Kool Herc's Former Building Declared Birthplace Of Hip Hop

By: Yves Erwin Salomon

Hip hop has an official birthplace:1520 Sedgwick Avenue, the home of DJ Kool Herc in the '70s. Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Jose Serrano will join other public officials and fans at the site on Monday (July 23rd) to celebrate New York State's formal recognition of the building as the birthplace of hip-hop. The event will also double as a rally to keep the building as affordable Mitchell-Lama housing as there've been talks that the building's owner want to buy out of the affordable housing program in order to rent the building's units at market rate.

Although the building is less than 50 years old, it has been labeled as having "exceptional importance" and may one day be considered a national historic landmark.

Hip hop grew out of the parties that Kool Herc threw in the building's community room. The rap legend explained how it all started. He said:"It started in 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, parallel to the Major Deegan Highway, coming straight from Yankee Stadium. It started from 25 cents for ladies, 50 cents for fellas. And all I ask you for was don't disrespect the party. That's what kept it going."

Herc added: "I resurrected something that was... been killed by the gangs from a place called The Puzzle, The Tunnel on the Grand Concourse, and it deaded the party scene."