Who is the Grandfather of Hip Hop?

Hip Hop has been around as an artistic expression for a long time however most people are clueless as to how long since documentation and records have been misconstrued. It is rarely mentioned that the first DJ/MC to make rhyme a hip and cool thing was a man named Doug “Jocko” Henderson, Sr. born March 8, 1918 in Baltimore and died July 15, 2000. Broadcast Pioneers member Gerry Wilkinson (former WDAS Operations Manager) said, "Jocko had one of the most unique and pleasant voices in the industry. He was everything legends are made of. He had class and elegance." "Hello, Daddy-O and Mommy-O, This is Jocko,” was all the rage in Philadelphia and later in New York City. He was known for rhyming words like, "eee-tiddlee-yock, this is the Jock,” or "oo-papa-doo, how do you do.” Later oo-papa-doo turned into “hip, hop, a hippy to the hip hip hop you don’t stop” which came from the Sugar Hill Gang, and the name Hip Hop stuck although it was not the original name.

In the July 2007 issue of Vibe Magazine, Polow Da Don’s stated, “I don’t feel like I need to appease the Hip Hop audience. I don’t owe them anything”. Again, the term Hip Hop is not the original name... it was originally called “Rhythm Talk”. As with all art, the actual founders and contributors are soon forgotten as some of the newcomers try not to acknowledge the contributions of the past because they were not there in the beginning, and therefore do not have the fond memories and experiences shared during those days.

Now it is being said that Hip Hop is dead or better yet, the spirit of Hip Hop is dead which is most likely because of the new additions to Hip Hop who seem more interested in making money than making music. Back in the day, when dudes like the Treacherous Three with LA, Sunshine, and Kool Mo Dee made “Body Rock” to rock music and the Sugar Hill Gang made one of their raps using a funky beat and electric guitar, it was still considered Hip Hop or Rhythm Talk. Run Dee MC made quite a few of their raps using rock music and they were all hot. The block parties were always on fire making memories that would last forever. It did not matter what kind of music was used to rap it was still rap.

Of course that was before rap was accepted by the big bosses of the music industry. The themes of Hip Hop were boisterous and bold, however most of them had a message. Back then, none of them talked of harming anyone but rather moving the crowd. Rakim redefined MC as “Move the Crowd” and it was on.
It was hoped that Hip Hop or Rap would lose it’s momentum but it was born in determination and creativity. Jocko held down multiple DJing jobs in both Philly and New York. He was also a music promoter and taught children about life through music. Jocko made records of himself teaching our youth everything from math to American history with rap lyrics. He also made mixed albums of talents that he had featured on his show called Jocko's Show Stoppers that contained many of the recordings he played on the air, including two narrations and his own Album called Rhythm Talk. He set up a studio in his basement where he taped the New York programs while adding Boston, St. Louis, Detriot and Miami.
As described he was quite an entrepreneur and being an entrepreneur is one of the key elements of Hip Hop which led to another element that was very important to the growing popularity of the music: to become a teacher and give back to the community through music and lyrical skills. Please refer to great artist like KRS-One.

To make the point clear, when the pioneers of rap were forgotten the spirit and accomplishments of the skill were forgotten as well. It is no different than the Doo Wop days when people like Jerry Blavit claimed that he was a part of the era and helped foster the careers of some of the well known entertainers, but according to some Doo Wop DJ’s he was too young to be involved.
Have you ever noticed that the people who gave birth to Doo Wop aren’t making money from the music that they created? If you were to do some research, you will find that the people who made money from the music are those who were once against the new sound that the teenagers loved. It is no different with Hip Hop. The Doo Wop youth are now the cooperate junkies that once opposed Hip Hop and were never true to the cause, allowing all kinds of lyrics to be produced, packaged and sold to our youth. But no matter how we look at it, it is always the fans who ultimately decide whether or not an artist will eat and be continuously played on the airwaves and the internet.

So Polow got it twisted— he does owe fans something because if the fans support his music and he is eating from it, then a little gratitude would be nice.

What do you think? Do you have something to add? Drop me a comment and let me know.

Aalim Elitou