DJ Kool Herc is widely credited with inventing the breakbeat technique central to early hip hop.
Born Clive Campbell in Jamaica, he became a key figure in the Bronx during the 1970s. At his August 11, 1973 party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, he used two turntables and copies of the same record to extend the instrumental breaks that dancers favored.
Campbell called attention to the break sections of funk records, including recordings by James Brown and the Incredible Bongo Band. By switching between records, he could keep the percussive passage going longer than it lasted on one copy. This approach gave breaking its musical foundation and helped shape the role of the hip-hop DJ.
The word "inventing" simplifies a collaborative history. Afrika Bambaataa helped develop hip-hop's cultural identity, and Grandmaster Flash refined turntable techniques. Still, DJ Kool Herc is the standard answer for pioneering the extended-break method at the movement's formative Bronx parties.