2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop, which is considered to have started on August 11, 1973, at a party in the Bronx, New York City. DJ Kool Herc, widely considered the father of hip hop, played a mix of funk and soul records, using two turntables and a mixer to create a new sound that emphasized the breakbeat - the instrumental portion of a song where the drummer typically takes a solo.
This innovative style of music, dance, and art quickly spread throughout New York City and eventually across the world, becoming a cultural phenomenon and an important part of modern music history.
Atlanta, the city where cultures collide, has been a major stakeholder in Hip Hop long before popular culture deemed it mainstream. Here is a little history about our rise.
Dr. Joycelyn Wilson, Georgia Tech Professor, wrote about the History of Atlanta’s Rise in Hip Hop.
