Hip-Hop Origin: DJ Kool Herc and the Bronx

thick, one-note guitar riffs
Now, what you hear is not a test I’m rappin’ to the beat,
And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet
See, I am Wonder Mike, and I’d like to say hello,
To the black, to the white, the red and the brown

Hip-Hop is often defined as a music genre that is colloquially referred to as rap music. However, Hip-Hop is not just a music genre, but a culture representative of marginalized people. This culture is represented artistically, by what is known as the four pillars of Hip-Hop. The four are MCing, or what is commonly termed as rapping, DJing, break dancing, and graffiti. The best known aspects of Hip-Hop are MCing and DJing, which are the focus of this deliberation. What comes of this culture are various lifestyles and worldviews.

DJ Kool Herc is known as the forerunner of Hip-Hop music. The story goes that Kool Herc DJd at his sister’s party to raise money for school clothes at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx. August 11, 1973 is the date of that party, and is known as the day that Hip-Hop began. Herc implemented the use oftwo turntables at the party to create a smooth transition between records. What distinguished Herc’s style from other DJs is he focused on repeating the instrumental percussion breaks of each song between reggae and Latin funk. This was known as a ‘merry-go-round’ where the breakbeats would flow into each other.

Early hip-hop DJs, and by extension the MCs, did not have much knowledge of music theory, but used technical knowledge to entertain an audience. The focus of drum and bass, and in certain cases when accompanied by an MC, language.

DJ Kool Herc is known as the forerunner of Hip-Hop music. The story goes that Kool Herc DJd at his sister’s party to raise money for school clothes at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx. August 11, 1973 is the date of that party, and is known as the day that Hip-Hop began. Herc implemented the use oftwo turntables at the party to create a smooth transition between records. What distinguished Herc’s style from other DJs is he focused on repeating the instrumental percussion breaks of each song between reggae and Latin funk. This was known as a ‘merry-go-round’ where the breakbeats would flow into each other.