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Starter archiveTransformedVerifiedPerformance space1973 (foundational party)
1520 Sedgwick Avenue
1520 Sedgwick Avenue · Morris Heights, Bronx40.8399° N / 73.9297° W
Overview
Bronx apartment building whose ground-floor rec room is widely cited as the birthplace of hip-hop.
1520 Sedgwick Avenue is a Bronx residential building whose ground-floor recreation room is widely cited as the birthplace of hip-hop, following an August 11, 1973 back-to-school party hosted by DJ Kool Herc and Cindy Campbell, where Herc's extension of the drum break is often described as foundational. The building remains residential and is recognized as a cultural landmark.
Oral histories & archival media
Audio · oral history sought
August 11, 1973
If you were at the rec-room party widely cited as the birth of hip-hop, your account belongs here.
Record a memoryArchive plates
Flyer placeholder
FlyerPL.01
Pending acquisition
Photograph placeholder
PhotographPL.02
Pending acquisition
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DocumentPL.03
Pending acquisition
Placeholder plates — cleared scans drop in here
Sonic profile
hip-hop
Cultural role
birth of hip-hopBronx historyblock-party culture
DJs, promoters & people
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Parties & residencies
Tags
#hip-hopbirthplace#recroom#Bronx#SedgwickAvenue