It was there at Highbridge’s 1520 Sedgwick Avenue that an 18-year-old Jamaican immigrant by the name of Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell invented a new genre of music when he looped the break of James Brown’s “Give It Up or Turnit Loose” inside of the packed rec-room.

When did hip-hop start in New York City?
On August 11, 1973, Clive and Cindy Campbell threw a party in their apartment building in the Bronx, New York. DJ Kool Herc’s beats that evening marked the birth of hip-hop. In 1973, the Bronx in New York City was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States. Robbery, muggings and murder were part of the residents’ everyday life.
Does the Bronx have a hip-hop culture?
The Bronx has yet to capitalize off of the culture it created in any significant way. At the time of hip-hop’s inception, the Bronx had the highest poverty rate of not just New York City, but of all 62 counties in New York state. Fifty years later, it holds that same status.
Who influenced hip hop in New York?
Although other influences, most notably musical sequencer Grandmaster Flowers of Brooklyn and Grandwizard Theodore of the Bronx contributed to the birth of hip hop in New York, and although it was downplayed in most US books about hip hop, the main root of this sound system culture was Jamaican.
How did the Bronx win the rights to DJ history?
“The Bronx won the rights to DJ history through constant repetition of the first time DJ Kool Herc connected his sound system and mixed records,” says Morgan, arguing that hip-hop’s pioneers transformed “the land of the ghetto into the land of myth and the future.” Jeff Chang agrees.
Who started modern hip-hop?
DJ Kool Herc
One of the most influential hip hop pioneers was DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican immigrant regarded as the founding father of hip hop. Kool Herc made history in 1973 when he and his sister hosted the “Back to School Jam” in the recreation room of their Bronx apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.
Who is DJ Kool Herc?
Today, DJ Kool Herc is considered one of the pioneers of hip hop music and culture for his contributions. When Afrika Bambaataa decided to become a contributor to hip hop culture, he drew from two inspiration sources: the Black liberation movement and the sounds of DJ Kool Herc.
Why is Bambaataa considered a godfather of hip-hop?
Moreover, Bambaataa believed that the core values of Hip-Hop were: peace, unity, love and having fun. He was the “Godfather” of hip-hop as he is responsible for the Hip-Hop movement in Europe, Africa and Asia as well as the first one to name the culture Hip Hop.
Why was hip-hop so popular in the South Bronx?
The earliest hip-hop culture was a reflection of those difficult realities in the South Bronx. “Poverty was the flavor of the day,” said Murphy, who also grew up in the South Bronx in the 1960s.

Who is the father of hip-hop?
Nicknamed the Father of Hip-Hop, Campbell began playing hard funk records of the sort typified by James Brown . Campbell began to isolate the instrumental portion of the record which emphasized the drum beat—the “break”—and switch from one break to another.
What genre started rap?
Rap as a genre began at block parties in New York City in the early 1970s, when DJs began isolating the percussion breaks of funk, soul, and disco songs and extending them.
When did rap music start?
The Jubalaires and other African-American singing groups during the blues, jazz, and gospel era are examples of the origins and development of rap music. Grammy-winning blues musician/historian Elijah Wald and others have argued that the blues were being rapped as early as the 1920s.
How did rap music evolve?
Rap music (also referred to as rap or hip-hop music) evolved in conjunction with the cultural movement called hip-hop. Rap emerged as a minimalist street sound against the backdrop of the heavily orchestrated and formulaic music coming from the local house parties to dance clubs in the early 1970s.
What type of music is rap?
Rap is a primary ingredient of hip hop music commonly associated with that genre. Precursors to modern rap include the West African griot tradition, certain vocal styles of blues and jazz, an African-American insult game called playing the dozens, and 1960s African-American poetry.
What genres have rapped?
Throughout hip hop’s history, new musical styles and genres have developed that contain rapping. Entire genres, such as rap rock and its derivatives rapcore and rap metal ( rock / metal / punk with rapped vocals), or hip house have resulted from the fusion of rap and other styles.
Who was the first ever rapper?
Coke La Rock
Coke La Rock (aka Coco La Rock; born April 24, 1955) is an old-school rapper from New York City who is sometimes credited as being the first MC in the history of hip-hop.
Who made the first rap song ever?
The first ever rap song that was recorded and released was in 1979 and it was by The Fatback Band from New York City featuring a Bronx MC called Tim Washington. The song is called “King Tim III (Personality Jock)”. The Fatback Band’s song, King Tim III (Personality Jock) and you can listen (below) :
Who were the original rappers?
One of the first rappers at the beginning of the hip hop period, at the end of the 1970s, was also hip hop’s first DJ, DJ Kool Herc. Herc, a Jamaican immigrant, started delivering simple raps at his parties, which some claim were inspired by the Jamaican tradition of toasting.

Who is the number 1 rapper of all time?
Simply so, Who is No 1 rapper in the world? 1 Eminem Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is an American rapper, actor and music producer born on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Eminem has sold over 300 million records making him the bestselling hip-hop artist of all time.
Why is the Bronx the birthplace of hip hop?
Hip hop birthplace 1520 Sedgwick Avenue has been called “the birthplace of hip hop.” As hip hop grew throughout the Bronx, 1520 was a starting point where Clive Campbell, later known as DJ Kool Herc, presided over parties in the community room at a pivotal point in the genre’s history.
Which borough is the birthplace of hip hop?
Next on her tour is one of New York’s lesser-visited boroughs: The Bronx. “ New York is one of the greatest cities in the world, so of course I wanted to visit but I wanted to check out one of its lesser-known boroughs, so I headed to the Bronx… the only borough that can say it’s the birthplace of hip hop!”
Where did hip-hop come from?
The roots of hip-hop are in reggae and dancehall, as DJ Kool Herc and Cindy Campbell are of Jamaican descent. Back in 1973, Herc and emcee Coke LaRock borrowed elements from Jamaican sound systems and toasters, thus birthing the sound of hip-hop.
When did hip-hop start in New York?
Artists like Grandmaster Flash ran hugely popular park parties, and by the end of the decade youth culture across the entire New York metropolitan area was under the spell of hip-hop. Chuck again: “From January 1978 to October 1979, when the first rap record came out, I can’t explain to you the intensity of rap music and hip-hop.