The Birthplace Of Hip Hop Still At Risk
by on April 16th, 2008
According to The Washington Post, the original birthplace of Hip Hop is on the verge of being sold.
1520 Sedgwick Avenue, located in the Bronx, has always been recognized where Hip Hop began in 1973, where DJ Kool Herc first extended break beats to promote more dancing and he first began to talk over the beat.
The high-profile investor, Mark Karasick, who is currently bidding for the building originally told tenant advocates he would withdraw his bid of $14 million.
The director of the Hip Hop Culture Center Curtis Sherrod explained the significance of the building's legacy. "In America, we tend to forget where things come from. Hip-hop was invented by poor people in a borough that's a forgotten borough," Sherrod said.
Last summer the location became eligible to be registered in state and national historic as "The Birthplace of Hip-Hop".
"Just like The Grand Ole Opry, just like Graceland, just like the Apollo, Hip Hop is part of the American folk dance. It came from this building. That should be respected," Herc said in defense of the location.



























1. Again, I am BEGGING, PLEADING, AND URGING everyone, both oldheads AND youngboys, AND our sistas that are “up on ish”, to PLEASE tune into MTV JAMS for the remainder of April, instead of say, wack ass 106 & Park, and catch all those old episodes of YO! MTV RAPS…
DISCLOSURE: There’s NO Lil’ Wayne, G-Unit, Dipset (maybe some Cam), or Soulja Boy. It’s all late 80’s & 90s stuff. I wasn’t allowed to watch it as a kid, so even I AM SEEIN’ MAD VIDEOS I NEVER saw before, even though most of the music I know. It’s still VERY, VERY refreshing!
2. I saw Jay-Z, i.e. Jigga on a video with this group (I forgot the name) from 1989! I was like, “Wowwwww!” Remember on 01’s Takeover, where he said, “…You’ve been in it 10, I’ve been in it 5, smarten up Nas”… only to find out that Jay was LYING the whole time, and Nas really was tellin’ the truth… All the heavyweights entered the game around the SAME TIME! Late 80s, early 90s. Rappers be LYIN! IT’S ALL ENTERTAINMENT!!!!!
P.S. ANYONE HEARD ANY WORD ON THAT “NIGGER” droppin on April 27th??
Thats pretty obvious!
ReDef.
Thats pretty obvious!"
hip hop is not dead and no matter what happens to the building it wont die, but to sell or buy this building would be just another slap in the face for those that respect hip hop and the culture it has created
for the love of music save the building
PS: Only $14 mill for the building where one of the biggest genres of music started??? That’s some bullshit considering the fact that hip-hop is a billion dollar business.
fuck outta here wit dat south killed hip-hop shit niggas put out wack music all around the globe nigga new york niggas than put out wack shit west coast niggas than put out wack shit quit bein biased
Thats what it is right?
Aint that why this story was written?
No other genre of music has ever pointed out a building and said “Thats it!… Thats where our culture was born!”
Keep it real yall.
None of you niggas would shell out 14 million dollars for an old brick building in the bronx regaurdless of what may have gone on there before.
jay-z, russell simmons, diddy, 50 cent… they all could afford to buy it for shits and grins but you know why they havnt?
Cuz it aint shit but an old brick building.
The magic that sparked the movement is whats important.
When NONE of you niggas had ANY IDEA or knew what the fuck this bulding was before. Or had even heard of it.
And Im a muthafuckin hip-hop afficianado.
Thats strictly a New York thing.
www.bloodcuzinz.com
That article fuck my morning at work, maybe even the whole day?
Why nobody up North responded to “Ceelo”??? I can’t think of 1 dude up north that listens to “Ceelo”
Kool Herc would rather be given 14 thousand dollars than see that building be kept around for 14 million.
Deny that all you want.
Praise herc. Hes the nigga that made it happen. He would have done it whether it was in the streets or in that building.
Ya’ll could thank DJ Kool Herc for being a Jamaican Immigrant.
That’s how it started…..DJ’s in J.A. started talking over the microphone; but eventually they decided to get help from someone else with better rhyming skills. In Jamaica that person would be called the “DJ”. But in America They’re not called “DJ’s”; but they’re called Rappers.
Hip Hop is Beyond Kool Herc…..He’s Not even a Hip Hop Pioneer….He still has my respect though..
PLEASE enlighten us all as to what blood clot rude boy jamaican MC came to america and started the best thing since sliced bread.