Happy Birthday Hip Hop

This weekend in 1973, on the corner of Sedgwick and Cedar in the South Bronx, the first ever true Hip Hop show took place at a party thrown by the legendary Kool Herc.  It was one of the most Promethean moments in music history.

The parties would continue, many of them outdoors.  The electricity for the mics, turntables and amps would be jacked from the lightpoles on the street.  Crowds would come from miles around to hear sampling, scratching and the early emcees (who were little more than hype men for the DJs) rock the crowd.

Ten years later, Hip Hop would radiate outward and begin its domination of Top 40 radio – once the white kids started showing up to suburban record stores with their parents’ money, it became a business.

The Def Jam Tumblr unearthed this incredible artifact yesterday…

Happy Birthday Hip Hop.