Are you looking for some crazy, interesting, and little-known facts about the art of hip-hop? Sometimes it's very interesting to discover things about the genre you would never have thought were true.
Whether it's pertaining to hip-hop history, some of the record-breaking numbers, or just some crazy random facts, I've got you covered if you're looking to gain some knowledge.
You might be able to use one or two of these facts in your next studio session or for your next performance.
Spread some of the positive truths about what has happened in the past and how hip-hop is changing the future. Hip-hop is more than just a genre; it's a culture!
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The term "hip-hop" was coined by Keef Cowboy, associated with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The term was meant to sound similar to the cadence of soldiers marching.
DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican DJ, is widely recognized as one of the earliest pioneers of hip hop thanks to his "Back to School Jam" that was hosted on August 11, 1973.
The birthplace of hip-hop is The Bronx, New York, during the early 1970s.
DJ Kool Herc developed the break style in DJing and records that became the blueprint for the genre of hip-hop.
Flash, Herc, and their DJ contemporaries were the first stars of hip-hop before vocalists started rapping.
Hip hop was previously referred to as 'disco rap' before settling on the term it is known as now.
Sugar Hill Records, founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson, was the first hip-hop label ever made.
The world of hip-hop built roots among African American and Hispanic youth in New York. This movement was primarily a response to poverty, urban crime, and cultural displacement.
In the 1980s, DJ Grand Wizard Theodore accidentally created the innovative art of the 'needle drop'.
Aside from DJing and rapping, the other original elements of the hip-hop genre are graffiti and breakdancing.
Popular rapper Lil' Wayne originally went by the name Shrimp Daddy before changing it.
Tupac Skaur started his career as a roadie, dancer, and MC for Digital Underground.
Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, and Warren G were once in a rap group named 213, which was one of the area codes for L.A.
Two of the biggest casualties of the war between East and West hip hop were the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, whose murders were never solved.
The Mercedes Ladies were the first all-female rap group formed in the 1970s.
Surprisingly, record-breaking rapper Eminem only sold 1,000 copies of his 1996 debut album, Infinite.
Before her success as a rapper and actress, Queen Latifah started out beatboxing for the female rap group, Ladies Fresh.
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The first hip-hop hit was entitled ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and was officially released by The Sugar Hill Gang in 1979.
Tone Loc’s song “Wild Thing” was the first rap single ever to go platinum in the music world.
Rapper Eminem was recently credited with a Guinness World Record in 2020 for rapping 7.5 words per second in one verse in Godzilla.
Wiz Khalifa’s video for ‘See You Again’ featuring Charlie Puth is the most-viewed hip-hop video of all time (at the time of this blog publishing date), with over 6 billion views on Youtube alone.
Run D.M.C. was the first rap group to be featured in Rolling Stone Magazine. They were also the first to receive gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums, according to the billboard charts.
Da Brat was the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album.
Rapper Diddy started his career as a backup dancer for artists Big Daddy Kane and Heavy D.
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In 1984, several hip-hop albums from hip hop heavy hitters, including especially from artists Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and the Beastie Boys, were released under the term "new school hip-hop".
The late ’80s and early ’90s are referred to by modern music enthusiasts as hip-hop’s “golden era.”
According to Reuters, hip-hop and R&B surpassed rock as the biggest U.S. music genre in 2017.
Today, graffiti-influenced writing styles show up worldwide in graphic design, fashion, and street art.
Hip-hop did not stay in the U.S.; the genre spread across the world. Today, you can hear South American, African, European, and even Korean hip-hop.
According to the U.S. Department of State, hip-hop is "now the center of a mega music and fashion industry around the world that crosses social barriers and cuts across racial lines."
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