Hip Hop Genre Research

GENRE RESEARCH

Hip Hop first originated within a marginalized subculture in the South Bronx during the 1970s in New York City. It is characterized by four distinct elements, all of which represent the different manifestations of the culture: rap music (oral),turntabalism or Djing (aural), breaking (physical) and graffiti art (visual). Despite the differences between all of these they are all incredibly similar in the fact that they all show the emotions and feelings that birthed the culture namely violence and poverty underlining the historical context.

INTRODUCTION

It was as a means of providing a reactionary outlet from such urban hardship that Hip Hop initially functioned, a form of self-expression that could reflect upon, proclaim an alternative to, try and challenge or merely evoke the mood of the circumstances of such an environment. It continues in contemporary history to continue flourishing globally to the point that it is quickly being recognise now across the globe, it has been able to reach this point because these foundation elements have been able to provide stability and coherence to the culture.

ORIGIN OF THE CULTURE

The origin of the culture stems from the block parties of the Ghetto Brothers when they would plug the amps for their instruments and speakers into the lampposts on 163rd Street and Prospect Avenue and DJ Kool Herc at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, where Herc would mix samples of existing records with his own shouts to the crowd and dancers. Kool Herc is credited as the "father" of Hip hop. DJ Afrika Bambaataa of the hip hop collective Zulu Nation outlined the pillars of hip hop culture, to which he coined the terms: MCing, DJing, B-boying and graffiti writing.

ORIGIN OF THE CULTURE 2

Since its evolution throughout the South Bronx, hip hop culture has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout the world. Hip hop music first emerged with Kool Herc and contemporary disc jockeys and imitators creating rhythmic beats by looping breaks (small portions of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables. This was later accompanied by "rap", a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry often presented in 16-bar measures or time frames, and beatboxing, a vocal technique mainly used to provide percussive elements of music and various technical effects of hip hop DJs. An original form of dancing and particular styles of dress arose among fans of this new music. These elements experienced considerable adaptation and development over the course of the history of the culture.

ORIGIN OF THE CULTURE 3

MELLE MEL

As the Hip Hop genre evolved there were several artists that helped to transform the genre in to something better. As the genre improved there had began to be more multi-layered instruments in the songs and a lot more metaphorical lyrics which since then has taken off to try and give more meaning and feelings into the lyrics. Melle Mel was one of that artists that managed to transform the genre into a more mature art form, with sophisticated arrangements he was one of the artists who is considered to be one of the pioneering force of rap as a genre.

MELLE MEL 1970’S

The appearance of music videos changed entertainment: they often glorified urban neighbourhoods. The music video for "Planet Rock" showcased the subculture of hip hop musicians, graffiti artists, and b-boys/b-girls. Many hip hop-related films were released between 1982 and 1985, among them Wild Style, Beat Street, Krush Groove, Breakin, and the documentary Style Wars. These films expanded the appeal of hip hop beyond the boundaries of New York. By 1985, youth worldwide were embracing the hip hop culture. The hip hop artwork and "slang" of US urban communities quickly found its way to Europe, as the culture's global appeal took root.

MUSIC VIDEO’S AND FILM

DJ Kool Herc's house parties gained popularity and later moved to outdoor venues in order to accommodate more people. Hosted in parks, these outdoor parties became a means of expression and an outlet for teenagers, where instead of getting into trouble on the streets, teens now had a place to expend their pent-up energy.These sorts of house parties in which DJ Kool could play his music created a lot of attention and recognition contributing to the increased success of the music genre.

AMERICAN SOCIETY

Tony Tone a member of the Cold Crush Brothers, noted that Hip Hop saved a lot of lives. Instead of people expressing how they feel through things like breaking things and taking to the streets, through Hip Hop it gave youths and people who grew up through poverty a chance to make it out of the hard places that they grew up in. Hip Hop gave younger black males in particular a chance to connect through music and it gave them a new way to see things, it led them more to an arty way of thinking about different things.

DEALING WITH ISSUES

The lyrical content of many early rap groups focused on social issues, most notably in the seminal track The Message, which discussed the realities of life in the housing projects. Young black Americans coming out of the civil rights movement have used hip hop culture in the 1980s and 1990s to show the limitations of the movement. Hip hop gave young African Americans a voice to let their issues be heard; Like rock-and-roll, hip hop is vigorously opposed by conservatives because it romanticises violence, law-breaking, and gangs.

THE VOICE

However, with the commercial success of gangsta rap in the early 1990s, the emphasis shifted to drugs, violence, and misogyny.

Early proponents of gangsta rap included groups and artists such as Ice-T, who recorded what some consider to be the first gangster

rap record, 6 in the Mornin', and N.W.A. whose second album Efil4zaggin became the first gangsta rap album to enter the charts at number one. Gangsta rap also played an important part

in hip hop becoming a mainstream commodity. The fact that albums such as N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-E’sEazy-Duz-It, and Ice Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted were selling in such high numbers meant that black teens were no longer hip

hop’s sole buying audience.As a result, gangsta rap became a platform for artists who chose

to use their music to spread politic and social messages to parts of the country that were previously unaware of the conditions of

ghettos. While hip hop music now appeals to a broader demographic, media critics argue that socially and politically

conscious hip hop has been largely disregarded by mainstream America.

GANGSTA RAP

ICE-T 1990’S

From a really early age Tracey Marrow which is Ice-T’s actual name was involved in gangs and crime. His mother died from a heart attack when Tracey was in 3rd grade, from that his father single handed raised him. His first activity with illegal issues was when his father gave him a stolen bicycle for Christmas. His father also died from a heart attack when Tracey was 12 years old. From that moment he was left alone, As he grew older hip hop became a way for him to express his feelings about life and it allowed him as a person who was influenced by gangs and crime and the like to be able to raise awareness about the issues..

ICE-T

According to the U.S. Department of State, hip hop is now the centre of a mega music and fashion industry around the world, that crosses social barriers and cuts across racial lines.

National Geographic recognizes hip hop as the world's favourite youth culture" in which just about every country on the planet seems to have developed its own local rap scene. Through its international travels, hip hop is now considered a “global musical epidemic”.

GLOBAL INNOVATIONS

Not all countries have embraced hip hop, where "as can be expected in countries with strong local culture, the interloping wildstyle of hip hop is not always welcomed". This is somewhat the case in Jamaica, the homeland of the culture's father, DJ Kool Herc. However, despite the fact that hip hop music produced on the island lacks widespread local and international recognition, artistes such as Five Steez have defied the odds by impressing online hip hop tastemakers and even reggae critics.

GLOBAL INNOVATIONS 2

While hip hop music has been criticized as a music which creates a divide between western music and music from the rest of the world, a musical "cross pollination" has taken place, which strengthens the power of hip hop to influence different communities. Hip hop's messages allow the under-privileged and the mistreated to be heard. These cultural translations cross borders. While the music may be from a foreign country, the message is something that many people can relate to- something not "foreign" at all. Even when hip hop is transplanted to other countries, it often retains its "vital progressive agenda that challenges the status quo." In Gothenburg, Sweden, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) incorporate graffiti and dance to engage disaffected immigrant and working class youths.Hip hop has played a small but distinct role as the musical face of revolution in the Arab Spring, one example being an anonymous Libyan musician, Ibn Thabit, whose anti-government songs fuel the rebellion.

GLOBAL INNOVATIONS 3

Hip Hop became increasingly more popular into the 2000’s. Dr Dre remained a really important figure in the 2000’s but another person who had began to emerge was Eminem with The Marshal Mathers LP. Which reached renowned success. Hip hop influences also found their way increasingly into mainstream pop during this period mainly the mid-2000s, as the Los Angeles style of the 1990s lost power. Nelly's debut LP, Country Grammar, sold over nine million copies. In the 2000s, crunk music, a derivative of Southern hip hop, gained considerable popularity via the likes of Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins. Jay-Z represented the cultural triumph of hip hop. As his career progressed, he went from performing artist to label president, head of a clothing line, club owner, and market consultant—along the way breaking Elvis Presley’s record for most number one albums on the Billboard magazine charts by a solo artist.

HIP HOP IN THE 2000’S

EMINEM 2000 SLIM SHADY

After the 2000’s hip hop had reached into its prime. It had become an increasingly known genre and is now one of the most successful genres in the industry. In terms of the music video’s that each of the Hip Hop songs contained, they all seem to be based on the message that the song is trying to be about and make you aware of. The songs still try and make people aware of different issues that the artists believe in. By using Hip Hop it is a way for the artists and other people to express there emotions.

HIP HOP AFTER THE 2000’S

Hip Hop is still a popular genre in the music industry, it is now a really well known genre that a lot of people are interested in. Now people are getting mistaken for what hip hop is, mistaking it for things such as rap which is similar, its now almost become a fusion with elements of rap and small features of pop which manages to create artists like Nicki Minaj. It is still a genre that will keep on growing, this is down to the fact that it is still the genre that most allows people to express their feelings, the artists aren't limited to the content that they can have in their songs and it truly allows people to express how they feel.

HIP HOP NOW