A Disco tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., at The T Connection, Bronx, NY, January 18 & 20, 1980

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 around 1,000 party flyers. The parks’ open public spaces have provided the perfect venues for park jams, impromptu dance-offs, 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.

Owned Ritchie Tee, the T- Connection was a popular mainstream uptown club located on Gun Hill Road. T-Connection was more known as a B-Boy party with the best local breaks where the Funky Four often performed.

Jazzy Dee (Darnell Williams, b . unknown) formed The Brothers Disco with his brother DJ Breakout (Keith Williams, b. unknown) in the mid-1970s. The Brothers Disco got their start doing block parties and shows in parks.  However, through persistent networking, Jazzy Dee also arranged to put on shows at junior high schools and high schools. As promoters and DJs for the Funky 4 plus 1, the Brothers had the biggest sound system playing from park to park. The Brothers Disco were not cut masters like Grand Wizard Theodore, Grand Master Flash, or Charlie Chase rather, but they promoted a lot of historical early Hip-Hop Park jams.

Funky 4+1 More included K.K. Rockwell (Kevin Smith, birthdate unknown), Sha-Rock (Sharon Green, b. 1962), Keith Keith (Keith Caesar, birthdate unknown), Rahiem (Guy Todd Wiliams, birthdate unknown) until 1979 when he left to join Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Lil’ Rodney C (Rodney Stone, birthdate unknown), MC Jazzy Jeff (Jeff Miree, b. 1962) D.J. Baron (Baron Chappell, birthdate unknown) and D.J. Breakout (Keith Williams, birthdate unknown). 

The Funky 4+1 More is considered a legendary hip-hop group emerging out of the South Bronx, forming at the end of the disco era in 1978. Funky 4+1 More was one of first battle groups, the first rap group to have a female MC, the first rap group to be signed by a major record label, and the first rap group to perform live on national television (performing ‘That’s the Joint’ on Saturday Night Live, February 1981). Their debut single was the 15-min track “Rappin and Rocking the House” released in 1979, which was the same year they signed with Enjoy Records for three months, then signed with Sugar Hill Records where they released “That’s the Joint” in 1980. In 1979 Rahiem left the group to join Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, then in 1981 Lil Rodney C and KK Rockwell left to form a duo called Double Trouble. In 1983, Sha-Rock formed US Girls with Debbie D and Lisa Lee.