Jamaican American deejay Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell was the first of six children born to Keith and Nettie Campbell in Kingston, Jamaica. While growing up, Campbell witnessed the sound systems of neighborhood Jamaican parties called dance halls, and the accompanying dialogue of their DJs, known as toasting. He emigrated with his family at the age of 12 to The Bronx, New York City in November 1967, where they lived at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.

Campbell is credited with contributing to the development of hip hop music during his years in The Bronx. In the early 1970s, Campbell was the deejay at his sister Cindy’s “Back to School Jam” on August 11, 1973, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. His younger sister Cindy wanted to earn extra money for back-to-school clothes. She decided to throw a party that her 18 year old brother would play music for, in their apartment building. That event later became known as the birth of hip hop culture.

During the event, Kool Herc called the dancers “break-boys” and “break-girls,” or b-boys and b-girls. Campbell’s DJ style was quickly taken up by other future music icons such as Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. However Campbell never became involved with commercially recorded hip hop music during these early years.

On May 3, 2023, Campbell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Influence Award category.