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The History Of Hip Hop
A timeline educating you on the history of hip hop. -
1520 Sedgwick Avenue
Clive Campbell, better known as DJ Kool Herc, had been observing crowds that he was playing for, when he realised that people often wait for certain parts of the song to dance, so, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, when his sisters birthday party was going down, Campbell decided to extend the drum breaks that so many people waited for, resulting in what he called The Merry-Go-Round. Nowadays, it is called a break-beat. -
Why It's Called Hip-Hop
The term "Hip-Hop" originated when Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins was teasing a friend who had recently joined the US Army by singing the made-up words "Hip/Hop/Hip/Hop" to mock the rhythmic marching of the soldiers. Wiggins later worked the Hip/Hop line into his stage performances. The group frequently performed with disco artists who would refer to this new type of music by calling them "Hip Hoppers." -
Rapper's Delight
The Sugarhill Gang released their single "Rapper's Delight" in 1979. The song begins with the phrase "I said a hip, hop, the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop, and you don't stop". Lovebug Starski (a DJ from The Bronx) and DJ Hollywood began to use the term when referring to the new style this new "disco rap" music. -
The term "Hip-Hop" is used in print
On the 21st of September, 1982, the term Hip-Hop was first used to describe this new genre of music in an article in The Village Voice (an American news company) about Afrika Bambaataa, a musician from South Bronx. -
N.W.A Is Formed
N.W.A was a gangsta rap group consisting of notable members such as Ice Cube, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. The group was formed in 1986 and was one of the pioneers in gangsta rap music and West Coast Hip-Hop. Their lyrics often contained themes of drugs, crime, murder, women and police racism and brutality, which ended in them being banned from many radio stations. Yet despite all of this, the group has sold over 10 million copies and has become one of the most influential Hip-Hop groups of all time -
N.W.A Releases "Straight Outta Compton"
N.W.A released their album "Straight Outta Compton" on August 8th, 1988, and it is now viewed as the pioneering album of gangsta rap, and one of the greatest hip hop records of all time. The album included such hits as "Straight Outta Compton", "Fuck tha Police" and "Gangsta Gangsta". The song"Fuck tha Police" became very popular with people around the time of the songs release, as a way of getting back at the police for the racism that they had endured. -
N.W.A Disbands And The Death Of Eazy-E
After multiple disagreements over money and Ice Cube leaving in 1989, N.W.A officially split up in 1991. The group briefly tried to reunite in 1995, but that was sadly cut short when Eazy-E died from HIV on the 26th of March, 1995. Fans were devastated, and the Hip-Hop community said farewell to another great artist far to soon. -
Death Row Records Is Founded
Death Row Records, founded by Suge Knight, The D.O.C, and former N.W.A member Dr. Dre, was a West Coast record label that would go on to release albums for many famous rappers, such as Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre himself. The label would have an ongoing conflict with Bad Boy Records, which was founded in 1993, mostly because Bad Boy was an East Coast label. It was also because of their two most prominent artists, Biggie Smalls and Tupac, having an ongoing battles, usually through disstracks. -
The Start Of A War
On March 4th, 1991, East Coast artist Tim Dog dropped his song "Fuck Compton", which was aimed at popular West Coast artists such as Eazy-E and Ice Cube. It was also aimed at big West Coast record labels rejection of East Coast artists. This song started what would be known as The East Coast-West Coast Rivalry. This rivalry would include up and coming artists 2pac and The Notorious B.I.G (or Biggie Smalls). -
Tupac Drops His Debut Album
Tupac Shakur dropped his debut album "2Pacalypse Now" on November 12th, 1991. On the album, Tupac raps about police brutality, racism, black on black violence, and gives it listeners a perspective from a young black man on the urban streets of America in the early 90s. The album was certified gold in 1995, 1 year before Tuapc was murdered, for selling over 500,000 records. The album was met with positive reviews from most media outlets, and went on to be one of Tupac's certified classic albums. -
Bad Boy Records Is Founded
Bad Boy Records, which is most well known for housing the famous East Coast rapper Biggie Smalls, was founded in 1993 by Sean Combs, or Puff Daddy. Bad Boy would have an ongoing conflict with Death Row Records, a prominent West Coast label that housed artists such as Tupac, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, one of the founders of Death Row, mainly because of the continues battles between Biggie Smalls and Tupac, mostly through disstracks. -
The Notourious B.I.G Drops His Debut Album
The Notourious B.I.G, also known as Biggie Smalls, dropped his debut album Ready To Die on September 13th, 1994. The album was met with positive reviews from most media outlets, including Rollingstone giving it 5/5 stars. Biggie's lyrics on the album included his past in drug dealing, and the album was certified gold only two months after it's release for selling over 500,000 copies. The album was highly acclaimed by many, and is considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time.
