South Bronx, NY 1975:
To say that Hip Hop (a.k.a. Rap Music) has come a long way would be an understatement. To understand just how far it has come and just how much has happened in the last twenty years or so, you'll need a little history. Let me just start you off with 1974 and we'll go on from there. Please....pay attention:
"It Ain't Nothin' Like Hip Hop Music..."
-Chill
Bronx, NY 1974:
A local DJ by the name of Kool Herc, is getting recognition for is outrageous record selections. His immediate group of followers realize that he's got the talent to rock the hell out a house party.
These selections have become a unique alternative to the disco-fied club scenes around New York City. His signature style is to play only the drum breaks of records, using a doubling technique and two copies of the same record, to give the illusion of a continuous beat. Songs such as James Brown's "Give It Up or Turn It Loose" and the Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache" become favorites for the various street dancers that become known as 'b-boys' (or break boys).
South Bronx, NY 1975:
The South Bronx gets put on the map when another Dj, by the name of Afrika Bambaata, (a former Black Spades gang member turned record collector) begins spinning at local parties and playing new break beats for the growing crowds of b-boys and b-girls. He becomes known as the 'Master of Records'.
Now we can't let it slide that while Afrika and Kool Herc were doing their thang, a young DJ known as Grandmaster Flash was hittin' up the scene. Flash had invented a switch on his mixer that allowed him to hear both records simultaneously in the headphones (single pole-double throw switch).
This made it much easier to cue up the beats and precision mixing became the new standard. (His protege was a younger DJ named Theodore who begins experimenting with the turntables and discovers the technique known as scratching while cueing up a record one day).
Bronx River, NY 1976:
Afrika Bambaata threw his first big party at the Bronx River Community Center and later in the year formed his new crew, the Zulu Nation, a loose family of rappers, DJ's and dancers known as the Zulu Kings and Queens.
1977:
Graffiti art became widely visible on New Yorks subway cars. The breakdance posse Rock Steady Crew is officially formed in the Bronx and is world renown for their breakdancing capabilities.
Herc, Bambaata and Flash are straight ballin' as DJ's. They're selling copies of their live mix tapes from park jams in the Bronx. Even local taxi drivers buy copies of the latest ones for $20 each in hopes of attracting more customers. And in uptown Manhattan, underground tapes by Kurtis Blow, Spoonie Gee and others begin appearing.
Flash and his crew play Harlem's Audubon Ballroom on September 2nd to a packed crowd of three thousand.
Commercial "Rap" 1978:
Several new crews began forming around the Bronx, including DJ Breakout and the Funky Four, Grand Wizard Theodore and the Fantastic Five. The Cold Crush Brothers and Treacherous Three as well as three groups affiliated with Bambaata: Soul Sonic Force, Cosmic Force, and Jazzy Five also came on the scene.
This would be the last year of hip hop's old school underground. Now, the record industry execs. had found out about the latest buzz in the club scene and would soon begin signing groups to label deals, which leads to commercialized rap. This leads to the beginning of two parallel worlds: the hip hop underground (which started off as hip hop) and the music industry coined 'rap music'.
Rapper's Delite 1979:
The SugarHill Gang's "Rapper's Delite" is released on SugarHill Records, becoming the first sucessful rap song on wax. It uses disco group Chic's familiar "Good Times" bassline for the beat and goes on to sell two million copies worldwide.
Controversy errupts among original hip hoppers, especially with Bronx MC Grand Master Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers. It seemed as though Big Bank Hank of Kool & The Gang, was getting most of his rhymes from Grand Master Caz. Caz pissed off 'cause he was never thanked or given credit for the use of the rhymes.
Several other watered-down rap records came out including Fatback Band's "King Tim III (The Personality Jock)", which actually predated "Rapper's Delight" by a few months, and Sugarhill's all-female group: Sequence's "Funk You Up".
Spoonie Gee's "Spoonin' Rap" is released on Enjoy records.
Grandmaster Flash puts out obscure single "Super-Rappin"
Kurtis Blow records "Christmas Rappin" and gets picked up by Mercury records, and becomes the first rapper on a major label.
Radio Play 1980:
Rap begins to get regular air play on local radio stations like WBHI's "Mr. Magic's Rap Attack", and more singles begin to appear. The public begins to hear songs like Spoonie Gee's "Love Rap", Jimmy Spicer's "The Adventures Of Super Rhymes", The Funky Four plus One More's "That's the Joint" and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "Freedom", being played on the radio.
Sugarhill Gang's "8th Wonder" on Sugarhill records, as well as Treacherous Three's "Body Rock" get much play, as well as Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks", which becomes rap's first gold single, much to the pleasure of his manager, Russell Simmons.
Fab 5 Freddy brings hip hop and graffiti art shows to the Mudd Club downtown. Various artists are featured, including Future 2000, Jean Michel Basquiat (who would write SAMO), and Keith Haring.
Special guest performers included Afrika Bambaata, who played his style of punk for the white kids, Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express". For a brief moment the Mudd Club becomes a who's who of graffiti and hip hop.
Fab 5 Freddy and others during the Mudd Club era, pop sensation Blondie releases "Rapture", with lead singer Debbie Harry rapping to a beat. She immortalizes Freddy in the lyrics and the song goes on to be a big hit with Blondie fans across the country.
Afrika Bambaata and his crew the Zulu Nation release their first 12" on Paul Winley Records called "Zulu Nation Throwdown Pt. 1".
Hip Hop Hits TV 1981:
ABC's 20/20 shows the first national television coverage of the "Rap Phenomenon".
More singles are put out including The Treacherous Three's "Feel The Heartbeat", Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde's "Genius Rap", Super Three's "Philosophy Rappin' Spree" on Tuff City records, The Mean Machines's "Disco Dream", Grandmaster Flash's "..On The Wheels Of Steel", Crash Crew's "We Want To Rock", and a showdown between Flash's Furious Five and the Sugarhill Gang on a single called "Showdown".
Zulu Nation Afrika Islam, known as "Son of Bambaata", starts the "Zulu Beats" radio show on WHBI in New York.
Rap Rock & Electro Beats 1982:
Popular graffiti artist Futura 2000 puts out a record with himself rhyming called "Futura 2000 and His Escapades" with music done by the Clash, signifying the beginning of the rock/rap fusion.
Afrika Bambaata and the Soul Sonic Force release their legendary futuristic single "Planet Rock", which goes gold for Tommy Boy records. They follow up later in the year with "Looking For The Perfect Beat". Both songs usher in a new era of hip hop, the electro beat.
Melle Mel cuts his classic single "The Message". This cut is one of the first political rhymes that discusses the plight of urban neglect in New York's ghettos. A music video is also shot but is seldom seen on regular television programming. (are you really surprised?)
George Clinton releases the legendary funk track "Atomic Dog", which becomes ridiculously popular and is sampled for years to come by new school producers.
Wild Style , co-created by Fab 5 Freddy and directed by Charlie Ahearn, is released featuring the first full-length account of all four elements in hip hop culture: Graffiti, DJ-ing, MCing, and B-boying.
The actors are played by the real members of New York's hip hop scene including graffiti legends Lee. Zephyr, Fab 5 Freddy, Lady Pink, Crash, Daze, and Dondi.
The movie showcases performances from Grandmaster Flash, Grandwizard Theodore, DJ A.J., Grandmixer D.ST and the Rock Steady Crew dancers: Crazy Legs, Frosty Freeze soundtrack album was produced by Fab 5 Freddy and Chris Stein and features performances by Double Trouble, Cold Crus Brothers, Fantastic Freaks, Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Rammellzee and Shockdell.
Jazz & Electronics 1983:
Jazz great Herbie Hancock gets into the hip hop act with his electro cross-over hit "Rockit", featuring DJ Grandmixer D.ST's scratching skills. A music video is shot and is shown on various programs around the country.
The movie Flashdance comes out during the peak of the jazzercise phase in America's mainstream and introduces the backspin to millions of aerobic instructors and features cameos by Rock Steady Crew.
A documentary of the subway graffiti "problem " in New York entitled Style Wars, filmed by photographer Henry Chalfant, is aired on PBS featuring several interviews with popular graffiti writers of the time including Crash, Daze, Dondi, Zephyr, Revolt, Kase2, Skeme, Haze and Seen.
Interviews with the Metropolitan Transit Authority and NYC Mayor Ed Koch are shown.
New Jacks 1983:
Def Jam Records, the pre-eminent rap record label of the '80s, was formed by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. Def Jam Records gave birth to the careers of artists like Run-DMC, LL Cool J, EPMD, Slick Rick, Public Enemy, and the Beastie Boys.
On the other side of the country, a documentary filmed in Los Angeles airs on cable tv called "Breakin' & Enterin'" that features the first footage of Los Angeles' newborn hip hop scene.
The styles, raps and breakdancing aren't quite as advanced as that of the New York scene, but the stand-up popping styles by the likes of Boogaloo Shrimp and Poppin' Taco ignite a surge of popularity in street dancing.
The documentary features interviews with dancers and rappers including Ice T, Egyptian Lover, Sugar Pop, and a young Samoan dance crew from Carson known as the Blue City Crew, who would later become the Boo Yaa Tribe.
Ice T puts out his first singles, "Cold Winter Madness" and "Body Rock/Killers", neither of which are very good, but nevertheless go down in history as some of the first West Coast gangster raps.
Three white kids from Manhattan named the Beastie Boys put out a single called "Cooky Puss", which is a crank call to a Carvel Ice Cream store laid over a funky beat.
The Sex Pistol's managerial mastermind and all-around British moneymaker Malcolm McClaren organizes a group called the World Famous Supreme Team and puts out a song co-produced by synthpop veteran Trevor Horn called "Buffalo Gals". Mclaren was inspired to get into hip hop by meeting Bambaata and his Zulu Nation during the previous year.
More notable singles are released with T-La Rock's "Its Yours", Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde's "Gettin' Money", Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five's "New York, New York", G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid's "Play That Beat Mr. D.J.", West Street Mob's "Break Dance-Electric Boogie", and Hahim's "The Soul".
Queens & The Grammy's 1984:
A duo from Queens named Run DMC release "Sucker MC's/It's Like That" on Profile records. Run DMC's "Rock Box", becomesone of rap's first videos to crossover into the mainstream MTV audience. It goes gold the same year.
Michael Jackson does the moonwalk on the Grammy's and the whole world thinks he's a breakdancer. The truth is that he picked it up after getting lessons from some of LA's best poppers.
Breakdancing goes global via Lionel Richie's performance at the Closing Ceremony of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Brooklyn-bred duo Whodini releases their second album,"Escape", on the Jive/Zomba label with the hits"Friends (How many of us have them?)", "Five Minutes of Funk", and "Big Mouth".
The album goes gold the same year thanks to a huge Swatch-sponsored concert tour including Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, Fat Boys, and Newcleus, whose albums also go gold in the same year.
Beat Street comes out nationwide produced by Harry Belafonte and starring Rae Dawn Chong and other corny actors in a re-creation of the New York hip hop scene.
The films highlights include two fierce breakdance battle scenes between the Rock Steady Crew and The New York City Breakers and a live performance of Afrika Bambaata and the Soul Sonic Force's "Frantic Situation". The double-album soundtrack is produced by Belafonte and Arthur Baker and released on Atlantic records.
The Fat Boys release their self-titled debut album produced by Kurtis Blow featuring "Stick 'Em" and "Human Beat Box". U.T.F.O. release "Roxanne, Roxanne" about who is gonna take a young girl's sexual innocence and a 14-year old MC named Roxanne Shante comes back with a single called "Roxanne's Revenge". While touring in Oakland, U.T.F.O. asks a young local MC named Too Short to open up for them.
Almost a carbon copy of the 1983 documentary Breakin' & Enterin', the film Breakin' comes out in theaters nationwide starring Ice T, Boogaloo Shrimp, Shabba Doo and many other Los Angeles hip hoppers. It mostly gets dissed by the hardcore fans around the country.
The new Rock Steady Crew release their first record, "Ready for Battle", featuring seven tracks including a cover of Jimmy Castor's "It's just Begun". They pose on the cover in corny leather suits wearing old school Nike high-tops. The liner notes include a 62-word dictionary of hip hop terms like 'Fresh', 'Bone', 'Troll' and 'Zar'.
Kurtis Blow releases "8 Million Stories" for Mercury, and The Sugarhill Gang releases their first full album of extra wack songs called "Livin' In The Fast Lane" on Sugarhill records.
This has just been the beginning. The rap game has not yet begun...
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