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Joseph McCarthy - McCarthyism
In 1950, McCarthy created a national sensation by claiming to have a list of 205 names of known Communists inside the State Department. (The list was bogus.) For the next four years, he continued to make more and more spectacular attacks on alleged Communists inside the government. His downfall came when he made a series of unwarranted at -
Father of hip-hop was born
Clive Campbell is born in Kingston, Jamaica. (Campbell would later become the father of what we now know as hip-hop.) -
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Vietnam war
he Vietnam War (Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Việt Nam), also known as the Second Indochina War,[36] and also known in Vietnam as Resistance War Against America (Vietnamese: Kháng chiến chống Mỹ) or simply the American War, was a Cold War-era proxy war[37] that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955[A 1] to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War (1946–54) and was fought between North Vietnam. -
Clay makes a new sound
James Brown records Live At The Apollo. Brown’s drummer Clayton Fillyau introduces a sound that is now known as the break beat. The break beat would later inspire the b-boy movement, as breakers danced to these beats at block parties. -
I have a dream speech
"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963, in which he calls for an end to racism in the United States. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, the speech was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. -
John F. Kennedy, Assassinated
Shortly after noon on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas. By the fall of 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his political advisers were preparing for the next presidential campaign. -
Kool Herc got his name
Clive Campbell migrates to the United States at the age of 11. Because of his imposing size, kids at Alfred E. Smith High School nickname him Hercules. He would later become a graf writer and change his name to Kool Herc. -
King of soul influences todays music
James Brown records two songs that would further influence the drum programming in today’s rap music – “Sex Machines” with John Starks playing drums and “Funky Drummer” with Clyde Stubblefield on the drums. -
U-Roy Invades in a good way
DJ U-Roy invades Jamaican pop charts with three top ten songs using a style known as toasting. The Last Poets release their self-titled debut album on Douglas Records combining jazz instrumentations with heartfelt spoken word. (The Last Poets would later appear on Common’s 2005 rap anthem, “The Corner.") -
Queen of soul hits hard
Aretha Franklin records a well-known b-boy song “Rock Steady." The Rock Steady crew would go on to rule in the world of break-dancing, with members all across the globe. -
Herc Begins his journey
1973: DJ Kool Herc deejays his first block party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, NY. Herc would often buy two copies of a record and stretch the break parts by using two turntables and mixing in both records before the break ends. -
hip-hop gets his name
After seeing DJ Kool Herc perform at block parties, Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa start playing at parties all over the Bronx neighborhoods. Around this time, DJ/MC/Crowd Pleaser Lovebug Starski starts referring to this culture as "hip-hop." -
Herc gets his first job
Herc is hired as a DJ at the Hevalo Club. -
The Scratch was made
DJ Grand Wizard Theodore accidentally invents 'the scratch.' While trying to hold a spinning record in place in order to listen to his mom, who was yelling at him, Grand Wizard accidentally caused the record to produce the “shigi-shigi” sound that is now known as the scratch. Scratch is the crux of modern deejaying. -
Rap Battling Starts
DJ Afrika Bambaataa performs at the Bronx River Center. Bambaataa’s first battle against Disco King Mario sparks off the DJ battling that is now embedded in the culture. -
Blow starts the runs
Kurtis Blow, who was being managed by Russell Simmons, decides to hire Simmons’ brother Run, as his DJ. Run was so-called because he could cut so fast between two turntables. -
Kurtis Blows first up
Kurtis became the first rapper to be signed to a major record deal. -
The Furious 5 Is Born
Grandmaster Flash forms one of the most influential rap groups ever, The Furious 5: Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Raheim (Guy Williams), and Mr. Ness (Eddie Morris). -
The Cold Crush Four also was started
The Cold Crush Four was formed, comprising of Charlie Chase, Tony Tone, Grand Master Caz, Easy Ad, JDL, and Almighty KG. -
Rap Battling Hits the waves
Mr. Magic’s ‘Rap Attack’ becomes the first hip-hop radio show on WHBI. -
MC Battling becomes perminent
Kool Moe Dee humiliates Busy Bee in a spontaneous rap battle. Since then, MC battling has become an inseparable part of hip-hop. -
HIV/AIDS
A chronic immune system disease caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). -
Ice T wakes the west coast
Ice T helps pioneer gangsta rap in the west coast with his rapcore singles “Body Rock" and "Killers." -
Worlds most famous walk
Michael Jackson does 'the moonwalk' at the Grammys, borrowing b-boy dance elements from LA breakers -
hip-hop hits the road
Hip-hop discovers that touring is a great way to generate income, as the Fresh Fest concert featuring Whodini, Kurtis Blow, Fat Boys, and Run DMC, reels in $3.5 million for 27 dates. -
Roxanne Roxanne shakes the industry from her house
Battle rap assumes the spotlight in hip-hop, as UTFO’s “Roxanne Roxanne” diss song attracts over 100 responses.
The most popular response came from a 14-year old female named Roxanne Shante. Shante’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” allegedly recorded in Marley Marl’s living room sold more than 250,000 copies. -
Def Jam Was Born
Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin team up to launch one of the most important record labels ever, Def Jam Records. -
Salt 'n' Pepa Starts up
Salt ‘n’ Pepa make their first appearance on Super Nature’s “The Show Stopper." -
N.W.A was formed
The original lineup consisted of Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube -
Public Enemy takes a different route
Public Enemy stuns the world with their introductory album, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, signaling the genesis of politically-charged hip-hop.
The original members of the group include Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour), Flavor Flav (William Drayton), Professor Griff (Richard Griffin), and DJ Terminator X (Norman Rogers). -
Straight Outta Compton Goes Gold
N.W.A pioneers the gangsta rap movement with their gold album, Straight Outta Compton. -
hip-hop finally hits the big screen
After years of being neglected by the mainstream media, hip-hop gets its own show on MTV, "Yo! MTV Raps." -
2Pac's Here
2 Pac joins Digital Underground as a dancer and a roadie. -
Biggie Hits the spotlight
The Notorious B.I.G. is featured in the “Unsigned Hype” column of The Source magazine. -
N.W.A takes over
N.W.A’s sophomore album N****z For Life sells over 954,000 copies in its first week of release, reaching #1 on the pop charts. The album paves way for many more hardcore rap albums that would follow. -
Nas Goes Global
Nas’ first entry, Illmatic goes gold and is widely received as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever. -
2Pac Somehow lived
2 Pac is robbed and shot 5 times in a New York recording studio. He recovers from the shooting. Pac is later sentenced to 8 months in prison. -
Queen Latifah wins her first
Queen Latifah wins a Grammy award in the "Best Rap Solo Performance" category for her hit “Unity.” -
Hova gains fans
Jay-Z drops his highly-lauded debut, Reasonable Doubt. His "charismatic rapper" approach would later spawn throngs of emulators. -
Tupac Shakur Dies
On September 7th, Tupac Shakur is fatally wounded after sustaining multiple gunshots as he rode in a car driven by Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight near the Las Vegas strip. Tupac died 5 days later. His death rekindled the debate on whether rap promotes violence or just reflects the ugly side of the streets. -
Biggie Smalls Dies
The Notorious B.I.G. (born Christopher Wallace), is shot and killed March 9, after a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Like Pac's murder, Biggie's death is still an unsolved mystery. -
Missy Elliot Takes the game
Missy Misdemeanor Elliott redefines hip-hop and R & B with her first album, Supa Dupa Fly. Having broken barriers as a successful female producer, Missy would go on to become the highest selling female rapper of all time. -
Jay-z Sells 5mil
"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" marks the beginning of Jay-Z's mainstream breakthrough and helps move 5 million units of Vol 2: Hardknock Life. The chorus is sampled from the Broadway play "Annie." -
Eminem Hits the spotlight
Backed by producer Dr. Dre, Eminem zooms past racial hurdles and sells 4 million copies of his debut, The Slim Shady LP.
