🎧 You Had To Be There: DJ Kool Herc and the Birth of Hip-Hop

We failed to find an eyewitness, but maybe there's a reason why?

Hi friends,

Last week, we released the 14th episode of You Had To Be There on DJ Kool Herc’s Back-to-School Jam on August 11, 1973—widely recognized as the birth of hip-hop.

Now, if you’re reading this, you probably know that You Had To Be There is kinda like a game show. Julia gets 48 hours to track down and interview an eyewitness to a specific moment, and we document the whole process. For the first 13 episodes, we pulled it off. But this time? Finding someone who witnessed a moment from 1973 in just 48 hours proved too much. We came up short.

But that didn’t stop us from digging deeper.

Maybe there’s a reason she couldn’t find someone?

In this episode, Julia spoke with Joe Conzo Jr., a world-renowned hip-hop photographer who captured the culture as a teenager in the late 1970s and 1980s. She also spoke with Paradise Gray, the Chief Curator for The Hip-Hop Museum; as well as DJ Frantz. Together, they dive into the fascinating beginnings of hip-hop.

As always, thanks for listening and spreading the word about You Had To Be There. Your support really makes a difference!

Web

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Show Notes

Producer and director Julia Thompson goes on a 48-hour journey to find and interview someone who was at DJ Kool Herc and Cindy Campbell's Back to School Jam at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx on August 11, 1973—a moment that is commonly known as the birth of hip-hop.

This episode features interviews with:

• This episode features interviews with:

  • Franz Barosy

  • Paradise Gray

  • Joe Conzo Jr.

Credits

You Had To Be There is a Hi Barr production.

‘DJ Kool Herc and the Birth of Hip Hop’ was written and hosted by Julia Thompson.

Produced by Julia Thompson and Web Barr.

Edited by Julia Thompson.

Edit, Sound Mix, and engineering by Vishal Nayak.

Original score by Teeny Lieberson.

Artwork created by Dylan Lathrop.

Special thanks to Carey Clark, BG183, Chris Carr, and Dan Runcie.

Special thanks to our parents, friends and chosen family. And most importantly, thank you to the artists who’ve inspired us because they had to do it.

Remember to follow Hi Barr on YouTube and Instagram for the newest video clips, ephemera and news on the company.

Thanks for listening!