How hip-hop reached global domination

NPR

Published October 29, 2024 at 1:27 PM EDT

When DJ Kool Herc spun records at a small party in the Bronx in August of 1973, no one would have predicted his unique style would give birth to the most influential and dominant music in the world: hip-hop. In this special episode, NPR Music editors Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Sheldon Pearce are joined by contributor Christina Lee to look at how and why the music has managed to remain a local phenomenon, even as it's taken hold of the world.

Note: This episode original ran in Aug. 2023 for our special coverage of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

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