E20: Proto Hip-Hop

Listen to the full episode here:

In the penultimate episode of our current series, Tim and Jeremy explore the earlier incarnations of what would become Hip-Hop. They begin by asking where the term comes from and interrogating the problematic historiography of the genre. The show then moves on to a detailed profile of the legendary DJ Cool Herc and his nascent rec room parties, alongside the contemporaneous mobile DJ culture, the Jazz poetry of Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets, the ‘merry-go-round’ mixing technique, and the historical and affective significance of the breakbeat for hip-hop and disco. Plus: the only evidence you’ll find of David Mancuso cutting breaks.

Books and Films:
Wild Style (1982)
Stan Cohen - Folk Devils and Moral Panics
Tim Lawrence - Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor 1980-1983
Jeff Chang - Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
David Toop - The Rap Attack: African Jive to New York Hip Hop

Tracklist:
Rare Earth - Get Ready
Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
The Last Poets - When the Revolution Comes
Incredible Bongo Band - Apache
Benny Goodman Orchestra - Sing Sing Sing
Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band - Scorpio