Hip hop is a genre of music and art that has come, over the years, to define a significant portion of the African-American community, and many communities outside of those circles. Stemming from the South Bronx in the 1970s, it has sprung forth into a full-blown cultural phenomenon, defining popular culture to a great extent since its inception. Hip hop has a rich history, and is not shy from controversy or danger. In this paper, we will discuss the history and cultural impact that hip hop has had on American culture and beyond.
Hip hop music stems greatly from Jamaican traditions of reggae and musical poetry - a tradition known as 'toasting - which was carried over from Jamaica to New York by young DJ Clive Campbell, also known as 'Cool Herc." Moving to the Bronx, his own efforts incorporated these elements into his music, creating the beginning stages and forms of what would become hip hop (Campbell & Chang, 2005). In large, underground venues, DJs like Cool Herc and others would take multiple turntables, microphones and speakers in order to make many different kinds of music. In particular, Herc would create what was known as 'break-beat deejaying," which included the instrumental interludes of funk songs, known as 'breaks.' DJs would isolate those, and repeat them for much longer, extending the dance break and creating a longer beat that people could dance to. In addition to that, DJs would announce and speak in rhythm to the dancers, which created the phenomenon of 'rapping.' This style of vocal performance, which creates syncopated rhythms and rhyming, improvised lyrics, formed the basis of hip hop music as a whole. Break boys and break girls were the terms given to those who would dance at these parties - this was abbreviated to 'b boys' and 'b girls.' (Campbell & Chang, 2005).
This musical style was further developed by other DJs of the early hip hop era - Jazzy Jay, Grandmaster Flash and others started 'cutting' or 'scratching' their breakbeats, adding extra syncopation or rhythm to the beat. Rapping became more of a phenomenon by the late 1970s, with DJs creating their own 12 inch vinyl records they would rap to. Those who rap started to call themselves MCs, or Emcees; this helped to establish their oeuvre as big-time personalities in the music world. In 1979, the first hip hop record came out - "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang (Hess, 2010).
The core of hip hop music seems to rest in the hands of the DJ; their use of turntables and beats in an innovative way helped to pave the way for more intricate subgenres of hip hop. In traditional hip hop, two turntables are used at the same time, connected to speakers, amplifiers, speakers and the like. Samples are written on vinyl, or DJs use existing records to combine the two sounds, scratch or delay the music, and more. Isolating breaks is the cornerstone of creating these types of hip hop tracks, as the existing vocal parts from a song are often not employed. Often, MCs will combine these mixtapes with their own spoken word poetry that flows with the music, rapping over the music (Edwards, 2009, p. 63).
Another musical element of hip hop innovated during this period was beatboxing. Beatboxing consists of vocal percussion performed by making sounds with one's mouth that simulate drumbeats. In this way, rappers became more than just the vocalists; they became instrumentalists as well, and this aspect of hip hop music is unique to its genre. Doug E. Fresh popularized the practice of beatboxing, and has faded in an out in popularity throughout the years. Often, it is seen as a means of incorporating beats with rapping without needing a drum machine itself (Perry, 2004).
In terms of a style of music, there are many different modern influences to hip hop music. It is seen as both a reaction to and an offshoot from disco music; the primary motivation of hip hop being created was to set something apart from European-based disco music, which was very popular during the 1970s. However, these same disco dance loops and beats were the basis of many hip hop songs early in the run of the genre (Hess, 2010). Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and others are all innovators of this kind of 'disco rap' style of hip hop.
Not only did the technology of hip hop creation move forward, the lyrics and spoken word element of the genre gained some needed complexity. The instrumentals became more complex, and the lyrics became more socially conscious and metaphorical. Chuck D, Rakim and others managed to bring some much needed maturity to the hip hop and rap genres, with their socially responsible and forward-thinking lyrics. With these innovators, rap began to more closely mirror rhythmic poetry.
With the end of the old school of hip hop, a 'new school' consisting of more aggressive and assertive lyrics and instrumentation came to the forefront. Run DMC, LL Cool J and others started to put out records in 1983 and 1984, creating minimalistic, rock inspired tracks that featured the artists as self-boasting, sociopolitically minded boasters. With that aggression came the image of cool, tough guys who carry the b-boy style of dress and attitude, creating the early elements of modern rap personas. The new school of rap was more commercially successful, as their songs were shorter, and thus more applicable to radio play. Hip hope also gained mainstream appeal outside of the African-American audience, with white groups like the Beastie Boys releasing albums such as their 1986 work Licensed to Ill. That album gained #1 status on the Billboard music charts, marking the first rap album to gain widespread acclaim (Hess, 2010).
The mid 1980s saw the golden age of hip hop; a greater jazz influence was found in the works of the artists working during this age, as well as more militant, Afrocentric lyrics. Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and others are the acts most associated with the golden age (Mervis, 2004). This time was rife with innovation and new things coming to the table, both stylistically and thematically. Acts and albums became more and more progressive, as tracks became more sophisticated in their use of dubs and beats.
At this time, hip hop started to take off as a cultural movement; it started to personify the gang and urban culture of the South Bronx of New York City. Graffiti, rap music, gang fashion and b-boying culture started to personify hip hop, as its influence grew. Competition is a big factor in the hip hop culture, which stemmed from the macho competitiveness and oneupmanship personified in street gangs. However, instead of the violence inherent in gang life, Afrika Bambaataa found merit in using those energies to creative pursuits. This led to the creation of the Zulu Nation, a conglomerate of all aspects of hip hop culture, from graffiti artists to rappers and more. With this step, hip hop started to become nationally recognized (Forman & Neal, 2004, p. 2).
Hip hop had an indelible effect on American society. Because of their ability to unite people of different backgrounds and levels of familiarity in the South Bronx, they became a creative, safe outlet for youth in these cities, as opposed to the inherent violence of gang life. Teenagers were then allowed to express themselves and learn new things about their creative abilities, spending their energy on making new art and music. Hip hop culture is inextricably tied to the hardships and difficulties that minorities encounter in 20th century America, being continually disenfranchised and downtrodden. Robbed of opportunities to truly expand as people, and constantly threatened and tempted by gang life, hip hop and b-boying provided a safer means of expression.
These themes are extremely evident in the music that came out of the early hip hop era. The Grandmaster Flash song "The Message" deals with how difficult life can be in housing projects, particularly those in the South Bronx, raising social consciousness while producing a natural, enjoyable beat. Despite the successes of the Civil Rights Movement, the momentum had been lost to do more with the potential for freedom and opportunity that exists for blacks; hip hop sought to get that movement going once more. It also provided black youth to earn a living in the entertainment industry, and escape the poverty that often struck their homes on a systematic basis.
However, a tonal shift occurred when gangsta rap started to become commercially successful in the early 1990s. Becoming a part of hip hop culture that was difficult to ignore, misogyny and violence became the topics of the day for hip hop music. From this point, the West Coast brand of hip hop started to take off, emphasized by the more violent, confrontational and provocative stylings of gangsta rap. Ice-T and NWA became some of the first prominent gangsta rappers to enter the scene. Ice-T's record, 6 in the Mornin', is often considered to be the first gangsta rap album (Hess, 2010). With the advent of gangsta rap, hip hop albums were suddenly hitting number one in music charts, and hip hop suddenly became mainstream. Instead of the audience being relegated solely to disenfranchised blacks in the South Bronx, hip hop was being listened to by a variety of audiences. Sociopolitical issues regarding the poverty in the ghetto of New York City were now being exposed to more and more people, though the mainstream American audience tends to prefer less socially aware subgenres of hip hop, preferring more lascivious gangsta rap.
Given this mainstream appeal hip hop suddenly found itself with, it became harder and harder to avoid commercialization. Rap became a commodity, and a product; its roots in the dark places of the South Bronx began to be phased out in favor of major record labels and glorification of consumerism. Instead of showcasing a definitive political stance, and the importance of maintaining identity in an increasingly violent gang world, the hip hop genre is seen by many to personify a faux toughness by those with disposable income. In essence, the genre has been appropriated by many who do not actually observe a 'hip hop' lifestyle (Diaware, 1998).
The hip hop genre of music and culture is a very important and innovative stylistic movement that stemmed from the impoverished South Bronx area of New York in the 1970s. Since its inception, it has grown from glorified house parties into a full-blown aspect of the cultural mainstream. Its use of improvised lyrics (rapping), instrumental 'breaks' and the creative alchemy that stems from utilizing both in unique ways makes hip hop something dramatically new and different from what has come before. Taking its roots from West African and Jamaican tribal chants and traditions, hip hop has come to personify the African-American experience in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Works Cited
Campbell, Clive; Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New
York City, New York: Picador. 2005. Print.
Diawara, Manthia. In Search of Africa. Cambridge, Massachusetts :Harvard University Press,
1998. Print.
Edwards, Paul, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press,
2009. Print.
Forman M; Neal M. That’s the joint! The hip-hop studies reader. Routledge, 2004. Print.
Hess, Mickey, ed. Hip Hop In America: A Regional Guide. Santa Barbara, California:
Greenwood Press, 2010. Print.
Mervis, Scott. "From Kool Herc to 50 Cent, the story of rap – so far", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
February 15, 2004. Print.
Perry, I. Prophets of the hood: politics and poetics in hip hop, Duke University Press. 2004.
Print.
Toop, David. Rap Attack II: African Rap To Global Hip Hop. New York. New York:
Serpent's Tail, 2000. Print.
