Summer, 1974: New York City is buckling into bankruptcy, the Bronx is burning (already), and 13-year-old Luis Cedeño is taking out his frustrations on the heavy bag at the Webster Police Athletic League on 183rd Street. Over the dull, repetitive thud of his blows, he hears what he'll later describe as "loud, thumping music" coming from upstairs. Piqued, he enters a room dominated by the gargantuan figure of Kool Herc, a musician and party-thrower of Jamaican heritage, standing behind two turntables. Cedeño is captivated by the way Herc, one of hip-hop's founding fathers, plays parts of other peoples' records in quick succession to create one continuous blend of music; immediately, he casts aside his boxing gloves, trading a life running with the East Side Boys gang for one based around crates of vinyl and... More >>>