The roots of L.A. hip-hop
Before the rise of gangsta rap, 1580 KDAY pumped out the sound of the streets as a community of disenfranchised artists, musicians and dancers invented a brand new scene
The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show was a coronation, long overdue recognition for West Coast hip-hop and its impact on American culture. But the Los Angeles scene started long before N.W.A. and Snoop Dogg.
Hip-hop emerged in 1980 as a new form of expression for kids from South and East L.A. Suddenly, rappers, DJs, break dancers and graffiti artists coalesced into a movement they could call their own. Clubs and concert halls became large-scale, sold-out house parties and, by 1983, 1580 KDAY, led by music director Greg Mack, was championing local artists on the airwaves.
In 1985, the movement took a darker turn as rap music’s focus evolved from party anthems to street poetry. Gangs and drugs infiltrated the scene, culminating in a bloody skirmish during a Run-DMC-headlined show at the Long Beach Arena in 1986, signaling the end of hip-hop’s first wave in Los Angeles.
Hip-hop emerged in 1980 as a new form of expression for kids from South and East L.A. Suddenly, rappers, DJs, break dancers and graffiti artists coalesced into a movement they could call their own. Clubs and concert halls became large-scale, sold-out house parties and, by 1983, 1580 KDAY, led by music director Greg Mack, was championing local artists on the airwaves.
In 1985, the movement took a darker turn as rap music’s focus evolved from party anthems to street poetry. Gangs and drugs infiltrated the scene, culminating in a bloody skirmish during a Run-DMC-headlined show at the Long Beach Arena in 1986, signaling the end of hip-hop’s first wave in Los Angeles.
