DJ Kool Herc Hospitalized, Requests Financial Assistance

According to a statement made by DJ Premier on his Sirius XM satellite radio show, 'Live From HeadQCourterz,' hip-hop legend DJ Kool Herc has been hospitalized and is in need of financial support. While there's no specific details on Herc's illness, Premier claims that the hip-hop veteran's condition is deteriorating, and that he's without medical insurance.

"Kool Herc is very sick," Premier revealed. "For those that know about Hip-Hop, who we call the father of Hip-Hop, Kool Herc, is not doing well. It's funny how we have a father of a culture that still lives, where as in some cultures they are dead and gone even though they may still be worshipped or reflected on in some kind of way [sic]."

Herc, 55, has been widely credited as being the founding father of hip-hop and is known for creating the breakbeat technique, which was later adopted and elevated by Afrika Bambaataa and Grand Wizard Theodore, who would go on to invent scratching and add that to the culture of DJing and hip-hop.

In recent years, the veteran entertainer, born Clive Campbell, has rallied to prevent the sale of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue -- the birthplace of hip-hop where he would spin records at back-to-school parties-- in the Bronx, NY. In 2007, state officials were accepting bids from developers but ceased when the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation officially recognized the building as the birthplace of hip-hop.

Herc, ever passionate about the music he help put on the map, wrote the introduction to author Jeff Chang's book 'Can't Stop Won't Stop.' In it, it's apparent the veteran entertainer looks to hip-hop as a uniting force.

"To me, hip-hop says, 'Come as you are," he wrote. "We are a family. It ain't about security. It ain't about bling-bling. It ain't about how much your gun can shoot. It ain't about $200 sneakers. It is not about me being better than you or you being better than me. It's about you and me, connecting as one."

Donations for Kool Herc can be sent to: Kool Herc Production, P.O. Box 20472, Huntington Station, NY 11746.