ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a chronological timeline of US, then UK Hip Hop. As such, these timelines do not provide a 'definitive' history, but rather give the 'headlines' of key figures and actions that have influenced hip-hop culture and music as we understand it now. It is arguable that hip-hop does not have a 'start point' as such, as one can trace the musical influences to jazz, gospel and soul from the early twentieth century, or even African griots which go back hundreds of years. However, for ease of use and simplicity, these timelines start in the 1970s, when hip-hop as a distinct culture started to emerge and be recognized as such. In 1970, DJ U-Roy breaks into Jamaican pop charts with three top ten songs using a style known as 'toasting'. In 1982, 'Christmas Rapping' by Dizzy Heights is the first British hip-hop tune released on record on Polydor in 1982.
