2. INTRODUCTION
Hip Hop first originated within a marginalized subculture in
the South Bronx during the 1970s in New York City. It is
characterized by four distinct elements, all of which represent the
different manifestations of the culture: rap
music (oral),turntabalism or Djing (aural), breaking (physical)
and graffiti art (visual). Despite the differences between all of
these they are all incredibly similar in the fact that they all show
the emotions and feelings that birthed the culture namely violence
and poverty underlining the historical context.
3. ORIGIN OF THE CULTURE
It was as a means of providing a reactionary outlet from such
urban hardship that Hip Hop initially functioned, a form of selfexpression that could reflect upon, proclaim an alternative to, try
and challenge or merely evoke the mood of the circumstances of
such an environment. It continues in contemporary history to
continue flourishing globally to the point that it is quickly being
recognise now across the globe, it has been able to reach this
point because these foundation elements have been able to
provide stability and coherence to the culture.
4. ORIGIN OF THE CULTURE 2
The origin of the culture stems from the block parties of
the Ghetto Brothers when they would plug the amps for their
instruments and speakers into the lampposts on 163rd Street and
Prospect Avenue and DJ Kool Herc at 1520 Sedgwick
Avenue, where Herc would mix samples of existing records with
his own shouts to the crowd and dancers. Kool Herc is credited
as the "father" of Hip hop. DJ Afrika Bambaataa of the hip hop
collective Zulu Nation outlined the pillars of hip hop culture, to
which he coined the terms: MCing, DJing, B-boying and graffiti
writing.
5. ORIGIN OF THE CULTURE 3
Since its evolution throughout the South Bronx, hip hop culture
has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout
the world. Hip hop music first emerged with Kool Herc and
contemporary disc jockeys and imitators creating rhythmic beats
by looping breaks (small portions of songs emphasizing a
percussive pattern) on two turntables. This was later accompanied
by "rap", a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry often presented
in 16-bar measures or time frames, and beatboxing, a vocal
technique mainly used to provide percussive elements of music
and various technical effects of hip hop DJs. An original form of
dancing and particular styles of dress arose among fans of this
new music. These elements experienced considerable adaptation
and development over the course of the history of the culture.
7. MELLE MEL 1970’S
As the Hip Hop genre evolved there were several artists that
helped to transform the genre in to something better. As the
genre improved there had began to be more multi-layered
instruments in the songs and a lot more metaphorical lyrics which
since then has taken off to try and give more meaning and
feelings into the lyrics. Melle Mel was one of that artists that
managed to transform the genre into a more mature art
form, with sophisticated arrangements he was one of the artists
who is considered to be one of the pioneering force of rap as a
genre.
8. MUSIC VIDEO’S AND FILM
The appearance of music videos changed entertainment: they
often glorified urban neighbourhoods. The music video for
"Planet Rock" showcased the subculture of hip hop
musicians, graffiti artists, and b-boys/b-girls. Many hip hoprelated films were released between 1982 and 1985, among
them Wild Style, Beat Street, Krush Groove, Breakin, and the
documentary Style Wars. These films expanded the appeal of hip
hop beyond the boundaries of New York. By 1985, youth
worldwide were embracing the hip hop culture. The hip hop
artwork and "slang" of US urban communities quickly found its
way to Europe, as the culture's global appeal took root.
9. AMERICAN SOCIETY
DJ Kool Herc's house parties gained popularity and later moved
to outdoor venues in order to accommodate more people. Hosted
in parks, these outdoor parties became a means of expression and
an outlet for teenagers, where instead of getting into trouble on
the streets, teens now had a place to expend their pent-up energy.
These sorts of house parties in which DJ Kool could play his
music created a lot of attention and recognition contributing to
the increased success of the music genre.
10. DEALING WITH ISSUES
Tony Tone a member of the Cold Crush Brothers, noted that Hip
Hop saved a lot of lives. Instead of people expressing how they
feel through things like breaking things and taking to the
streets, through Hip Hop it gave youths and people who grew up
through poverty a chance to make it out of the hard places that
they grew up in. Hip Hop gave younger black males in particular
a chance to connect through music and it gave them a new way to
see things, it led them more to an arty way of thinking about
different things.
11. THE VOICE
The lyrical content of many early rap groups focused on social
issues, most notably in the seminal track The Message, which
discussed the realities of life in the housing projects. Young black
Americans coming out of the civil rights movement have used
hip hop culture in the 1980s and 1990s to show the limitations of
the movement. Hip hop gave young African Americans a voice to
let their issues be heard; Like rock-and-roll, hip hop is vigorously
opposed by conservatives because it romanticises violence, lawbreaking, and gangs.
12. GANGSTA RAP
However, with the commercial success of gangsta rap in the early
1990s, the emphasis shifted to drugs, violence, and misogyny. Early
proponents of gangsta rap included groups and artists such as Ice-T,
who recorded what some consider to be the first gangster rap
record, 6 in the Mornin', and N.W.A. whose second
album Efil4zaggin became the first gangsta rap album to enter the
charts at number one. Gangsta rap also played an important part in
hip hop becoming a mainstream commodity. The fact that albums
such as N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-E’sEazy-Duz-It, and Ice
Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted were selling in such high numbers
meant that black teens were no longer hip hop’s sole buying
audience.
As a result, gangsta rap became a platform for artists who chose to
use their music to spread politic and social messages to parts of the
country that were previously unaware of the conditions of
ghettos. While hip hop music now appeals to a broader demographic,
media critics argue that socially and politically conscious hip hop has
been largely disregarded by mainstream America.
14. ICE-T
From a really early age Tracey Marrow which is Ice-T’s actual
name was involved in gangs and crime. His mother died from a
heart attack when Tracey was in 3 rd grade, from that his father
single handed raised him. His first activity with illegal issues was
when his father gave him a stolen bicycle for Christmas. His
father also died from a heart attack when Tracey was 12 years old.
From that moment he was left alone, As he grew older hip hop
became a way for him to express his feelings about life and it
allowed him as a person who was influenced by gangs and crime
and the like to be able to raise awareness about the issues..
15. GLOBAL INNOVATIONS
According to the U.S. Department of State, hip hop is now the
centre of a mega music and fashion industry around the
world, that crosses social barriers and cuts across racial lines.
National Geographic recognizes hip hop as the world's favourite
youth culture" in which just about every country on the planet
seems to have developed its own local rap scene. Through its
international travels, hip hop is now considered a “global musical
epidemic”.
16. GLOBAL INNOVATIONS 2
Not all countries have embraced hip hop, where "as can be
expected in countries with strong local culture, the interloping
wildstyle of hip hop is not always welcomed". This is somewhat
the case in Jamaica, the homeland of the culture's father, DJ Kool
Herc. However, despite the fact that hip hop music produced on
the island lacks widespread local and international
recognition, artistes such as Five Steez have defied the odds by
impressing online hip hop tastemakers and even reggae critics.
17. GLOBAL INNOVATIONS 3
While hip hop music has been criticized as a music which creates a
divide between western music and music from the rest of the
world, a musical "cross pollination" has taken place, which
strengthens the power of hip hop to influence different
communities. Hip hop's messages allow the under-privileged and the
mistreated to be heard. These cultural translations cross
borders. While the music may be from a foreign country, the message
is something that many people can relate to- something not "foreign"
at all. Even when hip hop is transplanted to other countries, it often
retains its "vital progressive agenda that challenges the status
quo." In Gothenburg, Sweden, nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) incorporate graffiti and dance to engage disaffected
immigrant and working class youths.
Hip hop has played a small but distinct role as the musical face of
revolution in the Arab Spring, one example being an
anonymous Libyan musician, Ibn Thabit, whose anti-government
songs fuel the rebellion.
18. HIP HOP IN THE 2000’S
Hip Hop became increasingly more popular into the 2000’s. Dr Dre
remained a really important figure in the 2000’s but another person
who had began to emerge was Eminem with The Marshal Mathers
LP. Which reached renowned success. Hip hop influences also found
their way increasingly into mainstream pop during this period mainly
the mid-2000s, as the Los Angeles style of the 1990s lost
power. Nelly's debut LP, Country Grammar, sold over nine million
copies. In the 2000s, crunk music, a derivative of Southern hip
hop, gained considerable popularity via the likes of Lil Jon and
the Ying Yang Twins. Jay-Z represented the cultural triumph of hip
hop. As his career progressed, he went from performing artist to
label president, head of a clothing line, club owner, and market
consultant—along the way breaking Elvis Presley’s record for most
number one albums on the Billboard magazine charts by a solo
artist.
20. HIP HOP AFTER THE 2000’S
After the 2000’s hip hop had reached into its prime. It had
become an increasingly known genre and is now one of the most
successful genres in the industry. In terms of the music video’s
that each of the Hip Hop songs contained, they all seem to be
based on the message that the song is trying to be about and
make you aware of. The songs still try and make people aware of
different issues that the artists believe in. By using Hip Hop it is a
way for the artists and other people to express there emotions.
21. HIP HOP NOW
Hip Hop is still a popular genre in the music industry, it is now a
really well known genre that a lot of people are interested in.
Now people are getting mistaken for what hip hop is, mistaking it
for things such as rap which is similar, its now almost become a
fusion with elements of rap and small features of pop which
manages to create artists like Nicki Minaj. It is still a genre that
will keep on growing, this is down to the fact that it is still the
genre that most allows people to express their feelings, the artists
aren't limited to the content that they can have in their songs and
it truly allows people to express how they feel.
