Il party di Kool Herc dell’estate del 1973 nel West Bronx è passato alla storia come l’incipit di un mito: non certo per i partecipanti – un centinaio di giovani del quartiere – non certo per il luogo – una modesta sala comunitaria in un nuovo complesso popolare – né per la zona – a un paio di miglia dallo stadio degli Yankees, vicino al luogo in cui la Cross-Bronx Express Way riversa il proprio traffico nell’isola di Manhattan. La storia ricorda quella festa poiché quello fu il giorno in cui Clive Campbell creò la leggenda attorno a DJ Kool Herc.
Disco King Mario
By 1971, Disco King Mario was an eminent DJ in the Bronx.He was known for his superior sound system and his love for combining music and a good time. Mario came up during the era where you had to be tough enough to bring your equipment out, because of how prevalent gangs and violence were in the Bronx in the early 70s. But the Disco King was respected all over, from neighborhood mothers to the grimiest gangsters. He is a major part of the creation of Hip Hop.
From Basquiat to ‘Black Panther’
“Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation,” a brilliant exhibition at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, reveals the centrality of visual art to hip-hop’s thrilling beginnings. The show prompts fresh consideration of the origins of hip-hop and the “post-graffiti” movement, which saw the street artists who had transformed New York’s urban landscape adapt their work for display in high-end galleries, as well as in music videos and fashion.
From a Bronx Party to a Global Force
Many, many people with an internet connection, including yours truly, spent a fair amount of time on 11 August 2017 entranced by a Google Doodle.…
The origins of hip hop
When we hear “hip-hop” or “rap” (we hardly hear just one of those term separately, because of their common origins), we talk about a musical…
Steinski: Lesson #1
Io e il mio amico Double Dee andavamo da mesi ogni weekend in un club chiamato The Roxy dove ci divertivamo un mondo. Nello stesso…
Charlie Ahearn su Wild Style
Per il trentacinquesimo anniversario di Wild Style ripropongo un estratto di una mia intervista con Charlie Ahearn. Attivo nella scena artistica underground newyorkese sin dalla…
From Urban Planning to Hip Hop
Life in the so-called inner city has always been a major theme in hip-hop. From the desolate state of the Bronx Projects described in Grandmaster…
The Story Of Hip-Hop’s Creation
Last night (November 2), Crazy Legs, founder of the Rock Steady Crew, shared a video on his Facebook. At the pioneering B-Boy’s home, a gathering took…
Bomb Da City
Breve contributo scritto per la pubblicazione Rebel Writing Operation, volume indipendente pubblicato dal CS Cantiere. “Tra gli elementi associati alla cultura hip hop, il graffiti…