50 Years of Hip-Hop — From a Bronx Party to a Global Cultural Movement (2024)

FEATURE STORY

ILLUSTRATON BY SEAN MCCABE

IT ALL STARTED ON AUGUST 11, 1973. An 18-year-old Clive Campbell and his younger sister Cindy hosted a dance party, billed as a back-to-school jam, in the rec room of an apartment complex at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York. (These details are now the stuff of legend.) Clive, who spun records under the moniker DJ Kool Herc, had previously noticed that dancers responded to the instrumental breaks in songs, especially those heavy with bass and drums. So he set up two turntables and artfully switched between them to isolate and extend the “breakbeats,” never losing the rhythm. Hip-hop was born.

Many said it would be a fad, like so many pop-cultural trends before and after. But in the 50 years since that fateful event, hip-hop has entrenched itself in our society.

I became aware of hip-hop as a college student in late ’70s New York. It was the antithesis of disco glamour. You could wear sneakers and baseball caps and be part of the party. A number of kid-friendly practices (rhyming over a beat, deejaying, break-dancing on cardboard, spray-painting graffiti on walls) coalesced into a coherent culture. As a writer, I watched and documented hip-hop as it grew from a small scene to one with national and international appeal. A huge part of hip-hop’s success is that it’s adaptable, so the music, rhyme style, dances and clothes evolved while remaining true to the culture. Much of modern hip-hop sounds nothing like the old-school beats I heard back in the day. But by remaining a potent medium of youthful expression, hip-hop has stayed contemporary.

Over the decades, detractors have come after hip-hop. Record industry professionals. African American church groups. Women’s groups. Politicians of both major parties. Yes, at times, much hip-hop has been raw, rude and viewed as a niche expression. But the attacks reaffirmed the value to its fans. While critics disdained its language, there was an unrestrained honesty that spoke to younger people. And hip-hop was an underdog, fighting for respect from the makers of rock, jazz and country. But as the genre became more popular than any other, it eventually influenced all those styles that came before it. You can even hear rapping and trap beats in some country songs today.

Just as significant: Hip-hop sells movies, TV series, clothing, alcohol, sneakers, perfume, hair products and brands of every description—and has made billionaires of its sharpest entrepreneurs. (Jay-Z, Rihanna and Sean “Diddy” Combs are among the richest musicians in the world, from business ventures encompassing more than just songcraft.)

It isn’t only America. Travel to South Korea, Brazil, Poland or South Africa—practically anywhere—and hip-hop scenes proliferate. And it all started at a small party in the Bronx. —Nelson George

Author and filmmaker Nelson George, 65, has written several books about Black culture, including Hip Hop America. He is an executive producer of Dear Mama, a docuseries about Tupac Shakur and his mother on FX and Hulu.

Key to photo collage:1 Missy Elliott, 2 Tupac Shakur, 3 Tone Loc, 4 Snoop Dogg, 5 Grandmaster Flash, 6 MC Hammer, 7 Beastie Boys, 8 Schoolly D, 9 Eric B. (right) and Rakim (left), 10 Kurtis Blow, 11 Big Daddy Kane, 12 DJ Jazzy Jeff (right) and the Fresh Prince (left), 13 Drake, 14 Notorious B.I.G., 15 Vanilla Ice, 16 MC Lyte, 17 Sean Combs, 18 Run-DMC, 19 De La Soul, 20 Queen Latifah, 21 A Tribe Called Quest, 22 Slick Rick, 23 Sugarhill Gang, 24 KRS-One, 25 Ice-T, 26 Public Enemy

BY HARRIETTE COLE AND ROB TANNENBAUM
WITH ADDITIONAL RESEARCH BY BRAXTON CHEA AND FALLONE MCQUEEN

INFLUENCE AND IMPACT

N.W.A.

• Hip-hop was born in the Bronx, but it has spread far and wide. The next big scene to emerge was on the West Coast—or Straight Outta Compton, as N.W.A. titled their 1988 debut album, referencing the community near Los Angeles.

• ln the ’90s, an East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry emerged. Sadly, it became associated with violence, but for a while, rap fans could boast about who they followed: Tupac (L.A.) or Biggie (New York).

• Atlanta’s hip-hop scene (nicknamed the Dirty South) became so influential that it launched a subgenre called trap, a dominant beat-heavy hip-hop style for over 20 years now. The term was popularized by T.I.’s 2003 album, Trap Muzik.

• Hip-hop is now the world’s music. Famous rappers from other countries and U.S. territories include Drake (Canada), Bad Bunny (Puerto Rico), Central Cee (U.K.), MC Solaar (France), Fedez (Italy) and Salome MC (Iran). Even South Korea’s BTS, one of the hottest acts in the world right now, incorporates much hip-hop into its pop sound.

ON THE ROAD

The Fat Boys

• Today hip-hop acts play to large crowds with regularity. But skepticism greeted the first major rap tour, in 1984. The multicity tour was called the Swatch Watch New York City Fresh Festival, and it featured Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, Whodini, the Fat Boys and Newcleus. Some in the industry thought it would fail, but it grossed $3.5 million. Tour promoter Cedric “Ricky” Walker even got a free dinner, collected on a bet with a ticket manager in Greensboro, North Carolina, who predicted low sales.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

• Getting on the cover of the Rolling Stone is a big deal. There’s even a song about it. In December 1986, Run-DMC became the first rappers to appear on the front of the rock bible, thanks to the success of “Walk This Way,” recorded with Aerosmith.

• The Grammy Awards first recognized rap in 1989, introducing the category of best rap performance, won by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (a.k.a. Will Smith) for the teen anthem “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” In 1991, the award was split into two categories: for rap duo or group and for rap solo performances. The solo winner that year was MC Hammer for “U Can’t Touch This.”

• In 1999, Lauryn Hill became the first hip-hop artist to win the overall album of the year Grammy, for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. That record is number 10 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

• Since it was first awarded in 1943, the Pulitzer Prize for music has been given almost exclusively to classical composers, with a few nods to jazz. Then in 2018, this prestigious award went to rapper Kendrick Lamar for his album Damn. The Pulitzer website described the work as “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity.”

• Although no female rapper has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, one important executive was granted the honor last year: Sylvia Robinson, the original hip-hop mogul. With her husband, Joe, she cofounded Sugar Hill Records. She is credited with assembling the first commercial rap group, the Sugarhill Gang, in 1979. They cracked the top 40 with “Rapper’s Delight.”

MAKING THE CHARTS

Source: Luminate Year-End Music Report, 2022. Includes album sales, digital track sales and on-demand streams.

• What’s the most popular music genre in America? Well, the fact that we’re asking in this feature should give you a clue. R&B/hip-hop achieved this milestone in 2017, then accounting for 24.5 percent of music consumed in the U.S., and eclipsing rock for the first time.

Spotify’s most streamed artists, U.S., 2022:
1. Drake (hip-hop)
2. Taylor Swift (pop)

3. Bad Bunny (reggaeton)
4. Kanye West (hip-hop)
5. The Weeknd (R&B/hip-hop)

Of these three artists, who has the highest certified album sales?

A. Tupac Shakur
B. Bob Dylan
C. Bon Jovi

Answer: A. Tupac registers 36.5 million sold, despite a career cut short by his death at age 25.

• Eminem is in the top 20 in total certified albums sold in the U.S., at 61.5 million. To put that in perspective, you could combine the sales figures of some other popular artists and still not reach that number:

THE LOOK

Run-DMC

• In 1986, sales of Adidas sneakers went through the roof. The reason: the sudden popularity of Run-DMC’s song “My Adidas.” The group later sought a deal with the apparel company. Adidas not only gave them a check for $1 million, but also launched a Run-DMC clothing line.

• Many of today’s fashions originated in hip-hop. As with any popular movement, though, it’s complex. “Hip-hop fashion is more about styling than particular clothes,” says Teri Agins, former fashion journalist for The Wall Street Journal. “It’s not like someone goes to a store and says, ‘Hi, I’m coming to buy hip-hop.’ ”

• How to define the hip-hop look, then? Misa Hylton, stylist to Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci and others, says, “Hip-hop style is rooted in streetwear, over-the-top jewelry and accessories, and also mixing high and low fashion.”

Ultimately, legendary fashion designer DapperDan believes hip-hop fashion grew out of people on the streets wanting to be seen. “We needed to say, ‘I am.’ We needed to represent ourselves and take it to a place where you have to look at us.”

• In an industry that employs rail-thin runway models, baggy clothes weren’t considered desirable. That changed with hip-hop style. Elena Romero, coeditor of Fresh Fly Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style, explains: “Fit was something that was not addressed in terms of wardrobe functionality. We’ve always loved high-end and luxury fashion, but it was never meant for our body shapes, curves and hips and larger derrieres. So there was a need for brands to look at the target customer—Black and brown consumers—differently.”

• You might know Daymond John as one of the investor hosts on the TV series Shark Tank. He got his start in hip-hop fashion, launching FUBU (For Us By Us) with just $40 in start-up money. The founders got clever with marketing in the early days. “We gave 50 big shirts to all the big guys in the neighborhood—like 5X—because we knew they didn’t have a lot of options and would wear them a lot. These guys were the bodyguards in front of the red ropes at clubs. Soon everybody wanted to wear them. Rappers, including LL Cool J, would ask us about the shirts.”

WHEN WE WANTED OUR YO! MTV RAPS

From left: Ed Lover, Doctor Dré and Fab 5 Freddy

FOR MANY YEARS, hip-hop was the sound of New York City. But in the ’80s, it started to become the sound of young America. A big reason for that was Yo! MTV Raps. The show debuted in 1988, airing hip-hop videos and interviews with rappers and showcasing its cool hosts. It quickly became a national hit.

As Yo! MTV Raps expanded from a weekly show hosted by established hip-hop personality Fab 5 Freddy to a daily schedule, new hosts Ed Lover and Doctor Dré (not the N.W.A. member) were brought on. Their comedic chemistry made for appointment viewing.

And because by this time MTV operated networks internationally, Yo! became “the catalyst to spread the gospel of hip-hop around the globe,” says Lover, now 60. “I feel a sense of pride from that.”

Yo! ran through 1995, and the hosts still marvel at the musical and cultural revolution they were part of. “The music survives and continues to renew itself, and people still put new twists on it,” says Freddy, now 63. “It still has a fresh energy and life, and it’s still throbbing on. It looks like there could be another 50 years to come.” —R.T.

HIP-HOP IS SPORT

Among the competitors at next year’s Summer Olympics in Paris: B-boys and B-girls. That’s the terminology for break-dancers, who have elevated the art form into a sport called breaking.

Athletes Take the Mic
Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, four albums, 1993–98

Basketball star Damian Lillard, four albums, 2016–21

Football and baseball star (now football coach) Deion Sanders, two albums, 1994 and 2005

Notable hip-hop halftimes at the Super Bowl
1998: Queen Latifah performed as part of a Motown-themed show.
2011: Black Eyed Peas headlined the show.
2022: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar performed in the first all-hip-hop halftime.

TV STARS

Cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

•Soul Train embraced rap early on—sort of. Kurtis Blow performed “The Breaks” in 1980. But legendary host Don Cornelius—whose soundstage had been graced by the likes of James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Patti LaBelle—was unsure where this was headed. Rapping, he said, “doesn’t make sense to old guys like me.”

• In 1989, Arsenio Hall became the first Black late-night talk host. Rap artists weren’t going to find much opportunity to appear on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, but they were welcomed on Arsenio, most notably the host’s friend MC Hammer.

• Hammer also got his own TV show—in animated form. With a bubbly personality and impressive dance moves, Hammer made “U Can’t Touch This” a top 10 single, and Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ’Em became one of the best-selling rap albums in history. In 1991, ABC made him into a Saturday-morning cartoon superhero in Hammerman, which preached good values to kids.

• Will Smith started his career as the Fresh Prince, a teen rapper in Philadelphia. He and his musical partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff, went on to record five albums that all were certified platinum or gold. But where Smith made huge pop-culture strides was with his star turn as an actor on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran for six seasons on NBC in the ’90s. (He even rapped that catchy theme song.)

• In 1990, Fox debuted the sketch comedy show In Living Color, which featured the Fly Girls. Among the hip-hop dance crew’s ranks was a young Jennifer Lopez.

A SAMPLING OF SAMPLES

• It may not look like much, but this device, part of the Fairlight Computer Music Instrument, changed music as the first commercial sampler widely found in top recording studios. It could store and play bits of other songs, and sampling became a foundation of early hip-hop. The CMI’s price tag in 1979: $25,000.

Some famous songs famously sampled

• Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” > A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It”

• The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” > Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” (featuring Faith Evans)

• Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” > Public Enemy’s “He Got Game”

• Rick James’ “Super Freak” > MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”

AT THE MOVIES

Boyz n the Hood

• One of the earliest examples of hip-hop Hollywood was in 1983’s Flashdance. Jennifer Beals sees break-dancers spinning and moonwalking on the sidewalk and incorporates some similar moves into her own routine.

• Two of the most revered hip-hop movies were released in 1983, before the movement had gone mainstream. Wild Style was a feature about a graffiti artist. Style Wars was a documentary about graffiti artists that featured rappers, DJs and break-dancers.

• One of the worst rappers of all time is a fictional character. In the 1998 satirical film Bulworth, Warren Beatty plays a weary Sen. Jay Billington Bulworth, who starts rapping at his campaign event: “Only socialized medicine will ever save the day!” Beatty makes no attempt to rap well, which adds to the movie’s strange appeal. During Barack Obama’s second term as president, he told aides he dreamed of “going Bulworth.”

• A watershed moment for hip-hop Hollywood was John Singleton’s best director Oscar nomination for 1991’s Boyz n the Hood. Among its stars: Ice Cube (who also contributed his song “How to Survive in South Central” to the soundtrack).

•8 Mile (2002) might be the rap Rocky. It’s a blue-collar underdog story with rap battles that feel like prizefights. This was not just a movie that incorporated hip-hop; it was hip-hop. Eminem received critical praise for his work on the big screen. “Lose Yourself” won the Academy Award for best original song and has become an anthem.

FROM ONE STAGE TO ANOTHER

• In the category of old meets new, the Broadway show Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk (1996) featured tap dancer Savion Glover, who translated that classic dance form into hip-hop by creating a pounding step called hitting. The show won four Tony Awards, including best choreographer for Glover.

• One of Broadway’s biggest hits is a hip-hop musical—almost all the dialogue is rapped—about … the Founding Fathers. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, which debuted in 2015, is a reimagining of the life of Alexander Hamilton and also features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the notorious Aaron Burr, all portrayed by actors of color. It earned a record 16 Tony nominations, winning 11 of the awards, including best musical. It also received the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2016. It’s still running on Broadway, and touring productions stop at theaters across the country and around the world.

THE POWER OF HIP-HOP

We asked New York Mayor Eric Adams, 62, to talk about how the music has impacted him, his city and our culture

I USED TO WAKE up to “Fight the Power.” That was my inspiration. Other folks get motivation from a speaker like Tony Robbins, if you could afford to go to his seminar. But my seminar was popping in that Public Enemy CD. When we were going through stress, we didn’t have the money to go to a psychologist; we found our therapy in someone using this genre to define what we were going through.

Hip-hop was the movement of that day, a force that inspired us, just as during the ’70s, you would hear Marvin Gaye singing “What’s Going On.” You look at some of the stuff that Ice Cube and N.W.A. did—they were speaking to what we were facing. Hip-hop let us know that things were possible.

But now I want to see hip-hop do more around gun violence, do more around mental health and education, because there is a message in the music. The music is powerful, and we can shape how people respond to things. —As told to Harriette Cole

Credits, from top: Photo collage: Getty Images (27); building and N.W.A.: Getty Images; T.I. album: T.I. via Amazon/AARP; BTS and Fat Boys: Getty Images; Rolling Stone: Courtesy retrorecyclegirl; MC Hammer: Susan Ragan/AP Images; Hill: Getty Images; Lamar: Bebeto Matthews/AP Images; Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, N.W.A. and Shakur: Getty Images; Notorious B.I.G.: Mark Lennihan/AP Photo; LL Cool J, Jay-Z and Eminem: Getty Images; Bad Bunny, Shakur, Dylan, Bon Jovi, Eminem plus five minis: Getty Images; Run-DMC and Phat Pharm: Getty Images; Billionaire Boys Club: Shutterstock; Sean John: Getty Images; Lover and Doctor Dré: Everett Collection; Fab 5 Freddy: Getty Images; break-dancer: Andres Kudacki/AP Images; O’Neal, Lillard, Sanders, hip-hop halftime and Fresh Prince cast: Getty Images; Hall: Getty Images; Hammerman: Everett Collection; Ice-T and LL Cool J: Everett Collection; Queen Latifah: Getty Images; CMI and four album covers: Alamy; Boyz n the Hood: Alamy; Wild Style and 8 Mile: Everett Collection; Queen Latifah: Shutterstock; Noise/Funk: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Hamilton: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times; Eric B., Adams and Elliott: Getty Images