THE DJ

The Disc jockey, or DJ (sometimes spelled deejay) is responsible for supplying music.

Nothing revolutionary occurred in the history of turntablism until 1973 when Bronx DJs like Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc showed what could be done with turntables. Kool Herc invented what is called "breakbeats," which is when a DJ fuses together different parts of songs into a musical collage. Grand Master CAZ pioneered MCing while DJing.

In 1977 Grand Wizard Theodore invented the "scratch." The "scratch" has been a major component of turntablism ever since.

In the 1980s, turntablists showed off their skills at DJ battles. At these battles, extremely competitive DJs showed how fast and creative they could cut, scratch, and beat juggle while maintaining the rhythm.

With maintaned strength since a lag in the 90's, turntablism is still very popular. The DMC competitions are the largest turntablist event worldwide.