Vinyl DJing: The Hip Hop Revolution
Cast your mind back to the big apple, New York City in the early 70s. When Adidas was King of the sneaker world, break-dancers performed on cardboard cutouts in the rubble of the Bronx and street artists smothered the subways. Refusing to be subject to the surrounding poverty, young black crews began to pop up in a burst of creative energy. Dance, music and partying came to the forefront in a movement which today we know as hip hop. At street and house parties, crews would battle each other with MCing, breakdancing and a new art called DJing, the ability to seamlessly loop a song’s drum break by using two turntables and a central mixer. The kids had the whitest sneakers, the biggest hair and the flyest threads, not falling far from the funk tree.
The GLI PMX 7000 Mixer was the first of its kind and revolutionized DJing. This US mixer allowed a DJ to crossfade for a rapid transition between records with one hand. But there was one huge problem. DJ turntables were expensive and out of reach for most artists. Until one infamous night in 1977 turned that all around. The lights went out across New York City in a blackout lasting 25 gruelling hours. The city turned to chaos and looters smashed shop windows and took possession of anything they could get their hands on. Except for the DJs, who all had their eye on one thing, the GLI PMX 7000 Mixer. At this time hip hop was small. You could count the crews on two hands, but after that night, everyone seemed to have the gear, and a revolution began.
Local scenes included South Bronx, Hollis, Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem and Long Island. From this sprung Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, a crew of MCs and break dancers backed up by the hottest DJ on earth. Inspired by the martial arts movies of the 70s, Grandmaster Flash created a DJ technique called the Quick Mix Theory, extending break loops for the rappers and dancers. It’s safe to say he pioneered the art of DJing and inspired generations to come.
The way the MCs could rhyme and tell a story was revolutionary. Early descriptions included ‘talking blues performance poetry’ and ‘disco rap’. It finally became part of ‘hip hop’ which derived from ‘hippity hops’, the term older folks of the 1950s used to refer to teen house parties.
By the early 1980s, hip hop had gone mainstream, with punk artists like The Ramones and Blondie releasing rap tracks, everyone was having a go. But the original artists credited with accending into the pop charts from this movement include; LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Ultramagnetic MC's, the Jungle Brothers, Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, KRS-One, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, Biz Markie, Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Gang Starr, and A Tribe Called Quest.
VINYL
As we’ve explored, the first DJs used vinyl records as their primary medium. Vinyl records were introduced in the late 1800s and remained the most popular format for music until the 1990s. Vinyl records required a lot of skill to manipulate. DJs would use turntables to play records and would manually mix the tracks together, beatmatch them, and scratch them to create new sounds and effects. DJing became an art form, and the best DJs would be sought after for their technical abilities and music selection.
HIP Hop DJs Today
The art of DJing has come a long way since its inception but in many ways the originals are still the greats. Many DJs don’t use vinyl to play live now, opting for digital as it gives them more control, more music access and ease in the mix and transportation of their show.
One things for sure, from vinyl records to digital music, DJs have been able to entertain audiences and bring life to any event, be it a party, club, or festival, for over 50 years now. From its humble beginnings to the digital age. Some of the hottest hip hop DJs in music today are: DJ Snake, DJ Khaled, Gramatik, DJ Square Biz, DJ Enuff, DJ Clue, DJ Greg Street, DJ Prostyle and Jazzy Jeff.
HIP HoP DJing At Your Event
Are you looking to incorporate some old skool hip hop DJing at your wedding, corporate event or party? DJ Paula Frost would be more than happy to surprise your guests with a mix of classics from N.W.A, Cypress Hill, Notorious B.I.G, Wu-Tang Clan, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and more! Get in touch to book now.
