1970s New York was characterized by two things: disco music and crime. However, 16-year-old Brox resident, Clive Campbell, was not a fan of either. He spent most of his timing spinning funk records at home, learning to mix one song into another utilizing two turntables and a mixer. So when he played music for other people, the party never stopped because the songs truly never stopped.
Neighbors and friends began to call him “Hercules” because he was always stocked up on records and mixes, influencing his future stage name, DJ Kool Herc. To be quite honest, Herc’s trick was one of the greatest musical innovations of the twentieth century, making New York the true birthplace of hip-hop culture. Thank you Kool Herc!
Take a moment and listen to get a better feel of what DJ Kool Herc did for hip-hop history: