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When The Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc And The Creation Of Hip Hop (2013)

by Laban Carrick Hill(Favorite Author)

4.01 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1596435402 (ISBN13: 9781596435407)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Roaring Brook Press

review 1: This book is about a boy named Clive who lives in Jamaica and loves going to listen to loud music at parties done by his hero, DJ King George. When he moved to New York at age 13 though, he didn't have that cool music to listen to anymore and he didn't know where he fit in. Then he grew up and realized he loved basketball and track which got him the nickname Kool Herc. His father bought a huge sound system that Kool Herc started to mess around with and then remembered his dream of becoming a DJ just like King George. So he started DJ-ing at parties and on the streets of the Bronx and gangs and people started dancing instead of fighting. Then they came up with break dancing and MC’s and rapping during the music. Basically this was a story of how Hip Hop and break dancing ... moregot started but in a cool twist of a story from Kool Herc’s point of view. At the end it tells the timeline/story of the reasoning behind this book and all about how DJ-ing and break dancing came about. The text-to-self-connection I made was to my love of music as well. I have always been really into music and dancing and am so amazed at those people who can break dance and throw their bodies all over the place. It’s one of my favorite things to watch and it was cool hearing the origin of it all. The text to text connection I made was to Fat Albert, not for the context of the story but for the artists’ drawings and animations of the people in the book. It reminded me a lot of the characters in Fat Albert. The text to world connection I made was that not a lot of people, including myself, knew where that kind of dancing or music came from and I feel like I know a lot more about it just from reading this story. I never realized that it was from a different country’s style, I thought it originated in the US by American people which is totally opposite.
review 2: From his early life in Kingston, Jamaica to his fame in the Bronx, New York, this beautifully illustrated book looks at the impact DJ Kool Herc had on music with the creation of Hip Hop. While young children will enjoy illustrations, the material is content is more appropriate for older children and young adults. The images are brightly colored and with strong lines and implied movement. There is a green band that moves through the book in various shapes and formats that represents the flow of the music as well. While Hip Hop has a strong cultural significance in the African American community, it has fans from all ethnic groups which helps this book have widespread interest. In addition to the story and images, there is an author's note that offers more detailed information about the birth of Hip Hop that includes a timeline. less

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