Kool Herc

About Kool Herc

He is a DJ who is credited for popularizing hard funk and hip hop tracks in the 1970s. He was born Clive Campbell.

Clive Campbell, better known by his stage name DJ Kool Herc, is a Jamaican-American DJ who is credited for originating hip hop music in the Bronx, New York City, in the 1970s through his "Back to School Jam", hosted on August 11, 1973, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. After his younger sister, Cindy Campbell, became inspired to earn extra cash for back-to-school clothes, she decided to have her older brother, then 18 years old, play music for the neighborhood in their apartment building. Known as the "Founder of Hip-Hop" and "Father of Hip-Hop", Campbell began playing hard funk records of the sort typified by James Brown. Campbell began to isolate the instrumental portion of the record which emphasized the drum beat—the "break"—and switch from one break to another. Using the same two-turntable set-up of disco DJs, he used two copies of the same record to elongate the break. This breakbeat DJing, using funky drum solos, formed the basis of hip hop music.

Also known as	Kool DJ Herc, Kool Herc, Father of Hip-Hop
Born	April 16, 1955, Kingston, Jamaica
Associated acts	Russell Simmons, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Grand Wizzard Theodore, Coke La Rock, Kurtis Blow, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, DJ Kool
Origin	The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
Years active	1971–present
Genres	Hip-hop
Birth name	Clive Campbell
Occupation(s)	DJ

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Trivia

In 1975, Grandmaster Flash said that he was his musical hero for his contributions to the genre.

Kool Herc before fame

When he was 12 years old, he and his family moved from Kingston, Jamaica to the Bronx, New York.

Achievement of Kool Herc

Grandmaster Flash declared himself a musical hero in 1975 for his contributions to the genre.

Salary 2020

Not known

Net Worth 2020

$3 million (2016)

Kool Herc family life

He was the oldest of six children.

Associations of Kool Herc

His work had a significant impact on Grandmaster Flash.

Kool Herc Height, Weight & Physique Measurements

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