Hip Hop Origins

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Donavan Smith Mrs. Buchanan A3 3/20/2014 Where did hip hop come from? Snoop Dogg once said, “Hip Hop is what makes the world go round.” Hip hop affected the world greatly. Hip hop effected society, fashion, and today’s hip hop. While listening to that catchy song, do you ever wonder where it came from? Hip hop has come a long way from being the most unpopular genre in the early 70’s, to now be the most listened to genre today. Hip has influenced many things in art, culture, and media. People say hip hop originated from the south Bronx of New York, but really it came from Jamaica. One man named DJ Kool Herc moved from Jamaica to America too starts a new life. In the 1970’s, he introduced the type of music into a style we know now as rap. He used turn tables and used other records to make longer segments. Soon deejays started to work with other rappers and talk in rhythmic sayings, this became to be known as hip hop. For years popular styles of club deejays like Herc, and Afrika Bambaataa, rapped originally in African American neighborhoods in New York. Rap hit the air on the mainstream for the first time in 1980, with well-known performers L.L Cool J, Run- D.M.C., Hammer, and Will Smith. They kept the genre going and upbeat, heading toward the alternative rap of De La Soul, the Fugees, TLC, and other rappers whose work was made known to wide audiences through the transformation of rap, pop, and soul. Lauryn Hill, one of the members of the group Fugees, dominated the 1999 Grammy Awards, winning five trophies for her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Herc also created the everyday DJing technique of breaks. He would play James Brown’s “Give It Up or Turnit Loose” on turntables, then he would spin in the record... ... middle of paper ... ...s. Controversy started around Ice T’s song “Cop Killer” from his album Body Count. His song was sending a message, speaking from a perspective of criminals getting their revenge on brutal, racist cops. One of Ice T’s other songs angered government officials greatly, other police groups, and The National Rifle Association. Time Warner Music wouldn’t release Ice T’s album Home Invasion, because of what happened with controversy with “Cop Killer”. Ice T stated that the fuss over the song was an overreaction. 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.

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