Kool Dj Herc

Kool DJ Herc is an American-Jamaican DJ and music producer. music producer. He is considered one of the pioneers of hip-hop in the 1970s. Kool DJ Herc, real name Clive Campbell, was born on April 16, 1955 in Kingston, Jamaica. He derived his stage name from his nickname “Hercules” in 1973, an allusion to his tall and powerful stature. As a graffiti sprayer, he shortened the name to ‘Herc’ and later added the word ‘Kool’.

The emergence of hip-hop

The invention of hip-hop is often associated with Kool DJ Herc. A “back to school jam” in an old brick building in August 1973: the then 18-year-old DJ Kool Herc did not play the complete songs from his records, but only the instrumental parts between the vocals, because that was the best way for the party guests to dance. A friend grabbed a microphone and started rapping. The term hip-hop didn’t exist back then, but the party guests couldn’t get enough of it.

He started DJing at parties in 1973 and developed a unique style. Inspired by the disco DJs of the Bronx and the dubby reggae culture he began to talk about the instrumental parts of contemporary songs, laying the foundations for rap. Herc also added elements of emerging funk. By using turntables with two players, he extended the danceable intervals, created breakbeats and repeated the energetic parts of the songs.

This concept laid the foundation for hip-hop. Although the authorship of the term “hip-hop” is disputed, Kool DJ Herc is often regarded as one of the pioneers of this movement. His use of breakbeats in tracks such as “Apache” by the Incredible Bongo band had a lasting impact on early hip-hop culture.

Career of Kool DJ Herc

His fame was mainly based on the block parties he organized in the Bronx borough. The sound system he used was considered by listeners at the time to be the most impressive and best in the area. With an entrance fee of just 25 cents and his unique DJ style, he created an opportunity for the residents of the entire Bronx, which was plagued by internal conflicts and gang disputes, to come together.

At these block parties, he soon worked together with MC Coke La Rock and rapper Clark Kent, later joined by members such as Pebelee-Poo, Sweet N’ Sour, Timmy Tim, Tony D, Imperial Jay Cee and Smiley – the latter was the first female MC. The group called itself “The Herculoids” after Kool DJ Herc.

Highlight of his career

In 1975, he began his career as a DJ in the famous club “Hevalo”. There he continued to create a fusion of the sounds of his homeland, soul, funk and disco. Together with Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, who regarded him as a role model, Kool DJ Herc was one of the first big block party DJs in the hotbed of hip-hop, the Bronx. Particularly impressive was the volume of his system, which was not even surpassed by Grandmaster Flash and Bambaata.

In the mid-1970s, a dance style developed at his parties that is still an essential part of hip-hop culture today as breakdancing. He liked to call himself the oldest b-boy in New York. Kool DJ Herc played at “The Puzzle” club and set up his own sound system there. This consisted of two Garrard turntables, a preamplifier and large bass speakers for the time. Afrika Bambaataa described Herc’s music as follows:

“He just let the beat flow. He took music from groups like Mandrill, like ‘Fencewalk’, certain disco records with funky percussion breaks, like ‘The Incredible Bongo Rockers’ when they released ‘Apache’, and he kept that beat going. Maybe it was that part of the song that everyone had been waiting for – they let their inner feelings run wild. And before you know it, the singer comes back and everyone’s excited.” (from Poschardt: DJ Culture)