DJ Kool Herc
DJ Kool Herc is an old school producer from The Bronx, New York.
Jamaican-born DJ whose 1973 party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx is seen as the birth of hip-hop.
Who is DJ Kool Herc?
DJ Kool Herc (Clive Campbell) is a DJ from the Bronx, New York, born in Kingston, Jamaica. He moved to the Bronx as a teenager and brought the Jamaican sound-system culture with him.
Known for
On August 11, 1973 he DJ'd his sister's back-to-school party in the community room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. That night is seen as the birth of hip-hop. Herc noticed that dancers went wild during the instrumental breaks of funk records, so he played two copies of the same record and switched between them to stretch the break. He called it the "Merry-Go-Round". The dancers became b-boys and b-girls, and his friend Coke La Rock started talking and rhyming over the beat: the first MC.
Style
Big, loud sound systems in the Jamaican tradition, and records chosen for their breaks: hard funk drums by James Brown, the Incredible Bongo Band and the Jimmy Castor Bunch, looped for as long as the crowd kept dancing.
Impact
DJ Kool Herc is called the father of hip-hop. His break-extending technique is the foundation of DJing, sampling and breakdancing, and pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa built directly on what he started.
Influences
- James Brown
DJ Kool Herc: quick answers
What genre is DJ Kool Herc?
DJ Kool Herc’s music falls under Old School. DJ Kool Herc is part of East Coast hip-hop, with the most important work in the 1980s.
Where is DJ Kool Herc from?
DJ Kool Herc is from The Bronx, New York (born in Kingston, Jamaica).
What is DJ Kool Herc’s real name?
DJ Kool Herc’s real name is Clive Campbell.
When did DJ Kool Herc start?
DJ Kool Herc has been active since 1973.
Who did DJ Kool Herc influence?
DJ Kool Herc influenced Grandmaster Flash.
Which artists are similar to DJ Kool Herc?
Artists in the same genre as DJ Kool Herc: Flava Flav, Grandmaster Flash, Queen Latifah, Rev Run and Roxanne Shanté.
