History of Hip Hop Music Genre - Report Example

History of Hip Hop When one thinks about hip-hop as a music genre, the common belief is that its history can be traced only as far back as the Pres.Carter era of the 1970s when disco music was king and the afro was in. Extensive research into the history of the music style however, shows that the history of hip-hop can actually be traced all the way back to the 1940s music scene. This paper will serve as a look back in time into what can be called a definitive history of hip-hop and its creators. It is important to first understand the meaning of hip-hop as the musical term has evolved into so many definitions pointing to a sub-culture, dance moves, and even a way of life. Musically though, the term hip-hop is used to define a form of music that is: ... comprised mainly of emceeing and deejaying. The other two components that complete the four elements of hip-hop are graffiti and break-dancing. As hip-hop evolves into big business, the four elements (emceeing, deejaying, graffiti, and break dancing) are constantly being merged with others like clothing trends, slang, and general mindset (Adaso, Henry “A Brief History of Hip-Hop and Rap”). The earliest known beginning of the hip-hop music craze can be found in the 1940 annals of music history. This was the year when Thomas Wong, also known as Tom the Great began to use a booming sound system that turned out to please his audience while playing American records in an effort to widen his crowd base over the local bands. DJ music began to gain its foothold during this time, culminating in the historical “Soundclash” between Coxsone Dodds “Downbeat” and Duke Reids “Trojan” in what would later become known as DJ Battling. As America began to change as a population, welcoming immigrants and their own cultures and traditions into the mix, the sound of American music also began to change. The most notable sound change came in 1962 when James Brown recorded “Live at the Apollo” where his drummer, Clayton Fillyau pioneered the break beat sound (Adaso, Henry “The History of Hip Hop”). The African - Americans have always been noted for their highly creative music styles. Even as workers in the slave fields, they managed to compose their own music using a unique rhythm and rhyme that no other people could imitate. So it did not come as any wonder when in 1965, Muhammad Ali, who was born as Cassius Clay, became the first ever black man to recite a rhyme in public. His rhyme went this way: Clay comes out to meet Liston And Liston starts to retreat If Liston goes back any further Hell end up in a ringside seat. Clay swings with a left, Clay swings with a right, Look at young Cassius Carry the fight. Liston keeps backing But theres not enough room Its a matter of time... (qtd. in Adaso) A closer analysis of the word rhyme and rhythm of delivery in the poem of the man then known as Cassius Clay will lead one to surmise that he was perhaps one of the earliest black rappers in the history of hip-hop and rap music. This is a sound of music that 5 years later, in 1970 would once again be heard in the Last Poets release of their self titled album that combined jazz sounds with heartfelt spoken word. Disco began to emerge as a divisive force in the music arena around the same time that hip-hop was beginning to emerge as a musical influence. It is believed that hip-hop emerged as the middle road between the detractors and supporters of disco music. Hip hop was essentially a response to the European beat that was beginning to dominate the dance scene. Since disco tracks were already being used as a part of hip-hop music, the term “disco rap” was coined with hip-hop / rap being the surviving music style of the decade. Disco was also influenced by hip-hop just the same thanks to the influence of DJs like Pete Jones, Eddie Cheeba, and Love Bug Starski. While other DJs of the era concentrated on spreading the rap style of music, these djs offered a more disco beat to their sound. (“Hip Hop Music”). There was a rapid growth in the hip-hop musical style in the 1970s with the emergence and popularity of block parties among the African Americans living in the Bronx of New York. These street parties required DJs to play all genres of music including funk and soul. The positive audience reception inspired the DJs to isolate percussive breaks in popular songs, a technique that was borrowed from the Jamaican club music. A pioneer of this movement was DJ Kool Herc who used two turntables to extend the musical breaks. Although there are some who wish to lump hip=hop into the same genre as R&B music, the truth remains that the two are highly distinct forms of music that just happen to use the same sampling technology and drum machines in the creation of the music. However, it is the Turntablist Technique, or the method that a DJ uses for scratching, beat mixing, and beat juggling that separates hip-hop from R&B. That is because this particular type of music manages to create a baseline of music that can be spoken or rapped over. The 1980s saw a boom in the spread of hip-hop music. Heavy use of drum machines and sampling technology became the norm for the music of this era. Tape loops became a thing of the past as computer technology began to integrate itself into the music scene. The E-mu SP - 1200 made it possible to eliminate the need for tape loops since the memory and flexibility of the machine allowed for more freedom in production and resulted in the sequencing of separate tracks into a single fluid new piece. Even the musical message of the decade became notable because of the evolution of lyrical content in hip hop music. The 1970s flower power songs were soon replaced with metaphysical lyrics using multi-layered instruments. Using more sophisticated arrangements and consciousness awakening lyrics, hip-hop became the voice of a generation. The 80s was also the era when hip-hop began to find its place in mainstream music. Pop producers were beginning to take notice of the music genre and thought it would be a good idea to merge pop and hip-hop to create a new pop music sound. The merger of which became evident when Kurtis Blow, a rap musician who had gone mainstream, appeared in a Sprite Commercial thus making him the first hip-hop product endorser. It is important to remember that hip hop was largely an American music creation. Therefore the spread of the music was mostly confined to within the borders of the United States. But just like all things American during the time, the spread of hip-hop to other areas of the world was inevitable. The latter part of the 80s saw the music crossover to the shores of Europe and the UK club scenes. Eventually, the music also reached the shores of Asia via Japan where B-Boying became a big hit among Japanese, Australian, and South African club goers. Just like all other music genres, hip-hop also had its golden era. This attribution is often noted as being within the 1980-1990s era which, in hindsight, was also the time of great political and social change in the United States. Hip-hop music from these eras were filled with diversity, quality, innovation and influence. Themes of Afrocentrism and political militancy found its way into music alongside the sampling and eclectic experiments with jazz music influence emerged in music. People such as Sia Michael , editor in chief of Rolling Stone magazine explained that during the golden age of hip-hop, every album released contributed something new to the genre (qtd. in “Hip Hop Music”). The rapid growth of the music genre is said to stem from the fact that the music the hip hop creators made was natural. Since there was still room for improvement in the genre, innovation was the name of the game and every sound made was a breakthrough. Stylistic innovations were key in creating what would eventually become a musical art form. It was around this time that a sub-genre of hip hop came into existence. Known as Gangsta Rap and West Coast Hip Hop, the music was the first lucrative sub genre to emerge from hip hop. Rather than using sampler tracks, the music was now more raw and rock driven, given the music a more edgy feel. The lyrics of this type of hip-hop was more in your face, crude, and cuss riddled as the black hip-hop artists used the music as a venue to raise their objections to their perceived social problems and racial discrimination. Ganstga rap became a highly controversial music form it exposed the contradictions of American culture, exposing political and social issues that were not normally discussed in public. Any new music genre is often met with disdain and dislike by most music producers and radio station owners. So it is easy to understand why hip-hop continued to struggle during its so-called golden years. Even though the music was popular with club goers and most young people, the radio stations still refused to play the music alongside mainstream pop songs. Black radio was the biggest opponent of hip-hop music. Which is strange when one thinks about it because the music itself has black roots dating back to the era of African American slavery. However, hip-hop artists such as M.C. Hammer and his worldwide sensation “U Cant Touch This” helped the music finally break into the mainstream music arena where it would go on to garner continuously growing radio airplay. Hip-hop also became the top selling music genre in 1991 having sold more than 81 million CDs. Hip hop musicians such as Wu-Tang Clan and the Beastie Boys became notable names who had finally earned the respect of their co-musicians. As the decade progressed, the merging of hip hop and pop music continued and to this very day, pop music continues to contain traces of hip hop music in its final products (“Hip Hop Music”). The early part of the 21st century saw a continuation of the popularity of hip hop. Slowly becoming a more popular form of music than hip hop, with Jay-z becoming its biggest success story as he emerged from druggie, hip-hop artist, record label president, then eventually high powered businessman with immense political influence. However, there has been a notable decline in its album sales since 2005. As of 2006, there was no rap album among the top sellers. The reason for the decline in sales according to Elizabeth Blair of the NPR is that “young people are fed up with the violence, degrading imagery and lyrics” ( “Hip Hop Music”). Just like all other music genres hip hop needs to continue to innovate if it is to revitalize its presence in the music industry. Alternative Rap has began to find its foothold in the hip hop industry. Allowing influences from Asia and other regions of the world to find its place in the ever growing and evolving world of hip hop. Thus allowing hip hop to become a truly influential and driving force on the world music stage. Unlike its predecessor, the new emerging hip hop music has evolved from simply American based political and social issues to become all encompassing in its message of peace, acceptance and equality. The music has become the voice of a new generation of disenfranchised voices that are asking the world to hear and pay attention to them. The emergence of the internet as a music platform has helped hip hop artists reach a far wider audience than they could before. This time, they do not need the help of a record label of the acceptance of mainstream radio to get their music out there, heard and enjoyed by a world wide digital audience. Hip hop has once again entered a new phase of innovation as a music genre. One that is no longer limited by the past obstacles. It has managed to find its place in a new and exciting world of music where boundaries no longer exist in the drive to create a sound that can be enjoyed and understood by the world wide population. Works Cited Adaso, Henry. “A Brief History of Rap & Hip- Hop”. Hip-Hop 101. about.com. 2104. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. Adaso, Henry. “Hip Hop Timeline 1925 - Present”. Hip-Hop 101. about.com 2014. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. Adaso, Henry. “The History of Hip-Hop”. Hip-Hop 101. about.com. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. “Hip Hop Music”. Wikipedia. wikipedia.com. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. Read More