Study Guide Hum 325 Essay

In the early 80s in South Bronx, hip hop culture was created as a way people expressed themselves to make a statement of some sort of art form that was diffused within the local community without outside influences orally and through localization. Commercialization changed and evolved these cultures making the producers not equal the consumers; globalization diffused these cultures with mass communication with the media. Spatially, hip hop used to be concentrated within a local community and it spread through relocation of the subway graffitti, while now it’s urbanized around the globe. In terms of social characteristics, rap has always been there as a way to express oneself through art forms such as b-boying, graffiti, and rapping; now it’s

In order to understand hip-hop dance, it is important to recognize hip-hop music and where it came from. Many scholars of rap music relate the founding of rap to African and African American oral and musical traditions, specifically African griots and storytellers. They link the rhythm of rap to the use of drums in Africa and to African American music in the United States, from slave songs and spirituals to jazz and R&B. Scholars have found very interesting connections between rap music and Black nationalist traditions (traditions historically practiced by black people that serve as part of their racial identity). Rap is similar to the “call and response of the black church, the joy and pain of the blues, the jive talk and slang of the hipsters and jazz musicians, the boasting of street talk, the sidesplitting humor of comedians, and the articulateness of black activists.” All of these African American oral traditions, including rap, can be traced back to West African oral traditions. In traditional African societies, the spoken word and oral culture included poetry, storytelling, and speaking to drumbeats. The links between rap music and African American oral and musical traditions demonstrate that hip-hop music represents more than just sound. It represents history. This aspect of it, in my opinion, makes this type of music very unique and makes it carry more value.

The origins of hip hop started in the late 70’s as a pastime that brought all the impoverished people of the projects together to have fun through. But decades later in the 90’s, people began to rap about many subjects ranging from the crack epidemic, hard life in the ghetto, or just having fun, but the underlying motive of rappers in this era was to reflect on their rough lifestyle through clever lyrics. The motive wasn’t for money, but recognition for their unique wordplay among the rap community. However, that all changed when record companies saw a financial opportunity in rappers, and rappers saw a financial opportunity through music. Due to the commercialization of hip hop, authenticity is rare to find in the mainstream

In this essay, I will be informing you, as the reader on the evolution of Hip-Hop/Rap. The key points will be where it is today, how this genre of music is not only used as music; but is used as communication to connect with the listeners, how it affects people; physically, mentally and psychologically. In other words, I will be addressing where it was created and how it is used to speak and communicate with the listeners.

Hip-Hop isn’t just four elements combined within a culture, it is also “ a way of life, a language, a fashion, a set of values, and a unique perspective” (Efrem 2), the hip-hop basic and sub-elements have a strong impact in the American society mainly on its

The article "How Hip-Hip Failed Black America, Pt. I & III" By QuestLove, is an informational set of articles explaining what hip-hop is and a brief background of how it came to be. Quest love is a DJ and Percussionist, I found this out from one of my friends who was curious as to what I was reading and by using the hyperlink of quest love included.

In order to understand the culture of hip-hop you must first examine its origins. The rise of hip-hop music and culture began during the popularization of block parties during the 1970’s in New York and was particularly popular among black and Latino youths. DJ’s would mix percussive beats that drew influences from funk and

To begin, McBride elaborates on the birth of “modern” hip hop in the Bronx. He claims that because “New York City was nearly broke” (McBride 790), arts funding was slashed and children could not “squeal on [their clarinets] and drive [their] parents nuts”. Naturally, McBride figured that teenagers like Afrika Bambaataa and others took to hip hop music and disc jockeying as a different, ingenious way to get under parents’ skin. To some extent, this may be true; however, another possible source of the music could have been to escape the daily struggles of living within the city. It is known that in the 1970s “arson fires, rampant crime and poverty pushed [Bronx] residents out in droves” (NY Times 1). Including this factoid would have tied together

description of what is hip­ hop. Both authors goes deeper into talking about the “culture” of hiphop,

Hip-hop culture began to develop in the south Bronx area of New York City during the 1970s. It had a significant influence in the music industry. Hip-hop music generally includes rapping, but other elements such as sampling and beatboxing also play important roles. Rapping, as a key part in the hip-hop music, takes different forms, which including signifying, dozen, toast and jazz poetry. Initially, hip-hop music was a voice of people living in low-income areas, reflecting social, economic and political phenomenon in their life [1]. As time moves on, hip-hop music reached its “golden age”, where it became a mainstream music, featuring diversity, quality, innovation and influence [2]. Gangsta rap, one of the most significant innovations in

The rap genre originated from some of the most underprivileged areas of New York in the 1970’s. What was once DJ’s talking over a beat they were playing to encourage more activity on the dance floor, turned in to a new genre of music called rap. The majority of earlier rap songs were fun inducing tracks, but in the 1980’s, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five introduced social consciousness to the genre. They sparked a long lasting impact on rap as it started to evolve rapidly as time went on. The 90’s was home to “gangsta rap,” followed by a softer side of song writing pioneered by the likes of Outkast and Kanye West in the 2000’s. Today, rap music is very diverse and more accepting of different styles than it was before. However, throughout the entire history of rap music, the one thing that has stayed

Hip-Hop is a cultural movement that emerged from the dilapidated South Bronx, New York in the early 1970’s. The area’s mostly African American and Puerto Rican residents originated this uniquely American musical genre and culture that over the past four decades has developed into a global sensation impacting the formation of youth culture around the world. The South Bronx was a whirlpool of political, social, and economic upheaval in the years leading up to the inception of Hip-Hop. The early part of the 1970’s found many African American and Hispanic communities desperately seeking relief from the poverty, drug, and crime epidemics engulfing the gang dominated neighborhoods. Hip-Hop proved to be successful as both a creative outlet for

Hip-Hop as a subculture was established by Black Americans, the youth in particular because of their marginalization. Mainstream music was made mostly by White Americans for White Americans on topics they could relate to. Even though Hip-Hop started off as just a beat it transformed into something so much more. Jamaica born DJ Clive “Kool Herc” Campbell,  one of the most influential in pioneering the art of hip hop music, brought over many Jamaican traditions including their tradition of toasting, which laid the blueprint for the actual rapping on instrumentals. Toasting is impromptu, boastful poetry and speech over music.

Hip- hop has become a phenomenon throughout youth culture. Many believed hip-hop was only a phase of music like disco, but as the genre continued to expand and evolve, it became clear that hip-hop was here to stay. (History of hip- hop: past, present, future) Hip- hop is made up of 2 main elements, DJing and rapping. DJ is short for disc jockey, which is a person who usually uses turntables to make music, and rapping is talking and chanting in an easy and familiar manner. (Hip-Hop: A Short History) In writing this research paper, I will explain the most impactful years of hip-hop, and the events surrounding them, starting from 1979, when Sugarhill Gang released “Rappers Delight”.

The starting point of this analysis begins with the 1979 single “Rapper’s Delight ” by the Sugarhill Gang, as it is the first rap song in history to peak in the Billboard Top 40 . During this time, many African Americans in the Bronx were throwing block parties, thus the need for music that would be suitable for these occasions . Hence, the theme of this hit single was on partying so it could complement another form of hip-hop: breakdancing. For example, “The beat starts getting into your toes. You start popping your fingers and stomping your feet. And moving your body while you’re sitting in your seat. And then damn you start doing the freak” uses imagery, mixed in with the positive emotions given off from the upbeat tempo to encourage the audience to dance to this song. Another example is the line, “But first, I gotta bang bang the boogie to the boogie. Say up jump the boogie to the bang bang boogie”, which shows us that these lyrics were meant for partying with the word “boogie ”. Also, this song is quite materialistic in its lyrics. Examples include, “I got a Lincoln continental and a sunroof Cadillac” and “Hear me talking ‘bout checkbooks, credit cards, more money than a sucker could ever spend”, which shows us that materialism in rap music was already present