La Rock, Coke
1955- · Contribution: 1973-1977
Widely regarded as hip-hop's first MC; the vocalist who rhymed and shouted over DJ Kool Herc's breakbeats at the 1973 Bronx party now considered hip-hop's birthplace, establishing the role of the rapping master of ceremonies.
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Credited as the first MC, or rapper, in hip-hop history. A friend and musical partner of DJ Kool Herc and an original member of Herc's MC crew, the Herculords, he added the vocal element to Herc's DJ-driven jams at the August 11, 1973, party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, turning crowd shout-outs into the improvised rhymes that became the template for rapping. He originated party phrases such as 'You rock and you don't stop' and 'Hotel, motel, you don't tell, we won't tell,' the latter later famously reused in the Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight.' Though he never recorded commercially during hip-hop's early years, his primacy is enshrined in Boogie Down Productions' 1986 track 'South Bronx' and repeatedly affirmed by Kool Herc himself.
Life & background
Born on April 24, 1955, in the Bronx, Coke La Rock was a stylish neighborhood figure and a classmate and close friend of Clive 'DJ Kool Herc' Campbell. He was on hand for Herc's now-legendary back-to-school jam on August 11, 1973, and over the following parties he adopted the name Coke La Rock and evolved from calling out friends' names on the microphone to delivering improvised rhymes, giving the emerging culture its master-of-ceremonies role. Performing with the Herculords at Bronx venues such as the Executive Playhouse, the Hevalo, and the Twilight Zone, he stepped away from the scene around 1977 after Herc was stabbed at a party. Long an unsung figure because he did not record during the era, he has since been consistently recognized—including by Herc—as the first MC in hip-hop, honored at anniversary celebrations of the music's birth.
Sources
- Rolling Stone; ABC News; Wax Poetics
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