One direction where I dont think a lot of the original rappers would have expected hip hop to go is "rap rock". The first song which lead to this cross-genre creation was Run D.M.C.'s mashup with Aerosmith on"Walk This way". Then in the late 90's this sub-genre became more mainstream with the likes of Limp Bizkit. While since then Limp Bizkit has gone on to be thought of as a joke, as the time they were selling millions of albums along with sold out concerts. More recently there have been bands which combine hip hop with hardcore metal. I wonder what The Sugar Hill Gang thinks of them????
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Rap Rock
Throughout its history, the hip hop community has been open enough to wear it's influences proudly on their "sleeves". There has been so much intertwining hip hop with the likes of R&B, rock, blues, funk and even heavy metal. While some aspects of the community can be closed, the artists are very open as to where they take their influences from. So much of music, in general, is about learning form the past and using that to create your new product. Every rapper has their influences, the ones who helped shape their musical taste.
One direction where I dont think a lot of the original rappers would have expected hip hop to go is "rap rock". The first song which lead to this cross-genre creation was Run D.M.C.'s mashup with Aerosmith on"Walk This way". Then in the late 90's this sub-genre became more mainstream with the likes of Limp Bizkit. While since then Limp Bizkit has gone on to be thought of as a joke, as the time they were selling millions of albums along with sold out concerts. More recently there have been bands which combine hip hop with hardcore metal. I wonder what The Sugar Hill Gang thinks of them????
One direction where I dont think a lot of the original rappers would have expected hip hop to go is "rap rock". The first song which lead to this cross-genre creation was Run D.M.C.'s mashup with Aerosmith on"Walk This way". Then in the late 90's this sub-genre became more mainstream with the likes of Limp Bizkit. While since then Limp Bizkit has gone on to be thought of as a joke, as the time they were selling millions of albums along with sold out concerts. More recently there have been bands which combine hip hop with hardcore metal. I wonder what The Sugar Hill Gang thinks of them????
Lyrics? Words?
Lyrics? Words? What role do they have in hip hop? Since hip hop isn't really about singing and melody, is the music behind the voice the important part? Are the producers of the beat the real great mind while the MC's are just there to make it sound a bit better? The music is what definitely adds the pop element to the music.Hoe necessary is the the rapping in rap?
I think in some modern rap the words have lyrics have lost part of their importance. So much of it is about the beat and having something to "bump" too, while losing part of the essence of the music. There's a reason some of te greatest rappers are referred to as poets, what they speak about truly is their poetry. When I think of rappers who are poets, Tupac is the first rapper who comes to mind. Using this platform as a way to spread his message on critical, important subjects with songs like "Brenda's Got A Baby" and "Changes", he brought these topics to the international level. Which at the time may have been a bit taboo to do.
I think in some modern rap the words have lyrics have lost part of their importance. So much of it is about the beat and having something to "bump" too, while losing part of the essence of the music. There's a reason some of te greatest rappers are referred to as poets, what they speak about truly is their poetry. When I think of rappers who are poets, Tupac is the first rapper who comes to mind. Using this platform as a way to spread his message on critical, important subjects with songs like "Brenda's Got A Baby" and "Changes", he brought these topics to the international level. Which at the time may have been a bit taboo to do.
Still Not A Player
The Ghetto is the place where hip hop truly got started and became a powerful force. On street corners in the ghetto men and women would gather around creating musical beats and rhyming over those beats, often talking about their past, their struggle, or making fun of others around them. It was a tool used to express themselves, spread their message and attempt at creating a career.
This "hood" lifestyle first came to prominence in the South Bronx a bit over 50 years ago. A developer named Robert Moses who ended up doing a lot of construction in the area turned that part of the city into a ghetto. While this is not a good thing for the city, it ended up being good for Hip Hop. Some of the genre's biggest performers were from The South Bronx. Jennifer Lopez (while not a rapper) represented The Bronx proudly on her single " Jenny From The Block". With the likes of Big Pun, Fat Joe and KRS-One, the South Bronx have been rep'd well.
This "hood" lifestyle first came to prominence in the South Bronx a bit over 50 years ago. A developer named Robert Moses who ended up doing a lot of construction in the area turned that part of the city into a ghetto. While this is not a good thing for the city, it ended up being good for Hip Hop. Some of the genre's biggest performers were from The South Bronx. Jennifer Lopez (while not a rapper) represented The Bronx proudly on her single " Jenny From The Block". With the likes of Big Pun, Fat Joe and KRS-One, the South Bronx have been rep'd well.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
From "The Message" to "An Empire State of Mind"
The Message. In 1982 Grandmaster Flash took the stage and used it to spread a message to the masses. By describing the perils and anxieties of contemporary urban life he told a story of what it was like for a black man growing up in the streets in the early 1980's. It was all about the hustle, making the most of what you got and surviving. It was part of the culture to show off with clothing or accessories but it was still a struggle.
"The Message" was the first hip hop song which took on the roll as a social commentary. In the 3 decades since Grandmaster's "The Message" first made its impact felt, while a lot of the struggles sadly have stayed the same, many of hip hop's elite have shown themselves as powerful leaders rather then reliant on others. One of the faces of modern hip hop is Jay-Z who in his 17 years has worked himself up form the streets to the top of the charts. With songs such as "Empire State of Mind" we can the heights he has reached.
"The Message" was the first hip hop song which took on the roll as a social commentary. In the 3 decades since Grandmaster's "The Message" first made its impact felt, while a lot of the struggles sadly have stayed the same, many of hip hop's elite have shown themselves as powerful leaders rather then reliant on others. One of the faces of modern hip hop is Jay-Z who in his 17 years has worked himself up form the streets to the top of the charts. With songs such as "Empire State of Mind" we can the heights he has reached.
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