Block-Party Rap
tagStarted 1973Peak 1975-1982Last big hit 1984
Located in 1 route
The live park-jam sound captured on record: a DJ looping the funkiest breakbeats on two turntables while MCs and crews trade routines, chants and crowd commands. Energy is communal and improvisational, built on extending the break, call-and-response with the audience and keeping bodies dancing in the open air.
History
Originated at DJ Kool Herc's 1973 Bronx rec-room and park parties, where he isolated and looped percussion 'breaks.' Bambaataa's Zulu Nation and Grandmaster Flash turned the block jam into a craft, with crews like Cold Crush battling on the mic. The ritual was the literal foundation of hip-hop before it ever reached vinyl in 1979.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://www.britannica.com/art/hip-hop
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old-school_hip-hop
- http://www.oldschoolhiphop.com/