Clive Campbell also known as Kool Herc is one of three major founders of hip hop. Though he is among three of the original founders of the art form, Kool Herc is widely regarded as the Father of Hip Hop itself. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica Clive Campbell moved to the United States at the age of twelve. Campbell used his musical influences from his father and from his home town of Kingston. Campbell began DJing parties using his father's sound system. Over the course of his time as a DJ, Campbell developed a technique known as, the Merry-go-round-of-sound. During the time of its manufacturing, this technique was a revolutionary concept. To create the Merry-go-round-of-sound, Campbell utilized two duplicate records, "back-cueing a record …show more content…
Though it unclear when Afrika Bambaataa was born, it is known that he grew up in the South Bronx, New York. From early on in his life Bambaataa was associated with gang activity. Bambaataa served as the "war lord" for the Black Spades, as well as had ties to several other New York gangs—including the Bronx River Gang. Bambaataa also created the Zulu Nation, which attempted to "raise consciousness" amongst the inner-city community through music. Bambaataa was also influential in establishing the four elements of hip hop--"DJing, MCing, b-boyying and graffitti writing" --and even added another element, knowledge (Chang, 90). After the peace treaty that disbanded a large proportion of gangs, Afrika Bambaataa aided in the peaceful transition between gang life and hip hop. With his charismatic nature and his participation and association with several gangs, Bambaataa was able to unite individuals previously divided in a common belief and sound. His creation of the Zulu nation allowed for a singular identifying group to be established with a common belief of knowledge, peace and …show more content…
Born in Barbados, Sadler moved to New York in the early years of his life. Sadler, also known as Grandmaster Flash, created one of the most essential contributions to hip hop—the Quick Mix Theory. The Quick Mix Theory is a science based on Kool Hercs Merry-go-round-of sound. It, like the Merry-go-round, was invented to perfect the art of extending the break beat in a song. Though the Quick Mix Theory differs from the Merry-go-round-of-sound in that it is cleaner and more proficient. The invention made by Kool Herc, while revolutionary, was rather crude or rudementary in its production. Grandmaster flash was able to loop a song, and manipulate records by placing his fingers on a record, a practice initially unheard of before his experimentation. Grandmaster flash influenced generations of hip hop artists by not just teaching his science but by generating original ideas and contributions that shaped modern hip hop for decades. For example, Grandmaster Flash taught the Quick Mix Theory to his protégé Theodore Livingston who later became Grand Wizard Theordore—the credited inventor of the scratch. Grandmaster Flash is also attributed with inventing the slip mat, a simple yet revolutionary concept that allows the DJ to sync and manipulate the records
The Hip-Hop Generation is a book written by the famous Bakari Kitwana in his mission to evaluate the shift that is evident between the current and past generations. He reveals several social and political aspects that have affected the black people in America. It is evident that this book has been praised by many who feel that Kitwana was successful in highlighting the major problems that black Americans face in their daily lives. Through this book, any reader will admit that the journey has been long for the blacks in their mission to find their place in the society. Racism is the main theme in this book where the author recalls the need of a supportive plan in eradicating its roots all over the globe. He defines the black Americans born between 1965 and 1984 as the ‘hip hop generationers’. This essay paper explores the major points revealed in his book. It analyses the whole book and summaries it in
Have you heard the phrase “Momma said knock you out”? If so, you've probably heard your parent sing this song. Signing with Def Jams in the 1980’s, LL Cool J showed the world a unique style of Hip-hop and Rap. A kid just 18 years old when his first song came out, LL showed the world he would he would be different. LL Cool J created an influential long-term career with his starting a new hard-hitting romantic style of rapping, influences with popular clothing lines, and paved the way leading rappers to transform into actors and continue to have a successful career.
Since the decade of 1920, America has been the setting for a progressive "Black Arts Movement." This African-American cultural movement has taken shape in various genres, gaining mass appeal, through multiple capitalistic markets. Even with the use of capitalism this cultural arts movement has stayed set upon its original purpose and direction, by aiding in cultural identity awareness. The knowledge of the duel-self through community awareness as it pertains to economic perceptions and other social boundaries or the metaphysical-self; what W.E.B. Du Bois coined as "twoness," or a division of one’s own identity as a African-American. (Reuben 2) A realization of the existence of two beings within one’s mental identity, where time alters attitude and identity through environmental influence of passing events. The discovery of the "New Negro" in the Harlem Renaissance marks the beginning of this essential philosophy contributing to the 1960’s Black Arts Movement and the Civil Rights Movement; continuing to be evident in current forms of black art, such as within the lyrics of hip-hop music. These revolutionary Ideals of reform have been voiced in the lyrics of many rappers of urban realism, like the New York M.C.’s Rakim, Run-D.M.C. and west coast rapper Tupac Shakur. Though this form of expression is opposed by most academic elitists and fundamental conservatives due to their vulgar expressions of sex and violence depicted within the genre of Hip-Hop; it in opposition actually presents an internal cultural conflict revealed through the redefinition of one’s own identity with poetic lyrical expressions of realism.
Motown paved the way for future artists to explore themselves. It helped created the grounds of a great music and cultural integration in the 1970’s to now and hopefully forever. Hip Hop’s arrival was credit to Motown triumphs in the musical world. Through the mixing of percussion and the rhythm of the drumbeats of funk and disco, hip hop revealed the opposition to social inequality and discrimination
George covers much familiar ground: how B-beats became hip hop; how technology changed popular music, which helped to create new technologies; how professional basketball was influenced by hip hop styles; how gangsta rap emerged out of the crack epidemic of the 1980s; how many elements of hip hop culture managed to celebrate, and/or condemn black-on-black violence; how that black-on-black violence was somewhat encouraged by white people scheming on black males to show their foolishness, which often created a huge mess; and finally, how hip hop used and continues to use its art to express black frustration and ambition to blacks while, at the same time, refering that frustration and ambition to millions of whites.
Hip hop originated from groups of Afro-Caribbean, and African Americans in Bronx. These musicians combined different kinds of music and used the traditions of their own culture to approach music. Hip hop in the beginning of its time was more of artis...
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...
Despite having absolutely nothing to do with the four elements of Hip-Hop as defined by Afrika Bambaataa, the most influential person in the creati...
Hip-hop began between the transformations from the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s. It was during this time period, when the former gangs of the late sixties developed into the posses and crews of the early seventies. When former gang territories became perfect locations for block parties and outdoor jams. Prior gang warfare transformed into hard-hitting competitions between DJs as well as MCs, joined by numerous male and female street dancers, and the colorful artistic representations of graffiti artists. Who started this movement? A man by the name of Clive Campbell, also known as DJ Kool Herc, was the spark that ignited the fire, for he developed the basis of hip-hop by structuring it around the Jamaican tradition of toasting-impromptu: proud poetry and dialogue over music in which he observed as a child in Jamaica (Chang). In addition to the influential styles of Jamaica, were the instrumental elements of disco. According to Kurtis Blow, hip-hop appeared as “a direct response to the watered down, Europeanized, disco music that permeated the airwaves” (David D.). For instance, much of early hip-hop was predominately based on hard disco and funk loops, giving it the name of disco rap. Although, Clive Campbell initiated the hip-hop movement, it was known as disco rap until Keith Cowboy, rapp...
While the genre of hip-hop came about in the 1980s, a division was set between the blacks and the whites. African American youths would be discriminated, yet they would suppress their anger and empower self-perception. This would result by an African American speaking openly about the struggles in the streets and the bond that they share with their home community . The authenticity of the hip-hop culture was simply an artist representing the truth through their lyrics about community, moral values, and self-expression . If an artist did not represent any truth in their lyrics, their music
Rap music was first a cross-cultural product. Most of its important early practitioners, Kool Herc, DJ Hollywood, and Afrika Bambaataa, were either first- or second-generation Americans of Caribbean background. Kool Herc and DJ Hollywood are given credit for introducing the Jamaican style of cutting and mixing into the musical culture of the South Bronx. Herc was the first DJ to buy two copies of the same record for just a 15-second break (instrumental segment) in the middle. By mixing back and forth between the two copies he was able to double, triple, or endlessly extend the break.
Hip hop culture has been around since the 1970s. Multiple sources all come down to the South Bronx in New York City, as the origin of hip hop culture. The culture began to take its shape within the African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Latino communities. The father of the start of this culture was a Jamaican-born DJ named Clive Campbell but also known as DJ Kool Herc. He brought forth a new sound system and the Jamaican style of “toasting.” Toasting was when Jamaicans would talk or rap over the music they played. This whole new style soon brought what is now known as DJs, B-Boys, MC’s, and graffiti artists (Kaminski).
This will then open up the discussion about 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. Hip hop originated in the ghetto areas of New York during the 1970’s and is a mixture of DJ, MC, B boy and Beat boxing. In his studies of defining hip hop, Jeffries concluded that these mixtures of art forms do not define hip hop but rather that hip hop itself is a culture of these elements. “Hip-hop is like a culture, it’s a voice for black people to be heard. Our own style, our own music” (Jeffries). 2011; 28).
Contrary to the hip hop culture in America, the main proponents for hip hop were middle class youth that came from well-to-do backgrounds. Education, technology, and a knowledge of the English language was necessary to be apart of the early hip hop culture in Ghana. A large portion of the first Ghanaian rap groups were created in universities. Eventually the trend spreads to the poorer Ghanaian youth. Hip hop in Ghana was literally mimicking American hip hop artists. The rappers would emcee to popular tracks in America using the same lyrics and flow. Eventually Ghanaians were able to create their own interpretation of hip hop called hip life. Hip life fuses American hip hop music with a uniquely Ghanaian sound. The hip life sound was pioneered by rapper, Reggie Rockstone. He was born born in London to Ghanaian parents that gave him the ability to travel to places all around the world. He visited prominent hip hop centers like New York and Los Angelos and was able to completely immerse himself in the culture. Back in Ghana, he shared his knowledge with his fellow Ghanaians and thus pioneered hip life as one of the first rappers to rap in Twi, a native Ghanaian language. Although hip hop was popular, the larger Ghanaian population could not relate to the American slang and culture. Hip life made the music relatable. Although this new sound was more relatable, there was not a large amount of media support. The media initially viewed it as “a poor imitation at best and a foreign invasion at worse.” Eventually, the media notices the popularity and hip life becomes the popular music form that it is
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).