Genre
Old School
4 artists
What is old school hip-hop? Old school is hip-hop's first era, from the Bronx block parties of the '70s to the mid-'80s. It's where DJing, MCing, breakdancing and graffiti came together and turned into a culture.
Where it comes from. In 1973 DJ Kool Herc started looping the breaks of funk records at parties in the Bronx. Grandmaster Flash perfected the techniques, and MCs began rhyming over the beats. The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" (1979) was the first big hit, and "The Message" (1982) by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five proved rap could be about more than partying. Sha Rock became one of the first female MCs, and Roxanne Shanté started a whole wave of answer records at age 14. Run-DMC closed the era and opened the next one with their harder, rock-inspired sound.
The sound. Disco and funk breaks, played live or looped, with simple, rhythmic party rhymes, call-and-response and crowd-pleasing routines.
Key records
- "Rapper's Delight", The Sugarhill Gang (1979)
- "The Message", Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (1982)
- "Roxanne's Revenge", Roxanne Shanté (1984)
- Run-D.M.C., Run-DMC (1984)
- Hot, Cool & Vicious, Salt-N-Pepa (1986)
