-Krs-0ne.com
-Rapping (on Wikipedia)
-"Hip Hop Culture" written by Emmett George Price
The Origins of Hip Hop: Rappin'-Part One
The Intro
As previously talked about, these are the "four core" pillars; DJin', B-Boyin', Rappin', and Graffitin'. It is important to know that, because those are the first things that shaped the streets of NY and it's most heralded and fought after culture, Hip Hop. It is like the Holy land of the music world because everything is filtered through it. There isn't any genre that is out there that hasn't been given it's proper respect by being used within one of her arrangements. She has given artists past their prime a way to still make money, in a way, the mainstream should be bowing down to her. Artists that get forgotten can often be found by this sort of marketing that Hip Hop has stumbled upon.
You could even have an opinion that these artists owe Hip Hop and not the other way around (samplers have to give royalties to bits of songs often times, to the artist of the song's origin). Why else would Paul McCartney be one of the executive producers of Kanye's next album? He can see the money to be made, but somewhere in his core, he's got to see the genius that Hip Hop brings to the table. Maybe there are "some" that fear her and throw her into the unfed lion pit known as the mainstream, to make her a leftover scrap thrown away in the trash; we can smell her but can't taste her, hear her, or feel her anymore. Well Hip Hop is still around, and here at The Majic Show Blog, we're gonna tell it to you straight up, namsayin'?
That is why it is important to start with the elements, the "four core" elements to be more specific. I am going to start with rappin', why? Because everyone has dabbled in it, in some form or another (it is where my own personal journey can be credited to have first started) and it is the most important part, it is where the spirit of the streets is being told like a sermon. A good MC is like church, school, and a feel good party all in one. *Takes out his magnifying glass and looks over a map and chronological timeline that is rappin'* Alright, let's peep this element, this realm; known as rappin'.
Rappin'
Rappin' can be traced back to a time that predates the Hip Hop culture (according to the data, by centuries). It has also been used in other types of music, such as electronica and alternative rock. Rappin' can also be found in Kwaito music, Johannesburg, South Africa being the birthplace of this similar style of music. You can hear people rapping over a beat or a cappela, namsayin'?
Rappin' is basically words filtered through a chanted or spoken, with rhymes injected into them like a needle to the brain section (see what I did there?). That's just an example of some rappin' wordplay. Some people can't tell the difference between that and spoken word (poetry), it is simple, rappin' is a main ingredient of Hip Hop music. It also is a language within a language, one like no other. Spoken word is more like Maya Angelou over a beat, but this is about rappin', namsayin'?
If researched, you will find that this musical vocal type began in Africa, where it's roots are deeply spread throughout her soil. It is said that it started centuries before Hip Hop even existed. Rappin' started out much like Hip Hop, stories rhythmically spoken over drums and other instrumentation. They were referred to as "griots" and were from the West Africa region. Modern "griots" are said to be spoken word artists, as defined by "academia".
One must look at the blues and jazz music when looking over the "DNA strand" that became the child known as Hip Hop. Blues music was bred out of cotton field working songs and was also influenced by West African traditions with music (peep Robert Johnson). In the 1920s, a grammy-winning blues artist/historian, Elijah Wald claims that the blues started rappin' before Hip Hop. He called Hip Hop "the living blues".
Jazz, said to be developed out of influences from African-American and European musical traditions and the blues; is regarded as a big piece in influencing Hip Hop. Many of the break beats that were sampled to make Hip Hop beats, came from jazz music (especially the aggressive snares). Jazz instruments are also often used in representing instrumentation in Hip Hop music. Jazz vocals and poetry are also a prime example of jazz's contribution as an influence.
James Brown had a huge impact on the personality of Hip Hop artists and credited as the inventor of funk (also a huge influence on Hip Hop and highly sampled). It could be said that the essence of the funk beat is the main influence to the Hip Hop beat. Besides jazz, blues, and funk (and other African heritage originated music), musical theatre can be said to have a bit of an influence due to their lyrical delivery in some of their songs (mainly because many can't sing, in theatre).
The Conclusion
All of these things are said to be game changers in our society that added to the arts and eventually helped create what is known as Old School Hip Hop. Old School Hip Hop brought the essence of having a good time until Melle Mel brought in the socio-political into his lyrics. From then on, Hip Hop was a social movement on top of being a form of feel good music. The Golden Era was born (from Melle Mel), which changed the world as we know it. It gave those that struggled in society, a voice.
A voice that many can say that was absent since the civil rights movement ended in the 1960s. You can also look at how media paints Hip Hop and see the fear in their eyes that is born out of the unknown of what would happen if Hip Hop came back in it's purest form, a socio-political and socio-economic commentary on life. With all the hate and racism that is being spread around, can you blame some of them? That is why it is our responsibility as representatives of the Hip Hop culture to show them there is nothing to fear. We bring peace and knowledge in this new revised movement of the voice of Hip Hop; she shall be heard again!
Jazz, said to be developed out of influences from African-American and European musical traditions and the blues; is regarded as a big piece in influencing Hip Hop. Many of the break beats that were sampled to make Hip Hop beats, came from jazz music (especially the aggressive snares). Jazz instruments are also often used in representing instrumentation in Hip Hop music. Jazz vocals and poetry are also a prime example of jazz's contribution as an influence.
James Brown had a huge impact on the personality of Hip Hop artists and credited as the inventor of funk (also a huge influence on Hip Hop and highly sampled). It could be said that the essence of the funk beat is the main influence to the Hip Hop beat. Besides jazz, blues, and funk (and other African heritage originated music), musical theatre can be said to have a bit of an influence due to their lyrical delivery in some of their songs (mainly because many can't sing, in theatre).
The Conclusion
All of these things are said to be game changers in our society that added to the arts and eventually helped create what is known as Old School Hip Hop. Old School Hip Hop brought the essence of having a good time until Melle Mel brought in the socio-political into his lyrics. From then on, Hip Hop was a social movement on top of being a form of feel good music. The Golden Era was born (from Melle Mel), which changed the world as we know it. It gave those that struggled in society, a voice.
A voice that many can say that was absent since the civil rights movement ended in the 1960s. You can also look at how media paints Hip Hop and see the fear in their eyes that is born out of the unknown of what would happen if Hip Hop came back in it's purest form, a socio-political and socio-economic commentary on life. With all the hate and racism that is being spread around, can you blame some of them? That is why it is our responsibility as representatives of the Hip Hop culture to show them there is nothing to fear. We bring peace and knowledge in this new revised movement of the voice of Hip Hop; she shall be heard again!
The Majic Show
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