Old School Hip Hop - The DJ Diaries

⏱ 2 min read

The Bronx block party to commercial recording. DJs, MCs, breakdancers. Grandmaster Flash’s turntable technique was as innovative as anything in electronic music.

What Old School Hip Hop sounds like

Two copies of the same funk record, the break looped by hand so the drums never stop. Congas, a fat kick, a snapping snare. Then the MC rides it with simple party rhymes and call and response. When the break drops back in, the b-boys hit the floor.

What you would see

Rec rooms, parks and school gyms in the Bronx, speakers wired to street lamps. Hand drawn flyers, Kangols, shell toe sneakers, a circle of kids around the breakers.

Where and when

Old School Hip Hop took shape around 1973 in The Bronx, New York City, USA. Tracks usually run at 95 to 115 BPM. You will also see it called old skool rap, early hip hop.

Family tree

It grew out of Funk and Disco. It led to Electro, Golden Age Hip Hop, Miami Bass and Latin Freestyle. The key room or scene: 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, historically accepted as the birthplace of hip hop.

Artists to start with

DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Afrika Bambaataa.

Labels that carried it

Sugar Hill Records (United States, 1979), Enjoy Records (United States, 1962) and Tommy Boy Records (United States, 1981).

One track to hear

The Sugarhill Gang, Rapper’s Delight (1979). It is an official upload, and you can play it on this genre’s card in the Dance Music Timeline.

Where it stands in 2026

Foundation canon, Herc inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

Want to hear how it connects to its neighbours? Plan a mix from here with Tempo Bridge, or see where it sits among 127 genres on the timeline.

From the booth

This is where the DJ became the instrument. The whole idea was to take the break from a funk or disco record and keep it going, and at 95 to 115 BPM it sits comfortably next to both of its parents, Funk and Disco. That makes it an easy bridge in an open format set.

When you listen, notice how little is happening: a break, a voice, a crowd. The energy comes from repetition and timing. It later feeds into Electro, Golden Age Hip Hop, Miami Bass and Latin Freestyle, so it can open a door in several directions. If you are starting out, try practising with two copies of one record. It will teach you more about timing than any tutorial.

Sources

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