©
2003
MC
In the early 1970s a musical genre was born in the crime-ridden neighborhoods of the South Bronx. Gifted teenagers with plenty of imagination but little cash began to forge a new style from spare parts. Hip-hop, as it was then known, was a product of pure streetwise ingenuity; extracting rhythms and melodies from existing records and mixing them up with searing poetry chronicling life in the 'hood, hip-hop spilled out of the ghetto.
From the housing projects hip-hop poured onto the streets and subways, taking root in Bronx clubs like the Savoy Manor Ballroom, Ecstasy Garage, Club 371, The Disco Fever, and the T-Connection. From there it spread downtown to the Renaissance Ballroom, Hotel Diplomat, the Roxy, and The Fun House. It migrated to Los Angeles, where a whole West Coast hip-hop scene developed, sporting its own musical idiosyncrasies, its own wild style.
Through television shows like BET's Rap City and Yo! MTV Raps and a succession of Hollywood movies, hip-hop gained millions of new fans across America, in places far removed from the genre's Bronx roots. It spread to Europe, Asia, Africa, and nearly every continent on Earth, gaining more cultural significance as the years rolled by. Today it is one of the most potent and successful musical forms of the 20th Century.
Hip-hop is the voice of a generation that refused to be silenced by urban poverty, a local phenomenon fueled with so much passion and truth it could not help but reach the entire world. Like every musical genre that came before, hip-hop has its pioneers, artists who were essential in defining and popularizing the art form. This CD series showcases those legendary artists -- their songs and their enormous talents -- who created what today is known as rap.
The History Of Rap. How can we truthfully tell this story? There are so many different versions. Who is correct? There were approximately ten different pioneers, each of whom stakes a claim as the originator: Pete DJ Jones, Kool DJ Herc, DJ Hollywood, Eddie Cheeba, "Love Bug" Starski, Grand Master Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Kurtis Blow, the Sugarhill Gang, Run DMC.
The names fit together like pieces to a puzzle. And as we assemble the puzzle, we have to give equal props to all, because it is the individual contributions, pieced together, that explain the true history of this billion-dollar-a-year phenomenon.
To understand the history of rap, you
need to know two things:
1. Rap is talking in rhyme to the rhythm of a beat.2. Hip-hop is a culture, a way of life for a society of people who identify, love, and cherish rap, break dancing, DJing, and graffiti.
The teenagers of the South Bronx and Harlem didn't have the money to pay for admission to the expensive midtown and downtown clubs, so they had their own parties. Along the way, clubs, house parties, and block parties sprang up all over New York ghettos, giving birth to the neighborhood DJ and MC. Something of a mutation of disco, hip-hop was also a rebellion against disco.
Kool DJ Herc, the godfather of hip-hop, was a Jamaican-born DJ who moved to the Bronx in 1967. With his unique playlist of R&B, soul, funk, and obscure disco, Herc quickly became the catalyst of the hip-hop way of life. The kids from the Bronx and Harlem loved his ghetto style, which gave birth to the concept of the B-Boy. The B-Boy -- or beat boy, break boy, Bronx boy -- loved the breaks of Kool Herc, and as a result soon created break dancing. These were the people of the hip-hop culture. While Pete DJ Jones was #1 for the black disco crowd in NYC, Herc and the B-Boys were the essence of the hip-hop movement, because of they lived the lifestyle. The way they danced, dressed, walked, and talked was unique, as opposed to most of the disco artists and fans of the time, who were not as in touch with the urban streets of America.
The B-Boy crowd was different from the
middle class blacks who were represented at Pete DJ Jones' parties. There was no
dress code at a B-Boy party; we were younger and wore tennis shoes, jeans, mock
necks, Playboys, Kangols, sweatsuits, etc. I remember many weekends going
downtown to 43rd Street and Lexington Avenue to Nell Gwynn's on Friday night to
check out Pete DJ Jones, and then traveling uptown the following night on the
Number 4 train to the Bronx to check out Kool Herc at the Executive Playhouse. I
was torn between these two DJs. I've had many debates about Pete DJ Jones'
precise timing and Kool Herc's playlist. Songs like:
"Get Into Something" by The Isley Brothers. Many people
remember The Isley Brothers for their ballads, but this song has a drum break
that is incredible. Excellent for the B-Boy break-dancer in you.
"Melting Pot" by Booker T. & The M.G.'s. This song is
one of my favorites. The jazz feel epitomizes what hip-hop is all about.
You'll love this one.
"Listen To Me" by Baby Huey. A strictly underground song
for real B-Boys and Kool DJ Herc fans. Strong intro with strong R&B
tracks.
"Scorpio" by Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band.
This song was a big national hit in 1971. Very funky and with an incredible
break as well. Young MC used it in "Bust A Move" as did LL Cool J in
"Jingling Baby."
"It's Just Begun" by The Jimmy Castor Bunch. The song's
intro is probably its most popular part: "What we're gonna do right here
is go back -- way back." Check out the guitar solo and the break.
"Apache" by Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band. This is
one of the records Kool DJ Herc brought over from Jamaica. A calypso hip-hop
feel with incredible percussion breaks. Also check out the guitar line that
the Sugarhill Gang pilfered in their version of the same song.
"Hum Along And Dance" by The Jackson 5ive. Only a real
B-Boy or a hard-core Jacksons fan would know this song. It may seem
unbelievable that Michael Jackson contributed to the creation of hip-hop, but
if you don't believe me, check out how funky this song is.
"Love The Life You Live" by Black Heat was another of my
B-Boy favorites. This song has the most incredible break for your power moves.
Many people know the original by Kool & The Gang, but this version is for
the real B-Boy.
"Theme From S.W.A.T." by Rhythm Heritage. Pete DJ Jones
loved to cut up the break of this song whereas Kool Herc couldn't quite pull
it off. Remember the TV series S.W.A.T.? We're going way back
here....
"Dance To The Drummer's Beat" by Herman Kelly & Life
actually came out during the end of Kool Herc's reign. Hollywood, Eddie Cheeba,
Starski, and Flash made it popular in the late '70s. There is a great
percussion break that became very popular, enabling the DJ to show his skills.
"King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by Fatback was the first
rap record. King Tim III was a rapper from Harlem who got a break by landing a
job with old school dogs of funk Fatback. He would rap during the band's
musical breakdowns, entertaining the crowd with call and response. When it
comes to giving credit for making the first rap record, people get amnesia. I
remember him -- he deserves the credit.
"Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose (In The Jungle Groove Remix)"
by James Brown. This is the national anthem of hip-hop. Every B-Boy, MC,
rapper, DJ, rap group, break-dancer, and aerosol artist knew this song, and
when it was played at a party or club, everyone knew it was time for the best
B-Boys to do battle. Definitely the highlight of the night.
DJ Hollywood was the first rhythmic disco rapper. Unlike Herc he was not confined to the South Bronx. He would DJ downtown, midtown, and throughout the five boroughs of New York City -- although he gained his fame at Club 371 in the Bronx. His flyers read: "Featuring the Golden Voice of DJ Hollywood."
Hollywood was mainstream disco, but he was also the first DJ to interweave that sound with rhythmic rap as we all know it. And unlike the DJs and MCs before him who were basically like radio announcers generating crowd participation, Hollywood put raps together in rhythm with chants -- with eloquent, simple rhymes and a lot of crowd response. "Everybody scream!" was his house-rocker, and "Throw ya hands in the air!" became a chant heard at concerts around the world.
In 1975, '76, and '77 Hollywood became New York's #1 DJ and, space permitting, could draw up to 2,000 people on any given night. During that time Club 371 became the #1 club in the city. I remember going there back in 1977. The lines wrapped around the block. It was impossible to get in if you didn't have the juice. Luckily I knew Reggie Wells, the club's musical director, who went to CCNY with Russell Simmons and I.
As with Pete DJ Jones and Kool DJ Herc, not only did Herc and Hollywood dislike one another, but neither recognized nor respected the other's contributions. For the most part, even their fans were different. The B-Boys were from the ghetto, while disco was for the middle class and the rich. But there was hip-hop in both worlds. It was the hip-hop tug-o'-war -- disco rappers versus the B-Boys.
DJ Hollywood became another hero of mine because of his great voice. The man had style and class. DJ Junebug, the DJ behind Hollywood, was just as exceptional as Pete DJ Jones and Grand Master Flash. Tragically, he was murdered in the early '80s. God bless you, DJ Junebug.
Grand Master Flash (Joseph Saddler) earned his name with his speed on the turntables. He rose to legendary status in the world of hip-hop right as Kool Herc's reign was ending. A B-Boy to the extreme, Flash's DJ style took Herc's playlist to the next level. He was the first (even though some say it was the Grand Wizard Theodore) to utilize "scratching" and "cutting" -- taking two records and keeping the break repeating continuously -- thus rearranging the song and creating an extended instrumental groove over which the MC or rapper could entertain the crowd with raps. Flash studied the techniques of Kool DJ Herc, Grandmaster Flowers, Maboya, Plummer, and Pete DJ Jones. But it was Flash's desire to emulate Pete's style while playing the "antidisco" music favored by Herc that led to his turntable experimentations -- and took hip-hop to the next level.
In 1974 Flash began playing parties in the neighborhood and gained quite a reputation for rocking the house. Two years later he teamed up with rapper Keith Wiggins, who soon became known as Cowboy, and the pair rocked parties throughout the South Bronx. (Note: Flash, a B-Boy, did not play the same circuit as Hollywood, a disco rapper, but they were both hot at the same time.)
In 1976 Flash and Cowboy were joined by Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Mr. Ness -- aka Scorpio (Eddie Morris) -- and later Rahiem (Guy Williams). Who knew then that they would become the premier rap group of the early '80s? Grand Master Flash & The Furious 5 went on to gain immense recognition in the recording industry with several hit records.
I didn't get a chance to experience Flash until late '77, because I was a DJ and an MC myself, doing disco shows in and around New York. When I did see him perform at the Hotel Diplomat, there was a spotlight on his hands. He had rings on every finger, and the reflection of the spotlight on his rings made it seem as if his hands were sparkling as he cut up the beats. He was a most incredible DJ; he inspired me to get back to the B-Boy school of hip-hop. So it was a dream come true when I finally got the chance to work with Flash & The Furious 5 in 1978. We were called Grand Master Flash & The Furious 7 (Kool Kyle was the seventh MC).
Afrika Bambaataa is a bona fide hip-hop legend. He is affectionately known as the grandfather of hip-hop, having been a part of the movement since 1972. The former gang leader of the Black Spades, Bambaataa is the founder of the Zulu Nation, an organization dedicated to peace, love, and unity. The Zulu Nation is said to have worldwide membership of more than 400,000, including some of rap music's brightest stars. Celebrated master of the beats, Bambaataa is known to have more than 25 crates of records! His 1982 hit, "Planet Rock," is still a highly sampled reference standard.
There were many MCs, groups, and DJs who participated during the beginning of rap, and they should not go unrecognized.
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