From the Beginning: How Hip Hop Music Started
Contents
From the Beginning: How Hip Hop Music Started
The Origins of Hip Hop
The origins of hip hop can be traced back to the Bronx in the 1970s. DJ Kool Herc is credited as being the first DJ to use two turntables to extend the break of a record. This allowed him to create a continuous “break” for dancers to enjoy. This style of DJing would later be known as “breaking” or “scratching.”
DJ Kool Herc
DJ Kool Herc is one of the most important figures in Hip Hop History. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Kool Herc moved to the Bronx in the United States when he was just a young boy. It was in the Bronx that Kool Herc began to experiment with music, using two turntables to play extended sections of songs. This style of music became known as ” break-beat ” music, and it was the foundation of Hip Hop music.
Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash is one of the founding fathers of hip hop music. He started DJing in the early 1970s and is credited with inventing many of the techniques that are now commonplace in hip hop DJs, including backspinning and cutting. He was also one of the first DJs to use multiple turntables, which he used to create innovative sounds and rhythms.
Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa is a DJ from the South Bronx, New York. He is credited with helping to start the hip hop movement in the 1970s. Bambaataa was a member of the Black Spades, a street gang. He used his position as a gang leader to help stop violence in the Bronx and promote positive messages through music. Bambaataa organized block parties, where he would play music and people would dance. He is also credited with inventing the breakbeat, a key part of hip hop music.
The Golden Age of Hip Hop
The Golden Age of Hip Hop is considered to be from 1986 to 1993. In 1986, Run-DMC released their album, Raising Hell, which is widely considered to be one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time. Other artists who emerged during this time include Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, and N.W.A. This was a time when rap music was becoming more mainstream and artists were beginning to experiment with different sounds.
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is a hip hop group best known for their hit song “Rapper’s Delight”, the first single by a hip hop artist to become a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was recorded in May 1979 and released in September of that year by Sugar Hill Records, with Sylvia Robinson as producer. The song features contributions from several uncredited session musicians, including contemporaries of the Sugarhill Gang such as Bernard Wright and bassist Douglas WDMS Wimbish, who would later join Living Colour. “Rapper’s Delight” is widely regarded as one of the most influential songs in the history of hip hop music and is credited with helping to establish both the genre and disco rap.”
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is one of the most influential and groundbreaking groups in the history of hip hop music. They are often credited with helping to bring about a “golden age” of hip hop, along with groups like N.W.A., A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul. Public Enemy’s music is characterized by its aggressive, politicized lyrics, and its innovative production values. The group’s debut album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, was released in 1987 to critical acclaim. Public Enemy’s second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, is considered to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. It was released in 1988 and topped many year-end critics’ lists. Public Enemy’s third album, Fear of a Black Planet, was released in 1990 and was also highly acclaimed. The group’s fourth album, Apocalypse 91…The Enemy Strikes Black, was released in 1991 and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C. was a rap group from Hollis, Queens, New York, consisting of Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniel and Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell). Run-D.M.C. is widely considered one of the most influential groups in the history of hip hop music and culture, helping to pave the way for the success of future generations of hip hop artists.
The group was instrumental in breaking down barriers between music genres, famously collaborating with rock band Aerosmith on their 1986 remake of “Walk This Way”. They were also the first rap group to achieve mainstream success with their 1984 debut album, Run-D.M.C., which included the hits “Sucker MCs” and “It’s Like That”.
Run-D.M.C. continued to find success with subsequent albums like Raising Hell (1986) and Tougher Than Leather (1988), but tragedy struck in 2002 when Jam Master Jay was gunned down in a still unsolved murder. The remaining members of the group remained close friends and appeared together occasionally over the years, but vowed never to record another album without their fallen brother.
The Birth of Gangsta Rap
Although not all rap music is gangsta rap, the genre cannot be separated from its roots in the ‘hoods of Los Angeles. In the mid-1980s, gangsta rap emerged from the LC (Local Crime) rap subgenre. This new style of rap music was characterized by its aggressive, often violent lyrics, which were set to hard-hitting beats.
N.W.A.
N.W.A is a legendary hip hop group that was instrumental in the development of gangsta rap. The group was formed in Compton, California in 1986 and originally consisted of Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, andIce Cube. N.W.A’s debut album Straight Outta Compton was released in 1988 and became one of the most influential albums in hip hop history. The album’s raw and realistic portrayal of life in the ghetto helped to popularize gangsta rap and pushed the genre into the mainstream. N.W.A’s follow-up album Efil4zaggin (1991) was also highly successful, but internal tensions within the group led to its dissolution shortly thereafter. Despite this, N.W.A’s impact on hip hop music is undeniable and their legacy continues to influence artists to this day.
Ice Cube
Ice Cube was born in South Central Los Angeles in 1969, and his gritty, realistic portrayal of urban life as a gangster rapper would help define the genre. Inspired by pioneers like Ice-T and Schoolly D, Cube crafted his own hardcore style of rap, which was often violent and explicit. His debut album, Amerikkka’s Most Wanted (1990), was a critical and commercial success, and its stark portrayal of life in the ‘hood struck a chord with many inner-city youths.
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre was born Andre Romelle Young on February 18, 1965, in Compton, California. He began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin’ Cru, a pioneering West Coast rap group, and later found success as a solo artist with the release of his debut album The Chronic in 1992. The album was a commercial and critical success, cementing Dre’s reputation as one of the most innovative and influential figures in hip hop. In 1996, he founded Aftermath Entertainment, a record label that helped launch the careers of some of rap’s biggest stars, including Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. Dre remains one of the most significant figures in hip hop today.
Hip Hop Today
Originating in the Bronx in the early 1970s, Hip Hop music started as a way for African American and Latino youth to express themselves through a new form of music. This music was created by DJs who would sample and loop sections of songs to create a new beat. Over time, MCs would begin to rap over these beats, and the Hip Hop culture was born. Today, Hip Hop music is a global phenomenon, with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Cardi B topping the charts.
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar is one of the most popular and successful rappers of today. He first gained mainstream attention with his 2012 album good kid, m.A.A.d city, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Since then, Lamar has released two more studio albums – To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) and DAMN. (2017), both of which have been massive commercial and critical successes. In addition to his solo work, Lamar has also collaborated with a number of other artists, including Jay-Z, Rihanna, Maroon 5, and Alicia Keys. He has won numerous awards, including twelve Grammy Awards, seven BET Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, and five MTV Video Music Awards Europe.
Chance the Rapper
Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a genre of popular music that originated in the United States in the 1970s. It is characterized by repetitive beats, often accompanied by rapping, a rhyming vocal style that developed as part of hip hop culture. Hip hop music first emerged with disco rappers such as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Afrika Bambaataa and the Sugarhill Gang in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, hip hop became a mainstream genre of popular music following the commercial success of artists such as Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and Public Enemy; it maintained its popularity throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
In the 2010s, hip hop began to diversify with styles such as trap and cloud rap gaining prominence. Chance The Rapper is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. His debut mixtape 10 Day (2012) gained critical acclaim; he was featured on Kanye West’s 2013 single “Bound 2”. His debut studio album The Big Day (2019) was preceded by four mixtapes: 10 Day (2012), Acid Rap (2013), Surf (2015) with Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment and Coloring Book (2016), which earned him three Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album.
J. Cole
J. Cole is a modern-day hip hop artist who rose to prominence in the late 2000s. His debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, was released in 2011 and immediately established him as a force to be reckoned with in the rap game. J. Cole has since released four more albums, each one building on his previous success. He is widely considered to be one of the best rappers of his generation, and his music often tackles social and political issues.
