1984: THE YEAR THAT HIP-HOP BECAME BIG BUSINESS

40 years ago, Hip-Hop made the quantum leap from 12" singles, sparse coverage in magazines, and a handful of television appearances, to major motion pictures, sponsored national tours, and MTV exposure. Here's how.

1979 was the year that the modern day rap industry was born. With the exception of Kurtis Blow's recording home — Mercury/Polygram — these recordings were released by independent record labels. Many of these labels were fly by night outfits that were attempting to capitalize off of this new "talking music."

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