According to this DVD Queens and Brooklyn dudes were having soundsystems, spoekn word ,b-Boying,and developing the Hip Hop signature way before the Bronx did. So they are pretty much saying it started in Queens and Brooklyn. They seem to be giving Harlem their props with DJ Hollywood in there.
I'll give it a watch tomorrow when I have time. I say Cool Herc was the original because he invented break instrumentals, which are basically taking the music breaks in instrumentals and looping them together. This basically led to the development of full songs
Afrika is a founder really because he made it wild popular, so I can understand if dudes don't want to say he invented it
The first hip hop song I believe to be released thru a label was Rapper's Delight and that was made by Bronx dudes. It may not be the first but it's considered the first.
Technically if dudes want to say when hip hop started based on rhyming over instrumentals you can go way back to the times of Louis Armstrong rhyming over jazz breaks
But for me, the beginning stems from Cool Herc and him giving us instrumentals
