Lena Torres
Hip-hop is a musical genre that emerged in the 1970s alongside a hip-hop subculture built by African-American and Latino communities in the Bronx, New York City. The genre is characterised by its heavy use of rhythm and bass, sampling, beats, and rap. The first major hip-hop DJ was Kool Herc, who introduced the huge sound systems of his native Jamaica to inner-city parties. Using two turntables, he combined percussive fragments from older records with popular dance songs to create a continuous flow of music. Over time, hip-hop has become a global phenomenon, crossing all cultural boundaries.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bronx, New York City |
| Time | Late 1970s |
| Community | African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Latino inner-city communities |
| Music | Rapping, heavy use of rhythm, bass, sampled sounds, beats, and breakbeats |
| Equipment | Turntables, sound systems, drum machines |
| Art forms | Graffiti, breakdancing, deejaying |
| Notable DJs | Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The origins of hip-hop music and culture
Hip-hop is a prominent musical genre and cultural influence that emerged in the early 1970s alongside a hip-hop subculture built by the African-American and Latino communities of New York City, particularly in the Bronx. It is often referred to as a "youth culture" because it was born out of young people's experimentation with new forms of music and expression.
The term hip-hop is widely considered a synonym for rap music, but it actually refers to a complex culture with four elements: deejaying or "turntabling"; rapping, also known as "MCing" or "rhyming"; graffiti painting, also known as "writing"; and "B-boying," which encompasses hip-hop dance, style, and attitude. A fifth element, "knowledge of self/consciousness," is sometimes added, particularly by socially conscious hip-hop artists and scholars.
The first major hip-hop deejay was DJ Kool Herc (Clive Campbell), an 18-year-old Jamaican immigrant who introduced the huge sound systems of his native Jamaica to inner-city parties. Using two turntables, he combined percussive fragments from older records with popular dance songs to create a continuous flow of music. Kool Herc and other pioneering hip-hop deejays such as Grand Wizard Theodore, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash, isolated and extended the break beat, stimulating improvisational dancing.
While the genre has evolved significantly since its early days, new trends have kept it fresh and revitalizing. For example, in the early 1990s, rap music heavily used sampling, but after copyright enforcement laws were passed, hip-hop music took a new direction, and producers had to create original sounds. This caused the music to lose much of its jazz and soul influences and become even more commercial, becoming the top-selling music genre by the late 1990s.
How Subwoofers Create Sound
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The role of DJs and MCs
Hip-hop is a musical genre that emerged in the United States in the 1970s, particularly in the Bronx borough of New York City. It is considered a "youth culture" as it was born out of the shared environment of the African-American and Latino communities in the Bronx, where young people experimented with new forms of music and expression.
The first major hip-hop DJ was DJ Kool Herc (Clive Campbell), a Jamaican immigrant who introduced the huge sound systems of his native Jamaica to inner-city parties in the Bronx. Using two turntables, he combined percussive fragments from older records with popular dance songs to create a continuous flow of music. Kool Herc and other pioneering hip-hop DJs such as Grand Wizard Theodore, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash, isolated and extended the break beat—the part of a dance record where only the drums are playing. This extension of the break beat stimulated improvisational dancing, with the best dancers giving rise to break dancing, an acrobatic style with gravity-defying moves.
DJs are considered the "soul behind the beat" in hip-hop culture. They are responsible for creating the right mood at a party or club, selecting the right song, and using the right technique to take the party in a particular direction. They use twin turntables to switch easily between songs or spin and manipulate records simultaneously to create unique musical combinations. DJs also employ a technique called "needle dropping" or "scratching", where they precisely cue up the breaks in headphones to create a perfect transition between two records. By spinning the record backwards, they create a distorted sound effect.
MCing, or rapping, evolved into the rap music industry, with DJs taking a more behind-the-scenes role as turntablists—manipulating music with LP records and mixers to create unique rhythms and sounds. MCs or rappers are the ones who recite original poetry or lyrics in rhythm and rhyme over these pre-recorded instrumental tracks. Some MCs were former gang members who used rapping and dancing as an alternative to gang warfare.
Motherboard Sound: What's Onboard?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Sampling, scratching and beatboxing
The early 1980s was a pivotal time for hip-hop and music production, with the introduction of cheaper and more accessible samplers, synthesizers, and drum machines. DJs began to experiment with early samplers such as the Linn 9000, E-mu SP-1200, and Akai MPC60, allowing them to piece together breaks in songs and perform, rearrange, sequence, edit, and mix music in new ways. This marked the beginning of remix culture. Over time, advancements in sampling technology led to a new generation of samplers like the AKAI S900, which offered increased memory, higher sampling rates, and improved editing capabilities.
Sampling played a significant role in the evolution of hip-hop, with DJs and producers drawing on eclectic sources and infusing strong jazz influences. However, legal issues arose as original copyright owners of sampled music sought compensation. This led to the introduction of copyright enforcement laws, requiring artists to obtain clearance for samples in advance. As a result, hip-hop producers had to create original sounds, moving away from sampling commercially released songs and reducing the genre's jazz and soul influences.
Scratching, a technique used by DJs to physically manipulate the record beneath the needle, was popularized by Grand Wizzard Theodore in the mid-1970s. The technique added a unique personal style to the music flow and was quickly adopted by other DJs. Turntablism, an advanced form of scratching, involves extensive real-time sampling from spinning records to create fresh and innovative sounds.
Beatboxing, also known as "human beatboxing," emerged in the 1980s as a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the imitation of drum machines, particularly the TR-808, using the mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. Early pioneers of beatboxing include Doug E. Fresh, Swifty, Buffy, and Wise. Beatboxing techniques include the "crab scratch," created by blowing and sucking air around the fingers, and the "throat tap," where beatboxers tap their fingers against their throats while throat singing or humming. Modern beatboxing has embraced technology, with artists using looping devices to sample and layer their sounds live on stage.
BTS' Bedroom Sounds: Intimate Whispers and Moans
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Rapping and rhyming
Rapping is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and [commonly] street vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The components of rap include "content" (what is being said, e.g., lyrics), "flow" (rhythm, rhyme), and "delivery" (cadence, tone).
Rap differs from spoken-word poetry in that it is usually performed off-time to musical accompaniment. It also differs from singing, which varies in pitch and does not always include words. Because they do not rely on pitch inflection, some rap artists may play with timbre or other vocal qualities.
Rap is a primary ingredient of hip-hop music and is commonly associated with the genre, sometimes even being referred to as "rap music". The early rapping of hip-hop developed out of DJ and master of ceremonies' announcements made over the microphone at parties, and later into more complex raps. Grandmaster Caz, one of the first rappers at the beginning of the hip-hop period, described the evolution of rapping from simple announcements to complex rhymes:
> The microphone was just used for making announcements, like when the next party was gonna be, or people's moms would come to the party looking for them, and you have to announce it on the mic. Different DJs started embellishing what they were saying. I would make an announcement this way, and somebody would hear that and they add a little bit to it. I'd hear it again and take it a little step further 'til it turned from lines to sentences to paragraphs to verses to rhymes.
DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican immigrant, is often credited as the first major hip-hop DJ and the creator of the first brand of hip-hop music, "b-beat". Kool Herc introduced the huge sound systems of his native Jamaica to inner-city parties in the Bronx, New York City, using two turntables to meld percussive fragments from older records with popular dance songs to create a continuous flow of music. However, Kool Herc himself denies the influence of Jamaican toasting on his music, instead citing James Brown as his primary influence.
Other pioneers of hip-hop DJing and MCing include Grand Wizard Theodore, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmixer D.ST, and DJ Hollywood. The first rappers drew influence from various art forms such as jazz, spoken word jazz poetry, and comedy records.
In terms of rhyme schemes, some rappers like to switch up their patterns throughout a rhyme or a verse to keep their rapping style dynamic and showcase their versatility.
DJI Mini 2: Sound or Silence?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Roots: The Complete Original Series (BD) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91nmElTFcFL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Breakdancing and graffiti
Breakdancing, or breaking, is an integral part of hip-hop culture. It is considered the first dance of the hip-hop subculture. Breaking is a dynamic and acrobatic dance style that originated in the Bronx borough of New York City during the 1970s. It was created by working-class African-American, Latino, and Caribbean immigrant youths living in the impoverished and crime-ridden ghettos of the Bronx. The dancers who practice breaking are known as breakers, B-Boys, or B-Girls. The term "breakdancing" was mistakenly coined by the media when the manager of the Rock Steady Crew referred to the dance style in this way during the 1980s Roxxy European Hip Hop tour.
Breaking is characterised by a repertoire of acrobatic and occasionally airborne moves, including headspins and backspins. The basic rhythm and timing of the steps in breaking are performed on the snare drum (the 2 and 4 count) of a song. The dance style is often performed on sheets of cardboard, which serve as dance floors at hip-hop parties.
Graffiti is another key element of hip-hop culture, with its roots dating back to the mid- to late 1960s. Graffiti artists were often hired by hip-hop DJs and hosts to design flyers for their shows and the back of their denim jackets. Graffiti murals began to appear on walls and trains, featuring characters in B-boy stances and other influences from hip-hop culture. The connection between hip-hop and graffiti was solidified by the New York City Rap Tour of 1982, which brought together prominent rap musicians, breakers, and graffiti writers, showcasing their art forms to European audiences for the first time.
The art of graffiti involves using written words and images to spread a specific message, often of a social, political, or personal nature. Graffiti artists use aerosol spray cans to create their works, turning blank walls in cities and towns into communities of visual creativity. While modern graffiti is influenced by various cultures and art forms beyond hip-hop, it remains an essential aspect of hip-hop expression.
Hip Pain: Can Ultrasound Help?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Hip-hop is characterised by the heavy use of rhythm and bass, as well as sampled sounds, beats, and rap. Other key markers of the genre are the disc jockey (DJ), turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.
Hip-hop emerged in the 1970s alongside a hip-hop subculture built by the African-American and Latino communities of New York City, particularly in the Bronx. The first major hip-hop DJ was Kool Herc (Clive Campbell), an 18-year-old Jamaican immigrant who introduced the huge sound systems of his native country to inner-city parties. Using two turntables, he melded percussive fragments from older records with popular dance songs to create a continuous flow of music.
Rap is considered to be a musical component of the hip-hop genre and culture. Rap is original poetry recited in rhythm and rhyme over pre-recorded instrumental tracks.
![Roots - The Complete Collection (Roots / Roots - The Next Generations) [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81gsf1cTc4L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
