On this day, August 11, 1973, a young innovative ‘DJ’ Kool Herc born in Kingston, Jamaica created hip-hop as he rocked a modest party for fellow teenagers in a small community room in a Bronx apartment, using his Jamaican culture as influence.

What Kool Herc did behind the turntables at that back-to-school party helped to ignite the music we now know as hip-hop.

His innovative skills sparked the cultural explosion that followed and today 50 years is being celebrated across the world.

Kool’s style was influenced by Jamaican sound systems and dancehall which has proliferated.

Hip Hop originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre with African Americans and while consisting of stylized rhythmic music (usually built around drum beats) that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted with a slew of messages.

Now all this came as rapping over beats (toasting) and was prominent in Caribbean dancehall, reggae, calypso, and dub music before 1970.

Fun Fact: Hip hop is also known as rap and formerly known as Disco Rap.

Additionally, Jamaican Michie Mee is the Queen of Hip-Hop in Canada as she is a founding member of entertainment and has influenced many rappers including global sensation Drake, who has credited her several times for her work.

To date, many rappers are influenced by Dancehall/Reggae music, from (Trini born) Queen of Rap Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg and many others.

Nonetheless, DJ Herc is known as the father of Hip Hop.