Music 101 looks at hip-hop’s early years

Hip-hop is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, as the genre is generally considered to have been ‘born’ out of parties taking place the Bronx back in 1973. The starting point is now widely considered to have taken place on Aug. 11, 1973, when Cindy Campbell threw a benefit to raise money for school clothes and hired her brother Clive (a.k.a. DJ Kool Herc) to DJ the party.

To honor the genre’s golden anniversary, this week Music 101 highlights artists and songs from the early years of hip-hop.

Related: meet Sylvia Robinson, the ‘mother of hip-hop’

To begin, host Margot goes back a few years earlier to highlight a 1968 single from comedian Pigmeat Markham, “Here Comes the Judge,” which some consider the first “rap” record.

Margot then highlights some of the genre’s early hitmakers, including the Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow, and Grandmaster Flash. She also include songs like Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 single “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” another early influence on hip-hop, and Blondie’s 1980 hit “Rapture,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first song to do so featuring rap vocals.

Music 101 will further explore the growth of hip-hop during a later episode.

Song list for Music 101: Hip-Hop’s Beginning

Below is the complete list of songs and artists featured in this week’s episode of Music 101: Hip-hop’s early years

  • “Here Comes The Judge” – Pigmeat Markham
  • “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” – Gil Scott-Heron
  • “King Tim III (Personality Jock)” – The Fatback Band
  • “Rapper’s Delight” – Sugarhill Gang
  • “The Breaks Pt. 1” – Kurtis Blow
  • “That’s The Joint” – Funky 4 + 1
  • “Rapture” – Blondie
  • “The Message” – Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

In each episode of Music 101, your host Margot highlights a different chapter in music history, bringing you songs you love and the stories behind them.

Listen to Music 101 on the Colorado Sound every Sunday at 10am MT, with the same episode repeated Wednesday at 8pm MT. You can also hear recent episodes on our Music 101 show page


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The Colorado Sound Music Awards – meet the winners and see photos from the event

Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century – see the complete list of songs

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