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April 16th \u2013 Hip-Hop inventor DJ Kool Herc was born Clive Campbell in Kingston, Jamaica, on this day in 1955.<\/p>\n

As a young child growing up in Jamaica, Herc heard all the sounds and music of the Jamaican \u201csound systems\u201d DJ\u2019s and the MC\u2019s that chatted or toasted over the music.<\/p>\n

These elements would be the nucleus of hip-hop culture.<\/p>\n

Herc moved with his family to The Bronx, New York in 1967 and brought his Jamaican musical sensibilities with him.<\/p>\n

Playing on the basketball team at The Alfred E. Smith Career And Technical Education High School in The Bronx, he earned the nick-name Hercules from his teammates because of his imposing and intimidating size, henceforth his future DJ name which he also used when he was a part of the graffiti crew known as The Ex-Vandals.<\/p>\n

In the early 1970\u2019s, Herc began deejaying and experimenting with two copies of the same record and looping the instrumental break-beat parts over and over to create an almost new piece.<\/p>\n

Some of the records Herc would do this with were \u201cThe Mexican\u201d by Babe Ruth, \u201cBongo Rock\u201d by The Incredible Bongo Band, \u201cIt\u2019s Just Begun\u201d by The Jimmy Castor Bunch and a live version of James Brown\u2019s \u201cGive It Up Or Turnit Loose\u201d.<\/p>\n

Herc introduced his new DJ technique at a back to school party at the housing project his family lived in at 1520 Sedwick Avenue in The Bronx on August 11th, 1973. This date is widely regarded as the birthday and birth place of hip-hop.<\/p>\n

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Herc then began talking along and toasting with the music he played, a la Jamaican \u201ctoasting\u201d style, and then soon acquired the talents of Coke La Rock who would take care of the vocal parts of Herc\u2019s parties, hence becoming rap\u2019s music first MC.<\/p>\n

Herc was then later joined by DJ Clark Kent and The \u201cN\u201d Twins and the collective became known as \u201cThe Herculoids\u201d.
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