1970's: The Five Elements Of Hip Hop

The 1970s was a period of political neglect towards struggling urban areas. Such as the state of New York, particularly the South Bronx where Hip Hop was formed. The title of the “founder” of Hip Hop is consistently attributed to DJ Kool Herc. He is also referred to as one of the three kings, along with Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, all of whom are prominent figures in the Hip Hop community. The Five Elements of Hip Hop are Djing, MCing, Graffiti, Break dancing, and knowledge.

The 1970s was a difficult time in the realm of politics and economics. During this decade there was three different presidents. President Richard Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandal, which left a well-deserved sour taste of distrust in the mouths of the American people. To this day he is the only president who has resigned from office. During Nixon’s time in office he made his aversion for equal rights among race and class apparent. In return he favored the middle class conservatives which promoted traditional values.

New York, particularly the South Bronx borough, can be characterized by a wave of high unemployment rates and urban decay. If you can go back to that time you would witness communities where blocks of housing and businesses are abandoned, burned, and decayed. It was comparable to a war scene.

Djing is the manipulation of records to generate new beats, break beats, or music. DJ Kool Herc claims he began Djing because it was a fun way to pass the time, he would have parties and they became a “rite of passage for young people.” Before he knew it others were adding to the foundation that would later become a billion-dollar industry. Another notable, DJ Grandmaster Flash, said in an interview that “since we had no technical nothing, the such was to find that drum beat, that break down, that drum solo. That was the mission…. When the drummer had that little solo the peoples body would get more