Herman Kelly & Life's "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" (1978) is one of those records that tells you exactly what it is in the title. The track is built entirely around the concept of rhythm and drumming — a percussion showcase that strips away melody and harmony to focus purely on groove. It's a DJ's record through and through, designed to be the moment in a set where the drums take over.

The break became a staple of early hip-hop DJ sets and was later sampled extensively in both hip-hop and house music. Its stripped-down, percussion-forward approach was perfectly aligned with hip-hop's fundamental principle: the beat comes first, and everything else is built on top of it.