HIP HOP HISTORY

HIP HOP: A CULTURE OF VISION AND VOICE

 HIP HOP HISTORY

 Hip hop is a subculture and an art movement that emerged from the Bronx in New York City during the early
1970s. Its development reflected the negative effects of post-industrial decline, political discourse, and a rapidly
changing economy.
 Looking back to New York City during this era, we see an economic collapse. The city’s economy was falling
apart due to the decline of the manufacturing industry and construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway. Much of
the white middle class moved to the suburbs to escape the social and economic challenges. The migration shifted
demographics and segregated communities. Conditions worsened in neighborhoods prominently populated by
African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Caribbean immigrants. Urban despair also brought rising crime, gang
violence, and poverty.
 Consequently, businesses closed their doors, causing many economic opportunities and sources of entertainment
to evaporate. As a result, urban youth turned to the streets for recreation and self-expression. The abandoned
buildings and parking lots set the stage for block parties. These block parties laid the groundwork for everything
associated with early hip hop culture. DJs and MCs brought the music by setting up mobile “Sound Systems”
introduced by Jamaican culture. Sheets of cardboard became dance floors for break-dancers, and brick walls
transformed into canvases for graffiti.
WHAT IS HIP HOP?

 Hip hop is more than music; it’s a cultural movement that incorporates different elements of art.
 Four foundational elements characterize hip hop culture. The original four main pillars of hip hop
include DJing/turntablism, MCing/rapping, B-boying/breaking, and visual/graffiti art. -These forms
of expression have also developed into further subcultures with lasting legacies.
 The intersection of these four elements also generated a cultural revolution that rapidly spread
across the globe. The global influence of hip hop culture has shaped music styles, fashion,
technology, art, entertainment, language, dance, education, politics, media, and more. To this day,
hip hop continues to be a global phenomenon, developing new art forms that impact the lives of
new and old generations.
A new era was on the rise fueled by sentiments of anger, hardship, and abandonment. However, the
emerging hip hop movement transformed despair and racial barriers into numerous creative outlets. It
also became an outlet to deal with violence.
HIP HOP PIONEERS

 Several people were influential in creating hip hop. However, the most notable pioneers
are DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash. These three innovators are
known as the “Holy Trinity” of hip hop.
DJ KOOL HERC

 One of the most influential hip hop pioneers was Clive Campbell, better known by his
stage name DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican immigrant regarded as the founding father of hip
hop. Kool Herc made history in 1973 when he and his sister hosted the “Back to School
Jam” in the recreation room of their Bronx apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.
This historical party is recognized for launching the hip hop movement.
DJ KOOL HERC

 helped develop the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes and wordplay performed by
MCs.
 He would speak in rhythm and rhyme over instrumental parts of songs to hype the crowd
 DJ Kool Herc also introduced the “breakbeat” DJ technique – a mixing practice he
adapted from Jamaican dub music. However, Kool Herc would play funk, soul, and other
genres with percussive sections. Using a pair of turntables, Kool Herc would play two
copies of the same record and then switch between them to extend the percussive section
known as the break. Kool Herc named this breakbeat juggling style of DJing “The Merry-
Go-Round.” This breakbeat turntablism quickly became influential in the rise of hip hop
music, rapping, and breakdancing.
 The break section was also the most anticipated part of a song where people danced the
most. Break-dancers would form dancer circles and save their best dance moves for the
break. Kool Herc named the people dancing to his music B-Boys and B-Girls, which was
short for Break-Boys and Break-Girls. Overtime, breaking evolved and became a global
subculture that transcended into the mainstream.
 AFRIKA BAMBAATAA

 also known as “The Godfather”.

 He a pioneering DJ and music producer who organized block parties in the Brox during the
late 1970s.
 also a visionary who helped guide the city’s youth away from gang life, drugs, and violence.
 He formed Universal Zulu Nation, a music-oriented organization that encourages peace and
unity through the expressions of hip hop culture. Members introduced urban youth to DJing,
breakdancing, rapping, and visual art. Soon after, Bambaataa categorized these forms of
expression as the “four elements” of hip hop. To this day, Zulu Nation continues to spread hip
hop culture throughout the world.
 In 1982, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force released “Planet Rock,” one of the most
influential early hip hop songs. Instead of rapping over funk beats, Bambaataa created an
electronic sound by sampling Kraftwerk and using the Roland TR-808 drum machine. The
song helped popularize the TR-808, which became a staple of hip hop music.
 GRANDMASTER FLASH

 Grandmaster Flash is another innovative DJ from the Bronx, New York City.
 He was the first DJ to manipulate records in a backward, forward or counterclockwise motion. He
also invented distinct DJing techniques such as the backspin, cutting, punch phrasing, and
scratching.
 Grandmaster Flash also organized a group called Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in 1976.
The group became widely acknowledged as one of the most influential hip hop acts. They
delivered a unique style by trading off lyrics between four rappers and blending them with Flash’s
unrivaled DJ skills. Flash would also perform acrobatic DJing skills by manipulating vinyl with
his fingers, toes, elbows, and objects.
 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had several influential songs. However, their most
prominent song was “The Message.” This critical hit further solidified rap as a genre and put
rappers at the forefront for the first time. The powerful lyrics also detailed the grim realities of life
in the ghetto, which was a significant shift from the traditional rhythmic chants of early hip hop.
 In 2007, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five made history again. The group became the first
hip hop act inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Mcing/Rapping

 A Master of Ceremonies is the official host of a staged event or similar performance. An

MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, entertains people, and generally
keeps the event moving. An MC may also tell jokes or anecdotes.
 In hip-hop music, an MC, or rapper, is a music artist and/or performers who usually
creates and performs vocals for his/her own original material.
The basic vocabulary of DJing—hip hop’s music style include:

back spinning turntable technique that quickly “rewinds” a section of a recording

beat juggling manipulating two or more recordings to create a unique musical arrangement
beat matching following a song with another that uses an identical or similar rhythm
break, or breakbeat instrumental section of a song that emphasizes percussion and rhythm
cue positioning a recording to play at a specific point
DJ short for “disc jockey,” a person who plays recorded music for an audience
drum machine, or beat box electronic device used by DJs to synthesize drum beats
looping replaying a section of a song to extend it
sampling lifting a section of a recording and using it in a different number or recording
scratching technique of physically manipulating a recording to create a unique effect
turntablism live and extensive manipulation of recordings to create a unique song
What is MCing?

 MCing is another term given to someone known as the “Master of Ceremonies.” MCing
is seen as the oral aspect of Hip Hop, and the MC typically presents performers, and
keeps the audience engaged. This idea was stemmed from various social conditions and
changes over time. This art is seen as a way of poetically using verbiage being traced to
ancient African Culture and oral tradition. It is also seen as “rapping” and being an
element that allowed the culture of African Americans to evolve with the societal
conditions of urban communities.
 The 12 basic vocabulary of MCing—hip hop’s vocal style:

end rhyme rhyming words at the end of lines

flow a rapper’s vocal style
freestyle improvised rapping
griot (gree-OH) oral storytellers and historians of West Africa
internal rhyme rhyming words within the same line
MC short for “master of ceremonies”; also performer who uses rap
techniques to interact with an audience
meter rhythm of a poem
persona character assumed by a performer
rap spoken-word lyrics performed to a beat; one of the elements of hip
hop
rapper performer that rhymes lyrics to a rhythm
spitting speaking, performing a rap
syncopation shifting a rhythm away from the normal beat
B-boying/breaking,

 energetic form of dance, fashioned and popularized by African Americans and Latinos, that includes stylized
footwork and athletic moves such as back spins or head spins. Break dancing originated in New York City during
the late 1960s and early ’70s, incorporating moves from a variety of sources, including martial arts and
gymnastics.
 The basic vocabulary of breaking—hip hop’s dance style include:
popping fluid movements of the limbs, such as moving arms like an ocean wave, that emphasize contractions of
isolated muscles
locking snapping arms or legs into held positions, often at sharp angles, to accent a musical rhythm
top-rocking fancy footwork performed upright
down-rocking dance moves performed on or close to the ground
up-rocking martial arts strikes, kicks and sweeps built into the dance steps often with the intent of “burning” an
opponent
power moves acrobatic spins and flares requiring speed, strength, and agility
freeze sudden halt of a dance step to hold a pose, often while balanced on a hand, shoulder, or head
cypher group of b-boys/b-girls taking turns in the center of the dance floor
Graffiti and Hip Hop Culture

 One element of hip hop predates the music and dance scene itself—graffiti writing, or simply writing as the
artists themselves call it. But it blossomed at the same time the music and dance scenes were finding their feet,
and its wild and color-outside-the-lines improvisational style were influenced and inspired by the desire to create
something new and fresh.
 Graffiti, if we define it as any type of writing on the wall goes back to ancient Rome, and if drawn images count,
then we could point to the first graf artists.
 But the style of urban graffiti that most people have seen and know about, the kind that uses spraycans, came
from New York City in the late 1960s, and was born on the subway trains.
 Taki 183, who lived on 183rd street in Washington Heights, worked as a messenger who traveled all throughout
the city. While he did so, he would use a marker and write his name wherever he went, at subway stations and
also the insides and outsides of subway cars
 . Eventually, he became known all throughout the city as this mysterious figure. In 1971, he was interviewed for
an article by the New York Times. Kids all over New York, realizing the fame and notoriety that could be gained
from "tagging" their names on subway cars (that traveled all over the city, naturally) began to emulate Taki 183.
The goal was to "get up" (using the slang of the day), to have one's name in as many places as possible, and as
kids competed against each other to get famous, the amount of graffiti on trains exploded.
.
The basic vocabulary of writing graffiti—hip hop’s visual art include:

all city being known for one’s graffiti throughout a city; originally referred to the artwork on
subway cars appearing in all five New York City boroughs
bite to steal another writer’s design or style
black book sketchbook used by graffiti writers
bombing to paint many surfaces in an area
burner elaborate, large designs
crew team of writers that often work together
gettin’ up developing one’s reputation or “rep” through writing graffiti
graffiti writing, or drawing on surfaces in public places, usually without permission
kings or queens highly respected, experienced writers with most tags
piece short for “masterpiece,” a large, complex graffiti design
stencil graffiti premade designs of paper or cardboard that allow quicker, more exact
transmission of images or lettering
tag or scribble stylized, but basic graffiti writer’s signature
throw up quick execution writing; generally one color outline and one color filled in
toy inexperienced writer
wild style style of writing that usually involves bold, interlocked letters
writer graffiti artist who has a distinct way they design their letters
THE GOLDEN AGE OF HIP HOP

 During the mid 1980s and early 1990s, hip hop spread across the country in full force. It
brought an era that significantly transformed hip hop culture. This new era became known
as “the golden age of hip hop.” Many characterize this turning point by its explosion of
diversity, influence, stylistic innovation, and mainstream success.
 New scenes and different styles of hip hop also emerged from city to city as the culture
popularized. However, hip hop music was still mostly experimental. Although, the new
generation of hip hop producers had access to more advanced drum machines and
samplers that allowed them to take hip hop music to the next level.
Hip hop history has a fascinating story worth exploring more.
This cultural movement has seen considerable change and
evolution since its inception in the seventies. What began as a
local movement intended to provide a haven for African-
American and Puerto Rican youth in New York City, has
become a global phenomenon. To this day, hip hop continues to
be a dominant force influencing the culture around the world.