Timeline

Timeline

1973

Kool Herc, Father of Hip-Hop, aka Clive Campell, deejayed his first block party. He played soul, old funk and R&B records on his turntables. He was born in Jamaica and immigrated in '67 (age 12) from Kingston where he brought his knowledge of the Jamaican soundsystem scene to the Bronx.

1974

After seeing Kool Herc play at parties Grandmaster Caz (Cold Crush Brothers), Bambaataa (aka Kahyan Aasim - born 1957) and Grandmaster Flash (innovator of the quick mix and cutting, master of the "wheels of steel") are heavily influenced by Herc's DJ skills.

Graffiti Art has become widely visible on New Yorks subway cars.

1975

Coke La Rock and Clark Kent (aka Tyrone Smith, not the DJ for Dana Dane) formed the first emcee team. They became known as Kool Herc and the Herculoids along with their DJ named Timmy Tim. (source: Phyllis Wilder)

1976

First rap battle between dj king and dj battle

1981

On February 14th, The Funky 4 plus One More performed their classic hit,"That's The Joint" on NBC's Saturday Night Live becoming the first hip hop Group to appear on national television.

1983

Three punker white kids from Manhattan named the Beastie Boys put out a single called "Cooky Puss", which is a crank call to a Carvel Ice Cream store laid over a funky beat (later to be signed to Def Jam).

1984

Michael Holman (manager of The NYC Breakers) creates hip hop's first TV dance show, "Graffiti Rock" with special guests - Run DMC, Shannon, The NYC Breakers, Kool Moe Dee and Special K of The Treacherous Three (who also battled Run DMC on the show). It is cancelled after only one show. Now an Actress, Debi Mazar (B-Girl from Queens) has her first TV appearance.

1985

Salt nd peppa started

1988

NWA GOES GOLD ON A RAP ALBUM WHICH IS THE First Rap album to go succesfull

1993

HOT 97 switches from a dance format to become "Where Hip Hop Lives", heralding the coming of DJ Funkmaster Flex.
Cypress Hill released its second album, Black Sunday, which debuts at #1 in Billboard.

1995

Suge Knight posts Tupac's $1.4 million bail, Tupac signs with Death Row Records.
Eazy-E (aka Eric Wright) of NWA passed away of AIDS on the 20th of March at age 31. He entered LA's Cedars-Sinai hospital on 24 February for a lung problem. He was the first rapper ever to admit having full-blown AIDS.