A Cold Blooded, Heart Chilling, Body-Thrilling Throw Down, with Debbie-D, Lisa Lee, Sha-Rock, and Charlie & Wayne, at Carver Center, Norwalk, CT, March 4, 1985

Party flyers were a staple in the early years of Hip-Hop and hard-copy invitations were the main medium for communicating information and promoting an event. The flyers symbolized many key appearances, acts, conventions, DJ performances, and contests in the Hip-Hop scene. Many flyers were created by local graffiti artists such as Buddy Esquire and Phase 2. The flyers were often presented by Hip-Hop promoters, DJs, and MCs who hosted the parties. Money was given to the artist to draw creative art and graphics for about $40-$60 for approximately 1,000 party flyers. The parks’ open public spaces have provided the perfect venues for park jams, impromptu dance-offs, DJ battles, and rap battles that established the sound, fashion, art, and message of Hip-Hop. Most of the Hip-Hop parties were a space for positivity where many of the Hip-Hop community could escape the realities of racism that included police brutality, drug abuse, and gang violence in their surrounding communities.

Many of the original Hip-Hop parties took place at local roller rinks, community centers, parks, and clubs. Roller rinks were an important cultural site for fun in the late 70s and 80s where adults and teens would attend roller discos and Hip-Hop parties.  The space would be used as a place for DJs to spin, rappers to show their talents, and for breakers to showcase their dancing skills on the large skate floor. Community centers were another important space in the early years of Hip-Hop for youth to gather and escape their everyday life. Additionally, community centers and recreation centers were the original spaces where DJ Kool Herc would spin in his early era of DJing. The community centers such as the Bronx River Center and the PAL were usually located in the middle of the projects. But local promoters would give parties and give money back to the center for books and trips for the local kids in the community.

MC Sha-Rock (Sharon Green, b. 1962) was one of the original members of the Funky 4 and then became the +1 More when she returned to the group. With Funky Four +1 More One being the first rap crew with a female MC, Sha-Rock is known as Hip-Hop ’s “First Lady”, “Mother of the Mic” and the first most prominent and influential female battle MC and founding member of Hip-Hop culture in the late 1970s. When the Funky 4+1 More disbanded, Sha-Rock joined a new group with two of her peers, Debbie D and Lisa Lee , called Us Girls. While apart of US Girls, they had their first major film debut in the 1984 Hip-Hop movie Beat Street. Sha-Rock’s early contributions to Hip-Hop paved the way for not only urban youth growing up in the South Bronx, but she also laid the foundation for emerging female MCs in Hip-Hop.

MC Debbie D (Debora Hooper) is a female Hip-Hop artist from Harlem but raised in the South Bronx. Debbie D started emceeing in 1977 at park jams in Webster Houses and was a part of the rap group DJ Patty Duke & Jazzy 5 as the only female Emcee, self-titled The Grand Mistress or Queen MC. She also was a member of the all-girl group US Girls with MC Sha-Rock and Lisa Lee. Debbie D also performed with DJ Wanda Dee.

Wanda Dee (Lawanda McFarland, b. 1963) is a Hip-Hop artist and DJ from the Bronx, New York. While still a teenager, she became the first female Hip-Hop DJ and protégée of Hip-Hop DJ Kool Herc, who gave her the stage name "Wanda Dee". She was also introduced to Afrika Bambaataa, who inducted her into his Universal Zulu Nation. She learned deejaying through Hip-Hop's top DJs, performed shows with MC Debbie D, and became a solo artist, releasing scandalous singles like "Blue Eyes" and "I Wanna See You Sweat" in the late 80s and 90s.

Wayne Garland was a popular ventriloquist since his early high school years. Born and raised in New York, Wayne had four ventriloquist dolls; GG (Goody-Goody), Libra is a Gay Doll, Blood Cloud a West Indies doll, and Tom, a look-a-like to Clark Gable that has all of his strong political views. His most popular and oldest doll was Charlie the Rapping dummy who loved pretty ladies and was a part of Wayne’s act for five years. Signed to Sugar Hill in 1981, Wayne and Charlie performed at many of the early Hip-hop parties.