Electro/hip-hop pioneer Egyptian Lover still remembers hearing Afrika Bambaataa’s groundbreaking single “Planet Rock” for the first time. But it was 1982, long before electronic music was fully integrated into hip-hop, and he naturally assumed the beats blowing through his speakers were made with a traditional drum set.
“I met up with Afrika Islam and he told me it was a drum machine,” Egyptian Lover remembers. “The next day I rushed to the store and bought one.”
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Since then, the Roland TR-808 became arguably the most influential musical invention of the last 40-plus years.
Created in 1980 by Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of the Roland Corporation, and engineered by Makoto Muroi, the 808 was initially a commercial failure. But after “Planet Rock,” it found a much broader audience.
“The 808 changed music forever,” Lover says. “It has a party sound as soon as you play it, and all the sounds in it makes you wanna dance. I wasn’t a drummer, but I could definitely program an 808, so I made dance beats for the crowd to dance to. I’m still bringing my 808 to the parties.”
Japanese electronic group Yellow Magic Orchestra is credited with integrating it into their music first, with 1981’s BGM. In 1982, Marvin Gaye released “Sexual Healing,” the first hit single to feature the 808, and “Planet Rock” arrived the same year. Rick Rubin leaned on it heavily for Beastie Boys’ License To Ill in 1986.
Thanks to its booming bass drum and programming abilities, the 808 became a cornerstone of hip-hop, electronic and dance music, with its kick, snare, low tom, mid tom, hi tom, clap, cowbell — more cowbell! — open hi-hat, closed hi-hat, low conga, mid conga, hi conga, clave, rimshot, maracas and cymbal sounds.
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