American culture

Hip hop : History

Hip hop: 1970s

Herc was one of the most popular DJs in early 70s New York, and he quickly switched from using reggae records to funk, rock and, later, disco, since the New York audience did not particularly like reggae. Because the percussive breaks were generally short, Herc and other DJs began extending them using an audio mixer and two records.

Mixing and scratching techniques eventually developed along with the breaks. (The same techniques contributed to the popularization of remixes.) As in dub, performers began speaking while the music played; these were originally called MCs; Herc focused primarily on DJing, and began working with two MCs, Coke La Rock and Clark Kent—this was the first emcee crew, Kool Herc & the Herculoids.

Originally, these early rappers focused on introducing themselves and others in the audience (the origin of the still common practice of "shouting out" on hip hop records). These early performers often emceed for hours at a time, with some improvisation and a simple four-count beat, along with a basic chorus to allow the performer to gather his thoughts Later, the MCs incorporating brief rhymes.

These early raps incorporated similar rhyming lyrics from African American culture, such as the dozens. While Kool Herc & the Herculoids were the first hip hoppers to gain major fame in New York, more emcee teams quickly sprouted up. Frequently, these were collaborations between former gang members, such as Afrika Bambaataa's Universal Zulu Nation (now a large, international organization). During the early 1970s, breakdancing arose during block parties,

Hip hop: 1980s

The 1980s saw intense diversification in hip hop, which developed into a more complex form. Some rappers even became mainstream pop performers, including Kurtis Blow, whose appearance in a Sprite commercial made him the first hip hop musician to be considered mainstream enough to represent a major product, but also the first to be accused by the hip-hop audience of selling out. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, who won hip hop's first Grammy Award in 1988.

A number of new hip hop styles and subgenres began appearing. Run-D.M.C.'s collaboration with hard rock band Aerosmith on "Walk This Way" was an early example of rock and hip hop fusions. Also, the mid-1980s saw the rise of the first major black female group, Salt-N-pepa Ice-T's is one of the first nationally successful West Coast hip hop singles, and is often said to be the beginning of gangsta hip hop

Hip hop was almost entirely unknown outside of the United States prior to the 1980s. During that decade, it began its spread to every inhabited continent and became a part of the music scene in dozens of countries. In Puerto Rico, Vico C became the first Spanish language rapper, and his recorded work was the beginning of what became known as reggaeton.

Hip hop: 1990s

In the 90s, gangsta rap became mainstream, beginning in about 1992, with the release of Dr. Dre's The Chronic. The doctor, known from NWA, very soon started his cooperation with rapper Snoop Dogg.

In the mid 90s the reemergence of New York as a growing entity in mainstream hip-hop soon spawned an inevitable confrontation between the East Coast and West Coast and their respective major labels. This sales rivalry eventually turned into a personal rivalry, aided in part by the music media. Many reporters were not aware that MC battles were an integral part of hip hop since its inception, and that, generally, little was meant by open taunts on albums and in performances. Nevertheless, the East Coast-West Coast rivalry grew, unfortunately resulting in the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G..

By about 1997 record labels based out of Atlanta, St. Louis and New Orleans gained fame for their local scenes. By 2000, especially with the success of Eminem, hip hop was an integral part of popular music, and nearly all American pop songs had a major hip hop component.

In the 1990s and into the 2000s elements of hip hop continued to be assimilated into other genres of popular music; neo soul, for example, combined hip hop and soul music and produced some major stars in the middle of the decade.

Hip hop: 2000s

Beginning in 1997 with Bad Boy Records, hip hop (more commonly known as "rap") began to merge with teen pop, and by the turn of the millennium Eminem, Jay-Z, and Nelly were very popular.

By about 2001 the techno and New Jack Swing production of 1990s pop songs were eclipsed by hip hop production, as shown with the albums of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and the like.

In 2002 50 Cent, a protege of Eminem, scored with the massive hit In Da Club, becoming the most popular rapper and continuing to be as of 2005. Eminem himself, however, gradually faded from the industry beginning in about 2003.

While gangsta rap is still the dominant form of hip hop in the mainstream setting, alternative hip hop has had a second boom, and while almost invisible to mainstream markets (besides legends like the Beastie Boys and the Roots), it has made use of the internet in spreading its popularity. Groups such as Atmosphere, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5 and rappers such as Aesop Rock and Sage Francis have found audiences in urban and suburban settings alike, and have become surprisingly popular with indie rock audiences.

Instrumental hip hop has gained success through the same means, with veteran artists like DJ Shadow and DJ Spooky spurring newcomers like RJD2 and Kid Koala.

These artists connect more with electronic music communities than modern hip hop listeners, usually attributed to the relative absence of vocals, and the influence of these instrumental hip hop artists is becoming apparent across the electronic music scene, with artists such as The Books drawing heavily from hip hop sounds and techniques.