1970-1973Bronx, New York City, United States

Hip-Hop/Rap

Also known as hip hop, hip-hop

A broad, mainstream umbrella for rap-centered music that began in the Bronx and quickly grew into a global culture. The earliest history is well documented, though the label covers a huge range of sounds and eras.

Origins and context

Bronx, New York City, United States

The sound

Characteristics

Rapping
DJ turntables
Samples
Drum machines
Breakbeats
Scratching

How to listen

Start here

Start with early records that show the shift from party energy to recording-studio craft.

History

Most documented histories place hip-hop’s emergence in the Bronx, New York City, in the early 1970s, with August 11, 1973 often cited as a landmark party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue hosted by DJ Kool Herc’s sister, Cindy Campbell. Smithsonian and HISTORY sources describe the Bronx scene as a meeting point for DJing, MCing, breakdancing, and graffiti, shaped by local community life and the wider cultural conditions of the borough. Recorded rap began reaching a wider audience at the end of the 1970s, and early releases by the Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash helped move the style from parties and local dances into the pop and R&B charts. By the 1980s, artists like Run-D.M.C. and Public Enemy pushed the genre toward louder drums, sharper identity, and a bigger public voice, helping hip-hop spread far beyond its New York roots.