Hip-Hop History: How teenagers invented rap music

Summary

Forever Ago® – Episode: "Hip-Hop History: How Teenagers Invented Rap Music"

Release Date: December 11, 2024

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Introduction

In this captivating episode of Forever Ago®, hosted by Joy Dolo and co-hosted by Savion, listeners are taken on an enlightening journey through the origins of rap music. The episode delves into how a group of innovative teenagers in the Bronx, New York, transformed the musical landscape, giving birth to a genre that would eventually become a global phenomenon. By weaving together historical anecdotes, personal stories, and insightful discussions, Joy and Savion illuminate the creative spark and community spirit that fueled the inception of rap.

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The Genesis of Rap: A Pivotal Party in the Bronx

Setting the Scene: The 1970s Bronx

The episode opens by painting a vivid picture of the Bronx in the early 1970s—a time marked by economic struggle, high unemployment rates, and declining public services. Despite these challenges, the youth of the Bronx found ways to express themselves creatively and forge a sense of community.

Savion ([05:38]): "Our first story starts in August 1973."

Cindy Campbell’s Initiative

At the heart of this story is Cindy Campbell, a 15-year-old who sought to raise funds for new school clothes following the wear and tear of the previous academic year. Instead of taking the conventional route of relying on charity or financial aid, Cindy decided to organize a party—a decision that would unknowingly set the stage for a musical revolution.

Savion ([11:14]): "Cindy Campbell threw the party to raise money for new school clothes."

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DJ Kool Herc and the Birth of a New Sound

Introducing DJ Kool Herc

Cindy enlisted the help of her older brother, Clive, known as DJ Kool Herc, an 18-year-old DJ passionate about reggae and funk music. Herc brought his collection of records, turntables, and speaker system to the party, along with a mirror disco ball to enhance the festive atmosphere.

Joy Dolo ([07:35]): "DJ Kool Herc had a lot of records. He grew up in Jamaica and loved reggae music, but he also liked other kinds of music, like funk."

The Merry Go Round Technique

Observing that the crowd particularly enjoyed the instrumental breaks—moments in songs where the music would pause, allowing dancers to showcase their moves—Herc devised the "Merry Go Round" technique. By alternating between two turntables playing these breakdowns, he created an endless loop that kept the energy high and the dance floor buzzing.

Savion ([09:31]): "He called this technique the Merry go Round."

Joy Dolo ([09:37]): "He bounced back and forth between records, creating an endless loop of breakdowns."

Breakdancing Emerges

The continuous loop of breakbeats inspired a new style of dance known as breakdancing or breaking. This dance form incorporated moves akin to gymnastics and martial arts, including handstands and head spins, further elevating the party's dynamic atmosphere.

Savion ([10:00]): "People at the party went wild for this. Some of them even started breakdancing."

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The First Rappers: DJs and the Birth of Rhyming Over Beats

From DJing to Rapping

As the party thrived, Herc began interacting more with the crowd, using a microphone to call out names and rhythms. His friend, DJ Cochlarock, took this a step further by adding improvised rhymes over Herc's looping beats, effectively rapping for the first time in this context.

Savion ([10:45]): "DJ Cochle Rock was rapping."

Joy Dolo ([10:52]): "The party was unforgettable."

Historical Significance

Music historians recognize this event as the seminal moment when rhyming vocals and rhythmic beats coalesced into what we now know as rap music. This fusion was not only innovative but also a form of artistic expression born out of necessity and creativity in a challenging environment.

Joy Dolo ([10:55]): "And for many music historians, that legendary party on August 11, 1973, marks the beginning of beats and rhyming, coming together in a way no one had heard before."

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Spreading the Rhythms: From the Bronx to the World

Continued Innovation and Community Impact

Following the success of the initial party, DJ Kool Herc continued to host more events across the Bronx, often in community centers, parks, and even on the streets using portable power sources. His Merry Go Round technique became a staple at these gatherings, inspiring other young DJs and artists to experiment with the new sound.

Savion ([17:53]): "Herc's DJing inspired a lot of other young people in his neighborhood."

Rapper's Delight: Breaking into the Mainstream

The true breakthrough for rap music came with Sylvia Robinson, a record producer from New Jersey. In 1979, seeking to revitalize her struggling label, Sugar Hill Records, Robinson attended a niece's birthday party where she witnessed rapping firsthand. Recognizing its potential, she assembled Big Bank Hank, Master G, and Wonder Mike to form the Sugar Hill Gang.

Savion ([19:23]): "But that was just one party. How did rap go from the Bronx to a worldwide obsession? Well, there's one song that put rap music on the map."

The group recorded "Rapper's Delight," which ingeniously sampled Chicago's "Good Times." The track became the first rap song to achieve mainstream success, breaking into Billboard's Top 40 and selling over 14 million copies.

Savion ([22:24]): "Rapper's Delight brought rap music from parties and parks in New York to radio stations across the world."

Impact on the Music Industry

"Rapper's Delight" not only introduced rap to a broader audience but also paved the way for future hip-hop artists and the genre's integration into mainstream music. The song's success demonstrated the commercial viability of rap, leading to increased investment and interest from record labels.

Joy Dolo ([21:02]): "The song was so successful, Sylvia started signing more rap artists like the group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five."

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Legacy and Evolution of Rap Music

A Collage of Influences

Rap music's evolution is likened to a collage, blending elements from various musical genres and artistic expressions. From its roots in reggae and funk to influences from jazz, spoken word poetry, and electronic music, rap has continually adapted and grown.

Savion ([23:14]): "That’s thanks to so many artists and visionaries over the decades."

Joy Dolo ([22:56]): "And then you add even more layers when you start rapping. You know, it really reminds me of when you make a collage."

Enduring Impact

The episode emphasizes that rap music's enduring legacy is a testament to the creativity and resilience of its pioneers. By repurposing existing musical elements and infusing them with their unique voices, these young artists not only created a new genre but also provided a powerful means of expression for future generations.

Savion ([22:45]): "Right? Just like how DJ Kool Herc created a new sound just using the records he had around."

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Conclusion

"Hip-Hop History: How Teenagers Invented Rap Music" masterfully chronicles the humble beginnings of rap, highlighting the innovative spirit of Bronx teenagers who turned adversity into artistic triumph. Through engaging narratives and insightful commentary, Joy Dolo and Savion celebrate the cultural and musical significance of rap, offering listeners a profound appreciation for its rich history and lasting influence.

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Notable Quotes

• Cindy Campbell: “Cindy Campbell threw the party to raise money for new school clothes.” ([11:14])

• Savion: “DJ Cochle Rock was rapping.” ([10:45])

• Joy Dolo: “Those kids were truly innovative.” ([22:40])

• Savion: “Rapper's Delight brought rap music from parties and parks in New York to radio stations across the world.” ([22:24])

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Credits

• Written by: Ruby Guthrie
• Produced by: Nico Gonzalez Whistler
• Editors: Sandon Totten and Shayla Farzon
• Fact-Checking: Nico Gonzalez Whistler
• Engineering and Sound Design: Brian Mathison, Alex Simpson, and Rachel Breese
• Original Theme Music: Mark Sanchez
• Additional Production: Molly Bloom, Rosie Dupont, Anna Goldfield, Lauren Humpert, Joshua Ray, Mark Sanchez, Charlotte Traver, Anna Wegel, and Aron Woldeselassi
• Executive Producer: Beth Pearlman
• APM Studios Executives: Chandra Kavadi and Joanne Griffith
• Special Thanks to: Heather Bowser, Adam DeWolfe, Jerner, Khalif, Desmond, and Kamaria

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Engage with Forever Ago®

Listeners are encouraged to participate by recording their thoughts and sending them to [e-mail]. Share your favorite moments, questions, or even creative drawings inspired by the episode. Stay tuned for more fascinating explorations of history’s hidden stories.

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This summary captures the essence and key points of the "Hip-Hop History: How Teenagers Invented Rap Music" episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened.

Transcript

[Savion]

Hey, Joy.

[Joy Dolo]

Savion. I'm so happy you're here. Savion in the house.

[Savion]

Are you working on your DJ skills?

[Joy Dolo]

How'd you know? Was it my sweet turntables or the fact I'm holding one headphone up to my ear or my brand new giant gold necklace that says DJ Dolo?

[Parker]

Hmm.

[Savion]

All of the above.

[Joy Dolo]

Well, it's true. I already have a signature name. DJ Dolo. DJ Dolo. But I still need a signature DJ style. That's why I'm trying out new techniques.

[Savion]

What kind of techniques?

[Joy Dolo]

Well, you know how you usually spin records on a turntable?

[Savion]

You mean those flat black discs? Yeah, I've heard of those.

[Joy Dolo]

Well, playing records is so predictable. Instead, I'm seeing what it sounds like when I play other flat, round stuff. Frisbees, sun hats, bologna, a dinner plate, a cheese pizza. Oh, maybe a sesame bagel.

[Savion]

What about pizza bagels?

[Joy Dolo]

Genius. Lucky for you, I always keep an emergency pizza bagel in my pocket. Let's see how it sounds.

[Savion]

Whoa, I was not expecting that to work or for it to sound this good.

[Joy Dolo]

That's the DJ Dolo technique. DJ Dolo. When I say pizza, you say bagel. Pizza.

[Savion]

Bagel.

[Joy Dolo]

Pizza.

[Savion]

Bagel.

[Joy Dolo]

Foreign. You're listening to Forever Ago from APM Studios. I'm your host, Joy Dolo, and I'm here with Savion from Oakland, California.

[Savion]

Hi, Joy.

[Joy Dolo]

Today we're talking about the history of rap music, one of the most popular kinds of music in the world.

[Savion]

We were inspired by this question from Parker. Hi, my name is Parker and I'm from Sudbury, Ontario. My question is, where did rap music come from?

[Joy Dolo]

Thanks for that great question, Parker. Savion, have you ever listened to rap music?

[Savion]

I have listened to it. It's like one of my favorite kinds of music.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, really? Do you have a favorite artist?

[Savion]

I like Lupe Fiasco and, like, Tupac.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, wow, that's pretty cool. Do you have a favorite song?

[Savion]

I like Kick Push by Lupe Fiasco.

[Joy Dolo]

Okay, cool, cool. That's cool. I'm gonna have to look that up because. Okay, so here's my deal. Like, I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, and so, like, I know, like, one artist in each genre, if that makes sense. So I know who Tupac is. I don't know who Lupe Fiasco is. Please don't judge me. Savion, do you listen to other types of music or other genres?

[Savion]

I listen to, like, rock music.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, okay. What are some of your other favorite artists?

[Savion]

The score, Imagine Dragons, Blacklight, District.

[Joy Dolo]

Cool. Do you have a favorite song that you're listening to right now or just, like, in general?

[Savion]

I like army by Zadie Wolf.

[Joy Dolo]

Would it be too much for me to ask you how it goes or, like, what are some of the lyrics?

[Savion]

I think I remember some of it. The time is now going, comma. Cause he won't back down. Yeah.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, that rocks. Rock and roll. Savion. We gotta start a band, man.

[Savion]

That would be cool.

[Joy Dolo]

Would you want to be in a band?

[Savion]

Actually, yeah, I think so.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, yeah. That's awesome. That is so cool. If you could make up your own genre of music, what would it sound like?

[Savion]

I think it'd be like, kind of like rock and electronic mixed together, like.

[Joy Dolo]

Guitars and maybe like a synth of some kind.

[Savion]

Yeah.

[Joy Dolo]

Would it have, like, a specific name, like this genre of music?

[Savion]

I don't know. Maybe like electro rock.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, yeah, I like that. Electro rock. Electroc.

[Savion]

Oh, yeah.

[Joy Dolo]

Like combining it, you know. Yeah, that's pretty cool. I like that. Maybe I can be in your. In your band. Electroc band. Anyway, back to rap music.

[Savion]

Rapping is when you rhyme words over a beat, keeping the rhythm of the music.

[Joy Dolo]

There are so many types of music that influenced rap, from the blues to jazz and spoken word poetry. Before rap was its own kind of music, there were a lot of examples that sounded like an early version of rapping, like this 1940s song from the Jubilees.

[DJ Kool Herc]

Stop still and listen to me. God walked down to the Brady Sea. He declared that he was a slave man and then he decided to destroy the land. He spoke to Noah. Noah stopped. He said, I want you to build me an ark. I want you to build it three cubits long. I want you to build it big and strong. I want at 20 high and 50 wide so it will stand.

[Savion]

There's also this spoken word poem set to music from 1971. It was written by Gil Scott Heron.

[Gil Scott Heron]

The revolution will not be televised. The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox in four parts without commercial interruptions. The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John Mitchell, General Abrams, and Spiral Agnew to eat hog moths confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary. The revolution will not be televised.

[Joy Dolo]

It's hard to say when rapping was officially invented. Firsts in history can be hard to pinpoint, as we know in First Things first, especially when we're talking about music, language and art.

[Savion]

Sometimes pinpointing history is like trying to pin jelly to the wall.

[Joy Dolo]

Precisely. And even though it's tough to know exactly when rap first started. There's still so much history to explore. Today, we're going to look at two standout moments in rap music history. First, how one back to school party brought beats and rhymes together. And later, how one song brought rap music to the world.

[Savion]

Our first story starts in August 1973.

[Joy Dolo]

Story number one. Back in the 1970s, funk music was topping the charts and bell bottom pants were everywhere.

[Savion]

The card game uno had just been invented and Disney World opened in Florida.

[Joy Dolo]

And in New York City, many communities were struggling, especially in the Bronx. In the 1970s, the Bronx was one of the poorest parts of the city.

[Savion]

Lots of families barely had enough money to buy food or pay rent.

[Joy Dolo]

It was hard to find work, and schools were shutting down.

[Savion]

For the kids living in the Bronx, there wasn't much to do.

[Joy Dolo]

But young people were still getting creative and finding ways to have fun.

[Savion]

Which brings us to Cindy Campbell.

[Joy Dolo]

In the summer of 1973, Cindy was 15 years old. She wanted new clothes for the upcoming school year. But she didn't the cast to just go and buy a new wardrobe. So she decided to throw a party to raise money.

[Savion]

Cindy got to work. She made flyers on index cards and left them all around the neighborhood.

[Joy Dolo]

She reserved the community room in her family's apartment building, bought hot dogs and soda, and most importantly, she asked her older brother Clive to be in charge of music at the party. Clive was a DJ and his nickname was DJ Kool Hercules.

[Savion]

DJ Kool Herc was 18 years old at the time and he loved to play music.

[Joy Dolo]

Remember, this was back in the 70s, way before streaming music, CDs, even before cassette tapes, people used to play records.

[Savion]

Records look like big flat discs and they're about the same size as a pizza.

[Joy Dolo]

They're usually black and have tiny circular lines on them called grooves.

[Savion]

Yeah, they kind of look like tree rings.

[Joy Dolo]

To play music, you put the records on a machine called a turntable, which spins the record around and reads the music in the record's grooves, sending it to your speakers.

[Savion]

DJ Kool Herc had a lot of records. He grew up in Jamaica and loved reggae music, but he also liked other kinds of music, like funk.

[Joy Dolo]

So Herc brought his records to the party, plus his speaker system and turntables to play them. And to top it off, Herc and Cindy hung a mirror disco ball from the ceiling to really set that party vibe.

[Savion]

Remember, Cindy wanted to raise money to buy school clothes, so she charged up to 50 cents for anyone who came to the party.

[Joy Dolo]

People started flooding into the party to see Herc dj As the story goes, Herc noticed people really like dancing during the breakdown of songs. The breakdown is a special word for when the song changes for a little bit, maybe 30 seconds or so.

[Savion]

Breakdowns are little moments where the song takes a break from its usual pattern.

[Joy Dolo]

Like if the song has a singer, maybe the singer stops singing and you just hear the instruments for a bit.

[Savion]

Or maybe the rhythm of the song changes.

[Joy Dolo]

Usually these breakdowns are just instrumental. During one, you might only hear a few instruments, like just the drums and bass. Listen to a breakdown during the song Apache by the Incredible Bongo Band. Did you hear how the song switched up? It went from that guitar bit to just bongos and drums. That bongo and drum solo is a breakdown. Have you ever heard that song before? Savion?

[Savion]

I don't think so.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, that's an old one. That. That's an example of a breakdown.

[Savion]

It just makes you want to dance.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, and that's exactly what DJ Kool Herc noticed too. So to keep the party going, Herc invented a new technique on the turntables. Inspired by song breakdowns like the one.

[Savion]

We just listened to, Herc set up two turntables.

[Joy Dolo]

He would play a drum breakdown on one turntable.

[Savion]

And as soon as one breakdown finished, he would switch to the other turntable and play another breakdown.

[Joy Dolo]

Kirk bounced back and forth, forth between records, creating an endless loop of breakdowns. He called this technique the Merry go Round.

[Savion]

People at the party went wild for this. Some of them even started breakdancing.

[Joy Dolo]

Breakdancing, also called breaking, is a type of dance that uses moves similar to the stuff you see in gymnastics and martial arts. There's quick steps, handstands and even head spins. It was a new kind of dance back in the 1970s, just like DJing.

[Savion]

Was a new kind of music. People were finding so many new ways to make art. But back to the party, DJ Kool.

[Joy Dolo]

Herc was playing loops of breakbeats. People were breakdancing. And to add to the fun, Herc took a microphone and started shouting out people.

[Savion]

If he saw a friend in the crowd, he'd call out their name.

[Joy Dolo]

DJ Kool Herc's friend DJ Cochlarock also started doing shout outs and making up rhymes over Herc's looping breakdowns like rock and you don't stop.

[Savion]

DJ Cochle Rock was rapping.

[Joy Dolo]

The crowd went wild.

[Savion]

The party was unforgettable.

[Joy Dolo]

And for many music historians, that legendary party on August 11, 1973 marks the beginning of beats and Rhyming, coming together in a way no one had heard before. The birth of rap music as we know it.

[Savion]

It was revolutionary. Teenagers were inventing a whole new kind of music without playing any kind of instruments.

[Joy Dolo]

Instead, they were using music that already existed on records to create beats of their own. People were rhyming over these beats to create rap music or dancing to them to create breakdancing. They were inventing new art and celebrating despite the difficult world around them.

[Savion]

And it all started with teenagers like Cindy Campbell, DJ Kool Herc, and DJ Cochlearc.

[Joy Dolo]

But that was just one party. How did rap go from the Bronx to a worldwide obsession? Well, there's one song that put rap music on the map. But before we get into that, I think it's time for a breakdown. And by breakdown, I mean a little break, because it's time for best things first. So this is the game where we take three things from history and try to put them in order of which came first, second, and most recent in time. And today's three things are three essentials to rap music. Turntables, those machines that play records. Microphones and drum machines, which are machines that you can use to make drum beats. So which of those three do you think came first, which came second and which came most recently in history?

[Savion]

I think microphones came first.

[Joy Dolo]

Okay, and what about drum machines?

[Savion]

Okay, so I think it looks kind of high tech, but not too high tech. So I think that's second.

[Joy Dolo]

Okay, so drum machines second, and then turntables are lost. All right, so we have microphones and then drum machines and then turntables. Why do you think microphones is first?

[Savion]

They seem, like the least advanced. I mean, you still use them, but, like. Well, I guess I'm kind of picturing, like, the kind of microphones that, like, you hold, not the ones that we're using right now.

[Joy Dolo]

That makes sense. From a long time. And then turntables. I mean, we were just talking about them, so, I mean, they do seem like they could be, like, most recently invented. Those are solid guesses. We'll hear the answers at the end of the episode, right after the credit, so stick around. We're working on an episode all about how whales communicate, and we want to know, if you could communicate with any type of animal, which would you want to talk with and why? Savion, what do you think?

[Savion]

I think I'd want to talk with some kind of bird or something, and then it could get me, like, dinner or something.

[Joy Dolo]

A bird will get you dinner? I love that. Yeah, like Through a drive through?

[Savion]

No, like swoop down, get a fish or something and then I'll cook it.

[Joy Dolo]

Okay? All right. Yeah, you can make me some fish too. Listeners, record yourself explaining what kind of animal you'd like to be able to communicate with and send it to [e-mail] contact. And while you're there, you can send us episode ideas, questions and drawings, like a picture of me djing with pizza bagels.

[Savion]

So keep listening.

[Joy Dolo]

Brains on Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Forever Ago, we know you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on, let's explore Forever Ago. I'm their biggest fan. I also love smashboom Best, a fun debate podcast for kids and families. Listen, I will play you smashboom Best. You will laugh to refresh your memory. The ugly duckling goes like this. A bunch of duck eggs hatch and the cute little ducklings go quack, quack, quack. Mother duck is super happy with her eggs when quack. The last one explodes and out comes this zorp. Where did the signal go? Must find smash spoon. Best Listen to smashboom Best wherever you get your podcasts.

[Molly Sandon]

Hey, friends. Molly Sandon and Mark here with some very big news. Drumroll, please.

[Joy Dolo]

We're hitting the road in search of adventure, fresh air and you. That's right. We're gonna be live at the Boulder theater in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday, April 27.

[Molly Sandon]

Our science themed live stage show takes the audience on an adventure through the brain, complete with magic tricks, dance moves, out of body experiences, mystery sounds and a game show.

[Joy Dolo]

Molly, you almost left out the most important part. Yeah, Molly, don't forget the big party.

[Molly Sandon]

Oh, right after the shows, we're throwing a Brain Tastic bash. Join us afterward for a VIP party where we'll play games, guest mystery sounds, pose for photos, and give as many high fives as humanly possible. Snag a spot by purchasing a VIP pass when you buy your show ticket.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, that reminds me, I've gotta start training. These hands aren't gonna high five by themselves. Five and good idea. And remember, spots are limited, so grab your tickets [e-mail] events.

[Parker]

The Soul to Story podcast is about how teaching kids to read went wrong. But now we have a story about a school district where things are going very right.

[Molly Sandon]

Let me make sure my friends are.

[Joy Dolo]

Sitting crisscross applesauce hands in their lap. I've never had a child that couldn't read.

[Parker]

How did they do it?

[Joy Dolo]

When I tell Some of my other colleagues that may be at other schools that this is what I do. And they would say, you kidding me?

[Parker]

New episodes of Sold a Story are available now in your podcast app.

[Joy Dolo]

You're listening to Forever Ago. I'm Joy.

[Savion]

And I'm Savion.

[Joy Dolo]

And today we're talking about the history of rap. We just heard how a group of teenagers in the Bronx threw a raging party that marked the beginning of rap music.

[Savion]

Cindy Campbell threw the party to raise money for new school clothes.

[Joy Dolo]

Cindy's brother, DJ Kool Herc played loops of breakdowns, the instrumental breaks and songs to make the crowds go wild.

[Savion]

And their friend Coke larocque helped hype up the crowds by shouting out his friends and rhyming over Herc's beat.

[Joy Dolo]

The party was so successful that Herc kept DJing more parties over the next few years.

[Savion]

A lot of times the parties were outside, either in a park or even in the streets.

[Joy Dolo]

Sometimes Herc would use street lamps to power his DJ sets, plugging his equipment into outlets at the LA space. People would get together, break dance, and just have fun.

[Savion]

Herc's DJing inspired a lot of other young people in his neighborhood.

[Joy Dolo]

Soon, his music and merry go round technique of playing loops of breakdowns started spreading across the Bronx, then to other neighborhoods, then across New York City.

[Savion]

Even though rap music was spreading across the city, you could only hear it played live by DJs.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, this music was at parties or gatherings outside. Nobody was really recording it and nobody played it on the radio.

[Savion]

But that was all about to change with one song and one visionary woman.

[Joy Dolo]

Which brings us to story number two.

[Savion]

Joy, I gotta say, your DJ skills are just getting better and better.

[Joy Dolo]

Aw, thanks, Avion. I've been focusing on my hobbies and putting in the work. Practice makes perfect.

[Savion]

For our next story. We're gonna stay in the 1970s.

[Joy Dolo]

That's when a type of music called disco ruled the airwaves. Think spinning disco mirror balls light up dance floors and songs like Staying Alive by the Bee Gees.

[Savion]

People weren't listening to rap music on the radio, at least not yet.

[Joy Dolo]

But that all changed because of Sylvia Robinson.

[Savion]

Sylvia was a record producer in New Jersey. She started her own record company called Sugar Hill Records.

[Joy Dolo]

Unfortunately, back in 1979, Sylvia's record company was struggling. Think, Sylvia. Think what could save the company.

[Savion]

Sylvia came up with the perfect solution when she went to her niece's birthday.

[Joy Dolo]

Party and she saw someone rapping. That's it. I'll make a record out of this. So Sylvia got to Work with the help of her son, Sylvia found three rappers. Big Bank Hank, Master G, and Wonder Mike.

[Savion]

She put them together into a musical group and called them the Sugar Hill Gang, named after her record company.

[Joy Dolo]

Sylvia had her new group sing over a popular funk track called Good Times by Chicago. The trio rapped over this track for a whopping 15 minutes straight. And they recorded it in just one take, meaning they didn't stop to re record any of the parts.

[Savion]

But they cut it down to about seven minutes for the radio and they called it Rapper's Delight.

[Joy Dolo]

Here's a clip of the song.

[Gil Scott Heron]

Instead of Hank. Can you rock, can you rock to the rhythm? They just don't stop but can you hit me too the shooby doo I said I come on make the people move I go duke the horn.

[Joy Dolo]

Hey Savion, what do you think of that song?

[Savion]

I like it.

[Joy Dolo]

Do you think you could do your own rhymes like that?

[Savion]

No.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, me neither. Actually, maybe I could. Maybe I would or maybe I should. Pencils are made of wood oh gosh, I'm so bad. We'll keep it to the professionals. Rapper's Delight was a smash hit. You could tell because in lots of neighborhoods, it was everywhere. It seemed like every bus, train, car radio, and boombox was playing that song.

[Savion]

It was the first rap song to break the Billboard's top 40 and went.

[Joy Dolo]

On to sell over 14 million copies.

[Savion]

Now people could turn on the radio and hear rap music, which introduced the genre to so many more listeners.

[Joy Dolo]

The song was so successful, Sylvia started signing more rap artists like the group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. You might have heard of their song the Message.

[Gil Scott Heron]

So don't push me cause I'm close to the edge I'm trying not to you lose my head it's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under it's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under.

[Joy Dolo]

Eventually, more and more record labels started signing more and more artists, and rap music exploded into the hugely popular genre it is today.

[Savion]

Rapper's Delight brought rap music from parties and parks in New York to radio stations across the world.

[Joy Dolo]

That's right. And it all started with young people in the Bronx who were getting creative and finding ways to have fun despite living through a really difficult time in the city.

[Savion]

Those kids were truly innovative.

[Joy Dolo]

Think about it. How cool is it that you can create rap music from other types of music?

[Savion]

Right? Just like how DJ Kool Hert created a new sound just using the records he had around.

[Joy Dolo]

And then you add even more layers when you start rapping. You know, it really reminds me of when you make a collage.

[Savion]

I've heard of that. That's when you cut out different things from magazines or books or drawing and glue it all together.

[Joy Dolo]

That's right. And it's taking bits and pieces of something that already exists and putting it together to make something completely new. Rap music does the same thing, and.

[Savion]

That'S thanks to so many artists and visionaries over the decades.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, people like Cindy Campbell, DJ Kool Herc, DJ Cochle, rock and music producer Sylvia Robinson.

[Savion]

Plus inspiration from all different kinds of music and performance like jazz, funk, and even spoken word poetry.

[Joy Dolo]

If you really think about it, rap music is a mashup of so many amazing combinations. Just like pizza bage, we love ending with a metaphor. DJ Dolo.

[Savion]

Drop that big ol beat.

[Joy Dolo]

This episode was written by Ruby Guthrie and produced by Nico Gonzalez Whistler. Our editors are Sandon Totten and Shayla Farzon. Fact checking by Nico Gonzalez Whistler. Engineering help from Brian Mathison and Alex Simpson with sound design by Rachel Breese. Original theme music by Mark Sanchez. We had additional production help from the rest of the brains on Universe. Team Molly Bloom, Rosie Dupont, Anna Goldfield, Lauren Humpert, Joshua Ray, Mark Sanchez, Charlotte Traver, Anna Wegel and Aron Woldeselassi. Beth Pearlman is our executive producer and the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavadi and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Heather bowser and Adam DeWolfe, Jerner, Khalif, Desmond and Kamaria. And if you want access to ad free episodes and special bonus content, subscribe to our Smarty Pass. Okay, Savion, are you ready to hear the answers to first things First? First?

[Savion]

Yep.

[Joy Dolo]

All right, so just a reminder. First you said microphones. Second, you said drum machine. And third, you said turntables. Right. All right. Drum machine. Drum roll, please. One day they're going to use my drum roll, but I don't think it'll be anytime soon. All right. Oh, man, this was a tough one. We. We had some things. We had the right intention, I'll tell you that right now. First up, we had turntables. That was actually the oldest. Yeah. And that One is from 1857. Whoa. The earliest turntable like device was invented by a Frenchman named Edouard Leon Scott de Martinville. It was called the phonautograph and it was the first machine to record sound. The phonautograph would pick up sound vibrations which moved a needle back and forth, tracing, squiggling Lines on the glass. Oh, interesting. So that was first. That was 1857, and then next up, we had the microphone, and that was 1877. So lots of people were inventing microphone like devices around the 1850s and 1860s. But German inventor Emil Berliner is often credited for inventing the first modern microphone back in 1877. So Emil's microphone was used to make the sound in telephones louder and easier to hear. And without Emile's invention, the telephone probably wouldn't have become a household object. Emile, thank you so much.

[Savion]

Yes, thank you.

[Joy Dolo]

All right. And last but not least is the drum machine. And that was invented in 1930. Whoa. So the first drum machine was invented by leon Theremin in 1930. He called it the Rhythmicon. And it looked like a keyboard. You could play different rhythms with different pitches, but it was notoriously difficult to use. It would take 50 more years for the 808 drum machine to be invented, and that's one of the most influential instruments in rap music. Oh, and a side note, Leon Theremin also invented an instrument called the theremin. It's an electric musical instrument that sounds kind of like an alien spaceship. Have you ever played like, a keyboard Savion, like, that can change different sounds and stuff?

[Savion]

Yeah, my old school, we had a keyboard that we could play for breaks and stuff.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, there used to be one that I. That I played that you can change. It sounds like a voice saying a certain thing, like a la la la. And then when you do it all together, it sounds like people singing. I always thought that was pretty cool. Were you surprised by any of these answers?

[Savion]

Yeah, I thought the drum machines to be like, in the first two.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, yeah. You know, I thought of it more of like something that was invented recently, but, like, 1930 is still like, a pretty long time ago. Join us next week for a new episode, All About Whales.

[Savion]

Thanks for listening.

[Parker]

The Soul to Story podcast is about how teaching kids to read went wrong. But now we have a story about a school district where things are going very right.

[Molly Sandon]

Let me make sure my friends are.

[Joy Dolo]

Sitting crisscross applesauce, hands in their lap. I've never had a child that couldn't read.

[Parker]

How did they do it?

[Joy Dolo]

When I tell some of my other colleagues that may be at a other schools that this is what I do. And they would say, you kidding me?

[Parker]

New episodes of Sold a Story are available now in your podcast. Apparently.