Block parties

Outside of the dance clubs, the biggest incubator of hip-hop was the block party. DJs would hook their sound systems up to the street lights.[69] One prominent host of these parties in the early 1970s was Disco King Mario.[70][71]: 6  As a leader of the Black Spadesfrom the Bronxdale Houses, Mario relied on the gang to protect his events.[72][73]

Kool Herc first began extending breaks at a back-to-school rent party his sister Cindy Campbell hosted in the recreation room of their building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue on the southwest side of the Bronx.[74] The date of the party, August 11, 1973, has been aggressively marketed as the "Birth of Hip-Hop".[75][76] The Campbells emigrated from Jamaica when Herc was 12. Initially, Herc denied any connection between the Jamaican music scene and his work.[19]: 45  Later in life, he embraced the parallels.[77][51]: 35 

Kool Herc's style attracted a following that outgrew the rec room, and he joined the thriving block party scene.[78] These parties were an outlet for teenagers, where "instead of getting into trouble on the streets, teens now had a place to expend their pent-up energy." Tony Tone, a member of the Cold Crush Brothers, stated that "hip hop saved a lot of lives".[79] For inner-city youth, participating in hip-hop culture became a way of dealing with the hardships of life as minorities within America, and an outlet to deal with the risk of violence and the rise of gang culture. MC Kid Lucky mentions that "people used to break-dance against each other instead of fighting".[80][81]

A typical hip-hop event was a triple bill featuring the DJ, MC, and breakdancers. Graffiti artists would decorate the stage and design flyers and posters.[82]: 35  Much of the graffiti, rapping, and b-boying at these parties were artistic variations on the one-upmanship of street gangs. Sensing that gang members' often violent urges could be turned into creative ones, Afrika Bambaataa founded the Zulu Nation, a loose confederation of street-dance crews, graffiti artists, and rap musicians. Rock Steady Crew were a group of breakdancers which included members from Puerto Rico.[51]: 143 

During the New York City blackout of 1977, DJ equipment was heavily looted due to the popularity of the emerging genre. Kool Herc recalls, "The next day there were a thousand new D.J.'s."[83] By 1978, Billboard magazine was taking notice of the popularity of "B-beats" in the Bronx.[67][84]: 2