The Evolution of Hip Hop in America

Alternative vs. Mainstream: Hip Hop in America

The origins of rapping itself can be widely debated. Some trace it back to West African girots who delivered rhythmic spoken word stories over drum beats. Blues and “jazz poetry” that were synonymous slavery (‘work songs’) are also thought to have played a part in the evolution of Hip Hop.

Still today, Hip Hop remains very much a cut and paste genre that maintains its existence by taking elements from a diverse range of musical styles. One of hip hops most popular stars, Kanye West is heavily reliant on the use of samples from the motown and soul era as shown in many of his productions including the hits ‘Gold Digger’ and ‘Slow Jamz’ which sample Luther Vandross and Ray Charles. Within the 1970’s disco and funk, thrived in areas of New York, particularly within the Bronx and Harlem which were areas of economic and racial unrest amongst black communities. Block parties in and around the large housing projects gave DJ’s the chance to show their skills amongst the community with the use of breaking (extending instrumentals by having duplicate copies of the same record on different decks) and scratching. In order to excite or ‘hype’ the crowd, the DJ’s would then use a technique called toasting whereby pre-written or improvised rhymes or chants would be sung down the microphone. The combination of toasting, a technique used in Jamaica well before the 1970’s, and extended instrumentals are the essential ingredients that would give birth to Hip Hop.

Sugar Hill Gang- Rapper Delight (1979)

LL Cool J – Rock the Bells (1985)

As you can see from these two early Hip Hop tracks they are both tinged with other musical genres namely Funk (Rappers Delight) and Rock (Rock the Bells). The instrumentation is also minimalist which focuses the listener on the lyrics of the song.

Aside from the instrumentals, lyrics (and the delivery of them) became something that would rapidly change Hip Hop music as a whole. Throughout its origins, the lyrical content of Hip Hop songs were fun-loving and simplistic. Taunts and boasts were common which matched the competitiveness of the street genre and many songs of the time showed an astute awareness of the socio-political conditions of the time. Artists such as Slick Rick, Gangstarr and Public Enemy emerged from the East coast. Tracks by such artists were notable for their heavy use of samples spanning a wide range of musical genres and their lyrics were renowned for promoting Afrocentricity and self-consciousness. To many though, this was countered with the rise of west-coast ‘gangster rap’ in the early 1990’s by the likes of Snoop Dogg and Niggaz With Attitude (NWA). Misogynistic and violent lyrics came to the forefront along with a more funk influenced production labelled G-funk. The Wu-tang clan, a diverse group of eight producers and rappers from New York were massively influential on the East coast. Each member had their own unique style and flow different from anything heard before. The content of their songs, was vastly dependant on who’s song it was. The RZA for example would be known for speaking about philosophical and spiritual issues as opposed to Raekwon who pioneered the phrase ‘mafioso rap’ with his stories of crime and drug dealing. RZA, the groups main producer was a great influence in terms of Hip Hop production as he was known for his obscure use of kung fu samples and method of ‘chopping.’ His samples would range from the Jackson 5 to Japanese pipe music, leading him today to being a successful music composer in the world cinema, working with the likes of Quinton Tarentino.

After the death of the key figureheads of the East and Westcoast movment (Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G) in the 1990’s, gangster rap continued but with a mixed reception. Subject matter was growing old and sales of Hip Hop music was rapidly declining leaving many artists to lose their record deals or as underground heads would call it ‘selling out’ to the pop world. It was hard for many rap fans to make the transition from music talking about every day street life to that which talks about 50 Cent’s metaphorical ‘Candy Shop’ and ‘Getting Low’ but the masses embraced it and Hip Hop music (if it can now be strictly define by such a term) is now an everyday in clubs and on the radio. This has caused a backlash from artists who claim that such commercialised songs are against the ‘true’ values of Hip Hop as music for people to relate to. New York rapper Jadakiss released a track ‘Checkmate’ to smear rapper 50 Cents credentials by criticising his lyrics and subject matter by posing the question “you aint got shot again so what’s your second album about?” Controversy also arose in 2005 when rap trio Little Brother from North Carolina had their video for ‘Lovin it’ banned from BET (Black Entertainment Television) as their track was considered ‘too intelligent’ for the BET audience. The video itself was a satirical swipe at marketable rap. Debates have been continued as to whether Hip Hop has been dumbed down with songs by ‘self-conscious’ receiving little to no airplay. Such an issue has also taken root in the UK Hip Hop scene with many rappers claiming that the more marketable side of rap is full of lies that send out a negative message to its listeners. Altough the growth of the internet has caused the decline in record sales within the Hip Hop genre, due to piracy, it has also given a voice to new experimental artists to get their music heard.

“Here’s truth about life and the things I’m dealing with//Black folks saying that I’m too intelligent//And white folks saying I’m a little too niggerish//It got me in a strange predicament//I wish black embarrassment TV would choose more wisely….”

“Rappers like me don’t always break through// because we dedicate tunes to somethin’ you can relate to//”

The key issue i wanted to raise in this piece is the rapidly evolving state of Hip Hop as a whole and its struggle to really find what it wants to be. Hip Hop is in a constant battle to search for a meaning. Many believe it has already died. Nas, a rapper from Queens New York known for his poetic wordplay caused controversy by naming his 2006 album ‘Hip Hop is Dead.’ The question has to be raised as to whether Hip Hop has lost its charm as a revolutionary art of resistance by allowing itself to be sold for large six figure record deals. Whether the future for this genre is more hybrid rapper club anthems or the thoughtful self-conscious music of the past, only time will tell.

Ben Woodhead