1

Hip Hop

By monicalaurel

  • Earl Tucker

    Earl Tucker
    Earl Tucker is a dancer who mixes floats and slides into his routines, which would later inspire breakdancing.

  • Clayton Fillyau

    Clayton Fillyau
    Clayton Fillyau, James Brown's drummer, uses the break beat on the album Live at the Apollo. Break dancers would subsequently be influenced by these beats.

  • Muhammad Ali

    Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali delivers one of the earliest rap lines before his bout against Sonny Liston.

  • James Brown

    James Brown
    "Sex Machines" and "Funky Drummer" are two songs by James Brown. Both tracks would subsequently influence hip hop percussion.

  • Bronx

    Bronx
    Hip hop first appears in the Bronx.

  • DJ Kool

    DJ Kool
    DJ Kool Herc deejays his first block party in the Bronx.

  • DJ Pleaser Lovebug Starski.

    DJ Pleaser Lovebug Starski.
    After seeing DJ Kool Herc perform, other DJs in the Bronx begin to perform in similar styles. This movement is originally referred to as "hip-hop" by DJ Pleaser Lovebug Starski.

  • DJ Grand Wizard

    DJ Grand Wizard
    DJ Grand Wizard Theodore invents the record scratch.

  • DJ Afrika Bambaataa

    DJ Afrika Bambaataa
    DJ Afrika Bambaataa battles Disco King Mario in the first DJ battle.

  • "Rap Music"

    "Rap Music"
    The term "rap music" was coined by the music industry to move the attention of hip hop from deejays to emcees.

  • Ice T

    Ice T
    Ice T is a West Coast rap pioneer. Michael Jackson does the moonwalk, a dancing routine he learned from b-boys.

  • Fresh Fest

    Fresh Fest
    Fresh Fest, a hip hop tour including musicians such as Run D.M.C., grosses $3.5 million. Hip hop is here to stay.

  • Salt n Pepa

    Salt n Pepa
    Salt-n-Pepa enters the scene as one of the first female rap groups.

  • Beastie Boys

    Beastie Boys
    The Beastie Boys release Licensed to Ill.

  • Public Enemy

    Public Enemy
    Public Enemy releases Yo! Bum Rush The Show.

  • N.W.A

    N.W.A
    N.W.A releases Straight Outta Compton.

  • D.O.C.

    D.O.C.
    A group of friends in Manhattan forms A Tribe Called Quest. D.O.C releases No One Can Do It Better.

  • N.W.A.

    N.W.A.
    N.W.A sells nearly one million copies of N****z For Life in its first week of release.

  • Dr. Dre

    Dr. Dre
    Dr. Dre’s album, The Chronic, goes multi platinum. Wu-Tang clan release 36 Chambers.

  • Queen Latifah

    Queen Latifah
    Queen Latifah wins a Grammy award from Best Rap Solo Performance.

  • Jay-Z

    Jay-Z
    Reasonable Doubt is Jay-Z's album. The Score, The Fugees' album, wins two Grammys and debuts at number one. Tupac Shakur is shot and killed.

  • Missy Elliott

    Missy Elliott
    Missy Elliott releases Supa Dupa Fly. Notorious B.I.G is shot and killed.

  • Lauryn Hill

    Lauryn Hill
    Lauryn Hill’s solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, earns 11 Grammy nominations and five wins.

  • Eminem

    Eminem
    Eminem sells four million copies of The Slim Shady LP.

  • Napster

    Napster
    Dr. Dre sues Napster.

  • Talib Kweli

    Talib Kweli
    Talib Kweli debuts his solo album and introduces himself as a political voice.

  • Eminem receives backlash

    Eminem receives backlash
    After being discovered using the N-word, Eminem receives backlash and sparks a debate about hip-hop and racism. Murder Inc.'s headquarters were raided by federal agents.

  • First Rapper headline

    First Rapper headline
    Jay-Z becomes the first rapper to headline Glastonbury, the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world.

  • Nicki Minaj

    Nicki Minaj
    Nicki Minaj releases Pink Friday, which hits number one on the US charts.

  • Kanye West

    Kanye West
    Kanye West releases his eighth studio album, Ye, which debuts at number one.