1969
James Brown records "Say It Loud -- I'm Black and Proud!" together with "Funky Drummer" , who later becomes the most-sampled track in hip-hop history. James Brown release his ‘’The Good Foot’’ and starts the trend of dancefloor dancing. Later the dance was named ‘’The Good Foot’’, and there were at that time some battle in this style. That’s how the dance developmented with more and more skills and ended in Breaking.
Don Campbell creates the ‘’Campbellock’’, a robotic and wild dance style. Turned later into ‘’Locking’’.
Kool DJ Herc invents the word B Boy, for the kids who used to dance in the breaks. (Break Boy).
1970
The Last Poets, today known as the pioneers of hip-hop, record their self-named LP , using a mixture of spoken word and jazz drumming and instrumentations. They used poems on intrumentals, like Rappers do today.
1971
The New York Times have an article on Taki 183. One of the first known tags. He was a 17 year old teenager putting his name werever he went to get fame. They even named an award after him. Spin got the first ‘’Taki award’’ in 1973.
One of the first Graffiti crews was started, ‘’The EX Vandals’’.
Flint 707 started doing Top To Bottoms.
1972
Soul Train start broadcoasting.
Tracy 158, Futura 2000 and Ali starts the Graffiti crew ‘’The Soul Artists’’.
The college student Hugo Martinez starts up the organisation ‘’United Graffiti Artists’’ with goals to make fame to the writers.
Super Kool 223, makes the very first piece. (A big throw up with colors)
The first Whole - Cars showed up.
1973
Jamaican group The Incredible Bongo Band records its cover version of "Apache," one of the most used B Boy track of all time, based on the breaks from the 1961 instrumental with the same name by Jorgen Ingmann. Or, The Shadows had their version in 1960, so I really don't know who were first. Because on Shadows track it's signed J. Ingmann. Maybe he was a member of the Shadows ?
Lightnin' Rod of the Last Poets releases Hustler's Convention later remaked by Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Fourius Five.
New York Magazine, gave ‘’Taki Awards’’ for best Graffiti pieces. Spin wins for best Grand Design.
Cool DJ Herc plays his first gig at his sisters birthday. He enjoyed doing this and just kept on.
Riff makes the first Top-To-Bottom piece on a train.
Flint 707 makes the first Top-To- Bottom-Whole-Car, who coverded the whole car.
The first show with pieces was at the Razor Gallery in SoHo.
January 1973 Roberta Flash goes number one with her 'Killing him softly with his song'. The song that would take the Fugees right to the top in 1996.
The basic of reggae as we know it today was made by drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespear (Today known as Sly & Robbie).
A young student at Adlai E. Stevenson High School named Afrika Bambaataa founded a organisation named The Universal Zulu Nation.
1974
Jamaican reggae, with its ‘toasting' starts to establishes itself in the New York area.
DJ Kool Herc starts his legendary mobile systems, and gets his credit for one of the inventors of Hip Hop as the very first Hip Hop DJ.
Michael Jackson do the Robot dance in Jackson Five's ''Dancing Machine''.
1975
Hevalo, a club in Bronx host theJamaician DJ Kool DJ Herc who talked to the crowd while he repeatedly played a sequence in the song over and over. (Today known as a backspin with the break) This is his first real job on Hevalo in Bronx.
The first ‘’Top to bottom whole car’’ was painted by Hondo.
1976
The first 3-D pieces showes up. King 2 was one of the first.
Two whole-cars get painted by the Fabulous Five and Caine I.
DJ Afrika Bambaataa plays at his first gig on The Bronx River Community Center, and the public named him ‘’ Master Of Records’’ because of his skillz in changing (mixing) different music.
Grandmaster Flash opens ‘’The Black Door’’ with Ray Chandler in Boston Road.
The Universal Zulu Nation were founded in 73. But it wasn't well known intil 1976. Afrika Bambaata took DJ, B Boy, Graffiti and Rap and put them all under the same roof. Zulu Nation had a homebase in the southeast of Bronx in New York. There was a place called The Bronx River. They had their base there for 16 years. They then moved in to Ney York City. It is the biggest Hip Hop organisation world wide. Today they got chapthers all over the world. The members comes from all kinds of cultures, countries, races and religions. Zulu Nation stands for Peace, Unity, Love, and having fun.
1977
German Kraftwerk releases "Trans-Europe Express," a trancelike synth anthem that rules the club scene and becomes the primary source for Electro-Funk artists like Bamabaataa, Planet Patrol, Jonzun Crew, and Newcleus.
The beginning of street parties featuring not only dance music but DJ's who did some rapping or had a rapper at his side doing some rhymes over his breaks. Pioneers Grandmaster Flash and Kool DJ Herc among others was the first DJ’s to do this.
Grandmaster Flash invents the ‘’Backspin’’ for the very first time, so he could repeat the breaks again and again. He named it 'The Cutting'
Grand Wizard Theodore took the steps of scratching and brougth it further from the way that Flash used to do it..In that way, we may say that they both invented the scratching. With two different styles.
Kool DJ Herc get stabbed down with a knife outside one of his parties and almost dies.
1978
Disco Fever, a club in The Bronx started as a regular Hip Hop club. And are today known as the first club to play only Rap.
The Roland 808 was invented and got to be the most used ‘Electro’ drum machine.
The Rappers were beginning to take over the scene, and the DJ’s was now put back.
Kurtis Blow had Grandmaster Flash as his DJ for about five-months.
1979
"Good Times" by Chic goes to No. 1 on the pop chart, and becomes a provide bass line for "Rapper's Delight," by The Sugar Hill Gang. "Rapper's Delight" is the first Hip Hop single released on the Sugar Hill label, formed in New Jersey by former R&B singer Sylvia Robinson. It was the first hip hop single to go Top 40. "Rapper's Delight," was the first commercial rap record to be world known.
The Fatback Band hear this demo from a DJ named King Tim III, and think it is so good that they askes him to join them in studio. He Raps over a Roy Ayers instrumental and they released the song as the first ever Rap tune on plastic. Later that same year Sugarhill Gang released their 'Rappers Delight'. The song is also to be found on The Fatback Band's album Fatback XII.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five release "Superrappin" on the Enjoy label.
Tanya "Sweet Tee" Winley releases "Vicious Rap," is the first known Hip Hop female vocalist to release on vinyl.(On her dad's label, Paul Winley Records.)
Zulu Nation, founded by seminal DJ Afrika Bambaataa on the principles of peace, unity, love, and having fun,celebrates its fifth anniversary.
Kurtis Blow releases 12’’ ‘Christmas Rapping’ and it goes gold.
Rock Steady Crew take Breakdance to a new level with more acrobatics. Before, it was more into footwork.
The MTA invents ‘’Buffen’’ a washer machine who cleaned the trains for Graffiti. It was very effectice, so effective that the trains started rusting, and made more damage to the trains than good work.
Graffiti painter Lee has his first exhibition in Italy.
DJ Steve Dahl fom Chicago was so tired of all the Disco music that he took thousands of Disco records and blow them up at a antidisco party attended by a largely white crowd.
And the track ''Good times'' by Chic becomes the last Disco track to become a hit.
1980
Members of the High Times Crew are arrested for breakdancing at a Washington Heights subway.
New York Post claims, they were the first ones to take a breakdance picture.
"Mr. Magic's Rap Attack" begins its run on WHBI from 2 to 5 a.m. Saturday nights. Mr. Magic starts his today well know Saturday night Rap show on WHBI. It was named ‘Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack’, and had it’s tame from 2 to 5 a.m. (He is also a well known producer and made a track for the group Whodini named after his radio show.)
The girl group Sequence climbs at the charts, and making it possible for other female rappers in to showbiz.
Kurtis Blow release his first album, and became the first Hip Hop album on a major laber. (Mercury) From this album he released the two 12’’ ‘The Breaks’ and ‘Christmas Rappin’. They both went gold and became the 2nd & 3rd 12’’ in the world to become gold. Later that year Kurtis Blow preforme at Madison Square Garden with Bob Marley and the Commodores.
The Funky Four + 1 More plays at the Mudd Club, and then get some white audience.
1981
Grandmaster Flash release "Adventures on the Wheels of Steel" and I think it is the the very first record with live DJ skillz. With this record he made the way for scratching DJ’s. It may be the first live scratched record.
Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp from the west coast releases "Giggolo Rap" (Rappers Rapp) as the first west coast rap on vinyl.
The Funky Four + 1 More plays live on Saturday Night Live as the first Hip Hop group to do that.
The first national TV story on Hip Hop, on ABC named ‘Rappin to the beat’.
Ed Koch who was the mayor of New York City declaims war on Graffiti. And makes a budget on total $22.4 million to build double fences with razor edge on 18 subway yards. Plus they had dogs patrolling between the double fences. But this did not stop the Writers, as it became harder and a goal to make a train.
Tommy Boy Records is founded in New York City by Tom Silverman and then become one of Hip Hop’s biggest labels.
The 'Beat Box ' is invented. A new drummachine with a snapping drum, and a new style is born with RUN-D.M.C.,Steady B, LL Cool J , Dana Dane and so on.
The most productive year of Graffiti. With a lot of 'Whole Cars'.
Knock makes the 'Style Wars ' piece.
Punk group The Clash went on tour in Europe and US with Futura 2000 painting live on stage on every consert. He also made the cover for their next album, Combat Rock. They also recorded a single together, «Escapades of Futura 2000''.
Rock Steady Crew is shown on ABC news in a performance they did at Lincoln Center.
1982
Grandmaster Flash releases "The Message," that may be the first ‘gangta’ Rap on the charts.
Afrika Bambaataa and the Sould Sonic Force releases "Planet Rock," a electric funk version of Kraftwerk’s ‘Trans Europe Express’. (The first version was ‘Play it at your own risk’ with Planet Patrol, but it got so cool that they made two songs insted of one) The video was the first one with real special efx. It went gold four months later. Advanced for its time, it also deeply influences what will would become the bass/electro music style of hip hop.
The Hip Hop movie Wild Style has cinema release. It is the first feature film about hip hop culture, and officially opened in 1983. With the movie there were a'Wild Style' tour withpeople like, Dondi, Futura, Fab 5 Freddy, Cold Crush Brothers, Busy Bee and Rock Steady Crew. The New York City Rap tour-featuring MCs, DJs, dancers, and graffiti artists-travels to London and Paris. This is the first international tour featuring hip hop culture.
Mayor Koch get dissed by Spin on a train writing ‘’Dump Koch’’
Michael Jackson does his famous Moonwalk on live television.
Roxy who was a Rollerskate disco, reopened and become one of the hottest Hip Hop clubs.The battle between Rock Steady Crew and The New York City Breakers were captured in the film 'Beat Street' at this club.
Dynamic Rockers battle against Rock Steady Crew get captured in the film/documentary 'Style Wars' about Graffiti..
1983
Herbie Hancock release "Rockit," with live scratching by Grandmixer D.ST.
Run D.M.C. release "Sucker MC's" and changes the styles of Rap forever. Hitting harder with a looped drumbeat and a guitar riff on it.
Afrika Bambaataa release "Looking for the Perfect Beat" The first digitaly sampled song.
Michael Stewart, 25, was beaten in a arrest for writing Graffiti, and dies in the hospital. This was the first incident of police brutality.
Red Alert starts his Hip Hop show on WRKS New York 98.7 FM. And he played both Dancehall and Hip Hop, and made the link between the two styles.
Fearless Four became the first Rap group to be signed on a major label, Elektra.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five splits up.
Technics introduced the SL-1200MKII turtable, which later would become the DJ standard.
Flashdance has cinema release and The Rock Steady Crew appearance in the movie. Crazy Legs substitute for Jennifer Beals on a backspin in the movie
Kurtis Blow discover 3 bad Rappers from Brooklyn named The Disco Three, later known as Fat Boys.
Malcolm McLaren releases the first music video with Breakdance with RSC, live Graffiti and Scratching in the song ''Buffalo Gals''.
Dr. Dre, already a veteran DJ at parties throughout Compton and South Central L.A., begins to DJ at clubs he is too young to enter as a patron, including the legendary Eve After Dark, and put together Saturday night mixes for the legendary rap station KDAY.
The last big hit from Sugarhill Records, ''White lines'' by Grandmaster Melle Mel is released.
Tommy Boy's first ever Electro LP, Jonzun Crew with "Lost in space".
George Clinton releases 'Computer Games' as one of the very first Electro tracks??
1984
Afrika Bambaataa is sick of all gang violence and gather together all the Hip Hop's and til one unity and found the Universal Zulu Nation.
The first big national money making Rap tour. With The Fat Boys, Newcleus, Whodini, Kurtis Blow, New York Dynamic Breakers and Run-D.M.C. It was named ‘The 1984 Swatch Watch New York City Fresh Fest tour’. The tour earned $3.5 million Dollars. The Fat Boys later signed a deal with Swatch.
The first rap-only radio station starts in L.A on KDAY.
Def Jam records was founded by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. They use $700 to release L L Cool J’s ‘I need a beat’ and sold more than 100.000 copies. At that time L L was only 16 year old, and made a good start for the Def Jam label.
Style Wars, the Graffiti documentary by Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver (known as the film version of the book Subway Art) is broadcast on PBS.
The first Hip Hop TV show with videos, by Ralph McDaniels and Lionel ‘Vid Kid’ Martin named Video Music Box on WNYC New York.
'Graffiti Rock', a documentary on Graffiti has premier on WPIX TV.
The first Hip Hop album to go gold, RUN-D.M.C’s - ‘RUN-D.M.C.’
The famous Graffiti book Subway Art is published. It was written by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant. All photos was also taken by them. The book still aviable in your local bookstore. Just order it, number is: ISBN 0-500-27320-0.
Beat Street, the movie hits the screens.
Hip Hop History, the TV-documentary were released.
The World Class Wreckin Cru release their first single, ‘’Surgery’’
Hip Hop goes world wide fast as AIDS.
At the closing ceremonies of the Los Angeles Olympic Summer Games did over 100 B Boys and B Girls take part, and Orko of RSC take 8(eight) rounds in a 1990.
Big Daddy Kane meets Biz Markie in Brooklyn, and trough him Marley Marl. Then his carriečr started.
Graffiti painter Lee makes his last whole car and goes on with canvas.
Breakin' and Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo, with Shabba Doo and Poppin Taco was based on the real scene at the LA nightclub Radio, Later Radiotron with Rapper MC Ice T are released.
At the age of 14 Roxanne Shantč hits the scene. She is well known as one of the the best female Rappers throughout the history. Her image were to battle everybody, and she did that very well too.
Grandmaster Melle Mel makes the Rap ''Jesse'' to support Operation PUSH leader Jesse Jackson's maverick Presidential bid.
Keith LeBlanc releases the single ''No sell out'' with the samples of Malcolm X.
The South Bronx Community Action Theater was a place offered a creative focus to kids from the surrounding community's chaos.
1985
''The Bridge'' war starts. BDP’s KRS One started dissing The Juice Crew in ‘South Bronx’ for claiming that Hip Hop started in Queens Bridge, and history says it started in Bronx. As a respond, MC Shan releases ‘Kill that noise’, dissing BDP with a new respond from BDP making ‘The Bridge is Over’. And the story goes on as one of the longest payback battles in Hip Hop history. (From 1985 - 87)
RUN-D.M.C make Rap's first platinum album ,’King of Rock.’
The Rap movie Krush Groove hit the screens. It contains the history of RUN-D.M.C., Kurtis Blow, Fat Boys, Beastie Boys, L L Cool J and so on. It was the first Rap movie ever.
The video Electro Rock is released and shows us the UK Hip Hop scene.
The West Coast showes us Pop `n Lockin in ‘’Breakin’ and Enterin’’
L L Cool J releases his first album ‘’Radio’’ on Def Jam Records.
Rappin' with Mario Van Pebbles has cinema release.
Doug E Fresh releses ''The Show/La Di Da Di'' and becomes the most selling Rap 12" this year.
Schooly D's passion for Gucci and Fila made the companies sell for $ 7 Millions that year.
1986
Run-D.M.C. makes a Rap version of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," and takes Hip Hop into the pop charts. RUN-D.M.C make Rap’s first multiplatinum album ,Raising Hell. RUN-D.M.C. helds a consert in Philadelphia performing 'My Adidas' for a 20,000 people and told the people to hold their Adidas in the air. Their manager filmed this and sends it to the German firm. They like what they se, so they manufactures 3 new models after RUN-D.M.C.'s favorite Cadillac models. Eldorado, Brougham and Fleetwood. RUN-D.M.C. are the first Hip Hop artists to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone.
KRS One and Scott LaRock releases the album ‘Criminal Minded’ as Boogie Down Production and makes history as one of the best Hip Hop album ever.
Kurtis Blow do a commercial for Sprite.
N.W.A. is formed. (Dr. Dre & Yella from Worl Class Wreckin Cru , Ice Cube from the CIA Posse, MC Ren and Eazy E)
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince hooks up at a block party, and later that same year released their first single ''Girls ain't nothing but trouble'' who went top ten in England.
The group Leaders Of The New School get formed.
KRS One battles Melle Mel in the street outside the Latin Quarter for $100. (Anyone knows who won ??)
Hashim, the man behind the B Boy classic "Al Nafiysh" makes the anthem for UK Fresh this year.
1987
DJ Scott LaRock of the Boogie Down Production gets shot in his head in South Bronx while trying to stop a gangfight.; KRS-One desides to carry on with the BDP crew.
LL Cool J becomes the first Rap artist to hit #1 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart with ‘’I need love’’.
'Disorderlies', a film comedy with The Fat Boys is released.
Beastie Boys becomes the first Rap group to be no.1 on the pop chart with their,'Licensed to ill'.
Breakdance 'dies', and Rap is taking over
Schoolly D's album "The adventures of.." were the first Hip Hop album to be pressed on CD.
Story says that Humpty Hump (Digital Underground) sustained severe burns in a freak kitchen accident. And insted of being a shamed, he humorously incorporated it into his image.
1988
The founders of Def Jam, Russel Simmons and Rick Rubin splits up.
Niggas Without Attitude release ‘Straight outta Compton’ and goes gold. And then making the term, ‘Gangsta Rap’. Dr. Dre produces JJ Fad and Eazy E. JJ goes platinum and Eazy sell two million and then set the first modern hardcore ‘gangsta’ Rap album.
Movies like Colors, I'm gonna Git you sucka and Tougher Than Leather has cinema release.
The first Grammy award for Best Rap goes to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
Queen Latifah make her debut with the single, 'Wrath Of My Madness' on Tommy Boy.
Yo! MTV Raps premieres on MTV, with Fab Five Freddy as host.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince releases the first Hip Hop Double album, ''He's the DJ I'm the Rapper'' who sold 2.5 millions. They get the first Rap Grammy for the single''Parents just don't understand''.
Both UK based Hip Hop Connection and The Source released their first issues.
Public Enemy's Flavor Flav did some beatboxing while presidential candidate Jesse Jackson was rapping at the Appollo Theatre. Other performers was EPMD, Whistle, Stetsasonic, Public Enemy, Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Eric B & Rakim, Run DMC and LL Cool J. (Would be real nice to have a copy of that !!)
English MC Lyte disses Antionette and Herbie Luvbug for beat biting on her album "Lyte as a rock".
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five are back in effect, after a long break. They then release the album 'On The Strenght'.
1989
Queen Latifah makes way for the female Rappers with her debut album, ''All Hail the Queen'' on Tommy Boy Records.
Ice Cube goes solo.
Spike Lee film 'Do The Right Thing' hits the screens.
Rapper Cowboy of The Furious Five dies in Queens.
Salt N Pepa's 'Push It' goes platunum.
Slick Rick releases his first solo album, 'The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick'.
A talented performer, a grad student in economics at USC, interrupted his education to produce and performe his debut album. It went double platinum, and the artist was Young MC.
De La Soul releases their debut album ''Three Feet High and Rising''.
1990
The leader of 2 Live Crew, Luther Campbell gets arrested cause of the lyrics on ‘As Nasty as they Wanna Be’ .
Jamaican Dancehall music comes through hip-hop including Shabba Ranks, Patra, Tiger, Daddy Nitro, Daddy Freddy, Nardo Ranks, Snagga Puss, and Buju Banton.
German Battle Of The Year takes place for the first time, and get bigger for every year.
Slick Rick shoots two men who tries to rob him and then wrecks his car getting away from the cops. But get bailed out on $800,000 by Def Jam.
The TV-comedy show, 'Fresh Prince In Bel Air' starts up and makes the actor carriečr for Fresh Prince.
Mr. Wiggles puts together a new group with Fable, Loc A Tron, Mr. Twister and some others and call themselves 'Rhythm Tecnicians'. Mr. Wiggles dance at the American Music Award.
Rapper D-Nice releases his debut album ''Call me D-Nice''.