Hip Hop turns 50, today.

August 11, 1973 is the birthdate of hip-hop. It was the date DJ Kool Herc – Clive Campbell – deejayed a “Back to School Jam” in the recreation room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, introducing a culture that was coming together in Black and Latino neighborhoods throughout New York City.

The lesser-known part of the story is that the mastermind behind this jam was Herc’s younger sister, Cindy, who wanted to raise money for her back-to-school wardrobe. She didn’t have access to vast resources and spaces across the city, so she rented out the rec room, set the admission price, created the flyers by hand on index cards, coordinated food and beverages, and spread the word throughout the neighborhood. That jam became a legendary moment for hip-hop, sparking many more “park jams” that developed the culture into the dominating global influence it is today.

And The Savoy

Circa 1950. A Schomburg Library and Research Center image.