The Birth of Hip Hop

In 1973, DJ Kool Herc set up his turntables and introduced a technique at a South Bronx house party that would change music as many people knew it. His ability to switch from record to record — as well as isolate and repeat music breaks — led to the discovery of the hip hop genre.

From school yards to gatherings, boomboxes housed the exhilarating sound that people couldn’t get enough of. Soon, freestyling over the beat became popular, and we’d have one of the most noted songs of the genre released in 1979, entitled “Rapper’s Delight.” As the genre evolved, artists used their platform to speak on social issues near and far. These lyrics became the melody that told the narrative of the artist’s world to a beat.

Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., with additional commentary from author Joan Morgan, Jelani Cobb of Columbia University, rapper Nas, and filmmaker Ava Duvernay, we celebrate an underground cultural movement that has unified people and has become the most streamed genre of present day.

Black History in Two Minutes (or so) is a 2x Webby Award winning series.

Archival Materials Courtesy of:
• Alamy Images
• Getty Images
• Shutterstock

Additional Archival by:
• Forbes
• The Guardian
• MTA
• Rhino
• Sony
• USA Today

Executive Producers:
• Robert F. Smith
• Henry Louis Gates Jr.
• Dyllan McGee
• Deon Taylor

Produced by:
• William Ventura
• Romilla Karnick

Music By:
• Oovra Music

Additional Music:
• Fight The Power by Public Enemy
• Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang
• The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Be Woke presents is brought to you by Robert F. Smith and Deon Taylor.

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[nomad]

One thing I love about this genre of music is that you didn't have to be classically trained, you didn't need to have a million dollar studio. You just needed a sampler, a turn table, and you could basically make platinum albums. Rap is such a flexible genre, you can literally mix it with anything and it sounds good, if done right.

[louguzzo]

I am so glad I grew up in NY at this time. Just a pure sound and art form!

[OnceWasSomething]

Not only is the video informative and concise for people like me to understand (never grew up with this culture at all), but the comment section here is full of people correcting and sharing more nuanced information that the video may have missed. A godsend, truly.

[yamasyc]

It's not hip hop music, hip hop is the culture. The right thing to say is Rap music which is one of the four elements of the culture

[benji.B-side]

A very good snack sized video. As an old school breaker in the UK, these kids from the Bronx and such, changed our lives. B-Boys will always be boys!
Respect, peace and love!

[BringMeTheDisco]

We watch you in school to celebrate black history month.

[mdhbh]

Black people have been rhyming since the 1940s. It wasn’t called HiP HoP then. It evolve over time.

[adriannogales]

You all nailed a lesson I've been teaching for 8 years, that lesson feels so validated right now!! Glad to see you made 100 more videos like this with the small eloquent closed caption at the bottom to encourage young people to read along! Brilliant and I have 90 students this video tomorrow

[BryanRo]

Hip hop music was born from the underground funk of the 70s. James Brown was mainstream but breakbeats were what set the underground apart

[valc]

I read that Muhammad Ali Spoken Word poetry and trash talk combine gave elements of Hip Hop. He is credited as to have influence the genre Hip Hop. I read it in a local entertainment magazine. I’m not saying it’s a fact.

[bryangalloway]

Herc came over and tried to play Jamaican music but nobody wanted to hear it so he had to play what black Djs were already playing...he didn't create hip hop

[Gigi-fppd]

Dj Herc didn't start hip hop nor was he the first to isolate musical breaks. See what happens when you get your black history info from Wikipedia?

[waynegriffith]

Simultaneously in Jamaica was the birth of modern reggae dancehall (dub) music. These two genres (hip-hop and dancehall) are of similar origins and structure.

[weebi]

And for the people saying that people from the Caribbean and etc created it. Riddle me this, why was it not created in those countries until after us? We have a whole catalog of genres we made before hip hop came. I don’t know why it’s hard for y’all to give us our flowers.

[complexsoulthegreat]

I don’t know why there is a Heavy emphasis on “Kool Herk” being Jamaican-born.
Dj Kool Herc assimilated into black American culture and was influenced heavily by African American culture. I saw the videos on YouTube of him in his early days, you wouldn't even know that he was Jamaican because he looked like just an ordinary brotha. Afro, sideburns, some cool shades, a nice shirt and matching bellbottom pants. He wasn't even talking patois or with a Jamaican accent. Dude was completely assimilated as a black man in America. Kool herc looked up to guys like
Disco King Mario, who was the man at the time and was out and popular before Dj Kool herc.
I’m not saying any of this to discredit Kool herc but some of you folks from the island just jumped on some crazy bandwagon madness about the Origins of hip-hop being Jamaican because Kool herc is Jamaican. When all reality he definitely contributed but you can’t put cool herc over guys like disco king Mario. He was one of the dudes who started mixing and scratching on turntables. This entire rumor going around that Jamaicans created Hip Hop is absurd. You can’t create something that was already here. All elements of hip hop were born here in America not Jamaica or any Caribbean island for that matter. Hip hop is an African American art form that was shared with folks from Jamaica, Puerto Rico ex…. And they all contributed to it on a major scale, that will and can never be denied. We love our Caribbean family but to say that you guys created hip hop
Because Kool Herc is Jamaican and contributed is disingenuous. See I can’t go to Jamaica learn the language and assimilate into Jamaican culture, contribute to the already exciting culture, and then turn around and say that I created the culture. Folks would look at me crazy. Do you know what created hip hop?
Jazz, blues, Funk music, soul music, rock music, and even gospel music. All of which are African American art forms of music.
Even Kool herc admits this.

[maxwellbrisk]

Herc creating Hip Hop is like saying Christopher Columbus was the first to discover America lol..All the elements were here already, none of them till this day are even popular or dominate in Jamaica

[AJ-pcln]

Hip-hop is not from Jamaican Culture Hip-hop is from Black American Culture Soul, Funk, Jive Talk period.

[koreyp]

Kool Herc never even said he created Hip Hop. It was going on before he even started Djing

[noeasyprops]

Should have started with the Bboys since the dance is what really gave the visibility and set everything in motion, and no mention of graffiti art? hmm this should have been called the birth of rap music.

[blueblaze]

I love how short but informative this is..jeez