On August 11, 1973, Clive Campbell—aka DJ Kool Herc—and his sister Cindy organized a back-to-school party for mostly high-schoolers in the Bronx, bringing together the elements that would form the foundation of an art form, a culture, and a phenomenon: hip-hop. On the occasion of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, we set out to capture its trajectory from cultural mashup to source of global influence by highlighting …
Thirty years ago, in his 1993 song “Hip Hop vs. Rap,” hip-hop legend KRS-One summarized his view of the difference between the two: “Rap is something you do. Hip hop is something you live.” Today, 50 years after the date in 1973 that is considered the birth of hip-hop, the terms rap and hip-hop are still often used interchangeably and in distinct ways. Join us …
Thirty-two years ago, Keith “Cowboy” Wiggins, who was a member of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, was teasing a friend. The friend had just signed up to serve in the U.S. Army. Cowboy was mimicking the rhythm of marching soldiers by scat singing “hip hop hip hop.” He later used the phrase in a performance. Then the name began to be used by disco …