KOOL HERC IN A BRONX SCHOOLYARD '78

The story behind the first (or second) article ever written about hip hop culture #blackhistorymonth

In honor of black history month I’m posting video essays on some of the stories behind my most memorable articles and books. This is about my July 1978 piece in the Amsterdam News, ‘DJ Kool Herc and his ‘B-beats,’ which is generally viewed as the first article published on what we now call hip-hop. I was twenty when the article was published, just learning the journalistic ropes. The video tells the story. #thenelsongeorgemixtape volume 2 contains a copy of the article and selection of my hip hop coverage from the ‘70s into the 21st century. If you’d want to purchase a copy go to www.pacificpacific.pub for details.