11 Aug: Who Invented Hip Hop?
Clive Campbell, better known as DJ Kool Herc, soundtracked his sister Cindy Campbell’s back-to-school party in the Bronx on 11th August, 1973 – and in doing so, laid down the musical tropes that would become known as hip hop.
With his ‘Herculoids’ sound system, Campbell pioneered speaking over records in a Jamaican style; switching between two tracks on the decks, in a process he called the “merry-go-round”; and extending the drum breaks of songs, creating continuous beats that kept the crowd dancing.
This episode first aired in 2024