Throwback: Happy 52nd Birthday, Hip-Hop!

This year has been a brutal, soul-sucking slog. And we have at least 3 more brutal and soul-sucking years left of this administration to go — if they don’t kill us all, first. So let’s get to it. 

• MTV was launched 44 years ago on August 1
• Coolio was born 62 years ago on August 1
• Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott celebrated his 66th birthday on August 1
• Public Enemy‘s Chuck D. celebrated his 64th birthday on August 1
• Butch Vig celebrated his 70th — yes, y’all 70th! — birthday on August 2
• Echo and the Bunnymen‘s first dummer Pete de Freitas was born 64 years ago on August 2.
• Collective Soul‘s frontman Ed Roland celebrated his 62nd birthday on August 3
• Metallica‘s James Hetfield celebrated his 62nd birthday on August 3
• The iconic Louis Armstrong was born 124 years ago on August 4
• Beastie Boys‘ Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA was born 60 years ago on August 5 
• U2′s The Edge celebrated his 64th birthday on August 8
• The incomparable, ebullient and legendary Whitney Houston was born 62 years ago on August 9
• The pioneering Kurtis Blow celebrated his 66th birthday on August 9
• Interpol’s Sam Fogarino celebrated his 57th birthday on August 9
• Ronnie Spector was born 82 years ago on August 10

Hip-hop was born at a house party at 1520 Sedgewick Avenue DJ’ed by the pioneering Kool Herc on this day 52 years ago. Since then, hip-hop has become of the most popular and influential genres of music in the entire world. 

Much like jazz, the blues, rock ‘n’ roll and other genres and styles, hip-hop has transformed over the past 51 years — but it’s still rooted in emcee, DJ, breakdancing and graffiti. But when I think of hip-hop, I think of Run DMC blowing my mind as a young boy. I adored those brothers so very much. I even begged my folks for pair of Adidas. I think of walking the streets of Frankfurt and seeing breakdancers. I think of a club night at Amsterdam‘s now defunct The Sugar Factory, where the DJ’s were playing real, old school hip-hop. And of course, Francophone and Anglophone hip-hop at Montréal‘s Le Belmont.

Long live hip-hop, y’all! Long live hip-hop!