How the Hip Hop Music Genre Has Evolved
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How the Hip Hop Music Genre Has Evolved
Hip hop music has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the South Bronx in the 1970s. What started as a way for inner-city youth to express themselves has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, with artists like Jay-Z and Kanye West becoming some of the richest people in the world. But how did hip hop evolve from its humble beginnings to become the global juggernaut it is today? Let’s
Origins of Hip Hop
Hip hop music originated in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York City. It is a genre of music that is characterized by its four elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching, breaking/dancing, and graffiti writing.
DJing and MCing
DJing and MCing are the two most fundamental aspects of hip hop music. DJing is the art of playing records on a turntable, while MCing is the art of rhyming over those records. Both activities began in the Bronx, New York in the early 1970s.
DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican immigrant, is credited with being the first hip hop DJ. He would play records at block parties and notice that people were particularly responsive to the parts of the song with a heavy bass line. In order to prolong these moments, he began lengthening them by playing the same record on two turntables and extending the part with the bass line. This technique, which came to be known as “breaking” or “scratching,” became an essential element of hip hop music.
MCing also originated in the Bronx in the early 1970s. At first, MCs would simply introduce the DJ and hype up the crowd. However, soon they began adding their own rhymes to their speeches. This innovation was heavily influenced by Jamaican “toasting,” a style of speaking or chanting over music that was popularized by reggae artists like Bob Marley. By 1977, MCs were competing against each other in “rap battles”—freestyle competitions in which they would try to outdo each other with creative rhyme schemes and complicated metaphors.
Breakdancing
Breakdancing, also known as breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is a style of street dance that originated among African American and Puerto Rican youths in New York City during the early 1970s. The dance spread worldwide due to popularity in the media, especially in the 1983 film Flashdance. While diverse in the amount of variation available in the music and moves, breakdancing mainly consists of four kinds of movement: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes. Breakdancing is typically done to hip-hop, funk, disco, jazz and electro music and can be done either solo or in a group.
The Golden Age of Hip Hop
The hip hop music genre has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the South Bronx in the 1970s. Today, hip hop is one of the most popular music genres in the world, with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole selling out stadiums and setting records on the Billboard charts. In this article, we’ll take a look at how the hip hop music genre has evolved over the years.
The Birth of Gangsta Rap
In the late 1980s, a new style of hip hop emerged from the West Coast of the United States. This new style, known as gangsta rap, was characterized by its aggressive, often violent lyrics. Gangsta rap quickly became popular among inner-city youths, many of whom were members of gangs. The popularity of gangsta rap also led to a increase in gang violence, as rival gangs began to use the music to intimidate and threaten each other.
In the 1990s, gangsta rap became one of the most popular genres in the United States. A number of highly acclaimed albums were released, such as Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle. These albums helped to make gangsta rap even more popular, and by the end of the decade it had become one of the most commercially successful genres in the music industry.
However, gangsta rap has also been criticized for its negative portrayal of women and its glorification of violence. Some critics have accused it of being a negative influence on young people. Despite these criticisms, though, gangsta rap remains one of the most popular genres in hip hop music.
The East Coast-West Coast Feud
In the early 1990s, the mainstream media picked up on a rivalry between two of hip hop’s most commercially successful artists: East Coast-based rapper Sean “Puffy” Combs and West Coast-based rapper Tupac Shakur. The two artists were often pitted against each other in the press, and their rivalry came to a head when Tupac was shot and killed in Las Vegas in 1996. Puffy was widely accused of being involved in the shooting, although he was never charged with any crime. The murder of Tupac Shakur is widely considered to be one of the most tragic events in hip hop history, and it helped to spark a chain reaction that would eventually lead to the decline of the genre’s popularity in the late 1990s.
The Evolution of Hip Hop
Hip hop music has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the Bronx. What started out as a way for young African Americans to express themselves has now become a global phenomenon. In this article, we will trace the evolution of hip hop music from its roots to the present day.
The Rise of Hip Hop Culture
In the 1970s, a new form of music emerged in the South Bronx area of New York City. This music, which would come to be known as hip hop, was a product of the large African American and Puerto Rican communities that inhabited the area. Hip hop would go on to become one of the most popular and influential genres of music in the world.
The earliest hip hop songs were mostly party tracks that featured simple, repetitive rhymes. These songs were often played at block parties or dances, and they typically had a call-and-response structure. As hip hop became more popular, artists began to experiment with different styles and themes. There was a particularly strong focus on social and political issues, as many hip hop artists came from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In the 1980s, hip hop began to achieve mainstream success. This was due in part to the rise of MTV, which helped to promote the genre to a wider audience. Hip hop artists such as Run-DMC and LL Cool J enjoyed massive popularity during this decade. The 1990s saw the further ascent of hip hop, with artists such as Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg achieving global stardom.
The 2000s represented a period of transition for hip hop. Many of the biggest names from the previous decade had passed away or retired, and there was a new focus on more positive messages in rap music. The 2010s have continued this trend, with artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper becoming household names. Hip hop has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the South Bronx, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
The Influence of Hip Hop on Pop Culture
Hip hop music first emerged on the streets of New York City in the late 1970s. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most popular genres in the world, with a wide-ranging influence on pop culture.
Today, hip hop is recognized as a powerful force in the music industry, with artists like Kendrick Lamar and Drake topping the charts and winning major awards. But it wasn’t always this way. In its early days, hip hop was dismissed by many as a passing fad.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that hip hop began to achieve mainstream success. This was due in part to the breakthrough of artists like Run-DMC and Public Enemy, who helped to bring the genre to a wider audience. The 1990s saw further growth for hip hop, with the rise of iconic artists like Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.
Today, hip hop is more popular than ever before, with its impact being felt across the globe. From fashion to film, there are few areas of pop culture that haven’t been affected by hip hop.
