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1520 Sedgwick Avenue

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Hip Hop and NYC- by Jackson Fahey image

Hip Hop and NYC- by Jackson Fahey
Walk

Hip Hop is a culture rife with soul and artistry; its rich history is integral to that of New York City out of which it was born. The urban changes of the 1970s and 80s- including urban renewal, "white flight," urban disinvestment, and the "burning of The Bronx"- saw the emergence of the revolutionary DJ'ing, MC'ing, breakdancing, graffiti, and culture that would become known as Hip Hop. Despite this close relationship, Hip Hop does not get the respect or attention it deserves from the city of its birth. In this collection of walks, I will address how Hip Hop emerged from the NYC of the 1970s and 80s, showcasing some key historical monuments and figures of Hip Hop, as well as critiquing how Hip Hop has been or has not been, received, appreciated and celebrated by the city in which it was born.
1520 Sedgwick Avenue image

1520 Sedgwick Avenue
Post

1520 Sedgwick Avenue, ca. 1985. 1520 Sedgwick Avenue is an unremarkable apartment building in the South Bronx, like many others, but in 1973 something magical happened here. Cindy Campbell rented out the building’s small rec room for a party on August 11, 1973. Her brother Clive, DJ Kool Herc, showed his new technique of mixing the beats from two copies of the same record to extend the break for the dancers. His friend Coke La Rock rapped over the beats. It was the birth of a new type of music that would become known as hip hop, and inspired Grandmaster Flash, KRS-One, Afrika Bambaataa and many other kids in attendance to run home and imitate the new sound. On a visit ten years ago, the rec room was sadly filled with snow blowers and maintenance equipment, but in 2017 Mayor de Blasio renamed the street Hip Hop Boulevard.

Photos(1)

1520 Sedgwick Avenue image

1520 Sedgwick Avenue

1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx An unremarkable apartment building in the South Bronx, like many others, but in 1973 something magical happened here. Cindy Campbell rented out the building’s small rec room for a party on August 11, 1973. Her brother Clive, DJ Kool Herc, showed his new technique of mixing the beats from two copies of the same record to extend the break for the dancers. His friend Coke La Rock rapped over the beats. It was the birth of a new type of music that would become known as hip hop, and inspired Grandmaster Flash, KRS-One, Afrika Bambaataa and many other kids in attendance to run home and imitate the new sound. When a friend and I snuck into the building ten years ago, the rec room was sadly filled with snow blowers and maintenance equipment, but in 2017 Mayor de Blasio renamed the street Hip Hop Boulevard.