right now, all around us, and so compelling you never miss the fact there's no melody, is a music that is all beat, strong beat, and talk. it's rap music. ♪ >> rap music began in harlem and the south bronx on playgrounds like this one where people would gather to spin records and then recite their own lyrics, their raps, over the instrumental sections. ♪ come on now >> "the breaks" was curtis blow's biggest hit, selling 680,000 copies last year and hitting the top of the rhythm and blues sales charts. >> as a young kid running around with a local dj crew i watched the transition from all the disco music we used to play at the block parties to slowly and surely hip-hop taking over.