Where to start with Early New York Hip-Hop

Early New York Hip-Hop is a music scene from New York City, USA, 1973–1986. Its principal artists include DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This issue covers 9 essential albums and 13 dated events.

Start here

1
Rapper's Delight
The Sugarhill Gang · 1979
Original release: Disques Vogue · 101260 · 7″ Vinyl · France 1979
The first commercially successful rap single, it carried hip-hop out of the Bronx and onto Top 40 radio for the first time.
2
The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel
Grandmaster Flash · 1981
It was the first record to put scratching on wax, proving a DJ could perform with an instrumentalist's precision.
3
The Message
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five · 1982
It became the first hip-hop single to draw widespread critical acclaim for its social commentary and grim narrative realism.

Go deeper

4
Planet Rock
Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force · 1982
Released in 1982 and produced by Arthur Baker, 'Planet Rock' fused Kraftwerk's synthesizers with hip-hop breaks and the Roland TR-808, effectively inventing electro-funk as its own subgenre and pushing hip-hop's reach well beyond New York.
5
Raising Hell
Run-DMC · 1986
Released in 1986, 'Raising Hell' became the first hip-hop album certified platinum, proof that the genre could sell at a scale far beyond its independent-label roots.
6
Licensed to Ill
Beastie Boys · 1986
Original release: Def Jam Recordings · CK 40238 · CD · US 1986
Released in 1986, 'Licensed to Ill' became the first rap album to reach number one on the Billboard charts.

For the obsessed

7
Criminal Minded
Boogie Down Productions · 1987
Original release: B-Boy Records · BB4787 · 12″ Vinyl · US 1987
Released in 1987, 'Criminal Minded' is widely considered the first true hardcore hip-hop album, with cover art featuring guns and lyrics that dealt in raw street narrative rather than party rhymes.
8
Paid in Full
Eric B. & Rakim · 1987
Released in 1987, 'Paid in Full' pushed MCing toward something closer to high art, built on Rakim's complex internal rhyme schemes and Eric B.'s jazz-influenced sampling.
9
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A · 1989
Released in 1989, 'Straight Outta Compton' established Los Angeles as a genuine rival to New York's hold on hip-hop and set off the genre's first major lyrical controversy with 'Fuck…

The stories behind every record are in Early New York Hip-Hop, a members' issue.