On this day in 1955, Clive Campbell—better known to the world as DJ Kool Herc—was born in Kingston, Jamaica. At the age of 12, he relocated with his family to the Bronx, New York, where his influence would eventually help birth a cultural revolution. He adopted the name “Kool Herc” as a member of the graffiti crew Ex-Vandals, a nod to his towering 6’4″ frame and a nickname short for “Hercules.”
In the early 1970s, Herc and his sister Cindy began throwing back-to-school and community parties at their apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, on the corner of Sedgwick and Cedar in the South Bronx. It was there that Herc introduced a groundbreaking DJ technique that would forever change music. Using two turntables, he isolated and extended the “break” portion of funk and soul records—the part that got dancers the most hyped. This innovation gave rise to a new style of movement, and with it, a new generation of dancers.
Herc dubbed these dancers “B-Boys” and “B-Girls,” short for “break boys” and “break girls.” In his words, to be “breaking” was street slang for acting out energetically or stirring up excitement—exactly what was happening on the dance floors he helped ignite.
DJ Kool Herc’s influence spread quickly, inspiring other Bronx pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, as well as groups like the Sugarhill Gang. His role in laying the foundation for Hip Hop culture—including DJing, MCing, breakdancing, and graffiti—earned him his rightful place in history as the Father of Hip Hop.
Today, The Source honors DJ Kool Herc for his monumental contribution to a global movement. Without Herc’s vision and innovation, Hip Hop as we know it might never have existed. We salute the architect of the culture.
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