Hip Hop 101
Excerpt:"Events that shaped hip-hop
Here's a look at some of the events that have shaped hip-hop music and culture:
1979: "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang becomes the first rap song to hit the charts several years after the streets gave birth to the musical style in the Bronx.
1980: Kurtis Blow is the first rapper to be signed to a major label and to have the first rap single, "The Breaks," to go gold.
1981: The Funky 4 Plus One becomes the first rap act to perform on U.S. TV on "Saturday Night Live."
1982: "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five marks the first time rap tackles social problems. Afrika Bambaataa's landmark album, "Planet Rock," fuses hip-hop with electronic music."