The History of Rock

     It was a hot night in August 1973. Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx—a part of New York City—was rocking. 

    Clive Campbell had his father’s huge sound system set up. His sister Cindy needed new clothes for school. So they were throwing a party at their apartment building to make money. 

    Guys paid 50 cents to get in. Girls got in for 25 cents. Clive played funk music with a heavy beat. People packed the dance floor. 

    The party was a success. But no one guessed that it would start a musical revolution. Pretty soon everyone knew Clive by his nickname. He was DJ Kool Herc. And he had just thrown the first hip-hop party ever.

     It was August 1973. Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx—a part of New York City—was rocking.

    Clive Campbell had his dad’s sound system set up. His sister Cindy needed clothes for school. They were throwing a party at their apartment building to make money.

    Guys paid 50 cents to get in. Girls paid 25 cents. Clive played funk music. People danced.

    The party was a hit. And it was the start of something new. Soon everyone knew Clive by his nickname. He was DJ Kool Herc. And he had just thrown the first hip-hop party ever.

    It was a hot night in August 1973. Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx—a part of New York City—was rocking.

    Clive Campbell had his father’s huge sound system set up. His sister Cindy needed new clothes for school, so they were throwing a party at their apartment building to make money.

    Guys paid an admission fee of 50 cents, and girls got in for 25 cents. Clive played funk music with a heavy beat, and people packed the dance floor.

    The party was a success—but no one could have predicted that it would also spark a musical revolution. Pretty soon everyone knew Clive by his nickname: DJ Kool Herc. He had just thrown the first hip-hop party ever.

    In 1973, the Bronx was a tough place to live. Work was hard to find, especially in black and Hispanic neighborhoods. Three out of five young people didn’t have jobs. According to police, more than 100 gangs ruled the streets.

    But young people still tried to have fun. Herc and other DJs threw more parties—and they moved them outdoors. At these parties, Herc found a new way to play records. He noticed that dancers loved the section of a song called the break. 

    During a break, all instruments stop playing except the drums. Herc found the break section on two records. Then he switched back and forth between them—and the dancers went wild.

    In 1973, the Bronx was a tough place to live. Work was hard to find. Police said that more than 100 gangs ruled the streets.

    Still, young people tried to have fun. Herc and other DJs threw parties outdoors. Herc found a new way to play records. He noticed that dancers loved the part of a song called the break.

    During a break, all instruments stop playing except the drums. Herc found the break section on two records. He switched back and forth between them. The dancers went wild.

    In 1973, the Bronx was a difficult and dangerous place to live. Work was scarce, especially in black and Hispanic neighborhoods. Sixty percent of young people were unemployed. According to police, more than 100 gangs ruled the streets.

    Still, young people were determined to have fun. Herc and other DJs threw more parties—many outdoors—and Herc discovered a new way to play records. He noticed that dancers loved the section of a song called the break.

    During a break, all instruments stop playing except the drums. Herc located the break section on two records and switched back and forth between them—and the dancers went wild. Herc knew that he was onto something.

    In the next few years, hip-hop culture took shape in the black and Hispanic neighborhoods of New York City. The dancers competed during the breaks. They became known as “b-boys,” short for break boys. There were “b-girls” too. Herc says they were “the kings and queens of the party.”

    But soon the break dancers made way for new kings and queens: the MCs, or masters of ceremony. MCs worked the microphone while the DJs played records. MCs rhymed to the beat. Over time, their rhymes grew more sophisticated. They were the first rappers.

    In 1979, a band called the Sugar Hill Gang recorded “Rapper’s Delight.” To kids in New York City, the song was nothing new. But to the rest of the country, rap was new. The record sold millions of copies.

    Soon hip-hop was everywhere. Kids across the country were listening to rappers like Run-DMC. In the 1990s, rap became one of the most popular types of music in the U.S.

    Hip-hop started in a run-down part of New York City. Now it can be heard all over the world.

    Herc says rap music is special. It’s something that young people of all backgrounds can share. 

    “They all have something in common that they love,” he says.

    Over the next few years, hip-hop culture took shape in the black and Hispanic neighborhoods of New York City. The dancers started competing with each other during the breaks. They became known as “b-boys,” short for break boys. Soon, “b-girls” joined in too. Herc describes them as “the kings and queens of the party.”

    But the break dancers were soon replaced by new royalty: the MCs, or masters of ceremony. MCs worked the microphone while their DJs played records. MCs rhymed to the beat, and over time their rhymes became increasingly long and sophisticated. They were the first rappers.

    Finally, in 1979, a band called the Sugar Hill Gang recorded “Rapper’s Delight.” The song was nothing new to teens in New York City, but the rest of America was introduced to rap for the first time. The record sold millions of copies.

    Before long, hip-hop was everywhere. Kids across the country started listening to rappers like Run-DMC. And in the 1990s, rap became one of the most popular types of music in the U.S.

    Hip-hop started in a run-down section of New York City. Over the past 45 years, it has spread throughout the world.

    According to DJ Kool Herc, rap music has a remarkable power: It has helped unite young people of all races and backgrounds. “They all have something in common that they love,” he explains.