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When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop (Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent) Hardcover – August 27, 2013

by Laban Carrick Hill (Author), Theodore Taylor III (Illustrator)

33 customer reviews

in Children's Rap & Hip-Hop

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A John Steptoe New Talent Award Winner

Before there was hip hop, there was DJ Kool Herc.

On a hot day at the end of summer in 1973 Cindy Campbell threw a back-to-school party at a park in the South Bronx. Her brother, Clive Campbell, spun the records. He had a new way of playing the music to make the breaks―the musical interludes between verses―longer for dancing. He called himself DJ Kool Herc and this is When the Beat Was Born. From his childhood in Jamaica to his youth in the Bronx, Laban Carrick Hill's book tells how Kool Herc came to be a DJ, how kids in gangs stopped fighting in order to breakdance, and how the music he invented went on to define a culture and transform the world.

When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop (Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5–As a child in Jamaica, Clive Campbell aspired to be a DJ. At 13, he moved to the Bronx, where he gained the nickname Hercules because he grew to be more than six feet tall. He shortened the name to Herc, added Kool, and is credited as a pioneer of hip hop. He created a new art form for his parties when he plugged in two turntables to create longer breaks for dancing and began chanting the names of his friends during the breaks. Hill's descriptive writing is paired with Taylor's vibrant artwork, which features large crowds dancing, close-up shots of breakdancing, or Herc's hands masterfully spinning the dual turntables. This is a fine introduction to the topic, and the extensive time line, which spans from 1973 to 1986, will help students with reports and show them how this American art form was created.–Glynis Jean Wray, Ocean County Library, Toms River, NJα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

This picture-book biography introduces one of the unsung creators of hip-hop, Clive Campbell, who was born in Jamaica in 1955. He was entranced by the massive dance parties thrown by a neighbor, and when his family moved to the Bronx, he took up the name Kool Herc and created the innovative techniques behind hip-hop DJing. Stacking musical breaks on top of each other to fuel long stretches of dancing frenzy, calling the kids with the best moves “break-dancers,” and sending shout-outs to friends and little offhand rhymes over the music—Kool Herc unique and hip-hop wouldn’t exist without any one of these flashes of inspiration. By the time rap music really took off, in the early 1980s, he was already out of the limelight but not without leaving a massive legacy. Aside from the bouncy bio of the book’s star, Hill also highlights the positive social force of hip-hop and the boundless energy of musical joy. It’s all matched by Taylor’s freewheeling artwork. A treat from an underrepresented corner of music history. Grades 2-4. --Ian Chipman

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Product details

Age Range: 6 - 10 years
Grade Level: 1 - 5
Lexile Measure: 910L (What's this?)

Series: Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (August 27, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596435402
ISBN-13: 978-1596435407
Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 0.4 x 10.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 33 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Music > Rap & Hip-Hop
- #18 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Musical

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Terrible for Kindle

Byinkneedeepon February 15, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Bought kindle, digital version and cannot read or enlarge to read....for that only one star.
Update: O was able to read on my desktop using Kindle Reader, but this is not acceptable for Kindle Download.
Even on my Desktop, the type is small and poorly chosen style, making it difficult to read.
The story was told well, although some words were missing or incomplete...not sure if this is only digital version.
I would like to have this book in my collection, but very disappointed with Kindle version.
If copy is more readable in physical book, I would give a better rating....5 stars for content - 1 star for quality and readability.

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Great History

ByMusicianon June 11, 2016