Afrika Bambaataa Early life[edit] Donovan grew up in The Bronx River Projects, with an activist mother and uncle. As a child, he was exposed to the black liberation movement, and witnessed debates between his mother and uncle regarding the conflicting ideologies in the movement. He was exposed to his mother's extensive and eclectic record collection.[3] Gangs in the area became the law in the area, clearing their turf of drug dealers, assisting with community health programs and both fighting and partying to keep members and turf.[3] Donovan was a member of the Young Spades. He quickly rose to the position of warlord of one of the divisions. Inspired by DJ Kool Herc and Kool DJ Dee, Donovan began hosting hip-hop parties beginning in 1977. In 1982, Donovan and his followers, a group of dancers, artists, and DJs, went outside the United States on the first hip hop tour.[3] He saw that the hip hop tours would be the key to help expand hip hop and his Universal Zulu Nation. Birth of the Zulu Nation[edit]
Grand Wizzard Theodore Grand Wizzard Theodore (born March 5, 1963) is an American hip hop DJ. He is widely credited as the inventor of scratching.[1][2] Though variants of the story exist, it is generally accepted that Grand Wizard Theodore was playing records at a high volume in his bedroom. Fed up with the noise his mother entered and ordered him to turn the music down. GrandWizzard Theodore at BelTek Festival in Belmont, Maine, 2009 References[edit] External links[edit] hiphop.sh/theo DJ Kool Herc Using the same two turntable set-up of disco DJs, Campbell used two copies of the same record to elongate the break. This breakbeat DJing, using hard funk, rock, and records with Latin percussion, formed the basis of hip hop music. Campbell's announcements and exhortations to dancers helped lead to the syncopated, rhymed spoken accompaniment now known as rapping. He called his dancers "break-boys" and "break-girls", or simply b-boys and b-girls. Campbell's DJ style was quickly taken up by figures such as Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. Biography[edit] Early life and education[edit] The front of 1520 Sedgwick Ave., where Kool Herc lived with his family and threw his first parties The break[edit] On August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc was a Disc Jockey and Emcee at a party in the recreation room at Sedgwick Avenue.[19] Specifically, DJ Kool Herc: B-boys and b-girls[edit] The "b-boys" and "b-girls" were the dancers to Herc's breaks, who were described as "breaking". " ... Later years[edit]
Grandmaster Flash Biography[edit] Joseph Saddler's family migrated to the United States from Barbados, in the Caribbean, and he grew up in The Bronx, New York. He attended Samuel Gompers High School, a public vocational school, where he learned how to repair electronic equipment.[2] Saddler's parents played an important role in his interest in music. His parents came from Barbados and his father was a big fan of Caribbean and black American records. As a child, Saddler was fascinated by his father's record collection. He is also a nephew to the late Former Feather Weight Champion of the World Sandy Saddler. Innovations[edit] Grandmaster Flash carefully studied the DJing styles and techniques of earlier DJs, particularly Pete Jones, Kool Herc, and Grandmaster Flowers.[5] As a teenager, he began experimenting with DJ gear in his bedroom, eventually developing and mastering three innovations that are still considered standard DJing techniques today. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five[edit] Awards[edit]