MC’ing, DJing, Breakdancing, and Graffiti—Hip Hop’s four elements, all existed before August 11, 1973 but that saturday is when they all came together to form “Hip-Hop”.
“Hip-Hop” was born, created, and started on August 11th, 1973. The birthplace of “Hip-Hop” music was 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York.
Clive Campbell, famously known as, DJ Kool Herc threw a “Back to School Jam” which was also a birthday party for his sister Cindy Campbell. The party was held in the rec room of DJ Kool Herc’s apartment and he was trying to help his sister raise money for new back to school clothes so they made admission $0.25 (25 cents) for ladies and $0.50 (50 cents) for fellas.
DJ Kool Herc was a 16 year old from Jamaica at the time. He was raised in Jamaica till about 10 years old. At the party DJ Kool Herc used his turntables to perform the Merry-Go-Round, which is playing two of the same records, isolating the funkiest percussions, and extending the instrumental break beats so it was easy for the MC, (Mic Controller or Master of Ceremony) to come in and add rhymes over the beat to get the crowd hyped. It was inspired by “toasting” Which Herc saw growing up in Jamaica, where someone would talk over reggae songs.
The MC at the party the night of August 11th, 1973 was Coke La Rock, a friend of Kool Herc’s and the first MC ever. Coke La Rock hyped the crowd and the breakdancers with the microphone by shouting people out. During the breaks some people in the crowd would breakdance, Herc called these dancers b-boys and b-girls. Outside the party people were graffiting and just like that Hip-Hop was born.
Eventually DJ Kool Herc’s parties got really big and he had to move the party outside from 1520 Sedgwick Ave. to Cedar Park.
Since the “Back to School Jam” on 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York, DJ Kool Herc has been known as the founding father of hip hop.
