The history of hip-hop has its roots in the “black” ghettos of New York. At that time the word “hip-hop” didn’t exist yet. It was invented by DJ Africa Bambaataa, when this culture was widespread enough and needed a common name.
And it all started when an unknown guy from Jamaica named Kool Herc moved to the Bronx. He brought with him the tradition of Kingston street dancing. He’d put on reggae minuses, and the guys would make up recitatives as they went along.
The youth quickly loved this musical direction. It wasn’t just its novelty, but also the sense of independence and boundless freedom that this music provided.
Soon the era of cheap underground parties began in the New York ghettos. African and Puerto Rican teenagers crowded into abandoned houses and basements where such parties were held. By the way, it was Kool Herc who first started using turntables. Young people elevated him to the rank of a celestial and began to call him MC (“master of ceremonies”).
Inextricably linked to the history of hip-hop and its own special dance – break dance. This acrobatic body-movement style is of Latin American origin. Another integral part of hip-hop culture is graffiti. It all started in the 70’s of last century, when a sixteen-year-old Negro boy Demetrives began to paint the walls in New York City’s Downtown and put on the drawings of his tag “Taki 183”. Soon, other young people got the same idea. Initially markers were used for drawing on walls, then spray-paint cans were used. The use of brushes was strictly forbidden.
Then hip-hop culture developed rapidly and restless youth became a real problem for the law-enforcement agencies. They threw parties in different places, sprayed graffiti on train carriages and acted provocatively. All this happened against a background of growing discord between the western and eastern parts of the city, whose representatives staged bloody showdowns. In one of such skirmishes, the youth idol, rapper and movie actor Tupac Shakur, was killed. At present, it’s too early to talk about a reconciliation between the warring parties, but the situation has more or less normalized.
If you like modern music and would like to not just listen to it, but also learn how to perform – come to the music school Jam’s cool. The school specializes in non-academic styles of music, such as jazz, funk, rock, soul and others. Here you can learn to play different instruments, develop your sense of rhythm and hearing, acquire vocal skills and the ability to perform in musical groups.