The Change in Hip Hop Music Over the Years

Hip hop music has undergone a massive transformation since its inception in the early 1970s. What was once a niche genre of music enjoyed by a small group of people has now become a global phenomenon, with artists like Kendrick Lamar and Drake topping the charts and selling out stadiums around the world. But how did hip hop get to where it is today? In this blog post, we take a look at the history of hip hop music and the changes it has undergone over the years.

Early Hip Hop- 1970s and 1980s

Hip hop music has changed drastically since it first originated in the 1970s. In the beginning, hip hop was a way for people in the ghettos to express themselves. The music was simple, with a heavy emphasis on the beat. MCs would rap over the music, and DJing was the most important element of the music. As the years progressed, hip hop became more commercialized and the music became more complex.

DJ Kool Herc

DJ Kool Herc is a Jamaican-AmericanDJ who is credited with inventing hip hop music. He is known for playing long, extended breaks on records, which he mixed together using two turntables. This style of music became known as “breakbeat” or “breaks”, and was later adopted by other DJs and producers. Herc’s style of DJing was very influential in the development of hip hop music, and he is often considered to be the “father” of hip hop.

Afrika Bambaataa

Afrika Bambaataa is a Hip Hop pioneer from the South Bronx. In the early 1970s, he organized block parties which he called “Zulu Jam”, providing a positive alternative to gangs. His music was influenced by James Brown and George Clinton. He is credited for coining the phrase “Hip Hop” and helping to spread Hip Hop culture throughout the world.

In 1982, Bambaataa released his most successful song, “Planet Rock”. The song samples Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express” and features heavy synthesizer play throughout. “Planet Rock” is often credited as one of the first Electronic Hip Hop songs and helped to popularize Electro Funk.

Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash, real name Joseph Saddler, was born in Barbados in 1958 and moved to the Bronx, New York aged ten. He was influenced by his Older Cousin, Kurtis Blow who was a famous dj in his own right and taught Flash the basics of mixing records using just two turntables. Flash perfected this style of djing and is credited with inventing many of the techniques used by djs today such as cutting, phasing and backspinning. He became a master at reading the crowd and playing the right song at the right time which made him one of the most popular djs in New York City. In 1976 he formed Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five which was one of the first rap groups and they released their debut single ‘Superrappin’ in 1979. The group went on to have huge success with songs like ‘The Message’ and ‘White Lines’ both of which are considered Hip Hop classics.

Golden Age Hip Hop- Late 1980s to Early 1990s

Hip hop music has changed a lot since it was first created in the late 1970s. In the beginning, it was mostly just DJs mixing records together. But then rappers started to rhyme over the beats, and it became a whole new genre of music. Hip hop went through a golden age in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This was the time when artists like Tupac, Biggie, and Dr. Dre were making some of the best music in the genre.

Public Enemy

Public Enemy is an American hip hop group from Long Island, New York, consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Khari Wynn, DJ Lord, and the S1W group. Formed in 1982, they are widely considered to be one of the most influential and controversial rap groups of all time. In 1987, their debut album Yo! Bum Rush the Show entered the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at #39. The following year, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping one million copies in the United States. Public Enemy’s second album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) entered the Billboard 200 chart in April 1988 and peaked at #42; it has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

Run DMC

Run DMC was one of the most influential and successful hip hop groups of all time. They were one of the first groups to bring hip hop to a mainstream audience and help make it the world-wide phenomenon it is today. They were also pioneers in the use of sampling, incorporating elements of classic rock, R&B, and funk into their music.

Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys were an American hip hop group from New York City, formed in 1981. The group was made up of original members Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Michael “Mike D” Diamond, and Adam “MCA” Yauch. The Beastie Boys were one of the most successful hip hop groups of all time, selling over 50 million records worldwide.

The group first found success with their debut album Licensed to Ill (1986), which became the first rap album to top the Billboard 200 chart. With their follow-up albums Paul’s Boutique (1989) and Check Your Head (1992), the Beastie Boys achieved critical and commercial success within the alternative rock and hip hop communities, respectively. They would go on to release a string of successful albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s, including Ill Communication (1994), Hello Nasty (1998), and To the 5 Boroughs (2004).

The Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, becoming only the third rap group to be inducted after Run-DMC and Public Enemy.

Modern Hip Hop- Late 1990s to Present

In the late 1990s, Hip Hop music took a turn for the worse. The focus shifted from the music to the money. Rappers started to rap about drugs, violence, and sex. The music became more repetitive and focused more on making money than making music.

Jay-Z

Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter, is an American rapper and record producer who first rose to fame in the late 1990s. He is considered one of the most successful rappers of all time, with multiple Grammy Awards and hundreds of millions of records sold. His songs often deal with topics like wealth, drug use, and relationships. In addition to his solo work, Jay-Z is also a member of the rap group The Roc-A-Fella Records.

During the 1990s, Jay-Z released a number of well-received albums including Reasonable Doubt (1996), In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997), and Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998). These albums helped to establish him as one of the biggest names in rap music. In the early 2000s, Jay-Z continued to release hit albums such as The Blueprint (2001) and The Black Album (2003). He also began working more with R&B singers, resulting in collaborations with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Justin Timberlake.

In recent years, Jay-Z has become more involved in business ventures such as music streaming service Tidal and fashion label Rocawear. He has also been outspoken on social and political issues, voicing his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and criticising US President Donald Trump.

Eminem

Eminem is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer who was born in 1972. He is the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the United States. During his career, he has had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. With more than 47.4 million albums and 107.5 million singles sold in the U.S. and 220 million records globally, he is among the world’s best-selling artists of all time.

In addition to his solo career, Eminem is a member of the hip hop group D12, as well as one half of the hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, with Royce da 5’9″. Eminem has made cameo appearances in films such as The Wash (2001), 8 Mile (2002), and Girls Trip (2017).

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most skillful and successful hip hop artists of his generation. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). He began to gain major recognition in 2010, after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, he independently released his first studio album, Section.80, which included his debut single, “HiiiPoWeR”. By that time, he had amassed a large Internet following and collaborated with several prominent hip hop artists.

Lamar’s major label debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), was welcomed as one of the best hip hop albums of the 2010s by most music critics; it earned him six Grammy Award nominations at the 56th Grammy Awards US Billboard 200 and became one of the best-selling albums of that year in the United States. His next two releases —To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) and DAMN. (2017)—received critical acclaim from many music critics; they were ranked on several publications’ lists of the greatest albums of all time;To Pimp a Butterfly appeared on several year-end top ten lists for 2015 by publications such as Complex and Pitchfork Media who called it “instant classic” and “album of the decade candidate”, while naming Lamar ” rap’s crown prince”. In 2018 he released Black Panther: The Album to accompany Marvel Studios’ film Black Panther which debuted atop both Billboard 200 reflecting strong sales from streaming activity via its singles “All The Stars” featuring SZA & Khalid peaking at number 7 on Hot 100 chart as well as “King’s Dead” featuring Jay Rock & James Blake also topped Hip Hop/R&B songs chart while peaking at number 33 on Hot 100 chart.”