Chorus (2x)

H-I-P H-O-P
I've got a DJ and a MC
Plus some Breakers so we've got all three
That we need for this Hip-Hop Party

Verse 1 (DJ'ing)

If I need head nodding drums and bass lines to rock me
I go find a DJ, that’s short for Disc Jockey
South Bronx, New York City, early 1970’s
A kid, Kool Herc, influenced the culture heavily
South Bronx was going through a lot at the time
Rising arson, drug use, gang wars and crime
But being Hip-Hop is making the most of what you have
Since Herc played his sound system on Sedgwick Ave
known as a no faker, no stuff taker, dope party maker
like they did in his home of Jamaica
To do his block parties he’d hack the streetlights
Or his basement jams would bring the people each night
all off New York came for Kool Herc’s spinnin
And most say that this was Hip-Hop’s beginning
These parties in the South Bronx are why we say
The first element of Hip-Hop is the DJ

Chorus (2x)

Verse 2 (MC'ing)

The master of ceremony is on the microphone
At events like graduations or where people might perform
In Hip Hop, while the dj moves the groove around
MC means “microphone controller” or “move the crowd”
Before their lyrical recitals or battling their rivals
Their role was really vital as the dj flipped his vinyl
turntables aren’t like cd players or ipods
You can’t make a playlist, these days that seems quite odd
Not a problem, until you wanna go from one song to the next
At a party, but you don’t want the crowd to get vexed
They used “Call and Response” a very old tradition
giving “shout outs”, or “toasting”, was part of their mission
They would make the crowd move to what he or she say
use their microphone skills to promote the DJ
They changed music as we know it, it’s easy to see
my favorite element of Hip-Hop is the MC

Chorus (2x)

Verse 3 (Breaking)

To understand the dances and the style they were portraying
You must understand the dj’s and the music they were playing
The hottest funk records were in heavy rotation
As Parliament Funkadelic toured the nation
James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, that’s right man
With the JB’s, you should’ve seen him at his height man
bass, guitar, keys, a drummer on his left and right hand
4 horns, 3 singers, 3 dancers, and a hype man
One part made the party go wild and the ground shake
When they all stopped but the drummer, this was called the break
grandmaster flash developed new techniques
To make sure they gave the people their beats
He would get two copies of the same record
On two record players, a turn table double decker
He put a mixer between each record player
Which includes many buttons including a cross fader
He would line up the records to the same place
Where the break beat started and put on his game face
The records going at the same rate he’d let the first rotate
Switch at the right time, release the record with style and grace
He did this for as long as he wanted the break to last
The dancers went crazy, they really had a blast
They’d break into James Brown inspired moves
Groups of kids would get together and be dance crews
Created B-Boy and B-Girl stances, the Freeze, and footwork
With some acrobatic moves, if you fail it could hurt
But this was all history in the making
Because the style they created is now called Breaking!

Chorus (6x)