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Hip Hop Origins
Hip Hop is a subculture and an art movement that began developing amongst African-Americans and Puerto Ricans from the South Bronx in New York City during the late 1970’s. -
The Early Years
DJ U-Roy invades Jamaican pop charts with three top ten songs using a style known as toasting.// Spoken word collective The Last Poets release their debut recording. Mixing politically conscious poetry with music, it later is lauded as an early founder of hip-hop -
The Father of Hip Hop
DJ Kool Herc deejays his first block party (his sister's birthday) at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, NY. Known as the father of hip-hop, Herc was the first to experiment with "breakbeats", manipulating the instrumental breaks of old funk, R&B and soul tracks to form the foundation of hip-hop. // Graffiti tagging begins in New York City. -
Hip Hop Pioneers and their influence
Influenced by Kool Herc, hip-hop artists Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and Grandmaster Caz start DJing at house and street parties across the Bronx. // Bambaataa forms the Universal Zulu Nation, a socially conscious collective of DJs, graffiti artists and breakdancers that included the b-boy crew the Shaka Zulu Kings. -
New Methods used in Hip Hop
Grandmaster Flash starts mixing, a new DJing method that connects bits of two different songs during the breaks. // DJ Grand Wizard Theodore accidentally invents “scratching,” or nudging a record under the needle during breaks. -
Disco Taking Over The Charts
Hip-hop spreads beyond the Bronx and into the depths of New York City. Meanwhile, disco continues to dominate the radio airwaves and the club scene. // More rappers begin performing as MCing, starts to exceed DJing. -
Shifts Within Rap
Record label owner Sylvia Robinson assembles the Sugar Hill Gang, who record the first commercial rap recording, “Rapper’s Delight.” It exposes many Americans to hip-hop for the first time. // Kurtis Blow, managed by Russell Simmons, becomes the first rapper to sign with a major label. // Wendy Clark, a.k.a. Lady B, one of hip-hop’s first well-known female artists, releases “To the Beat Y’All.” -
Hip Hop Meets Art Pop
Kurtis Blow releases his best-selling album The Breaks and is the first rapper to appear on national TV, performing on Soul Train. Blow releases "The Breaks" on Mercury Records. The record goes on to sell more than a million copies. Hip-hop gradually evolves into big business. // Hip-hop meets art pop as the New York scene extends downtown and rappers and b-boys mingle with the white club scene. -
Hip Hop Reaching New Heights
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five release their turntable masterpiece The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel, which contains the popular and socially conscious track “The Message.” // The first international hip-hop concert tour, featuring Afrika Bambaataa, Fab 5 Freddy and the Double Dutch Girls, goes to Europe, marking the start of hip-hop’s worldwide reach. -
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“Rockit,” the first jazz and hip-hop track, is released by Herbie Hancock and Grandmixer D. ST. // Grand Master Flash and Melle Mel (Furious 5) record the anti-cocaine single “White Lines (Don't Do It)," which becomes a rap hit. // Grandmaster Flash later sues Sugarhill Records for $5 million in royalties. The dispute causes the group to break up, signaling the looming danger of corporate control in hip-hop. -
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KDAY Los Angeles becomes the nation’s first rap-only radio station. // Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin team up to launch one of the most important record labels ever, Def Jam Records. // Michael Jackson does 'the moonwalk' at the Grammys, borrowing b-boy dance elements from LA breakers. // U.T.F.O.’s “Roxanne, Roxanne” triggers a slew of answer recordings, including “The Real Roxanne” and 14-year-old Roxanne Shante’s classic “Roxanne’s Revenge.” -
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Sugarhill Records goes into bankruptcy and is forced out of business. // Salt ‘n’ Pepa make their first appearance on Super Nature’s “The Show Stopper." -
Success For Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.’s hip-hop rendition of the Aerosmith classic “Walk This Way” cements hip-hop’s reach into mainstream media and MTV. Run-D.M.C. becomes the first rap group to be tapped for a Grammy. -
Politically-Charged Hip Hop
Scott LaRock is shot and killed in the South Bronx while attempting to settle a dispute. // Public Enemy stuns the world with their introductory album, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, signaling the genesis of politically-charged hip-hop. // Violence ensues following a Run-D.M.C. concert in L.A. The group is forced to defend itself at a public press conference as conservative pundits and politicians accuse hip-hop of being morally corrupt. -
Controversial Rap Group - N.W.A.
Yo! MTV Raps goes on the air, further ushering hip-hop to a national television audience. // L.A. group N.W.A. releases its first album, Straight Outta Compton. Telling stories about life on the mean streets of South Central, it popularizes West Coast gangsta rap. The controversial track “Fuck tha Police” earns the group an F.B.I. warning. // Power, Ice-T’s second album, is the first rap record to be slapped with a Parental Advisory warning label. -
Hip Hop in the Political Spotlight
Public Enemy releases its third album, Fear of a Black Planet. A media frenzy ensues over member Professor Griff’s anti-Semitic remarks, thrusting hip-hop into the political spotlight. // Native Tongues Posse members A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul release albums acclaimed for their intelligent lyrics. // Featuring the hit single “U Can’t Touch This,” MC Hammer’s Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em is scorned by critics but sells more than ten million copies and becomes an MTV staple. -
Boycotting the MTV Awards
Rap receives its own Grammy category, but the presentation is not aired on television. Many popular artists, including award winners DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, instead attend an MTV boycott of the Grammys party. -
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Tupac joins Digital Underground as a dancer and a roadie. // 2 Live Crew’s As Nasty as They Wanna Be, controversial for its explicit lyrics, is banned for sale in the state of Florida. // N.W.A.’s Ice Cube releases his debut solo album, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted. // Hip-hop meets Hollywood when Will Smith, the Fresh Prince, stars in his own sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. -
Hip Hop Artists Speak Out Against Police Brutality
N.W.A’s sophomore album N****z For Life sells over 954,000 copies in its first week of release, reaching #1 on the pop charts. The album paves way for many more hardcore rap albums that would follow. // When a video recording of four white Los Angeles police officers beating a black man named Rodney King is nationally broadcast, hip-hop artists speak out against police brutality. // Boyz N the Hood hits movie theaters nationwide; the movie portrays the life of young black men in South Central LA -
The Aftermath of Rodney King
West Coast gangsta rap starts to rule hip-hop with Dr. Dre’s solo album The Chronic, featuring the wildly popular single “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang. // Dr. Dre and Suge Knight form Death Row Records, with a recording featuring the up-and-coming rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. // Protests and riots ensue in LA after the police officers who beat Rodney King are acquitted. Ice-T and Public Enemy’s Chuck D are asked to comment to the media to become a spokespeople for African American communities. -
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The Wu Tang Clan release their popular debut, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, reinvigorating the East Coast rap scene with their single “C.R.E.A.M.” // Salt-N-Pepa’s "Very Necessary" is the best-selling album of all time by a female artist. // Snoop Dogg’s long-anticipated DoggyStyle becomes the first debut album to enter the Billboard charts at number one, as Snoop is charged with second-degree murder. // Sean “Puffy” Combs starts Bad Boy Entertainment, a record label run out of his apartment. -
Pac Gets Shot
2 Pac is robbed and shot 5 times in a New York recording studio. He recovers from the shooting. Pac is later sentenced to 8 months in prison. //Nas’ first entry, Illmatic goes gold and is widely received as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever. //Notorious B.I.G.’s album Ready to Die features the single “Big Poppa” and gets publicity for Bad Boy Entertainment. //Suge Knight insults Puffy on stage at the Source Awards, sparking East vs West Coast tension between Bad Boy and Death Row Records. -
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After going public with his HIV status, N.W.A.’s Eazy-E dies of AIDS at the age of 31. // Rapper Tupac signs on with Death Row after Suge Knight pays Tupac’s bail. // Queen Latifah receives a Grammy for her hit single “U.N.I.T.Y.” -
The Death of Tupac
“The Score,” the Fugees’ second release, combines hip-hop with R&B and reggae influences and becomes a bestseller. // Foxy Brown and Lil Kim release debut albums with lyrics promoting female sexuality. // On September 7th, Tupac Shakur is fatally wounded after sustaining multiple gunshots as he rode in a car driven by Suge Knight near the Las Vegas strip. Tupac died 5 days later. His death rekindled the debate on whether rap promotes violence or just reflects the ugly side of the streets. -
Who Killed Pac and Biggie?
The Notorious B.I.G., is shot and killed March 9, after a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Like Pac's murder, Biggie's death is still an unsolved mystery. // After his death, Notorious B.I.G.’s album Life After Death is released and becomes the best-selling hip-hop album of all time. // Missy Elliot releases her acclaimed debut, Supa Dupa Fly. Having broken barriers as a successful female producer, Missy would go on to become the highest selling female rapper of all time. -
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill's solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, scores her 11 Grammy nominations and 5 wins, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. // Puerto Rican rapper Big Punisher releases his debut, Capital Punishment, and is the first Hispanic MC with a platinum album. // Eminem’s The Slim Shady is released on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label and fast becomes a Billboard chart-topper. -
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Black Star, featuring Talib Kweli and Mos Def, release its debut album, marking a resurgence of conscious lyrics and alternative rap. // Backed by producer Dr. Dre, Eminem zooms past racial hurdles and sells 4 million copies of his debut, The Slim Shady LP. -
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Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney holds the first Hip-Hop Powershop summit to address the various political, economic, and social issues affecting the youth. // Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP becomes an international hit and sparks controversy for its misogynistic and homophobic lyrics. -
R.I.P. Aaliyah, Princess of R&B
Jay-Z and Nas attack one another on songs on their respective new albums. // Twenty-two-year-old Aaliyah dies in a plane crash while making a music video in the Bahamas. -
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Run-D.M.C.’s Jam Master Jay is shot and killed at the age of 37, murdered outside a New York recording studio. // Eminem reaches epic stardom in his quasi-autobiographical film 8 Mile, which garners an Oscar nomination for its theme song, “Lose Yourself.” // The rapping member of TLC, Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, dies in a car crash while traveling with seven other people. -
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The hip-hop generation’s consumer reach is fully realized as stars market for companies such as Nike, Reebok and AOL. // The South continues to dominate hip-hop as crunk—a distinctly Southern hip-hop style featuring heavy bass and aggressive chanting—takes off. // Jamaican dancehall star Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock is a bestseller, mixing hip-hop and reggae to breakthrough success. -
Hip Hop Empire Growing
Wu-Tang member ODB dies inside a recording studio two days before his 36th birthday. // Mainstream hip-hop becomes synonymous with big bucks as the Russell Simmons empire grows with his label Phat Farm. Nelly becomes part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Jay-Z—the new president of Def Jam—buys a share in the New Jersey Nets. -
Kanye West Speaks Out
Reggaeton, a form of Latin American dance music that mixes hip-hop, reggae and dancehall with Latin rhythms and Spanish raps, takes off worldwide. // Kanye West’s Late Registration features the massive radio hit “Gold Digger.” The rapper’s impassioned and improvised speech, broadcast on national television during a fundraiser, slamming the Bush Administration’s slow response to Hurricane Katrina victims also further catapults him into the public eye. // -
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Jay-Z ends his three-year break from active recording and bounces back with Kingdom Come. The album includes a diss track to Cam'ron and Jim Jones. // Nas' Def Jam debut, Hip-Hop Is Dead, dusts up controversy and debate over its title. // Three 6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the movie Hustle & Flow wins an Oscar for Best Original Song and is the first rap song to be performed on the Academy Awards show. -
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In the months leading up to the 2008 presidential election, Democratic nominee Barack Obama galvanizes hip-hop artists into action, leading to a slew of Obama rap tributes. // Jay-Z becomes the first rapper to headline Glastonbury, the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world.// Brooklyn MC Jamal "Gravy" Woolard is recruited to play the Biggie Smalls in the biopic, Notorious.
