On this day in 1973, at a party in an apartment in the Bronx, New York, hip-hop AKA rap was born.
Using two turntables and a microphone, Jamaican-born funk and soul DJ Kool Herc mixed two records together – isolating and extending the kick drum beats or “breaks” – while also making rhythmic announcements over the top. The rest was history.
DJ Kool Herc, of Jamaican background, is recognized the earliest hip hop DJs and artists. He is credited with officially originating hip hop music through his 1973 “Back to School Jam.
“I was listening to American music in Jamaica and my favorite artist was James Brown. That’s who inspired me. A lot of the records I played were by James Brown”
Let’s celebrate Hip Hop’s birthday with some of the classics
The Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message
“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is a poem and song by Chicago born Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron first recorded it for his 1970 album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, on which he recited the lyrics, accompanied by congas and bongo drums. A re-recorded version, with a full band, was the B-side to Scott-Heron’s first single, “Home Is Where the Hatred Is”, from his album Pieces of a Man (1971).
The song is a fusion of Jazz,Funk and early Hip Hop, it has been re-released for the movie Black Panther.
Ironically a revolution of sorts was televised, a sort of ‘revolution’ by Gil Scott-Heron’s own father Gil Heron.
Gil Heron (9 April 1922 – 27 November 2008) was a Jamaican professional footballer. He was the first black player to play for Scottish club Celtic.
Heron was born in Kingston, Jamaica. During the second world war he joined the Canadian air force, where his footballing talents began to make a wider impression. In 1946, he signed for Detroit Wolverines, who played in the short-lived North American Professional Soccer League, which they duly won in its inaugural season, with Heron as top scorer. He was then transferred to Detroit Corinthians, who played in the larger American Soccer League.
Celtic had a history of making lengthy American tours and doing some scouting at the same time. The goalkeeper Joe Kennaway was an earlier product of this strategy. Although they did not play Detroit Corinthians on their 1951 tour, a scout learned about Heron’s prowess and was sufficiently impressed to invite him to Glasgow for pre-season trials. He made an early impression, scoring twice at a public trial at Celtic Park and was soon dubbed “the Black Arrow”. He made his debut on 18 August 1951 in a League Cup tie against Morton at Celtic Park and scored in a 2-0 victory. However, he was competing for the centre-forward role with John McPhail, a Celtic hero of the era.
By the end of the season, Heron’s star had faded and he was transferred by the club to Third Lanark, subsequently moving again to become the first black player to sign for Kidderminster Harriers.
However, the folklore surrounding Heron’s brief football career in the UK lived on. He was a skillful player, a natty dresser and a colourful personality in an era of cloth caps and physical football. He was capped by Jamaica at football and excelled at cricket, playing for leading Glasgow clubs while resident in the city.
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History of Sorts 
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