Why Was Hip Hop Music Created?
The origins of hip hop music are often disputed. Some believe that it was created in the 1970s by African American youths in the Bronx, while others believe that it has its roots in Jamaican reggae and dub music. Regardless of its exact origins, hip hop music has become one of the most popular genres in the world, with artists like Jay-Z, Eminem, and Kanye West becoming some of the biggest names in the music industry.
Origins of Hip Hop
Hip hop music originated in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York City. It was created by African American and Latino youths who were tired of being discriminated against and wanted to find a way to express themselves.
African American culture in the 1970s
African American culture in the 1970s was rich with diversity and creativity. From the rise of disco to the popularity of soul and funk, there was no shortage of musical genres for people to enjoy. However, one genre in particular would go on to have a profound impact on popular culture: hip hop.
So, what exactly is hip hop? Hip hop is a style of music that emerged from African American communities in the 1970s. It is a fusion of various elements, including but not limited to DJing, MCing, graffiti art, and break dancing. Hip hop has since gone on to become one of the most popular and influential genres of music in the world.
There are many theories about why hip hop was created. Some believe it was a response to the violence and disorder that was rampant in many African American communities at the time. Others believe it was simply a way for people to express themselves creatively. Whatever the case may be, there is no denying that hip hop has had a major impact on American culture and society.
New York City’s South Bronx
The South Bronx is widely considered to be the birthplace of hip hop music. Thegenre first emerged in the early 1970s, when DJs began experimenting with ways to create new and innovative sounds by playing with the tempo and pitch of existing records. This new style of music quickly caught on with young people in the Bronx, who embraced it as their own.
Hip hop music was originally created as a way for people to express themselves and connect with their community. It was a way for young people to share their experiences and feelings, and it quickly became an important form of self-expression for African American and Latino communities in particular.
Over time, hip hop music has evolved to include elements from other genres, such as R&B, pop, and even rock. But at its core, hip hop is still about self-expression and connecting with others.
The Four Elements of Hip Hop
Hip hop music was created in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York. It was originally used as a way for people to express themselves through music and dance. The four elements of hip hop are MCing, DJing, break dancing, and graffiti art.
MCing
Hip hop music was created in the late 1960s as a way for African American youth to express themselves. The four elements of hip hop are MCing, DJing, break dancing, and graffiti art.
MCing is the act of rapping, or speaking rhymed lyrics in time with a beat. MCs often tell stories about their lives and experiences, and they often use their lyrics to comment on social issues.
DJing is the art of playing recorded music, usually on turntables, in a way that creates a seamless experience for the listener. DJs use techniques like mixing and scratching to create new sounds from existing recordings.
Break dancing is a style of dance that includes acrobatic moves like spins and flips. Break dancers often compete against each other in battles, or informal competitions.
Graffiti art is the practice of spray painting walls or other surfaces with colorful designs. Graffiti artists often use their work to make political statements or to simply brighten up a space.
DJing
DJing is one of the four elements of hip hop music. DJing is the art of playing pre-recorded music on a turntable or CD player. DJs use their skills to create a unique sound by mixing and scratching records.
DJ Kool Herc is credited with inventing the break beat, which laid the foundation for hip hop music. Break beats are short sections of a song that are isolate d and repeated for emphasis. DJs would play the break beat over and over again, giving MCs time to rhyme over the top. This style of DJing laid the foundation for what would become known as turntablism.
B-Boying/B-Girling
Also known as “breakdancing,” B-boying or B-girling is a style of street dance that originated among African American and Latino youth in New York City in the early 1970s. The dance is characterized by improvised moves involving spinning on one’s back or head, power moves such as freeze frames and windmills, and stylized footwork.
Graffiti Writing
Most people think of hip hop as music, but it is actually four elements that were created in the South Bronx in the 1970s. These elements are DJing, MCing, breaking, and graffiti writing.
Graffiti writing is one of the most popular forms of street art. It began as a way for writers to claim territory and express themselves. Over time, it has become more elaborate and sophisticated, with artists using a variety of techniques to create works of art.
The Birth of Hip Hop
Hip hop music was born in the late 1970s in the Bronx, New York. It was created by African American and Latino youth who were looking for a way to express themselves. Hip hop music is a mix of cultures, including African, Caribbean, Latin, and American.
Kool Herc’s block parties
In the early 1970s, a Jamaican-born DJ named Kool Herc began throwing block parties in the Bronx. At these parties, he would play extended versions of popular songs, using two turntables to extend the part of the song that people liked dancing to. He called this technique “the Merry-Go-Round.”
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
On this day in 2007, the group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, widely considered one of hip hop’s pioneering groups, are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Formed in the South Bronx in 1976, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were made up of six MCs (rappers) and one DJ (disc jockey). Their biggest hit song was “The Message” (1982), which brought hip hop to a mass audience and helped turn rap music into a multi-million-dollar industry.
As kids growing up in tough neighborhoods in New York City during the 1970s, Joseph Saddler (a.k.a. Grandmaster Flash) and Keith Wiggins (a.k.a. Cowboy Kevie) were both fascinated by the decks at block parties thrown by influential DJs such as Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa. By 1974, both had put together their own mobile sound systems and were playing at local parks and community events. In 1975, they joined forces as Grandmaster Flash & the 3 MCs; that same year, Cowboy’s brother Guy (a.k.a., Mr. Ness/Scorpio) joined the group, which soon became Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five after adding rappers Melle Mel (born Melvin Glover) and Nathaniel Glover (born Nathaniel Wilson; a.k.a., The Kidd Creole). Rounding out the sextet was Rahiem (born Guy Williams; a.k.a., Captain Video/Raheim).
Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation
Afrika Bambaataa, who was born in the Bronx in 1957, is widely credited as being one of the founding fathers of hip hop music. In the early 1970s, he was a member of the Black Spades, a street gang that was involved in various criminal activities. In 1973, Bambaataa formed the Universal Zulu Nation, an organization that sought to promote peace and unity among different gangs. He also began collecting records and spinning them at parties, helping to popularize the new genre of music.
The Legacy of Hip Hop
Despite its image now, hip hop was created in the 1970s as a way for African American youth to have a voice. In a time where disco was taking over the airwaves, hip hop gave a way for people to tell their stories and be heard. Over the years, hip hop has become a global phenomenon, with artists like Jay-Z and Kanye West becoming some of the biggest names in music. However, it all started with a group of kids in the Bronx who just wanted to be heard.
Hip hop today
Hip hop today is very different from when it first started in the 1970s. The music, the fashion, the dance, and the culture have all evolved over time. Even though it has changed, hip hop still has the same core values that it did when it first started. These values are creativity, self-expression, and community.
