Origins

Hip hop was innovated in the early 1970s in New York City, by people like DJ Kool Herc . At neighborhood block parties , popular soul, funk or disco songs were played, eventually with the percussion breaks isolated and repeated over and over again to facilitate dancing. Over time, rappers began rapping in sync with the beats, and modern hip hop was born.

Herc was one of the most popular DJs in early 1970s New York, and he quickly switched from using reggae records to funk, rock and, later, disco, since the New York audience did not particularly like reggae. Because the percussive breaks were generally short, Herc and other DJs began extending them using an audio mixer and two records. Mixing and scratching techniques eventually developed along with the breaks. (The same techniques contributed to the popularization of remixes .) As in dub, performers began speaking while the music played; these were originally called MCs . Herc, while focusing primarily on DJing, began working with two MCs, Coke La Rock and Clark Kent . This was the first emcee crew: Kool Herc & the Herculoids. Originally, these early rappers focused on introducing themselves and others in the audience (the origin of the still common practice of "shouting out" on hip hop records). These early performers often emceed for hours at a time, with some improvisation and a simple four-count beat, along with a basic chorus to allow the performer to gather his thoughts (such as "one, two, three, y'all, to the beat, y'all"). Later, the MCs grew more varied in their vocal and rhythmic approach, incorporating brief rhymes, often with a sexual or scatological theme, in an effort at differentiating themselves and entertaining the audience. These early raps incorporated similar rhyming lyrics from African American culture (see roots of hip hop music ), such as the dozens . While Kool Herc & the Herculoids were the first hip hoppers to gain major fame in New York, more emcee teams quickly sprouted up. Frequently, these were collaborations between former gang members, such as Afrika Bambaataa 's Universal Zulu Nation (now a large, international organization). During the early 1970s, breakdancing arose during block parties, as b-boys and b-girls got in front of the audience to dance in a distinctive, frenetic style. The style was documented for release to a world wide audience for the first time in Beat Street .

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