DJ Kool Herc

USA, 1973–now

Jamaican-born DJ in the Bronx, credited with originating hip-hop practice. From 1973 his 'Merry-Go-Round' technique extended the drum break of a funk record across two turntables, applying the Jamaican sound-system and toasting tradition to American funk.

MusicRoots documents 1 artist who influenced DJ Kool Herc and 9 artists DJ Kool Herc influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced DJ Kool Herc?

• James Brown — James Brown was Herc's major influence — he built hip-hop by isolating and looping the hard funk breaks of Brown's records, the drum sections that drove the dancefloor.

Which artists did DJ Kool Herc influence?

• Kurtis Blow — Kurtis Blow came up in DJ Kool Herc's break-driven Bronx parties — he credits Herc, the 'Father of Hip Hop', as the source of the culture he helped commercialise.
• Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five — Flash studied DJ Kool Herc's parties and built directly on Herc's breakbeat — his Quick Mix Theory elongated the break Herc had isolated.
• Cold Crush Brothers — The crew grew out of the Bronx park-jam culture Kool Herc founded.
• Treacherous Three — Like their peers, the group came up in the Bronx park-jam tradition Kool Herc created.
• Funky 4 + 1 — The group formed within the Bronx park-jam culture Kool Herc founded.
• The Sugarhill Gang — The group's rapping-over-breaks format came directly from the hip-hop culture Kool Herc invented.
• Whodini — Whodini's block-party rap roots trace to the culture Kool Herc founded.
• Grandmaster Flash — Flash studied Kool Herc's breakbeat DJing in the South Bronx parks and built his quick-mix theory on Herc's Merry-Go-Round break technique.
• Afrika Bambaataa — Bambaataa first heard Kool Herc in 1973 and began to DJ in Herc's style after getting his own sound system.