A Working Hip-Hop Chronology
.with key dates in the overall history of African-American music
and the music industry in general.
Compiled by Russell A. Potter, Ph.D. -- a.k.a. Professa RAP
When in Maine listen to Roots-n-Rap, 10-12 on Wednesdays on WMHB
90.5 FM
With thanks to David Toop, Arnold Shaw, Nelson George, and
Havelock Nelson.
1920 - On August 10th, Mamie Smith records "Crazy Blues" (Okeh
4169), first blues recording and first commercial recording of an
African-American musical tradition. BW
1921 - Dr. Harry Pace founds Black Swan, the first black-owned
record label (bought out in 1924)
1920-1957 - Major record labels such as RCA, Columbia, Okeh, Brunswick,
Paramount, and Vocalion decide to market blues (and later, jazz)
records on segregated "race record" labels and catalog numbers;
this practice continues through the late 1950's.
1926 - Columbia records the Rev. J.M. Gates's "Death's Black Train
is Coming," initiating many years of commercial recordings of African-American
sermons and church choirs, mixing music with message. RB
c. 1926 - The invention of electrical recording makes it possible
to record a far wider range of instruments using microphones. The
first "country blues" recordings of vocalists accompanied by guitar
are produced around this time.
1927 - J. Mayo Williams founds Black Patti, another early black-owned
label.
1927-30 - Columbia and other companies send mobile recording studios
to Southern cities to record blues and "county" musicians.
1920's-30's - Comedy duos like Harris & Harris ("This is Not the
Stove to Brown Your Bread") and Butterbeans and Susie ("Elevator
Papa, Switchboard Mama") drop manic rhymes over blues accompaniment.
Dirty or "Hokum" blues also become popular, with titles like Big
Bill Broonzy's "Pussy Cat Blues" and Louise Bogan's x-rated "Shave
"Em Dry." WMT, PW, RB2
1931-35 - The Depression bankrupts many record companies, and
rising prices put records out of the reach of many Black consumers.
1929-40 - Development of urban blues by artists such as Big Bill
Broonzy, Memphis Minnie, and Tampa Red lays the ground for the later
development of "Rhythm and Blues."
1937 - Robert Johnson records his brilliant blues sides, including
"If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day," later sampled to good
effect by Laquan on his cut "Swing Blue, Sweat Black.'
1939 - Calypso great The Lion records "Boo Boo La La," with its
refrain of "Burn Down the London Theatre, Burn Down the Big Empire!"
-- and you thought "Burn, Hollywood Burn" was the first rap of its
kind. CC.
1944-54 - The American recording industry enjoys rapid postwar
growth; top R&B artists such as Louis Jordan, Elmore James, and
Chuck Berry perfect the double-time R&B later to be called "rock-n-roll."
1952 - Big Maybelle cuts "Gabbin' Blues" and sets off a sequence
of payback-and-answer records.
1953 - Willie Dixon and the Big Three Trio record "Signifying
Monkey," part of an ancient African tradition of trickster rhymes
continued by hip hoppers such as Schoolly-D, whose 1987 track "Signifying
Rapper" updates the traditional version.
1954-57 - Sun Records releases recordings by Carl Perkins, Jerry
Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, all white performers who appropriated
the African-American traditions of R&B (Sun also had at the time
a large number of Black artists on its label). At the same time,
Doo-Wop, like hip-hop a street phenomenon before it was a commercial
success, hits big, including the first gangsta doo-woppers, the
Prisonaires, who hit with "This Chick's Too Young to Fry."
1956 - James Brown cuts his first record, "Please Please Please"
(Federal F12258) RR
1956 - Paul Winley founds Winley Records with a small group of
doo-wop and R&B acts.
1960 - The Shadows, with Cliff Richard on bongos, record the original
version of "Apache."
1963 - Jamaican record producer & artist Prince Buster cuts "Al
Capone," a prototype gangsta narrative including the first use of
screeching tire and gunfire noises as precussion. TTT
1967 - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas cut their cover of Lowell Fulsom's
"Tramp," whose beat becomes one of the most sampled, and whose verbal
exchanges inspire many other battles on the mic, ranging from Ice
Cube & Yo Yo to Apache & Nikki D. SV
1968-70 - The Meters -- basically, the Neville Brothers + phunky
drummer Ziggy Modeliste, cut dozens of tracks' worth of instrumental
fatback New Orleans funk, including "Sophisticated Cissy," "Cissy
Strut," "Funky Chicken," "A Message from the Meters," and "The Same
Ol' Thing." Sound familiar? They are probably the most sampled band
around. LEG.
1969 - James Brown records "Say It Loud -- I'm Black and Proud!"
(King 6187), as well as "Funky Drummer" (King 6290), whose syncopated
drumbeat (provided by Clyde Stubblefield) later becomes the most-sampled
track in hip-hop history. ST
1970 - The Last Poets, pioneers of hip-hop, record their self-named
LP on Douglas Records, using a mixture of spoken word and jazz drumming
and instrumentations. LP
1971 - Sly & the Family Stone releases There's a Riot Goin' On
-- of which Nelson George says, a "dark murky bitter [record which]
presages minimalist hardcore rap both lyrically and socially."
1973 - Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" becomes one of the
first major soul hits to include both a political message and sampled
sounds of the street (busses, traffic, voices, and sirens). IN
1973 - Jamaican group The Incredible Bongo Band records its cover
version of "Apache," one of the most-sampled beats of all time.
1973 -- Lightnin' Rod of the Last Poets releases Hustler's Convention
-- as Nelson George puts it, "a moralistic blaxploitation film on
record," featuring boasting raps over the cool beats of Eric Gale
and Kool & the Gang. HC
1974 - Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"
sets the tone for the future of rap with its funky bass and rhythm
and uncompromising political message. GSH
1975 - Parliament's Chocolate City blends message raps with funk,
a music pioneered by (former James Brown bassist) Bootsy Collins
and eternal entrepreneur/band member George Clinton. PGH
1974-80 - Jamaican reggae, with its talking 'boasts' and 'toasts,'
establishes itself in the New York area.
1974-80 - "Disco" -- essentially a homogenized and watered-down
funk, is embraced by the entertainment industry, and dominates both
the airwaves and the club scene.
1976 - Afrika Bambaataa DJ's his first party at the Bronx River
Community Center.
1977 - German spacerock band Kraftwerk releases "Trans-Europe
Express," a trancelike synth anthem that rules the club scene and
becomes the primary source for Electro-Funk artists like Bamabaataa,
Planet Patrol, Jonzun Crew, and Newcleus. TEE, SJ/EF 1, 2, and 3.
1977-79 - Street parties featuring not only dance music but rapping
DJ's become increasingly popular in the New York area; early pioneers
include Grandmaster Flash and Kool DJ Herc.
1978-79 - Manu Dibango's Afro Quelque Chose style hits disco,
infusing a fresh African influence.
1979 - The Sugarhill Gang (a pre-fab group assembled by record
mogul Sylvia Roberts) records "Rapper's Delight," the first commercial
rap record. The Fatback Band hires radio DJ King Tim III to provide
a rap for one of their b-sides (controversy continues over which
is the "first" rap on record, but neither one reflects the ongoing
hip-hop scene on the streets). SJ/HH 1, OSR
1979 -- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five finally hit wax
with "Superrappin" on the Enjoy label.
1980 - Members of the High Times Crew are arrested for breakdancing
at a Washington Heights subway -- photos of the incident in the
New York Post are, according to Nelson George, the first known photos
of breakdancing.
1980 - "Mr. Magic's Rap Attack" begins its run on WHBI from 2
to 5 a.m. Saturday nights.
1980 - The all-women crew Sequence hits the charts, paving the
way for women rappers to come, such as Roxanne Shante (1984), Salt-n-Pepa
(1985), and MC Lyte (1987). HHG
1981 - Grandmaster Flash's "Adventures on the Wheels of Steel"
is the first rap record to bring the real sounds of live DJ scratching
onto vinyl. RM8
1981 - Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp's "Gigolo Rap" (Rappers Rapp
#1989) is the first west-coast rap to hit wax. WCR 1
1982 - Flash records "The Message," one of the first "message"
raps. SJ/HH 1
1982 - Afrika Bambaataa and the Sould Sonic Force record "Planet
Rock," the first big techno-funk hit. SJ: EF 1
1983 - Herbie Hancock and Grandmaster D.ST. cut "Rockit," the
first hip-hop/jazz synthesis. SJ/EF 1
1983 - Run D.M.C.'s "Sucka MC's" marks the beginning of the end
for old school style, along with the beginning of a major rap-rock
crossover audience. RGH
1983 - Afrika Bambaataa records "Looking for the Perfect Beat"
(Tommy Boy single #831), which features the first recorded use of
digital sampling, and secures Tommy Boy's place as *the* hip-hop/dance
label. SJ/EF 3
1984 - The rap group UFTO records "Roxanne, Roxanne," a diss on
a fictional woman named "Roxanne." Over 100 "response" records are
made, including "Roxanne" Shante's recording debut, originally recorded
in Marley Marl's living room. SJ/HH 1
1984 - The Fresh Fest concert tour, featuring Run-D.M.C., Kurtis
Blow, Whodini, the Fat Boys, and Newcleus, is hip-hop's first big
moneymaking tour (3.5 million on 27 dates).
1984 - Los Angeles's KDAY becomes the country's first rap-only
radio station.
1984 - Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons meet for the first time
at the Danceteria, and go on to found Def Jam records. On the runaway
success of the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, Def Jam becomes a powerful
label, eventually making a distribution deal with CBS records.
1985 - Salt 'n' Pepa make their first appearance on wax on Super
Nature's "The Show Stopper (Is Stupid Fresh)" SJ/ HH 4
1985-6 - The Juice Crew's "The Bridge" and Boogie Down Productions'
"The Bridge is Over" start one of the longest-running payback battles
in hip-hop history, which starts all over again in 1993 when MC
Lyte samples "The Bridge is Over"'s refrain, "Roxanne Shante is
only good for steady fuckin'."
1986 - Run-D.M.C. releases a hip-hop version of Aerosmith's "Walk
This Way," and hip-hop breaks into the pop charts, MTV, and mass
media all at once. RGH
1986 -- Boogie Down Productions' "Criminal Minded" tears the roof
off what's left of old-school rap.
1987 - DJ Scott LaRock killed in the South Bronx; KRS-One carries
on the BDP posse.
1988 - Def Jam founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin split up;
Simmons opts for distribution through Columbia Records, while Rubin
goes on to found Def American.
1988 - N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton goes gold, initiating the
'gangsta' school of rap; the FBI sends letters to police chiefs
nationwide singling out the cut "Fuck Tha Police" for criticism
as an example of anti-law-enforcement agitation.
1989 - Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" provides the soundtrack
for the summer of rage in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, helping
to establish both as widely-known artists. DRT
1989 - Controversy over Public Enemy member Professor Griff's
anti-Semitic remarks causes a media furor. Griff eventually leaves
the group and forms the Last Asiatic Disciples.
1990 - Controversy over 2 Live Crew's As Nasty as they Wanna Be
escalates with the arrest of both a Florida record store owner and
the group's leader, Luther Campbell (both trials eventually end
with acquittals).
1990-present - Jamaican Dancehall music hits big and re-infuses
hip-hop with the Caribbean connection; numerous dancehall artists
collaborate with hip-hoppers or release solo albums, including Shabba
Ranks, Cutty Ranks, Scringer Ranks, Patra, Tiger, Daddy Nitro, Daddy
Freddy, Nardo Ranks, Snagga Puss, and Buju Banton.
1991 - Public Enemy and Anthrax record a slash-metal version of
"Bring the Noise." The beating of Rodney King by the LAPD stirs
national awareness of racism, and the cause is taken up by many
rappers, including Chuck-D, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Eric B. and Rakim,
Sister Souljah, and 2PAC.
1991 - KDAY is sold, and its all-rap format ends; the west coast
goes into mourning.
1991 - The SoundScan point-of-sale monitoring system goes into
widespread use, establishing once and for all that Ice Cube and
other rap artists are far outselling geriatric rock groups.
1992 - The LA Uprising pits Black and Latino residents of Los
Angeles against Daryl Gates's racist LAPD. Dozens of raps respond
to the uprising and its aftermath, including Ice Cube's "We Had
to Tear This Motherfucker Up," Da Lench Mob's "Guerillas in tha
Mist," Tiger & Q-Tip's "Who Planned It?," and many others.
1992 - Controversy again erupts, this time when police organizations
attack rapper Ice-T's heavy-metal anthem, "Cop Killer." Time-Warner
(Ice-T's label) at first defends the song, but Ice-T later withdraws
it from the album. Time Warner later cancels several forthcoming
releases in order to avoid feared litigation.
1992 - The Disposable Heroes of Hip-Hoprisy record "Language of
Violence," the first anti-gay-bashing rap.
1992- Rapper Sister Souljah's comments at the meeting of Jesse
Jackson's National Rainbow Coalition stir Bill Clinton to criticize
her position, resulting in another blast of media hype.
1993 - Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" goes multi-platinum and starts
a gangsta bandwagon.
**********
DISCOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
(due to the impossibility of finding many early cuts on vinyl,
I give current CD info only)
BW - Blues Masters Vol. 11: Classic Blues Women. Rhino Records
R2 71134
CC = Calypso Carnival: 1936-1941. Rounder CD 1077.
DRT = Music from the movie Do The Right Thing
GSH = Gil Scott-Heron's Greatest Hits. (Arista)
HC = Lightnin' Rod, Hustler's Convention. Oceana 4107-2 (dist.
by Celluloid) (CD).
HHG = Hip Hop Greats: Classic Raps. Rhino Records R2-70957
IN = Stevie Wonder's Innervisions. Motown MCD09052 (CD).
LEG = Legacy: A History of the Nevilles. (2 cd set) Charly Records
CD NEV 1
LP = The Last Poets. The Last Poets Celluloid CEL 6101 (CD).
OSR = Old School Rap: The Roots of Rap. Southbound Records CDSEWD
048 (CD, U.K. only).
PGH = Parliament's Greatest Hits. Polydor 822637-2
PW = Please Warm my Weiner: Hokum Blues. Yazoo Records Yazoo
1043 (CD)
RB = Roots n Blues: The Collection. (4-cd set on Columbia/Legacy)
RB2 = Raunchy Business: Hot Nuts & Lollipops. Columbia/Legacy
CK 46783 (CD).
RGH = Run-D.M.C. : Together Forever: Greatest Hits (Priority)
RM8 = Rapmasters 8: The Best of the Street Priority 4XL-7958
(cass.)
RR = James Brown, Roots of a Revolution (2 cd set) Polydor 817-304-2
SJ/EF = Street Jams: Electric Funk (vols. 1, 2 and 3) Rhino
Records R2 70575, 70576, 71557
SJ/HH = Street Jams: Hip-Hop From the Top (parts 1, 2, 3, and
4), Rhino Records R2 70577, 70578, 71555, 71556.
ST = James Brown, Star Time (4 cd set) Polydor 849-109-2
SV = The Complete Stax/Volt Singles (9 cd set), Atlantic 7 82218-2.
TEE = Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express. CDP 7 46473-2 (CD)
TTT = Tough Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music (4 cd set)
Mango/Island 162-539-9352STO3 (CD).
WCR = West Coast Rap: The First Dynasty (vols. 1, 2, 3) Rhino
Records R2 70590, 70591, 70592
WMT = Blind Willie McTell, the Complete Recorded Works, Volume
1. Document Records CD.
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