The Breaks
"The Breaks" is the first single off of American rapper Kurtis Blow's first studio album Kurtis Blow. The song was released on June 14, 1980.
| "The Breaks" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Kurtis Blow | |
| from the album Kurtis Blow | |
| Released | June 14, 1980 |
| Genre | Old school hip hop, funk |
| Length | 7:43 (Album and 12") 5:52 (12" instrumental) 4:05 (7") |
| Label | Mercury |
| Songwriter(s) | Kurtis Blow, Robert Ford Jr., James B. Moore, Russell Simmons, Larry Smith |
| Producer(s) | J.B. Moore, Robert Ford Jr. |
The song was able to make it to #4 on the Hot Soul Singles, #9 on the National Disco Top 100, #47 on the OCC's UK Singles, and #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 music charts.[1][2][3][4] It was also certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming the first hip hop song to earn gold certification.[5]
In an interview, Blow was asked how he came up with the song. Blow said "The concept was created as a tribute to all the breakers in and around the South Bronx and Harlem back in the early days of hip-hop. I wanted to do a tribute song with many breaks so that the breakers could get down and do their thing. When we danced during the breaks of a song, that was our time to go off - to do our best moves".[6]
References
change- ↑ "Hot Soul Singles Chart (August 23, 1980)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Kurtis Blow - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Kurtis Blow chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Kurtis Blow - Hot 100 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Kurtis Blow - The Breaks (12")". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ↑ "Kurtis Blow on "The Breaks," the evolution of sampling, and "Sun City"". SongFacts. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
