On this day in 1955, Clive Campbell, widely recognized as DJ Kool Herc, was born in Kingston, Jamaica. At 12 years old, he moved with his family to the Bronx, New York, where his influence would eventually spark a cultural revolution. He adopted the name “Kool Herc” as a member of the graffiti crew Ex-Vandals, a reference to his towering 6’4″ frame and a shortened form of “Hercules.”
In the early 1970s, Herc and his sister Cindy began hosting back-to-school and community parties in their apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, located at the corner of Sedgwick and Cedar in the South Bronx. It was here that Herc introduced a groundbreaking DJ technique that would forever change music. Using two turntables, he isolated and extended the “break” portion of funk and soul records—the part that energized dancers the most. This innovation gave birth to a new style of dance and sparked a movement.
Herc referred to these dancers as “B-Boys” and “B-Girls,” a term short for “break boys” and “break girls.” According to him, “breaking” was street slang for acting with energy or stirring excitement—precisely what was happening on the dance floors he helped create.
DJ Kool Herc’s influence spread rapidly, inspiring other Bronx pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, as well as groups such as the Sugarhill Gang. His contribution to the development of Hip Hop culture—including DJing, MCing, breakdancing, and graffiti—earned him his place in history as the Father of Hip Hop.
Today, The Source honors DJ Kool Herc for his monumental impact on a global movement. Without his vision and innovation, Hip Hop, as we know it, might never have existed. We salute the architect of the culture.
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