Cont. A Hip Hop Timeline 1980 & 1981 as featured on about.com
Here is 1980 and 1981 in Hip Hop as featured on about.com by Henry Adaso
1980:
- Afrika Bambaata and the Zulu Nation release their first 12″ called Zulu Nation Throwdown Pt. 1 on Paul Winley Records.
- Kurtis Blow, the first rapper to appear on national television (Soul Train), releases “The Breaks” on Mercury Records. The record goes on to sell more than a million copies. Hip-hop gradually evolves into big business.
- After meeting Fab 5 Freddy and others, Blonde releases “Rapture” featuring rap vocals by lead singer Debbie Harry.
1981:
- Grandmaster Flash releases “The Adventures of Grand Master Flash on the Wheels of Steel,” the first record to ultimately capture the sounds
of live DJ scratching on wax. - On February 14th, The Funky 4 plus One More perform their classic hit, “That’s The Joint” on NBC’s Saturday Night Live becoming the first hip
- hop group to appear on national television.
- The Beastie Boys are formed. The group consists of Adam Horovitz (King Ad-Rock), Adam Yauch (MCA), Michael Diamon (Mike D).
Categories: Culture, Music Tags: Afrika Bambaata, beastie boys, blondie, Fab 5 Freddy, Grandmaster Flash, Henry Adaso, History, Kurtis Blow, Music, rap, rapture
