Turntable Setting: Hip-Hop 50

 

Run-D.M.C. - Rock Box

I've been brewing up an August to remember here, with big birthdays, deceased icons and anniversaries galore... I've even got the origins of entire genres to celebrate.

It isn't often that you can affix a concrete date to the genesis of a whole field of music, but today is the exception.

For it was 50 years ago now that DJ Kool Herc premiered the idea of looping a breakbeat endlessly, using two turntables and two copies of the same record.

He then seized a microphone and began speaking. Some of his words may have even rhymed.

This unprecedented and revolutionarily Situationist concept was first busted out in public practice at a giant End Of Summer party in The Bronx in New York City, and from that moment on it sprouted from that seed into the global, dominant culture it is today.

If you think about it, the story is almost of Biblical proportions. The Book of LL, verse E-40.

 And Kool Herc begat Grandmaster Flash, who Messaged most Furious.

And Flash and Melle Mel begat Run-D.M.C., who were tougher than leather.

And Jam Master Jay begat Eric B., and his accomplice The LeadeR and G.O.A.T.

And Rakim, Father of The Modern Flow, begat The Enemy Of The Public, that they might most righteously fight the power, pauselessly rebelling against the fear of a Black Planet and warning of a Hype we don't believe.

And then upon the waters came frothing forth The Zulu Nation, of the Soul that was three feet high and rising amongst the Questing Tribes of Brand Nubian Black Sheep.

And from The Western Lands came Too $hort, and the physician Dre, and a Dogg did Snoopily sip upon gin and juice.

And their works became Notorious throughout all the lands far and wide, and every corner of the Earth did join upon the procession to rest in beats.

And they did hold out their hands unto thee, beckoning that you rock the mic, and party on and on, until the dawn didst breaketh.

And the people of the Earth did see that it was Mos Def.

And the people did live Hieroglyphically ever after. Amen.

Run-D.M.C.

Apollo Theater

Harlem

New York City, NY

4.19.1986

01 Jam Master Jay intro

02 Together Forever

03 My Adidas

04 Rock Box

05 Darryl & Joe/Jam Master Jay/Clap Your Hands

06 Here We Go

07 It’s Like That

08 Raising Hell

09 Hit It Run

10 Peter Piper

11 King of Rock

12 Apollo radio spot

Total time: 43:02

Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) - turntables & vocals

Joseph Simmons (DJ Run) - vocals

Darryl McDaniels (DMC) - vocals

master cassette of the original WBLS-FM "Rap Attack" broadcast

retracked, remastered & repaired by EN, August 2023

the dropouts in Track 06 are inherent to the broadcast
298 MB FLAC/direct link

So Happy Birthday Hip-Hop! Really the last major stylistic innovation in popular music before the CIA and the neofeudal corporations took over to ensure no ripples of discord would challenge the Religion Of Predatory Capitalism they had planned for their serfs.--J.

because you can't
you won't
and you don't stop