Introduction
Hip hop, a musical genre developed alongside hip hop culture originated in the late 70's (official birthday being November 12, 1974) emerging from the outskirts of the South Bronx, New York. Hip hop culture consists of the elements: rapping, breakdancing, djing, and graffiti. In it's humble beginnings, hip hop was doubted and considered a fad particularly to outsiders however, the founders of the genre soon challenged that theory giving hip hop a steady foundation to stand the test of time.
The Beginning - late 70's - early 80's
" Sociologically rap was the African - American equivalent of punk in the 1970's in England. Rap grew out of people's frustration with all kinds of problems in the surrounding society. It was also a counter reaction to the 70's superficial disco craze. The lyrics are all important in rap they have dealt with power, pride, and politics." - Aino Konkka.
Hip hop is believed to have been originated by Jamaican DJ Kool Herc also known as the godfather of hip hop. DJ Kool Herc moved to the Bronx from Jamaica in '67 and began toasting
to the Black American hits of the time. Herc also gave birth to breakdancing aka B- Boy. Herc would rap with the microphone, using a myriad of in-house references at his infamous house parties. Herc spawned many followers throughout Brooklyn & Manhattan. Duplicates of his house parties and other block parties helped spread the message of hip hop throughout several neighborhoods.
Around the same time there was DJ Hollywood who was the first rhythmic disco rapper. Unlike Herc he was not confined to the South Bronx. Herc and DJ Hollywood disliked one another. They didn't recognize each other for recognizable contributions. The tension between the two made it to where it was B-Boys vs. disco rappers. According to Kurtis Blow, DJ Hollywood was the first rapper in the " hip-hop style." Hollywood never wrote any of his rhymes just came off the top of the dome. One of DJ Hollywood's contributions has been used by rappers for the last 30 years "throw ya hands in the air and wave em' like you just don't care." Most of his musical work was live, not recorded.
Another legend went by the name Grand Master Flash who was given his name because he was so fast on the turntables. Kool Herc's reign was ending after he had been stabbed at one of his parties. Flash began to takeover as Herc began to fade out. Flash displayed his talent at parties and studied Kool Herc's techniques and other DJ's including Pete DJ Jones. In the early 80's Flash teamed up with Cowboy, Melle Mel, Kidd Creole, Mr. Ness, and Raheim to create the Furious Five, one of the first rap groups formed. The Furious Five had several hit records that gave them superior recognition. Kurtis Blow later joined the group along with a seventh member named Kool Kyle. They were then called Grand Master Flash & The Furious 7.
Another South Bronx native by the name of Afrika Bambaataa was a DJ that was instrumental throughout the 1980's. Also known as the "Grandfather" of universal hip hop culture, Bambaataa founded the Zulu Nation who promoted peace, love, and unity. Bambaataa is known to have more than 25 crates of music! He is an influential part of hip hop past and hits such as " planet rock" are commonly sampled by present artists.
One of the groups to bridge rap's transition from the underground to mainstream success was the Bronx's Cold Crush Brothers. The group consisted of Jerry D. Lewis (JDL), Almighty KayGee, Charlie Chase, EZ AD, Grandmaster Caz, and DJ Tony Tone. The group was formed in early '79. By this time MC's had pushed DJ's out of the spotlight because of their ability to speak directly to the crowd. Cold Crush was managed by Henry "Big Bank Hank" Jackson, a part-time bouncer. A woman by the name of Sylvia Robinson was responsible for forming the group and asked Hank to be apart of it. Hank was given a book of rhymes by friend Grandmaster Caz since he wasn't an actual MC. Caz's rhymes ended up in the hit "Rapper's Delight."
Kurtis Blow was signed to Mercury Records, the first b-boy signed to a major label. In 83' Kurtis Blow was the King of Rap. He created the b-boy version of "The Night Before Christmas" called "Christmas Rappin." His song "The Breaks" gave him the opportunity to open for Bob Marley at Madison Square Garden. Every single he put up was successful. Blow's '85 hit "If I Ruled The World" was featured in the film Krush Groove.
Mercedes Ladies were founded around 1976, recognized as the first all female group. Sister group to Grandwizard Theodore and the L. Brothers, they shared the same manager. They opened for other artists such as Kevie-Kev, Busy Bee Starski, Master Rob, Bambaataa, Red Alert, Kool Herc, The Furious Five, The Cold Crush, Grandmixer DsT, etc. Although they never had their own record deal and are rarely mentioned, they paved the way for other female MC's.
Chapter 1 Conclusion
This chapter of "The Hip Hop Story" concludes hip hop's humble beginnings and it's originators. While not even coming close to covering everything this 1st post gives insight to the fundamentals of the culture. To all of the true hip hop head's this possibly could have been a bit of a refresher course & for others who don't know now you have the opportunity to know either way if you have or want anything to do with this culture know your history. You can't know where you're going until you know who helped get you there. In the next chapter we explore hip hop in the mid-late 80's, the female emcees of this era, and hip hop on the west coast. Stay tuned.
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