(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Friday is considered the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, marking the “Back to School Jam” organized by an innovative DJ and his sister in the Bronx back on Aug. 11, 1973.
Its cultural impact has since spread throughout the world, including Chicago, WBBM Newsradio’s Brandon Ison reports.
In the early 1980s, House music may have been the dominating force in Chicago, but during weekly parties at the Rainbow Roller Rink, Hip Hop-influenced DJ Pumpin Pete was scratchin’.
“He would clear the dance floor. It would be like intermission because everybody was there for House music, and he would play Hip Hop,” says DJ NonStop of WBBM sister station 104-3 JAMS.
He says DJ Pumpin Pete was the first to bring rapper Ice-T to Chicago. Pete, with his distinctive hair and Adidas shoes, would breakdance and then DJ.
“It was phenomenal,” DJ NonStop said.
The four pillars of Hip Hop are: DJ’ing, or turntabling; rapping, or MCing; breakdancing; and graffiti-painting. DJ NonStop recalls when that fourth element arrived. He saw a tag at the Logan Square subway entrance.
“Everybody was just in shock – ‘What is this?’” he said. “It started the culture.”
Chicago-grown Hip Hop acts like Twista, Common, Kanye, Chance The Rapper and Chief Keef would become household names worldwide.
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