How the Hop Hop Music Culture Spread Into Eastern Countries - Essay Example

? How the Hop Hop Music Culture Spread Into Eastern Countries Bader Alraougei Heriot-Watt Critical Writing and Analysis Dr. Victoria Amador 30 March 2011 Abstract Hip hop music’s origins are accredited as beginning in the Bronx of New York in the United States of America in the 1970s. Its popularity and zeal for accommodating “party” and “night” life, which all cultures embrace, contributed to hip hop’s reasoning for quickly catching “fire” and spreading across America, and eventually across the world. Eastern countries of the world were most certainly no exception. The hip hop music culture was embraced by these Eastern countries as well; and, a couple of these countries are even now being accredited with providing sectors of hip hop and rap music’s origination. Through the mandatory learning of the modern English language in Eastern countries during the 80s, to the technological revolution, including the accessibility of the internet and television, hip hop music has been embraced, as well as evolved, within the East, as well as the rest of the world. History and Origins of Hip Hop Music Introduction Hip hop music originated in the United States of America in the 1970s, primarily in the “Bronx” in the state of New York in New York City (History, 2011). Though America, back then, was a for the most part considered to have a “white” majority, with many of its most successful business people being “white”, hip hop music was actually created primarily by the African-American and Latino-American cultures (History, 2011) who chose to share their hard life and street experiences as a “minority” in a primarily “white” society through the use of “street poetry”, or “rap” music, if you will. The rhythm, rhyme and outrageous party themes of hip hop/rap became so overwhelmingly popular that it drew crowds of all races and ages, especially the youth. However, in several of the Eastern countries, the lack of exposure to the genre caused a delay, especially in Europe, of its acceptance and evolution. Once introduced in America; however, it wasn’t long until the business people of America, regardless of the question of morality or immorality of its themes, realized that hip hop music and the African-American and Latino-American cultures had the power to make music that could be marketed for a horrendous profit. Underground hip hop artists and various rappers and “hip hopsters” began recording and distributing music across America. Though hip hop/rap music was not considered mainstream American music, the artists and their investors were making profits off marketing the “underground” releases. Such underground artists include, The Sugar Hill Gangs's 1979’s "Rappers Delight” and “King Tim III’s Personality Jock” by the Fat Back Band (See Appendix #1 and #2). With underground hip hop and rap music spreading like wildfire throughout the Unitied States of America, it would soon prove to be no surprise that the controversial hip hop/rap music would soon be intorduced into mainstream American music. Its introduction would prove to be nothing short of extraordinary, triggering controversial and mixed emotions among America’s youth, parents, and of course, churches. The introduction of hip hop/rap into mainstream American music will never be forgotten, leaving countless mass media and personal stories of the adjustments to the revolution (See Appendix #3). The Induction of Hip Hop Music into Mainstream American Music A New York hip hop group called Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay is accredited with introducing hip hop music into mainstream American Music during the early 1980s. Because any type of change is controversial, the introduction of the hip hop genre was no exception. The new style and genre was for the most part, “clean-cut”, unlike much of the underground music that had been circling the nation during the 1970s. Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay didn’t rap about drugs, sex, or violence; instead, they rapped about normal teen life and the joys of being a part of America’s youth (Bessie Cherry, 2008). They were the “good guys” of rap, you could honestly say (Bessie Cherry, 2008). In an interview with Letter Press Publications, Darryl McDaniels told Bessie Cherry, Executive Director of Communications for Letter Press Publications, that Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay’s goal for introducing rap into mainstream American music was to positively unify our youth, not to divide or destory it with lyrical adorations pertaining to sex, drugs or violence. McDaniels said that he is most certainly disappointed in how rap music has evolved and does not approve of the lyrics of so many of today’s American artists and the hip hop industry (Letter Press, 2008) (See Appendix # 4). “Several of today’s multi-million dollar production and networking alliances, are signing and promoting artists whose lyrical themes solely project sex, violence, death and destruction. These themes do not coincide with the cultural standards of authentic hip hop, yet producers are marketing artists whose lyrics are dominated by such. It’s all for the sake of a dollar. As with other major production industries, sex and violence sells. It seems that’s where today’s rap industry wants to rest as well,” said Darryl McDaniels, “DMC” of the former legendary rap group Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay (Letter Press, 2008). Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay were the first to have albums “go” gold, platinum, and mulitplatinum. The hip hop group was also the first to be aired on MTV and the first to collaborate with Aerosmith, a huge name in the 1980s rock genre. The collaboration by Run-DMC and Aerosmith, titled, “Walk This Way” (See Appendix # 5) made these two groups the first to merge two separate genres of music: rap and rock (Letter Press, 2008). Darryl McDaniels says that hip hop will forever hold the power to unify the world, and this is why he feels so strongly that artists today should take full responsibility for their lyrics, and incorporate the themes of education, motivation, and inspiration into their music (Letter Press, 2008). How Hip Hop Music Spread to Eastern Countries Hip hop did not simotaneously dominate the Eastern countries as it dominated the United States. However, once hip hop went “mainstream” in the 1980s, thanks to Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay, it began being embraced practically worldwide. The Eastern countries such as Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean Islands, etc. (6th, 2007) were all exposed, to an extent, to the newly proposed and released genre, what they were exposed to, they accepted with carisma and open arms. These countries, too, were excited about the new “controversial” music, and its soaring popularity. Via the radio, television and most popularly, Music Television (Brief History MTV, 2010), which originated in the United States on August 1, 1981 (MBC, 2011), aired in Europe in 1987 and Asia in 1991 (MBC, 2011) the world learned of modern hip hop music. Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay sold out tours in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, etc. Darryl McDaniel said, “Everywhere we went, all over the world, everyone was ‘rockin’’ Adidas,” the sneakers made popular in the 1980s by the hip hop group Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay. “Right then I knew that hip hop music had the power to unify the entire world. There were people coming to see our shows who couldn’t even speak English; but they all loved hip hop.” (Letter Press, 2008). Darryl McDaniels says perhaps the most intense happening while on tour in Asia was when he met a fan who said that “he” was her absolute favorite of the three in the group, namely Run, DMC, and Jay. McDaniels said he had gone to her house, could barely understand a word that she said, but she pointed to a shrine of him, which consisted of pictures of him posted on walls throughout the room and a small doll of him, with lit candles all around. McDaniels said he thought, “Wow, I never thought anyone recognized me as such an important person.” Obviously, “DMC” of Run-DMC had been embraced by at least one person in Asia, to say the least. The entire group had been as well, with sold out concerts for almost every single performance (Bessie Cherry, 2011). Much like Asia, the hip hop genre was considered mostly an “underground” scene in Europe until the 1980s (Europopmusic, 2011). It was first introduced in England, then spread throughout the rest of Europe (Europopmusic, 2011). According to Europopmusic, their eastern society projects hip hop and rap as a lyrical art that allows the youth of the “ghetto” to express their feelings using the art of hip hop. Of course, the party scene associated with hip hop and rap music are just as relevant in Europe as in America. Europeans, according to Europopmusic, look at hip hop and rap as a way to break down barriers between races and colors (Europopmusic, 2011). As in the rest of the world, hip hop and rap are still evolving in Europe, with aspiring hip hopsters using the art as a means to express themselves and to deal with various issues they are faced with; the Europeans are using art of hip hop and rap to deal with their issues. Among one of Germany’s favorite hip hop/rap stars is none other than Eminem (See Appendix #6). And because censoship regulations are much less controlled in Germany than by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, Eminem is allowed to be as “sensational” (Wenz, 2006) as he wishes on pubic television and in Germany. For things that American broadcasting companies would be fined for, German broadcasting systems do not mind at all (German Mass Media, 2006). For example, in the youtube video, where Eminem is being interviewed by a German publicist, Eminem curses horribly, uncensored, in both German and English, and an audience member actually shows her entire, bare, rear-end on German public television during the interview (Eminem, Germany, 2009). It has been stated during the past several years that hip hop and rap is a dying genre (Darryl McDaniels, 2008) in America because of the negative vibes incorporated within its lyrics, especially by newer MCs (Masters of Ceremonies) and microphone communicators. “When you are an MC, you have a responsibility to the public and to the field of communication to serve the public with good. That’s hard to do when you are telling the public about how much money you make selling drugs each day. I am furious that this is what hip hop has become in America! That’s not authentic hip hop; authentic hip hop artists know this,” says McDaniels. With this being said, Darryl McDaniels would without a doubt be proud of Africa. With the hip hop and rap genre vastly evolving there now, due to the internet and readily available television and video communication means, Africans, especially the youth, are using hip hop and rap as a way to express themselves, while making positive changes in their communities. In a sense, Africa is taking hip hop and rap back to its roots, and what Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay inteneded rap to be from the beginning of its introduction into mainstream American music. Below is an excerpt of a quote from an article titled “Can Hip Hop Change Africa?” “…take a trip to any major African country like Senegal and you’ll find the music as it once was in the USA. Because of the newness of the music to Africa and the growing accessibility of it, hip hop is now the voice of the new generation of Africans. What is amazing about the music is how the youth have begun to adapt and use it as a vehicle to change the world around them. More than an entertainment form of hip hop is now the standard among young people, and as they become more empowered, they put it in song (See Appendix #7). The accessibilities of technologies like video, internet and mobile phones have provided them with the resources they need to connect to one another in real timeand develop a unified voice. With all the problems that ail the continent the youth are attempting to make the much needed changes themselves.” The Caribbean has also made its contributions to the genre of hip hop and rap. Though New York, in the United States of America, is accredited with the origins of hip hop music and its culture, the legacy of quote, “Jamaican immigrant Clive Campbell, aka DJ Kool Herc, transplanted his country's "soundsystem" tradition—huge banks of speakers rigged up to a DJ console for outdoor parties and "yard dances"—to the streets and playgrounds of the Bronx (often plugging directly into lampposts for free electricity),” says Caribbean reporter Tom Pryor. Darryl McDaniels also told this story of how the early revolutionists, or pioneers of hip hop, if you will, would unplug the cables from the light poles and hook up consoles for parties and such (Applause, 2008). Pryor went on to say, “Herc spun R&B, soul, funk and obscure disco favorites, and used a popular Jamaican technique: playing the same record on two turntables and rewinding one to the most exciting part of the song (the "break") for extended play. Subsequent DJs such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore would push this practice even further, introducing such techniques as "quick-mixing," "crossfading" and "scratching" into the hip-hop DJ's repertoire—an art form that would eventually become known simply as "turntablism."(Hip Hop Archives, 2011). So actually, this Caribbean journalist is more than willing to argue that Jamaica should be accredited with at least this sector [turntablism] (Snoman, pg. 297, 2011) associated with the art of hip hop and rap. Pryor’s last paragraph reads, “…rap's biggest international impact has been in Africa and the Caribbean, where local acts have adapted hip hop's strut and swagger to fit their daily realities. In the Caribbean, rap has infiltrated all sorts of local styles, from timba to calypso (even spawning a new style called "rapso" in Trinidad). The Latin Caribbean has especially embraced the music, with rap en Espanol competing with reggaeton for young ears in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Even Fidel Castro has embraced rap as a suitably revolutionary artform, and Cuba has lent official sponsorship to more than one rap festival. Jamaica, too, has felt the impact of rap, as its own dancehall reggae has grown harder and slicker in emulation of its American cousin. In Africa, significant rap scenes have emerged in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, with artists as varied as Daara J, Pitch Black Afro and X-Plastaz breaking into the international market. But hip hop is a force all over the continent, adopted as keenly as reggae and rumba once were by previous generations. Africa raps in a babel of local languages and the next great African rap star could come from anywhere between Cape Town and Cairo.” (Hip Hop Archives, 2011) Conclusion Though hip hop and rap music’s origins are said to have stemmed from the Bronx in New York City, New York, in the United States of America, it is arguable to a degree, if Jamaica is or is not responsible to an extent for several of the sectors associated with the origins of the genre. Eastern countries, as well as the entire world, have embraced hip hop and rap. Africa is even taking hip hop back to its “true roots”, as Darryl McDaniels, legendary hip hop pioneer would say, by using the art to address community problems and offer positive solutions to them through rhythm and rhyme. The European countries have been the last of the Eastern countries to be introduced to hip hop; but, love the genre and the lack of censorship thereof. According to Darryl McDaniels, hip hop will always have the power to unify our youth, and Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay’s reasoning for bringing hip hop music into mainstream American music was, is, and always will be to positively unify the world, not to divide or destroy it with negative hip hop lyrics pertaining to sex, drugs and/or violence. References A Brief History of MTV, Vivo, Youtube and the Online Music Video. Retrieved 20 March 2011 http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/09/mtv-vevo-youtube-online-music-video-history/ Can Hip Hop Change Africa? (2006). Retrieved on 25 March 2011. http://annansi.com/blog/2006/08/can-hip-hop-change-africa/ Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC Interview on Applause. (2008). Retreived on 24 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlfaGywRDbE Eminem in Germany (2009). Retrieved on 25 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vsZ_pPgwpo Hip Hop Archives: South Africa. Retrieved 25 March 2011. http://www.hiphoparchive.org/about/south-africa Hip Hop and Rap in Europe: The culture of the urban ghetto's (2011). Retrieved 24 March 2011. http://www.europopmusic.eu/Newsletters/Features/European_Hip_Hop_Rap.html History of Hip Hop (Rap Music). Retrieved 24 March 2011 http://www.ez-tracks.com/Hip_Hop/hip_hop_music_history.html Letter Press Publications. Retrieved 24 March 2011 http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Letter-Press-Publications/290137526571 MBC: Music Broadcast Communications (2011). Retrieved on 25 March 2011. http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=musictelevis National Geographic: Hip Hop Music. Retrieved on 25 March 2011. http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/genre/content.genre/hip_hop_730/en_US Personal Interview with Bessie Cherry, serving publicist for Darryl McDaniel. (2011). http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Letter-Press-Publications/290137526571 Personal Interview Concerning the Negative Evolutions of Hip Hop (2008). Darryl McDaniels Interview. Retrieved on 24 March 2011 http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Letter-Press-Publications/290137526571 Personal Interview with Helmut Wenz (Journalism Professor, 2006) Concerning Germany’s Mass Media Censorship. (2011). Snoman, Rick. Dance Music Manual: Tool, Toys and Techniques.. Retrieved 28 March 2011 http://books.google.com/books?id=NzfaPAjipe8C&pg=PA297&lpg=PA297&dq=Turntablism+techniques+originated+in+jamaica&source=bl&ots=mpRyg4HE9u&sig=iLPZ96J6UFOoRh5jG8PM7HS8I5o&hl=en&ei=bUaRTZzbIo-ctwfiqJxf&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false 6th Grade Eastern Hemisphere Country Project (2007). Retrieved 28 March 2011. http://blogs.region4.nycenet.edu/communities/6thgrade/ Appendix 1 Pic. # 1: Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rappers Delight” was one of the first NY underground hits during the 70s. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rockandpop80s.com/images/SugarHillGang.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rockandpop80s.com/index.php%3Fmain_page%3Dindex%26manufacturers_id%3D6%26sort%3D20a%26page%3D2&usg=___JZodTT2o06tcHGvZ-JSRe2f45c=&h=407&w=396&sz=23&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=wrClD-jXqjgkUM:&tbnh=147&tbnw=143&ei=3IiNTefYMeaf0AHhupyhCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drapper%2527s%2Bdelight%2Bsugarhill%2Bgang%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1012%26bih%3D584%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=703&oei=3IiNTefYMeaf0AHhupyhCw&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=58&ty=72 Appendix 1 (continued) Pic. # 2: King Tim III’s Personality Jack; Fat Back Band: also a 70s hit. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NwLCw8ud_AQ/hqdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bigsong.net/song/King_Tim_III_Personality_Jock0558NwLCw8ud_AQ.html&usg=__9BQSaLDzf8A7Ymp3SxPDA8hNJt0=&h=358&w=480&sz=16&hl=en&start=0&zoom=0&tbnid=2Cx94rjL-QflAM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=129&ei=couNTbDAMI-K0QHm0oW7Cw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dking%2Btim%2Biii%2Bpersonality%2Bjock%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADSA_enUS416%26biw%3D995%26bih%3D584%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=177&vpy=298&dur=3812&hovh=96&hovw=129&tx=91&ty=50&oei=couNTbDAMI-K0QHm0oW7Cw&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0 Appendix 1 (continued) Pic. # 3: Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay— legendary hip hop group accredited with bringing hip hop into mainstream American music during the 80s. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/run-dmc/ Appendix 1 (continued) Pic. #4: Darryl McDaniels, in 2008, gives Bess Cherry, Executive Director of Communications for The Lauderdale Letter Press, the national, initial exclusive concerning his quest to clean up rap music for our youth. “DMC stresses that Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay brought rap into mainstream American music in order to unify our youth, not to divide and destroy it with lyrical adorations for sex, drugs and violence, as is so carelessly being projected by so many contemporary rap artists today. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Letter-Press-Publications/290137526571 Appendix 1 (continued) Pic. # 5: Run-DMC collaborate with Aerosmith, performing “Walk This Way”. This collaboration made history because it was the first time in the history of American music that two separate genres merged. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bluethunderpictures.com/music/image/run-dmc1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bluethunderpictures.com/music/source/3.html&usg=__5iciToRRkS_bdZeVgG1Iy-DOaf4=&h=438&w=640&sz=48&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=8dz1RjXSbj5edM:&tbnh=141&tbnw=168&ei=TZONTbXECIWftwfRpaSkDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Daerosmith%2Band%2Brun%2Bdmc%2Bwalk%2Bthis%2Bway%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADSA_enUS416%26biw%3D995%26bih%3D584%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=703&oei=MpONTdyWH5G4twf1tO2vDQ&page=1&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=62&ty=60 Appendix 1 (continued) Pic. # 6: Eminem in Germany; he is by far one of Germany’s favorite contemporary hip hop artists. In this picture, Eminem, the journalist, and the audience are enjoying the freedom of being able to pretty much say and do anything on camera, as Germany’s censorship laws are much less strict than those of America’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC). http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5vsZ_pPgwpo/0.jpg&imgrefurl=http://wn.com/TBAviti&usg=__DppZ1Z4QH-kfaHq6j_Imf5DqT6Q=&h=360&w=480&sz=18&hl=en&start=16&zoom=1&tbnid=HYnotcmQBw06oM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=189&ei=rJWNTeiiM465twfy88C_DQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Deminem%2Bin%2Bgermany%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2ADSA_enUS416%26biw%3D995%26bih%3D584%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C263&um=1&itbs=1&biw=995&bih=584&iact=rc&dur=391&oei=qJWNTfmnLsWctweBvqWdDQ&page=2&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:16&tx=104&ty=74 Appendix 1 (continued) Pic. # 7: Africans are using hip hop as a means to inform the public of community problems and offering positive solutions through the art of hip hop. Africa is “taking hip hop back to its positive roots” and bring “life back to a genre that has been called ‘dead’ in the USA.” http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.myweku.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/african-hip-hop.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.myweku.com/2010/11/african-musicians-and-thier-fascination-with-hip-hop/&usg=__o_-kfIXMA-h0uN5efXtTHhFyMNI=&h=378&w=378&sz=11&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=BvDx0443pEfcUM:&tbnh=138&tbnw=160&ei=LZaNTYTMC4W2twf6-qGjDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dafrican%2Bhip%2Bhop%2Bmusicians%2Bfrom%2Bkenya%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2ADSA_enUS416%26biw%3D995%26bih%3D584%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=375&oei=FJaNTY3gFI2Dtgfg_aS_DQ&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=68&ty=73 Pic. #8: Clive Campbell, Jamaican hip hop pioneer who is arguably credited for being the first to incorporate various sectors into the genre associated with hip hop, even before the “Bronx”. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.crispinsartwell.com/herc.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.crispinsartwell.com/hiphopearlynyc.htm&usg=__bd_un7wbD55T34czTig6ogGjxpU=&h=215&w=200&sz=39&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=g0cNUSO0-L1UHM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=117&ei=XZeNTdebLIq5twf13rnKDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dclive%2Bcampbell%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2ADSA_enUS416%26biw%3D995%26bih%3D584%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=287&vpy=133&dur=2454&hovh=172&hovw=160&tx=112&ty=73&oei=XZeNTdebLIq5twf13rnKDQ&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0 Read More