Hip-hop turns 50 in NYC: Run-DMC, Ghostface Killah say it’s ‘forever’ before Yankee Stadium show

As the long run DMC in Run-DMC, a 12-year-old Darryl McDaniels received his first training in hip-hop at St. Pascal Balyon Catholic college in Jamaica, Queens.

“I used to be in seventh grade, and Billy Morris —  who was within the eighth grade — walked into the schoolyard with a flat Panasonic tape recorder that each one the children would use [back when] there have been no boomboxes,” DMC, 59, informed The Submit.

“And he mentioned, ‘Yo, come hearken to this!’ He pushed play, I heard a beat …  and it was about, like, a minute and 30 seconds of this man rapping over this little drum beat. We didn’t know what it was, however no matter that was — for me, it was my DNA.”

Listening to the voice of the pioneering ’70s New York DJ Eddie Cheeba over that beat rocked DMC’s world: The Hollis, Queens native would go on to turn out to be a part of rap’s first famous person act in Run-DMC, who will headline Hip Hop 50 Reside — a star-studded extravaganza celebrating the golden anniversary of the music and the tradition — at Yankee Stadium on Friday.

Taking it again to the Bronx — the place hip-hop was born at a celebration the place DJ Kool Herc launched the “breakbeat” for MCs to rap over on Aug. 11, 1973 — it’s a who’s who that includes everybody from O.G. groundbreakers (Slick Rick, the Sugarhill Gang) and ’90s icons (Nas, Ice Dice) to Twenty first-century titans (Lil Wayne, T.I.) and, after all, the queens of hip-hop (Eve, Lil Kim, Remy Ma and Trina).

“It’s historical past,” mentioned Ghostface Killah, a member of the legendary Staten Island squad Wu-Tang Clan, who will carry out solo. “You bought a lotta greats on that shit, from outdated to new. You may take this flyer and simply save that shit for an additional 50 years.”

Queens-born Marley Marl — an influential DJ and producer behind the beats for the likes of Roxanne Shante, LL Cool J and Massive Daddy Kane — was already spinning in golf equipment when he found hip-hop in round 1980.

“I’d begin listening to these tapes coming from Harlem, from the jam within the park within the Bronx,” mentioned Marley, who will play a particular DJ set on the Yankee Stadium live performance. “I went and received a crew collectively. I received seven MCs in Queensbridge. Now I’m taking part in the breakbeats for the rappers.”

With Grandmaster Flash tapes circulating via Queens, DMC’s older brother Alford inspired him to get with the burgeoning hip-hop motion.

“He made me promote all my comedian guide to get two turntables and a microphone,” he mentioned. “I began DJing in my basement first. I used to be Grandmaster Get Excessive since you didn’t want reefer or alcohol to get intoxicated as a result of I used to be like, ‘My music will intoxicate you.’ ”

DMC would have one other life-changing second in eighth grade, when his buddy Joseph Simmons came to visit to play basketball and ended up discovering his DJ setup.

“He goes, ‘Oh, my brother is Russell Rush,’ ” he mentioned of Russell Simmons, founding father of the enduring New York hip-hop label Def Jam Data. “He manages Kurtis Blow, he manages Whodini. And I’m going by the title of DJ Run.”

And the remainder is hip-hop historical past.

However after Run-DMC — which was rounded out by their late DJ Jam Grasp Jay — hit it large with their 1984 self-titled debut, 1985’s “King of Rock” and particularly 1986’s “Elevating Hell,” they nonetheless needed to maintain hip-hop true to its group roots on the streets of New York.

“When Run-DMC had the chance to open the doorways, we left them open for LL to comply with, Public Enemy to comply with, EPMD, Eric B. & Rakim,” he mentioned. “We noticed it as one thing higher than us.”

And 50 years after it was born within the South Bronx, hip-hop has gone from rocking the block to ruling the world.  

“Everyone was like, ‘Rap’s a fad. It’s gonna die like disco. You guys are gonna fade out just like the hula hoop,’ ” recalled DMC, who will launch the solo single “Kingdom Come” on Aug. 18.

“We had a accountability to the true pioneers who created this tradition, earlier than recorded rap, to be sure that this factor lasts without end.”