Terry Gross

Melle Mel was the rapper on the 1982 hit "The Message." He spoke to Fresh Air in 1998 about the early days of rap, music with a social message and how the genre and his life had changed.

DJ Kool Herc is considered the first DJ to isolate the breaks —the most danceable beats in a record — and repeat them, to keep the dancers going. Originally broadcast in 2005.

Grandmaster Flash was one of the first DJs to make successful records. In 2002, he spoke to Fresh Air about how he discovered that he could use turntables as instruments.