Tittus Flavius Park — Where Hip-Hop Was Born, the Bronx

On August 11, 1973, Clive Campbell — known as DJ Kool Herc — threw a back-to-school party in the recreation room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx, at which he debuted a technique that would change the world. By isolating and extending the drum break sections of funk and soul records using two turntables and a mixer, Herc created the rhythmic foundation of hip-hop. The 'break' dancers who gathered to perform during these extended sections became the first B-boys. That party — attended by fewer than a hundred people, organised by Herc's sister Cindy to raise money for school clothes — is now recognised as the birth of hip-hop culture.

The South Bronx of the early 1970s was one of the most economically devastated urban environments in America — the area had been destroyed by Robert Moses's Cross Bronx Expressway, landlords were burning their buildings for insurance money, and youth unemployment was catastrophic. Herc's music gave young people a creative outlet and a cultural identity. His approach was rapidly developed by Grandmaster Flash (who systematised scratching and the mixer) and Afrika Bambaataa (who connected hip-hop to the peace movement through the Universal Zulu Nation). The rest is history.

1520 Sedgwick Avenue has been recognised as a New York City landmark. The building still functions as a residential apartment block. The Bronx has embraced its role as the birthplace of hip-hop, with official signage and the Universal Hip Hop Museum (under development) at Bronx Point. The address is an essential stop for any serious music tourist.