In 1973, a group of uncredited session musicians led by producer Michael Viner recorded a cover of the Shadows' 1960 instrumental "Apache" for the album Bongo Rock. The Incredible Bongo Band, as they were billed, transformed the surf-rock guitar melody into a percussion-heavy Latin funk workout, layering congas, bongos, and timbales over a driving drum groove. It was never intended to be a hit — Viner assembled the group specifically to ride the early-70s percussion music trend — but the recording would go on to become one of the most important records in music history.

DJ Kool Herc was the first to recognize the power of the "Apache" break. At his legendary parties at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx starting in 1973, Herc used two copies of the record to extend the percussion breakdown, creating a continuous loop of pure rhythm for b-boys to dance to. This "merry-go-round" technique — isolating and repeating the break — became the foundational DJ method of hip-hop. "Apache" was one of two records Herc used to pioneer this approach, making it quite literally one of the records that invented hip-hop.

The break's influence is immeasurable. It has been called "the national anthem of hip-hop" and appears in foundational tracks across every era of the genre. The Incredible Bongo Band's version became far more famous than Preston Epps' 1959 original, and the record remains a cornerstone of any serious breakbeat collection. From Grandmaster Flash's early routines to modern producers still reaching for that unmistakable bongo pattern, "Apache" endures as the quintessential b-boy break.