Hip hop music has always been an effective means of raising social awareness. From Salt-N-Pepa’s feminist battle cry to Chuck D’s calls for revolution, this genre is an invaluable way of drawing public attention to important causes.
Kool Herc released his iconic 1979 track Rapper’s Delight featuring a slow funk beat and melodic synthesizer riffs as early example of socially-conscious rap music.
Origins
Hip hop made its debut in New York City’s Bronx neighborhood during the 1970s as an intersectional collaboration among youth from Black, Latino, and Caribbean American backgrounds who came together at block parties featuring DJs playing soul and funk music. Key figures in this era such as Kool Herc, Grand Wizard Theodore, Afrika Bambaataa and others became known as founding fathers of hip hop during this era; some experimented with longer percussive breaks (known as “the breaks”) on records as well as turntable techniques such as scratching. Breakdancing along with graffiti art all came together into one movement which eventually came to be known simply as hip hop.
Hip hop lyrics typically comprise rhythmic rhymes with an emphasis on assonance and alliteration, known as rapping or emceeing, that feature assonance and alliteration. These vocal parts, known as emceeing or rapping, are usually performed to an instrumental track called the beat created by either DJs and/or producers using samples from older soul and funk recordings or drum machines and synthesizers to produce this rhythmic groove. Hip hop artists such as Run-D.M.C, LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy have since emerged to give this genre its rhythmical beat.
Hip hop’s roots in New York City brought an urban consciousness to its music. At first, its MCs would discuss issues in their lives as well as those around them; these conversations often addressed socioeconomic problems common in inner cities. Over time however, as hip hop became more widely practiced it spawned other forms of expression such as street dance, fashion and graffiti art.
Early hip hop musicians did not need to be master musicians – all they needed were turntables and classic record collections as tools of creation. They would “sample” the percussion breaks from their parents’ records and work them into their music; as well as sampling other genres like jazz, rock, or disco.
As hip hop gained in popularity, its influence began spreading beyond its initial urban roots and into other urban communities worldwide. Maestro Fresh Wes’ success helped mainstream hip hop music; Canadian rappers Michie Mee and Saukrates helped popularize it even further north than just in America.
Influences
Hip hop music has been shaped by numerous sources. Early artists were heavily influenced by The Last Poets, a spoken word group that delivered politically charged street poetry. Others were drawn to African American public figures like Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. for inspiration; others still took cues from scatted jazz or traditional black oratory forms like traditional black oration and oration techniques used during oration classes in schools. Furthermore, its musical foundation has taken in elements from disco, pop, as well as rhythmic influences found within African musical traditions – all creating its unique identity over time.
Early hip hop musicians had limited musical instruments at their disposal. To create new music, they would isolate percussion breaks from popular songs and use them as beats – they called themselves DJs! Furthermore, these early pioneers sampled vocal melodies from old funk, soul, R&B and disco songs, creating new forms of music which combined elements from all four genres into something unique.
As hip hop music became more and more popular, a growing number of young people expressed themselves by breaking dance moves to its beats and then later by rapping over these same songs as known MCs (mic controllers). Over time these performers would use their words to share personal experiences while advocating social change through hip hop performances.
Hip hop first gained worldwide attention during the 1980s thanks to rappers like Run-D.M.C, LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys who helped popularize it nationally. Since then, it has evolved into a culture, with young people adopting its values and ethics and using hip hop music to advocate for issues within their communities that mainstream media often neglects or minimizes.
Hip hop culture has evolved into an expansive genre, which encompasses everything from dance and music to graffiti art, photography and visual art. Hip hop provides young Black people an outlet to express themselves creatively as an outlet of their beliefs and perspectives – which makes hip hop so essential and relevant today. Furthermore, it gives up-and-coming artists an avenue for advocating on behalf of issues in their community that may go ignored by society while pushing towards social justice.
Styles
Hip hop music fuses many genres, originating in its early pioneers’ experimentations with classic funk, rock, and soul songs for inspiration. Their turntables and samplers created new sounds suited for late night dance parties in NYC and LA.
Hip hop artists began speaking over their music and became known as MCs (Mcs). Their rhymes can often be complex, building on four-beat rhythms or meters while occasionally surprising audiences with syncopations and off-beat techniques. Hip hop aficionados tend to respect those MCs who can freestyle, or improvise, fresh rhymes while standing on stage.
No single person can take credit for inventing rapping; however, New York DJ Kool Herc is generally seen as the father of hip hop culture. He would use percussion breaks from popular funk, soul, and disco songs to craft beats that inspired break dancing; Kool Herc called those who danced to his music “B-Boys.” Rap music soon achieved national attention through Sugarhill Gang’s 1980 song Rapper’s Delight.
In the early 80s, hip hop began evolving into new forms. Pioneering MCs like Afrika Bambaataa and Marly Marl developed advanced production techniques using drum machines and classic synthesizers to craft beats for their songs – these new forms were an instant hit at night clubs nationwide.
Artists like Public Enemy began addressing political issues through their lyrics and using hip hop’s popularity to spread Christianity – this marked a new era of politically-oriented hip hop music which remains immensely popular today.
Hip hop music has received the most scrutiny for its frequent profanities than any other musical genre, often depicting war and coup d’etats in its songs and creating issues for censorship authorities.
Hip hop culture has come to define an iconic urban lifestyle. Performers and fans often dress in particular fashion characterized by loose T-shirts, baggy shorts, sneakers and possibly long braids or dreadlocks; many engage in street art or graffiti writing activities and graffiti writing, and many engage in street performances based on hip hop stories. Even theatre has taken notice; several plays and musicals feature hip hop narratives as themes.
Artists
Hip hop culture first emerged from Bronx neighborhoods during the 1970s as a countercultural response to economic stagnation in many black and Latino communities. It combines elements of music, dance and urban lifestyle trends. Main facets include MCing (rapping), DJing (dance), graffiti writing and breakdancing as well as fashion slang & mindset culture.
Hip hop music’s core component is an insistent, rhythmic beat which may be slow or fast in speed. This serves as the backdrop for rapping or singing and gives its song its structure; electronic beats may also be sampled from old recordings; musicians typically create their own drum beats or combine different sounds themselves, yet its structure remains consistent.
Afrika Bambaataa took Herc’s breakbeat sound and brought it into a whole new level with his Universal Zulu Nation group and album Planet Rock, adding an infusion of funk that became widely popular during this decade.
Major artists influenced by hip hop are Run DMC, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash and Fab 5 Freddy – rappers who used MCing skills to deliver punchlines and create their own style of rhymes for audiences of different types.
Female rappers have increasingly dominated hip hop in recent years, led by Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Princess Nokia. These female MCs have broken through barriers and demonstrated that women can have equal rapping talent as men; one influential female MC was Lauryn Hill who gained popularity through her solo album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ released in 1998.
Hip hop music has drawn significant criticism and censorship, due to its frequent use of profanity and depiction of violent wars or coup d’etats that overthrow governments. Furthermore, its anti-establishment rhetoric often leads to greater scrutiny – famous lyrics by hip hop artists often focus on protesting police force practices or racism.