Social and Historical Context 1980s Rap & Hip Hop Social and Historical Context

What we’ll be looking at today Picking up where Funk & Reggae leave off The origins of the “DJ” and the “MC” Putting Rap /Hip Hop in Context Elements of Hip Hop The development of Hip Hop The Playlist

Funk & reggae Influences on early Rap The Funk Jamaican Reggae Emphasizes repeating patterns or “grooves” with out fixed chord progressions Singer can improvise w/o sticking to verse/chorus structure George Clinton established a celebration of Afro-American music based on free musical speech This is the first brick in the development of Hip Hop The Rudeboyz of Kingston need to show off “gang identity” establishes the eventual “attitude” of the Hip Hop movement Rudeboyz expressed themselves with portable sound systems Rudeboy gangs mix fast-paced rhythmic singing with prerecorded background music, to reinforce messages of gang identity

What People Think is the first “Rap group” Rapper’s Delight was released in 1979 by a group called The Sugarhill Gang Rapper’s Delight-Sugarhill Gang It does incorporate a “rapper” speaking over Disco music It was a big hit in sales and popular in the clubs However, this group is not considered to be the pioneer due to the nature of their start. They were a group put together by a label-NOT OG The real innovator of Hip Hop started somewhere very different

The DJ A modern example: Mix Master Mike DJ Sampling Momma Said Knock You Out Dr. Dre The Chronic Funk Samples The Origins of the “DJ” The first real Dj: DJ Kool Herc- born Clive Campbell Jamaican-American community of the Bronx Inherited his parent’s taste for Reggae sounds of Kingston Created a strong sense of community in poor black neighborhoods by throwing “Block Parties” and dances Originated “Break Beat Djing” Kool DJ Herc

The “MC” A modern example: Tribe Called Quest Hip Hop MC = a musician speaking rhythmically, usually about who I am / who we are / how we got here / why you listen to us Afrika Bambaataa- Born Kevin Donovan- prominent leader of a street gang in South Bronx in 70s Discovered the Zulu tribe on a trip to Africa in the 70s-discovered the richness and depth of African Diaspora Established the “Zulu Nation” in NYC to bring more positive forces into the poor black neighborhoods of NYC Afrika Bambaatta

The five Elements of Hip Hop Culture Graffiti Art B Boy Break Dancing The DJ: a musician using turntables to juggle beats and breaks from pre-recorded music The MC: rappers, mixing an amplified voice with dance music. Spokespersons for collectivist gangs. Graphers / Hip-hop artists: visual expressions of group (or gang) identity, reclaiming(and territorializing) the ghetto B-Boying/Breakdancing: highly athletic representational dance style; jazz-influenced "ensemble/solo" dichotomy KNOWLEDGE: Grand Master Flash coined this "the 5th Element" of hip-hop, without which the other four are meaningless

Cultural Significance of rap “Rap music is one of the main sources within popular culture of a sustained and in-depth examination and analysis of the spatial partitioning of race and the diverse experiences of being young and black in America.”

While at the same time cutting spending on public programs Hip Hip in Context 1970s and 80s Deregulation Government is removing restrictions on companies-expands business profits While at the same time cutting spending on public programs “White Flight” from urban cities to suburbs left those neighborhoods without structures, investments, and much promise The South Bronx Some Data to demonstrate the gravity of circumstances: Lost 600,000 manufacturing jobs-40% of manufacturing sector by the mid-1970s average per capita income was $2,430 Youth unemployment was 60% The South Bronx lost 43,000 housing units in under a decade (four square blocks a week) 1973-1977: 30,000 fires were set in the South Bronx One day in June of 1975, 40 fires were set in a three hour period

The Response to the South Bronx Context The government’s role in inner cities left a gaping hole in the communities Young men unemployed, turn to drug use and drug sales Loss of hope and faith Need to re-invent identity and re-gain power within the urban centers In walks in the DJ and the MC as the voice of the people

The grand-fathers of Hip Hop Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five The Message RUN DMC It's Like That

Def Jam records Rick Ruben co-founded a record label called Def Jams Records out of his dorm room at NYU- along with Russell Simmons They wanted to expand this new art form known as Rap One of their 1st signings: Beastie Boys –Paul Revere What really opened up “rap” to mainstream audiences was the new MTV network The Beasties made an impression on white America with their music videos: Fight For Your Right to Party Success Continued with another ground breaking signing- Mr. LL Cool J LL Cool J – Rock The Bells

Hip Hop Goes Mainstream The Beastie Boys- Three Jewish boys from Brooklyn- who played punk and metal music MCA, AD ROCK & MIKE D Cross race lines in this heavily Black genre of music Left a major impact on modern hip hop Rock N Roll Hall of Fame RUN DMC- From Queens NY RUN, DMC, & Jam Master Jay Had the rhymes, the dance, the beats, and the look First group to also cross genres of music- Rap & Rock Walk This Way

Hip Hop Goes Political Public Enemy- Rap Group led by Chuck D and Flava Flav- Took a much more militant approach to the music- sending an Anti Racist tone and Black Nationalist message to audiences Fight the Power Also meshed two genres of music that creates a brand new Genre 10 yrs later- Rap and Metal Anthrax-Bring the Noise Start of Nu Metal Limp Bizkit The West Coast NWA- Rap group from Compton, CA featuring- Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella Compton was under the same circumstances as NYC and developed a new kind of Rap called “Gangsta Rap” "Straight Outta Compton“ Enough is Enough- Gansta Rap Documentary

The response to the violent nature Hip Hop In the late 1980s, a collective of rappers and groups led by KRS ONE and several prominent MCs released a track condemning the glorification of drugs, violence, gangs, and female misogyny "Self Destruction“ Rap found it’s Female Voice Women in rap were few and far between- several women did try to break the gender gap in rap- the voice of that break was- Queen Latifah "UNITY"