Rap music became popularized in Atlanta and the rest of the South in the early to mid-1980s. The first rap to come out of the city of Atlanta was uptempo party music with heavy bass and very obvious Florida influence. Hits like “Whoomp! (There It Is)” by Tag Team, and “Jump” by Kriss Kross defined the pre-Outkast era of Atlanta hip-hop. While these songs were immensely popular (“Whoomp!” is ranked by Billboard as one of the greatest songs of all time (“Greatest of All Time”) while “Jump” was one of the top 3 selling songs of 1992 (“Week Ending May”), groups from the city, for the most part, were commonly seen as “novelty” and “kiddie crews” (“Kriss Kross: Da Bomb”). While the emergence of relatively simple but enjoyable music was going on in Atlanta, rap as a whole began to truly explode. The newest major music genre entered its golden era; “Ready to Die” by Biggie Smalls, “Illmatic” by Nas, and “Me Against The World” by 2Pac were all albums that were rated “five mics” by The Source (“5 Mics?”) The “five mic” rating from The Source indicated an exceptional and rare hip-hop album. In this time of growth in hip-hop culture Atlanta, and the South as a whole was in large part left out. People were enthralled by cross country feuds between rap superstars; but just when it seemed like there was no space at the time for rap from anywhere but New York or California, the duo of Andre “3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton, better known as Outkast single-handedly redefined rap music. Andre 3000 played an instrumental role in defining not just rap, but music as a whole in the 1990s and 2000s. His presence transitioned Southern rap from being viewed as nothing more than exciting, throw away party music to music that could be timeless an... ... middle of paper ... ...ing an album in over a decade new artists today commonly cite the group as an influence; the hyper lyricism, extraterrestrial themes, and experimental funk sound that helped define their music has been emulated by dozens of musicians today, ranging from Macklemore to Kendrick Lamar. Since 1994 Outkast’s music has been sampled by nearly 300 different artists. Without the emergence of Outkast, music today simply would not be what it is. Outkast defined music and rap culture in the 2000s. Their willingness to entirely abandon conventional wisdom both in and outside of their music has inspired a generation of musicians. Outkast single handedly reshaped rap culture’s view of rap music from the South. Outkast’s greatness is nearly immeasurable, but in terms of visible impact on rap and music as a whole today, they are among the most influential rap groups we have ever seen.
It was the first time I had ever been to a party. I had just graduated high school, and did not have nor ever did have any sort of interest in going to a party. One of my fellow classmates had invited me to her party on the night of graduation, and I decided why not? I was told growing up that I would never have contact with most of my classmates after graduation ever again, so I wanted to have one last fun moment with the graduating class of 2013. I arrived at my classmate’s house around nine, and immediately was overwhelmed by the makeshift dance floor in the backyard, the loud, unfamiliar music, and the disco lights. Growing up, I had never been introduced to rap music, so I did not enjoy it as much as my fellow classmates did. It did not take long for the party to get started. Boys and girls alike started to make their way to the makeshift dance floor, immediately dancing on one another. I was absolutely taken away as girls that I had known for four years bent over and began to press their backsides up against boys, grinding on the boys as if it were an everyday activity as degrading music blared out of the speakers, as if they were not aware of the actual lyrics of the song. I was not sure what made me feel sicker to my stomach: the way the girls moved their behinds in ways that I found impossible, which I later learned was called ‘twerking’, or the misogynistic rap music that my classmates danced to. I have not been to a party since then, and I do not think I ever will go to one again. It did not take me long to understand why my parents never let me listen to rap music before: it is this misogynistic, or a hatred towards women, type of music. Rap music clearly portrays women in several, negative ways, such as re...
ingredient of hip hop music, has brought this genre music to the top; attracting and influencing many
Rhodes, Henry A. “The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States.” Yale New Haven
Hip-hop music is the best base form of music to invoke change because songs can be written quickly by rappers to address their communities. Hip-hop started in the early 1970’s in minority-filled neighborhoods that were surrounded with poverty, crime, and drugs. Over time, hip-hop has been changed to express different messages. At its beginning the message was positive addressing the problems of poor neighborhoods and now the message is flashy and unclear. With this change
Rap started in the mid-1970s in the South Bronx area of New York City. The birth of rap is, in many ways, like the birth of rock and roll. Both originated in the African American community and both were first recorded by small, independent record labels and marketed towards, mostly to a black audience. And in both cases, the new style soon attracted white musicians that began performing it. For rock and roll it was a white American from Mississippi, Elvis Presley. For rap it was a young white group from New York, the Beastie Boys. Their release “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” (1986) was one of the first two rap records to reach the Billboard top-ten. Another early rap song to reach the top ten, “Walk This Way” (1986), was a collaboration of Run-DMC and Aerosmith. Soon after 1986, the use of samples was influenced in the music of both black and white performers, changing past thoughts of what make up a “valid” song.
The influence of Hip-Hop has never been as great as it is in this day and age. Often dismissed by a majority of America as simply a fad, hip hop has become a global phenomenon and has arguably been the most popular form of music for the past three decades. Hip-Hop has influenced art, language, fashion, culture, and sports. This music has been used to teach elementary level children, it has been taught in undergraduate universities and serves as a bridge for hundreds of philanthropies. The influence of Hip-Hop has also been felt in films. These films range from fictional works, documentaries, and autobiographies. A film known as, Something from Nothing by famous rapper Ice T sheds light on elements within Hip-Hop that have enabled the genre to reach millions of people.
In conclusion, rap has come so many ways, seeing how it started in the early 70’s. Hip hop effected society, fashion, and hip greatly today. Hip-hop has changed its style over the 30 years its been introduced. Its been the top most listened to genre since the late 80s, and has been the most played music videos on MTV. Finally, rap is what makes the world go round.
Rhodes, Henry A. “The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States.” Yale. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Biggie poll was polled in the summer of 2017 which makes it current. As of today, no rapper has ever come close to how influential the rappers of the 90’s was. If you asked most rappers today, who they listened to growing up or who they found inspiration from, they would more than likely name a rapper that was substantial in the 90s. Due to the 90’s music that was produced, many artists have found the motivation to create different styles of rap. The rap genre has had many crossed over with many genres including, pop, rock and even country. Rap today is more mainstream than ever, due to 90’s music. 90’s rap “changed the game” for hip-hop, starting a new wave that is still continuing today. The 90’s rap paved the way for a lot of artist and still resonates with fans young and old. 90’s rap appeals to all, ad has a lasting impact on many generations to come. Considerable this could be why 90’s music is sought to be the “Golden age of rap”.
Hip hop has multiple branches of style and is a culture of these. This essay will examine Hip Hop from the point of view of the following three popular music scholars, Johnson, Jeffries and Smitherman. It will delve deeper into their understanding of what hip hop is and its relation to the different people that identify with its message and contents. It will also identify the history of Hip hop and its transition into popular music. In particular this essay will focus on what hip hop represents in the black community and how it can be used as a social movement against inequalities faced by them. This will then open up the discussion for the how this has influenced society, and the impact it has had in terms of race issues which hip hop itself often represents through music.
Many artist and groups in hip hop groups like N.W.A and Ice-T had ties to gang activities and spoke violence in their songs. Many hip hop groups during this time played songs that were considered to be “gangsta rap” songs. Gangsta rap was not only about the music but it was about the lifestyle and “thug’ attitude. “Between 1984 and 1994 the homicide rate for black males aged 18 to 24 doubled compared to years prior” (Robinson). Violence and police brutality towards blacks was big in hip hop during the 1980’s and 1990’s, like it is today. Many black hip hop artist and fans felt that they were being targeted and treated differently by police compared to whites in American because of their skin color and what neighborhood they lived in. In 1988 N.W.A song Fuck The Police came out and the song title speaks for itself in how N.W.A felt towards the police, “I’m brown and not the other color so police think they have the authority to kill a minority”. This song spoke to minorities in America who felt this way towards
Black culture in our society has come to the point where it is allied with pop culture. The most popular music genres, slang terms, to dance forms it all comes from black culture. Hip hop emerged from black culture, becoming the soul of it that is seen in the media. Hip hop helped the black community by creating new ways of expressing themselves, from breakdance, graffiti, rap and other music, to slang. This culture was rooted in their tradition and created from something new. Hip hop created a new form of music that required the use of turn tables, ‘cuts’, loops, rhythm, rhyme, stories, and deep-rooted emotions, but also incorporated black oral forms of storytelling using communal authors.
It is impossible to separate my voice from this topic, as I was born as an African
Hip-hop is moving backwards in the sense that it is regaining its revolutionary and activist voice, as more independent artists are claiming control of the spotlight. Hip-hop is moving forward in the sense that it is no longer catering to one general sound, and corporate labels are losing their grip on the images that get displayed to the masses. Hip-hop is becoming more local. Hip-hop is becoming more about the experience, and less about what is hot and on the top 100 right now. Hip-hop is catering more to the individual’s unique taste, rather than mass-producing one sound and one message. Hip-hop, in the future, will be able to truly uphold its title as “the people’s genre” again. Hip-hop is being reborn, and being returned to a state that runs on artistic investment rather than commercial
Hip- hop is a standout amongst the most compelling musical sorts on the globe. There are rappers everywhere that know what amount of an impact their music can have. Some entertainers attempt to utilize that force of impact to do great (Ruiz INT).