Music | September 28, 2008 | 8 comments

Hip-Hop's Birthplace to Be Sold

source: http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2008/09/27/20533997.aspx

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GrandKnow2
A Bronx apartment recognized as the birthplace of Hip-Hop culture is expected to be sold next week.

Located at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, the building's landlord group plans to withdraw the property from the city's moderate housing program, allowing the owners to pay off the building's $5 million dollar balance.

The property will then be sold to high-profile real estate developer Mark Karasick, putting the future of the 100 families living there in doubt.

The tenants and partnered housing advocates attempted to block the sale by filing a lawsuit in the State Supreme Court.

Yesterday (September 26), the courts ruled against the groups and dismissed the suit. In the early 1970s, Kingston, Jamaica native and Hip-Hop founder Clive Campbell moved into the building.

There he quickly constructed a graffiti crew dubbed the Ex-Vandals, and took on his famous DJ moniker Kool Herc.

Exasperated by the gang violence that plagued the neighborhood, Herc and his sister Cindy began hosting parties in the building's recreation room.

Utilizing two turntables and a guitar amp, Herc revolutionized music by isolating "the breaks" of popular records like James Brown's "Give It Up or Turn It Loose", Booker T and the MG"s "Melting Pot", Babe Ruth's "The Mexican" and The Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache".

This style of musical arrangement grew exponentially, attracting dancers (B-Boys and B-Girls) and fellow DJs and future Hip-Hop luminaries Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash.

Last year, New York officially christened the building "the birthplace of Hip-Hop" and declared it eligible for national and state registrars.

At the press time, the bank financing the sale on the property is unknown. According to reports, 1520 Sedgwick Avenue is estimated to be sold for $7.5 million.

  1. groups:
    Entertainment,   Music,   Culture,   Art and Style
  2. tags:
    Entertainment,  Culture,  Music,  Art and Style,  8 more
  3. credits:
    Ismael AbduSalaam Allhiphop.com
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8 comments // Hip-Hop's Birthplace to Be Sold

  • Rillz
    • 0
      Rillz  

    • Heeey Russ, Diddy and JayZ what are you waiting for! If it wasn't for this place you wouldn't be where you are now.

    • 3 years ago
  • Gustolingo
  • ghostin
  • Rillz
    • 0
      Rillz  
    • ghostin:

      I was thinking the same thing. if JayZ can buy the NJ Nets, I know him and diddy could buy this with their eyes closed. if no one in the hip hop community, who is financially capable of buying this property let it slip through their hands, it'll be a tragedy. wtf!

    • 3 years ago
  • lifestudentno83
    • 0
      lifestudentno83  

    • It should be a historical landmark. But given the bastardization of hip-hop in American culture it would not surprised me if it was razed and turned into a strip mall or a parking garage.

      As such, the birthplace of rock and roll or country music would stand a better chance at becoming a historical landmark due to social views on the forms of music.

    • 3 years ago
  • des10
    • 0
      des10  

    • I agree, that no matter who ends up owning the whole thing, it should be preserved into some type of historical landmark. A friend of mine grew up there back in the day and it truly was the birthplace of one of the largest musical and cultural revolutions in the world. So many artistic leaders came out of the Bronx being inspired by what Kool Herc, Bambaataa and so many other guys were doing back then, and even to this day.

    • 3 years ago
  • cheakywillie
  • Moopak
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