DJ Kool Herc

DJ Kool Herc is credited as one, if not the originator, of hip-hop. Kool Herc brought his Caribbean style when emigrated from Jamaica in 1967. He began this new musical journey with the desire to bring the powerful Jamaican Dancehall sound system to play music at parties and in the streets. In 1973 he had created his own sound system

An innovator in a sense, DJ Kool Herc founded Hip Hop by the early 70’s. MC’s, DJ’s, breakdancing, graffiti and music encompass the five pillars of Hip Hop. Modern inversions interpret these pillars in many different ways. Prevalent through all major cities, graffiti evolved to the murals on the side of buildings, and the creative aspect of music videos. Artists have visions interpreted in the way they decide to imagine their visuals. Breakdancing has become the advance dance crazes that sweep the nations. People in Japan are hitting the “Nae-Nae” because of Hip Hop’s mass globalization. MC’s are the talk show host and commentators of award shows and hosts of events and red carpet specials: media. Dispersion of Hip Hop through channels that connect Blacks across different scopes happens through the media. Modern day DJ’s introduce the new music with sets that keep nightclubs jumping from dawn to dusk. Displaying the

Hip-Hop started in the early 1970's by Clive Campbell, known as DJ Kool Herc, in Bronx, New York. He was born

The genre created in very poor districts, like the Bronx, in New York by African-American and Latino teenagers. They learned how to use turntables by working as DJs at discos. DJs and MCs would play at free block parties. An MC is an abbreviation for Master of Ceremony his/her job is to focus on skills, lyrical ability, and subject. So, during block parties, the DJ would play music and the MC encouraged guest to have fun. Parties went on MCs slowly started to rhyme while they were performing. Hip-Hop was only played live at first until Sugar Hill Gang released Rappers Delight in 1979. Rappers Delight was a huge success for hip-hop. Personally, I consider the Sugar Hill Gang the founding fathers of Hip-Hop.

2. Hip Hop was first created by DJ Kool Herc and copied by many other DJ’s.

Music screeching through the room, crowds going wild, and anticipation growing inside while holding a b-boy stance in the South Bronx. A young boy holds his ground as his peers dance to the music, but as the break segment of the song awakens, the young boy rushes to the middle of the dance floor. As few people know, this is established the start of a worldwide phenomenon and lifestyle. Hip hop is a misunderstood culture that has been driven out from its roots by media and the new generation. Society knows little behind the birth of hip hop, but as for the dance portion of hip hop, b-boying is the true art form. Clive "Kool Herc" Campbell, an African American DJ known to hip hop pioneers as the father of hip hop, gave the name "b-boy" to

In the early 70's, a Jamaican, DJ known as Kool Herc attempted to combine his Jamaican style of disk jockey, that involved reciting improvised rhymes over the dub versions of his reggae records (Davey 1). He also invented turntables, which kept the music going, with the occasional voice on the top of records, which started the roots of rap music. Over time, the culture broke into mainstream, spread around the world, and young people who did not have much to do, created not only multi-million industry, but have also created a way we can speak to each other all around the world. Hip hop is linked to other music such as rap which is embraced by urban black population. It is raw self-expression, sometimes features expletive lyrics, and violence. “Hip hop artists spoke to despair and pain of urban youth and the poor who were often without a voice. The rappers themselves were, the product of that reality, and it was conveyed through their lyrics” (Muhammad 1).

The top innovator of hip-hop DJ Kool Herc or Clive Campbell of New York filed a lawsuit against satellite television network HBO and the producers of the television show titled Vinyl over allegedly using DJ Kool Herc’s identity, name and voice in a show that was produced by Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger and some others. Supposedly in one of the episode’s the shows leading character visits the Bronx of New York City and is entranced by DJ Kool Herc scratching on the wheels of steel. DJ Kool Herc believes that this is a violation of a civil rights law in New York with likeness embezzlement and in addition, the common law in regards to trademark entitlements. According to Taso Pardalis, the attorney representing DJ Kool Herc: "It’s beyond us why

Kool Herc’s contribution to hip hop was even more fundamental. Born and raised to the age of 10 in Kingston, Jamaica, DJ Kool Herc began spinning records at parties and between sets his father’s band played while he was a teenager in the Bronx in the early 1970s. Herc often emulated the style of Jamaican “selectors” (DJs) by “toasting” (i.e., talking) over the records he spun,

Hip-Hop emerged in the 1970’s upon the arrival of a one Kool DJ Herc. Kool DJ Herc migrated to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica and settled in the West Bronx of New York. Kool DJ Herc was a disc jockey that attempted to incorporate his Jamaica style of disc jockeying, which involved reciting improvised rhymes over reggae records. Unfortunately for Kool DJ Herc New York seemed

When member of the “Ghetto Brothers”, Black Benjie was killed, hundreds of gang members from various gangs met and called truce. Though it did not end gangs it changed the ways in dealing with agression. They dealed with their aggression by battling in forms of dance, or DJ’ing (Price 2-12). When Clive Campbell, also known as Kool Herc arrived in the Bronx from Jamaica he brought with him his passion for music. He was a very unique DJ and changed the stereotypical beat that was being heard and focused on the breakdown. (Welcome to The Official Site of The Universal Zulu Nation). Kool Herc and the Herculords were the first known Hip Hop Crew. He changed the way of gangs across the Bronx and pretty soon every gang had their own DJ. Kool Herc was in the East and West part of the Bronx. Grandmaster Flash was in the South. Afrika Bambaataa was in the South East and North. Though Kool Herc set the stones for the making of Hip Hop, Afrika Bambaataa was the first ambassador.

Hip Hop music had been around for about twenty years in the United Sates, but it was usually heard at block parties and discos where DJs would loop breakbeats and MCs would add live vocals.

Just as punk music took hold in New York from the UK in the 1980’s, raves and house music followed suit in the 1990’s. In 1992, DJ Scotto put on the first rave in Manhattan, New York. One of the DJ’s, Frankie

Hip-Hop as a subculture was established by Black Americans, the youth in particular because of their marginalization. Mainstream music was made mostly by White Americans for White Americans on topics they could relate to. Even though Hip-Hop started off as just a beat it transformed into something so much more. Jamaica born DJ Clive “Kool Herc” Campbell,  one of the most influential in pioneering the art of hip hop music, brought over many Jamaican traditions including their tradition of toasting, which laid the blueprint for the actual rapping on instrumentals. Toasting is impromptu, boastful poetry and speech over music.

Terry Noel was the first DJ known to purposefully “program” a playlist, namely play a set of records in a particular order to best create and maintain the energy level of the party. Francis Grasso is the earliest known DJ to introduce the concept of “mixing” to the art of record programming. He began “slip cueing” which refers to slamming in a new record on beat with the fading record without interrupting the flow of the program. When Thoren company came out with turntables that had variable speed, called “pitch control”, the concept of blending was born. Francis Grasso quickly picked up on the possibilities offered by the new invention and is credited with the ability to keep two records on beat and in sync for over two minutes. In the meantime, new 12-inch records replaced the traditional 7-inch record and offered the chance to record more music onto the vinyl. In 1975, New York City was the hot spot in the world for dance music and to a large extent, it still is. Clubs started to achieve icon-like status and we can trace the roots of today’s prevailing dance music styles back to the early clubs and DJs, many of whom influenced the way music was to be made, recorded and played in the years to come.