The Influence of Rap

Sugar Hill Gang. Grandmaster Flash. Furious Five. Run DMC. It has been a while since we have heard music from these artists, however, without them and other various artists the evolution of hip hop and rap music may not have taken off. Jay-Z. Kanye West. Lil Wayne. Drake. Soulja Boy. Nicki Minaj. These are a few of the artists that flood the music industry today. Their catchy beats and hooks keep listeners interested in what they have coming out next. Big Pun. Yelawolf. Ab Soul. Schoolboy Q. Bettie Grind. Kendrick Lamar. Some of you may not have heard of some of these artists but they have an important part in the music industry as well. These artists are part of the category that is considered“Underground”. They are upcoming artists with their own style. Some will strive on to be a part of the mainstream group and some will not.

Hip hop music is relatively new compared to other genres of music, and rap music is even fresher. Since rap music emerged, it has taken off tremendously. Individuals found it different and intriguing that instead of singing to the track, they were “talking”. The purpose of the birth of rap music was to send an informative message.

Rap and hip-hop music as we know it today actually began thousands of years ago in Africa with the “griots”, who were village story tellers who played a simple handmade instrument while they told stories of family and village events. The griot was, and still is, a major form of communication in parts of Africa. This “talking” while music is playing is rap music in its most rudimentary form.

In addition to the griot tradition, rap is rooted in the pain of Black-American experience which began with slavery. While slaves were working in the fields, they would often sing. Part of the songs they sang were "call and answer" selections. One leader would call out part of the song and the rest of the slaves would answer with the next line.

When the slaves would attend religious services, this call and response trend continued and prevailed in churches even after slavery ended. Often, the minister would make the "call" and the congregation was responsible for the "response." This call and answer trend can be found in early rap music all the way up to current rap music. The DJ would call out "Can I get a Woo Woo?" and the response would of course come back as "Woo Woo" from the people listening. Now if this is a subconscious coincidence or if it was done on purpose, the answer is unsure, but I feel everything has a specific purpose or meaning behind it.

In 1978, a year in which the American musical did not seem to be evolving in any direction, in New York City, two deejays, DJ Hollywood and DJ Kool Herc, had had enough with the aging disco scene. They began pulling records from their parent’s house and started spinning short sections of them on turntables at local parties. Soon, they began using two turntables at the same time. Historians have come to coin them as the “founding fathers of rap.” In the summer of 1979, rap broke out with “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang. This was a fourteen minute rapping frenzy with “Good Times” sampled in the background. It marked the beginning of the rap music trend.

Another huge force in the early rap movement was Afrika Bambaataa and his Zulu Nation. Afrika was a deejay who would spin records at parks and parties. He incorporated an element of cultural awareness in his spinning that was new to the scene. Afrika was a former gang member who saw music as a way to bring ghetto youth together.

In 1982, Grandmaster Flash recorded "The Message," which was the first rap song to paint a realistic, dismal and graphic picture of life in the slums of America. Up until now, most rap music contained upbeat, perky and fun messages. This was a landmark recording which paved the way for social and political commentary in rap music which still continues on today.

Rap music received another major boost in 1986 with the music video “Walk this Way” which brought Run DMC and the rock band Aerosmith together in a major musical crossover event. Rock music fans saw this video and started opening themselves up to rap music which tapped into a whole new market. MTV continued to help rap music’s recognition in 1988 with the new MTV show “Yo! MTV Raps!” This show received the highest ratings in the history of MTV and started its own spin off weekly show with Dr. Dre and Ed Lover. As rap music received more and more exposure through music videos, its popularity continued to skyrocket.

Through the years, the faces and messages of rap music continued to evolve. Gangsta rap was born out of the east coast, west coast rivalry, which also led to tragedy. Sampling was a trend used by many rappers in the nineties which also spurred some copyright controversy. Since its inception, rap music remains a highly influential, popular and sometimes controversial form of music entertainment.

References

Rap music. (2006). Retrieved November 1, 2012 from http://www.uic.edu/orgs/kbc/hiphop/rap.htm

Withers, J. (2004). Rap attack. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from               http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/brokensilence/rapattack.html

eHow Contributor. ehow. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from               http://www.ehow.com/facts_5623342_influence-rap-music-society.html