DJ Kool Herc
DJ Kool Herc is a Jamaican-American DJ credited as a founding figure of hip-hop.
At parties in the Bronx in the early 1970s, he pioneered the breakbeat technique—isolating and extending the percussive breaks of funk and soul records to keep dancers moving.
His innovations laid the groundwork for hip-hop DJing, MCing, and breakdancing.
Born Clive Campbell, his nickname combined "Kool" with "Hercules," a reference to his imposing physique.
- breakbeatSampled percussive rhythm pattern
- turntablesRecord-playing devices
- BronxNYC's northernmost borough
- South BronxNorthern NYC district
- hip-hopRhythmic spoken-word music
block party · party people · MC · b-boy · graffiti · boogie down · crates · vinyl · merry-go-round · Jamaica · sound system · scratching · mixer · funk · soul · breaks · pioneering · old school
- Music PioneersElvis Presley, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan
- Rap PioneersGrandmaster Flash, Run-DMC
- BronxSouth Bronx, Yankee Stadium, Bronx Zoo, Riverdale, Belmont
musical innovation role
DJ Kool HercBill O'Reilly
cultural stance toward street/urban art forms
DJ Kool Hercelevator music
Inoffensive ambient background audio