subject: Hip Hop And Rap Music Review [print this page] The cultural movement of hip-hop music was born in the early 1970s. Hip-hop's music style is made of two parts: the rhythmic delivery of rap and the use of instrumentation by a DJ. Hip-hop music also brought with it a new fashion what helped to represent this newly created music.
Hip-hop music originally came from West African music and African-American music. When block parties started becoming the norm in New York City, it gave hip hop and rap the chance to explode in popularity. Hip hop's instrumentation came from funk, R&B, and disco, when combined together make this dynamic type of music. When the DJs at these block parties learned what the people liked, they began mixing these vinyl records and created music that played continuously with amazing transitions between songs. Hip-hop was created by Kool Herc.
He was a Jamaican DJ that moved to the United States. His style of mixing music was consisted by using two copies of the same record. Many of the poor Jamaican's in the town could not afford vinyl records, so helping them huge stereo systems were set up so that many could here the rhythmic beats. These stereo systems were the kick-off for the beginning of the evolution of block parties. Because of the musical talent of these amazing DJs, with the use of vinyl record mixing, the culture of hip-hop music was born.
Hip hop had emerged as a direct response to the watered down, Europeanised, disco music that permeated the airwaves, and the earliest hip hop was mainly based on hard funk loops.
Hip hop's "golden age", is a name given to a period in mainstream hip hop, in the late 1980s to the early 90s, and was characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence. There were strong themes of Afrocentricity and political militancy, while the music was experimental and the sampling, eclectic. There was often a strong jazz influence.
The history of rap music begins in the early '70s. Raps origins and influences are in the African, American and Latino street culture of New York City and surrounding areas. At this point in history rap music and the growing club scene started recognizing the power and importance of the DJs name and their ability to draw big crowds. The rise of the DJ clearly parallels the rise of rap music in both the past and present history of rap music.
The rap music saw the birth of a new expanded function for the MC. One of the jobs of the MC was to introduce the DJ and the performing rap artists to the audience. Keeping the guests entertained was another job of the MC. Clearly, talented MCs with cool, charismatic stage presence became instrumental to the growing popularity of hip hop music and rap artists. The better MCs entertained the audience before, during and after the performers came on stage. It wasn't until the late 1970s before the history of rap music showed its extraordinary commercial power and started its meteoric rise as a popular music style in America. By the '90s, a sub-genre known as gangsta rap took America by storm. Its controversial lyrics, with its focus on street violence, sex and drugs, all increased its allure to America's youth and quickly crossed over into all socio-economic groups.
Rap songs can also represent romanticized or fictional themes. Rap songs usually have a strong rhythmic aspect with the spoken lyrics emulating the intense rhythm of the beat. Rap songs are known to make use of many poetic techniques including simple word rhymes and alliteration.
Despite its controversial aspects, or possibly because of it, rap music continued to rise into the new millenium. In fact, today hip hop music is one of the fastest growing and most popular forms of music in America or the world.
