Flash brought DJ Breakout of The Brothers Disco to the stage during the event, and explained that the musical element of Hip-Hop was built by four DJs.
"The narrative that one person built Hip-Hop is not accurate," he said. "I wanna give a shout out to the four who helped build this culture — Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Breakout, and myself, Grandmaster Flash. DJ Breakout held down the North Bronx, Bambaataa held down the East, Herc was the West Bronx and I held down the South Bronx."
MC Sha Rock provided further clarity to Rock The Bells. "Each of those DJs held down those areas, but they ventured into each other's territories," she explained. "It's just that they were prominent in those regions that Flash mentioned."
Crotona Park is not only the place where Flash & The Furious 5 performed at jams in Hip-Hop's infancy, it seems to hold some creative magic as well. Rahiem of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 told The Foundation that he and Melle Mel wrote the classic "Flash To The Beat" routine which later became the core of 1979's "Superrappin'" in Crotona Park.
MC G.L.O.B.E. of the Soul Sonic Force tells Rock The Bells that he penned many songs there as well. "I used to walk my dog in Crotona Park, and I always carried a notebook with me;" he remembers. "I wrote 'Play That Beat', 'Renegades of Funk', and parts of 'Lookin' For The Perfect Beat' and 'Planet Rock' in Crotona. It's a really inspiring place."
