti took hip hop’s in-your-face attitude to the walls and trains of downtown for all of New York City to see. Graffiti came to define the visual style of hip hop, due in large part to its prominent role in Blondie's music video for her song "Rapture"
The rap-infused single reached #1 on the charts, and catapulted hip hop into the mainstream. It also established graffiti as a trendy new art form. Exhibits curated in Manhattan by South Bronx mainstays such as Fab 5 Freddy triggered the spread of graffiti throughout the arts community, putting hip hop culture on display for the world.
4
The fifth element, knowledge, ties together all the other elements of hip hop. Whether through DJing, breakdancing, MCing, or graffiti, hip hop’s ultimate goal is to inspire people to pursue knowledge and empower them to use language to their benefit. In the words of Afrika Bambaataa, the rap pioneer behind Zulu Nation and the five elements of hip hop: “We want to get people thinking, reading again, researching, because too many of us have gotten too relaxed.”
The fifth element, knowledge, ties together all the other elements of hip hop. Whether through DJing, breakdancing, MCing, or graffiti, hip hop’s ultimate goal is to inspire people to pursue knowledge and empower them to use language to their benefit. In the words of Afrika Bambaataa, the rap pioneer behind Zulu Nation and the five elements of hip hop:
“We want to get people thinking, reading again, researching, because too many of us have gotten too relaxed.”
5
Hip hop as we know it today is something far evolved from Kool Herc’s fateful house party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. When we feel powerless to change, Hip Hop shows how a worldwide revolution can begin with one person and one simple idea.