The Evolution of Hip Hop and Funk in the 80s

From the Sugarhill Gang to Public Enemy, explore how hip hop and funk evolved in the 1980s while staying true to their roots.

Introduction

The decade of the 1980s saw the continued rise of two musical genres that had begun to gain popularity in the 1970s: hip hop and funk. These two genres would go on to have a profound impact on popular music in the years to come, and the 80s were a crucial period in their development. In this article, we’ll trace the evolution of hip hop and funk during the 1980s, highlighting some of the key artists and songs that defined these genres.

The Birth of Hip Hop

Hip hop music first emerged in the early 1970s in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It is a style of music that is characterized by rap, DJing, and sampling. The first hip hop song is believed to be “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang. Hip hop evolved from a combination of African American music genres such as jazz, soul, and funk.

Hip Hop’s Influences

In order to understand Hip Hop, we must go back in time to its humble beginnings in the South Bronx. In the late 1970s, a new form of music was born. This music was a mix ofDifferent cultures and genres, including Funk, Soul, Disco, and Reggae. This new sound would come to be known as Hip Hop.

Hip Hop would go on to become one of the most popular genres of music in the world, with artists such as Tupac, Biggie Smalls, and Jay-Z becoming household names. However, it is important to remember where Hip Hop came from and how it evolved over time. In this article, we will take a look at the history of Hip Hop and Funk in the 1980s – the decade that saw the genre truly come into its own.

The 1980s was a golden era for Hip Hop and Funk. These two genres had a major influence on each other, with Hip Hop often borrowing from Funk’s style and sound. This decade also saw the rise of some of Hip Hop’s most iconic artists, such as Run-DMC and Public Enemy.

The 1980s was a time of great change for American society. The country was becoming more racially diverse, and there was a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the government among young people. This played a role in the development of Hip Hop culture.

Rap music, which is considered to be a subgenre of Hip Hop, began to gain popularity in the early 1980s. This new form of music was often used as a way toexpress social and political issues. Artists like Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa were pioneers of Rap music and helped to shape its sound and style.

By the mid-1980s, Hip Hop had spread beyond its roots in New York City and had gained popularity on a national level. Artists like Run-DMC and Beastie Boys became mainstream celebrities and helped to bring Hip Hop culture into the mainstream consciousness.

In the late 1980s, an emerging group of artists known as gangsta rappers began to gain prominence within the Hip Hop community. These artists often explored controversial topics such as violence, drugs, crime, and poverty in their music. Gangsta rap would come to dominate Hip Hop culture in the 1990s with artists such as Tupac Shakur and Dr Dre leading the way.

The Rise of Funk

In the early 1970s, James Brown’s deep grooves and Parliament’s syncopated rhythms had a powerful influence on the development of both funk and hip hop. Funk provided the basis for disco, which became immensely popular in the late 1970s. Hip hop developed from a combination of funk, reggae, and soul. Although it began as a way for African American youths to showcase their talents in the Bronx, hip hop quickly spread throughout the United States and beyond. By the mid-1980s, it had become a global phenomenon.

The Golden Age of Hip Hop and Funk

The 80s was a decade of great music. Hip hop and funk were two genres that emerged and took the world by storm. They both had a huge impact on pop culture and remain popular to this day. Let’s take a look at the evolution of these two genres.

Hip Hop’s Golden Age

The late 1970s and early 1980s was the golden age of hip hop music. This was the time when hip hop’s foundations were being laid, and many of the genre’s most iconic figures emerged. Among them were Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and the Sugarhill Gang. This was also the era when other styles, such as electro and breakdancing, began to become associated with hip hop culture.

The golden age of hip hop coincided with the golden age of funk music. Many of the biggest names in funk, such as Parliament-Funkadelic and Prince, achieved their greatest popularity during this time. Funk served as a major source of inspiration for many early hip hop artists, and the two genres often overlap

Funk’s Golden Age

The early 1980s saw the rise of two genres that would come to dominate pop music for the rest of the decade: hip hop and funk. While both genres had been around for a few years, it was in the 80s that they truly came into their own, with artists like Grandmaster Flash, Run-D.M.C., and Parliament-Funkadelic helping to define the sounds of the era.

Hip hop was born in the Bronx in the 1970s, thanks to DJs like Kool Herc who began experimenting with breaks (the part of a song where the drums are featured prominently). By isolating these breaks and lengthening them using two turntables, Herc created a new style of music that soon caught on with other DJs and producers. In the early 80s, artists like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash further refined the sound of hip hop, adding elements like vocals and samples from other songs to create catchy, danceable tracks.

While hip hop was taking over urban America, funk was enjoying a renaissance of its own. Led by George Clinton and his bands Parliament and Funkadelic, artists like James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone were discovering new ways to keep audiences grooving. With its roots in R&B and soul music, funk emphasized a strong rhythmic groove that was perfect for dancing. By layering multiple percussion instruments over one another, Clinton created a densely layered sound that was both complex and catchy.

While hip hop would go on to become one of the most popular genres in the world, funk’s Golden Age came to an end in the late 1980s as tastes started to change. However, both genres would leave a lasting impression on pop music, with countless artists citing them as major influences in the years since.

The Decline of Hip Hop and Funk

The 80s was a decade of big hair, neon clothes, and radical music. Hip hop and funk were two of the biggest genres of the 80s. However, by the end of the decade, both genres had declined in popularity. Let’s take a look at the reasons why.

Hip Hop’s Decline

In the mid-80s, Hip Hop and Funk were at their peak popularity. However, by the late 80s, both genres had begun to decline in popularity. There are a number of factors that contributed to this decline.

One factor was the rise of other genres of music, such as hair metal and New Wave. These genres quickly gained popularity with young people, who were increasingly less interested in Hip Hop and Funk. Additionally, the styles of Hip Hop and Funk began to change in the late 80s, becoming more aggressive and nihilistic. This change turned off many listeners who had enjoyed the earlier, more positive style of these genres.

The decline of Hip Hop and Funk continued into the early 90s. However, both genres experienced a resurgence in popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Funk’s Decline

In the early 1980s, funk music was on the decline. The sound of disco was becoming more popular, and many funk artists were struggling to keep up with the changing times. Hip hop, which had emerged in the late 1970s, was also beginning to take off, and many young people were more interested in this new form of music. As a result, funk began to lose its place in the mainstream music scene.

However, there were still some funk bands that managed to find success in the 1980s. One of these was the group Parliament-Funkadelic, whose catchy songs and innovative style helped them to remain popular throughout the decade. Another was Prince, who found success with his unique blend of funk, rock, and pop. Although they were not as prevalent as they once were, these and other funk artists proved that the genre still had a place in the musical landscape of the 1980s.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the hip hop and funk scenes of the 1980s were vastly different in terms of their origins, influences, and overall sound. However, these two genres have continued to evolve and remain popular to this day.