Facts about Hip Hop Music and Culture

1) Although the origins of hip hop date to the 1980s it was in 1925 Louis Armstrong was to record ‘Heebie Jeebies’.  Scatting was created as some rhythmic nonsense syllables were used instead of lyrics. Scatting is the ancestor of human beat boxing.
2) The first DJ battle was between Afrika Bambaataa and Disco King Mario in 1976. It was held at Junior School 123 in the Bronx.
3) The first female MC Crew were the Mercedes Ladies founded in 1976. They were a sister group to Grandwizard Theodore and the L Brothers. On May 3rd 2000 Mercedes Ladies were presented with the Hip-Hop heritage award.

4) Solo female rappers emerged in the 1980s such as Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa and Mc Lyte.  Queen Latifah began her music career beat boxing for the rap group Ladies Fresh. She was quickly signed to Tommy Boy Records when she was only 19 years old and she is still a prominent figure in the world of hip hop and also the film industry.
5) ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by The Sugarhill gang in 1979 is thought to be the very first hip hop recording. The song sold over 2 million copies and reached number 4 on the R&B chart.
6) Mr Magic’s ‘Rap Attack’ on WHBI is the first hip hop radio show. It started broadcasting on 1979.
7) In 1980 the New York Post published its first story on break dancing after several members of the High Times Crew were arrested in Washington Heights.
8) In 1981 ABC’s news programme 20/20 featured a segment entitled ‘The Rap Phenomenon’.
9) In 1983 the Rock Steady Crew appeared in the popular movie Flashdance.
10) In 1988 MTV produced a show called ‘Yo! MTV Raps’. Rap videos could then be viewed on MTV all day long.
11) The first rap Grammy was awarded to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in 1988.
12) Mc  Hammer is still one of the most successful rappers of the early nineties. His album ‘Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em’ was certified diamond by the RIAA as it sold over 10 million units.
13) A car advert in 2005 featured a partly CGI version of Gene Kelly breaking to an updated version of the classic ‘singin in the rain’ remixed by Mint Royale. The tagline was ‘the original, updated’.
14) Step Up 3D was a 2010 hip hop dance movie that features break dancing.