Hip Hop History and Reflections

Rap is something you do,

Hip hop is something you live...

A historical reflection of Hip Hop

Name: Jake Parker

Student number: 100072668

Date: Friday, March 30, 2007

Professor: Mark Adam

Let's bring it back with that Ol' New York rap. Hip hop is amazing, straight up. It's not just the music, it's everything involved with the four elements of hip hop; the emceeing (rapping), the DJing, the graffiti, and the break dancing. When I was younger I used to search for "hip-hop" and "rap" albums never realizing the difference that I have come to know and appreciate so much. Rap is something you do and hip hop is something you live. Rapping is quite linear, with original styles mastering rhythm over a beat (Light, 1999). Hip hop is a culture, but it's also much more than that. It's a way of voicing opinions to the masses, whether the rappers promote violence or deter violence; it's all up to the listener. Hip hop is a way of life; how you walk, how you dress, how you act, how you swear. It is an attitude. The roots of hip hop come from frustration, environments that were uncivil for human dignity (the Ghettos). From this environment came this creativity and style that no one could hold back. I think it's prudent to point out that this essay only covers an introduction and reflection to the vast and garish culture of hip hop and that to delve into every artist's history and impact would be pleasing yet extensive in content. With that in mind, let's look at the history and fundamental aspects that comprised this exuberant culture.

The culture of hip hop primarily originated in New York City in the 1970s, particularly in the poverty stricken neighbourhoods of the Bronx (Light, 1999). These forgotten youth used hip hop as a medium to express their troubles, to express how they felt about being in the underclass that so many were.

An underclass in which young black people are at the centre, but do not form the totality. This multicultural notion of class that has black youth in a central role is a mixture of black consciousness and gangster tropes, at one point posing the contradiction from which the speaker (or multiple speakers) is trying to escape as choosing between 'getting paid or getting laid' (Peddie, 2005, 85)

This idea of 'getting paid or getting laid' provoked a mentality striving on the energy and culture hip hop pertained. This type of energy fused with the musical evolution gave rise to hip hop. That musical evolution of hip hop started in many different ways. Firstly let's look to the frustrated African American and Latino youth of New York, witnessing the musical revolution of disco. For these youth, Disco was a bit offensive because it was against what they stood for. You needed to be well dressed, and have money, both of which little to no one in the neighbourhood had (Light, 1999). For them, hip hop meant freedom to choose and they choose to avenge this sort of musical insult by disrespecting the disco-tech by slapping girls, robbing people, and violating the disco-scene in general (Light, 1999). Hip hop was a rebellion, to an extent, of disco. Where disco lacked in a soulful and meaningful representation of the underclass, hip hop broke threw with the creation of the break-beat, DJing, and emceeing. Hip-hoppers were segregated, and this posed a critical moment in hip hop evolution. Instead of waiting outside and degrading themselves to criminals, they sought a positive affirmation and set up basement parties, house parties, and block parties with one DJ in rooms full with people (Light, 1999). These 'jams' became trendy and soon the popular culture was slowly creeping into these hip-hop events. With popularity augmenting, MCs (who at the time didn't "rap" but were simply the masters of the ceremony) would talk over the break-beats to promote their DJs. These MCs all had their own style, even if one rapper did someone else's same exact lyrics, their personality would trump any likeness of the two rappers sounding the same. Style was and still is the fundamental component to any type of art affiliated with hip hop. If you asked the average hip hop fan what the defining song of hip hop was, odds are they are going to say "Rappers Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang. This is not necessarily an inaccurate answer for the general public was first exposed to this rather than such underground talents as Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, the true pioneers of the rap game (Light, 1999). Moving on, inequality and urban poverty is what hip hop represented with a focus on suppourting goodness. It was a vehicle for knowledge, wisdom, peace,