06/14/2026
It’s time to Pack it up!… we’re heading to 1980! 🎶🕰️
On this day, June 14, 1980, Curtis Blow’s groundbreaking hit “The Breaks (Part 1)” was making history. The song eventually climbed to #4 on the R&B charts and became the first rap record certified as a million seller by the RIAA.
Before becoming one of hip-hop’s first mainstream stars, Curtis Blow studied voice at New York City’s High School of Music & Art and Communications and began rapping as a DJ in Harlem nightclubs in 1976.
Here he is performing “The Breaks” on Soul Train in 1980.
This wasn’t just a hit record. It was one of the moments that helped open the door for hip-hop as we know it today.
Do you remember hearing “The Breaks” for the first time?