Images

Hip-Hop

  • The inspiration for break dancing

    The inspiration for break dancing
    Earl Tucker (dancer) incorporates floats and slides into his dancing, which would later be an inspiration to break dancing.
  • The inspiration of percussion

    The inspiration of percussion
    James Brown records “Sex Machines” and “Funky Drummer.” Both would later influence percussion in hip-hop.
  • First appearance

    First appearance
    Hip-hop makes its first appearance in the Bronx New York.
  • DJ Kool Herc

    DJ Kool Herc
    DJ Kool Herc deejays his first block party where he revolutionized the way records were played when he began isolating the instrumental portion of a song and then switching to the break in another song. This method of DJing became the foundation for hip-hop music.
  • The creation of the "hip-hop" movement

    The creation of the "hip-hop" movement
    After watching DJ Kool Herc, other DJs start playing in similar styles around the Bronx. DJ Pleaser Lovebug Starski first refers to this movement as “hip-hop.”
  • Creation of Music

    Creation of Music
    Grandmaster Flash Invents and Begins Creating Songs
  • The first DJ battle

    The first DJ battle
    DJ Afrika Bambaataa battles Disco King Mario in the first DJ battle.
  • The invention of the record scratch

    The invention of the record scratch
    DJ Grand Wizard Theodore was practicing at home on 159th Street in the Bronx when his mom burst in, demanding he turns the music down. Instead of lowering the volume, he stopped the record with his hand and noticed an interesting sound as the groove moved under the needle. On 18 August 1977, he scratched in public for the first time.
  • The first hip hop group

    The first hip hop group
    Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the first rap group inducted into the Rock Hall, elevated hip-hop from party music to a weapon for social change.
  • Rap Music

    Rap Music
    The music industry first uses the term “rap music,” which shifts the focus in hip hop from the DJs to the MCs.
  • Rap in the West Coast

    Rap in the West Coast
    Ice-T is known as one of the pioneers of West Coast Hip Hop and gangsta rap, with songs such as "6 in the Mornin," released in 1986, demonstrating the unique style of the west coast.
  • First rap video to show on tv

    First rap video to show on tv
    The first rap video to make its way into MTV's rotation was Run-D.M.C.'s “Rock Box” in 1984 after the cable network had been on the air for three years.
  • Salt-N-Pepa

    Salt-N-Pepa
    Becomes one of the first female rap groups
  • First Grammy winners

    First Grammy winners
    D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's “Parents Just Don't Understand” becomes the first hip-hop recording to win a Grammy (best rap performance).
  • First Grammy performance

    First Grammy performance
    A year after their win, Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince'sbecomes the first hip-hop act to perform on the Grammys.