(The Root) — On this date in 1973, DJ Kool Herc threw his first party in the Bronx, N.Y. For the low, low price of $0.50 ($0.25 for the ladies), partygoers could listen and dance to a new sound that would soon take the world by storm: hip-hop.
DJ Kool Herc is recognized as the father of hip-hop, and today is its official birthday. Since that first party at 1520 Sedwick Ave., what began as an expression of culture has become a culture all its own. Hip-hop has left its imprint on everything it has touched in the past 40 years — fashion, activism, dance, education. It's been a wild ride for the genre most thought was a simple fad, one that will no doubt rage on long into the future.
Hip-hop fans are celebrating its birth online by sharing their favorite songs, quotes and videos and thanking their favorite artists for the impact they've made on their lives.
I met this girl when I was ten years old, and what I loved most she had so much soul.. happy birthday hip hop.
— Antonia (@heytoniii) August 11, 2013
Tracy Clayton is a writer, humorist and blogger from Louisville, Ky.