Imagine it’s Aug 11, 1973

Imagine it’s Aug 11, 1973. You have a quarter to blow and there’s a party down the block at 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx. You and your friends show up, looking cute. There’s already a ton of people standing outside and you can hear the heavy bass from the rec room. Everybody’s having a good time. Coke La Rock even shouts you out right before DJ Kool Herc plays the instrumental break of “It’s Just Begun” by the Jimmy Castor Bunch. You’re feelin’ fly, catchin’ the groove, right as DJ Kool Herc switches it up and slides into another song — all night, tracks collide into one another rhythmically.

This style would become known as the Merry Go Round.

In this style, the rhythm of multiple songs match a continuous beat while getting switched out. As one hot instrumental break plays, the dj (in this historic and groundbreaking night, it was DJ Kool Herc, now known as the Father of Hip Hop) flows into another song and this continues for much of the set.

The party ends and it takes some time to understand the magnitude of what that night meant. You walk home with your girls, filling the street with laughter and gossip from the party. Cindy, Herc’s sister, always throws the best parties. Your friends walk you home and catch a glimpse of your overprotective brother who opens the door. The girls giggle as they head for the train.

“So, what’d you do tonight” he asks, and though you don’t realize it at the time, what you did tonight was witness the birth of hip hop.

❤️🙌🏽