On August 11, 1973, DJ Cool Hurk and his sister Cindy,

who were back-to-school jamming the Bronx.

Herk wanted to get people to dance longer or was having trouble keeping the momentum going with the funk and soul records he was playing,

until he focused just on isolating

and repeating the most danceable parts or the brakes. This technique became the foundation

for the genre of hip-hop. But the culture in in all its aspects, stretches back to time immemorial, from the powerful sound

systems of the Jamaican scene that Hirk knew from his youth to the West African oral

tradition of Greo.

That 1973 back-to-school jam at 1520 Sedgwick represents a point in a continuum of brilliance

that extends back to the continent, a mastery of expressive technologies, audio, linguistic,

artistic that has since touched every corner of our world and evolved into one of the most significant cultural forces today.

Hip-hop is given marginalized people the microphone, changed how music is made,

and become a multi-billion dollar industry.

2023 marks 50 years since Cool Hurks Back to School Jam.

To celebrate this milestone, we're going to be focusing

on a different year of hip-hop history each week. Expect personal reflections, iconic tracks and

albums, and conversations around the genesis of the culture. Episodes drop weekly starting February

1st. Subscribe now on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you get your

podcast. I'm Larry Mazzell Jr. And this is 50 years of hip hop from listener powered,

K-E-X-P.