The records. The people. The movement.

Know Where
It Came From.

Explore the history of hip hop—from Bronx block parties and park jams to a worldwide language of music, art, dance, style and resistance.

1973Timeline begins
7Milestones
24+Years of culture
More than a genre

Five Elements.
One Culture.

Hip-hop grew through DJing, MCing, breaking, graffiti writing and knowledge—forms connected by innovation, competition and community. Its history belongs to the neighborhoods that created it and the generations that continue to reinvent it.

This archive highlights defining moments without treating the culture as finished. Hip-hop history is still being written every day.

DJingMCingBreakingGraffitiKnowledge
A living timeline

Moments That Moved
The Culture.

1973
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August 11

Hip-Hop's Birthdate

DJ Kool Herc hosts a back-to-school party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, widely credited as hip-hop's founding moment.

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1979
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September 29

"Rapper's Delight" Released

The Sugarhill Gang release "Rapper's Delight," the song that introduced hip-hop to a mass audience.

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1993
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September 25

"Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" Released

Wu-Tang Clan release their debut album, reshaping East Coast hip-hop.

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1994
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April 19

"Illmatic" Released

Nas releases "Illmatic," widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made.

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1996
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February 13

"All Eyez on Me" Released

Tupac Shakur releases the double album "All Eyez on Me."

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1996
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October 1

"The Score" Released

The Fugees release "The Score," a landmark commercial and critical success.

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1997
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March 25

"Life After Death" Released

The Notorious B.I.G. releases "Life After Death" just weeks after his death.

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Preserve. Credit. Continue.
Honor the architects

Give Flowers While They Can Feel Them.

Preservation starts with naming the DJs, MCs, dancers, writers, photographers, organizers and neighborhoods whose work built the culture.

Write the next chapter

History Is Not Just Behind Us.

Upload your music, tell your story and contribute something real. Every generation inherits the culture—and decides what it becomes next.