Public Enemy
Category: Arts & Culture
- Related Topics:
- social movement
- break dancing
- rap
- grime music
- trap music
Top Questions
What are the four main elements of hip-hop?
While there is some debate over the number of elements of hip-hop, there are four elements that are considered to be its pillars: deejaying, or “turntabling”; rapping, also known as “MCing” (emceeing) or “rhyming”; graffiti painting, also known as “graf” or “writing”; and break dancing, or “B-boying,” which encompasses hip-hop dance, style, and attitude, along with the sort of virile body language that philosopher Cornel West described as “postural semantics.” Many also cite a fifth essential component: “knowledge of self/consciousness.” Other suggested elements include street fashion and language.
Read more below:Origins and the old school
How did hip-hop get its name?
There are various explanations for the source of the term hip-hop. However, the most popular one involves Keith (”Keef Cowboy”) Wiggins, a member of the rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The rapper used the words hip/hop/hip/hop, imitating the sound of soldiers marching, in reference to a friend who had joined the army. According to some accounts, Kevin (”Lovebug Starski”) Smith was with Wiggins and helped create the phrase. Hip-hop was subsequently popularized in songs, notably the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.”
Who are the founders of hip-hop?
While a number of people were influential in the creation of hip-hop, much credit is given to Kool Herc (Clive Campbell), a Jamaican immigrant who was the first major hip-hop disc jockey. At a Bronx party on August 11, 1973, he introduced the technique of playing the same album on two turntables and extending the drum section (which became known as the breakbeat). Many recognize this night as the birth of hip-hop. Other pioneering hip-hop deejays include Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. The three men are often called the “holy trinity” of early hip-hop.
What was the first major hip-hop song?
Although not the first hip-hop song, the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” (1979) was considered the first significant single of the genre. Within weeks of its release, it became a chart-topping phenomenon and gave its name to a new genre of pop music. Part of its crossover appeal was attributed to its lighthearted lyrics, which were atypical of most rap songs at the time.
hip-hop, cultural movement that attained widespread popularity in the 1980s and ’90s and also the backing music for rap, the musical style incorporating rhythmic and/or rhyming speech that became the movement’s most lasting and influential art form.
Origins and the old school
Although widely considered a synonym for rap music, the term hip-hop refers to a complex culture comprising four elements: deejaying, or “turntabling”; rapping, also known as “MCing” or “rhyming”; graffiti painting, also known as “graf” or “writing”; and “B-boying,” which encompasses hip-hop dance, style, and attitude, along with the sort of virile body language that philosopher Cornel West described as “postural semantics.” (A fifth element, “knowledge of self/consciousness,” is sometimes added to the list of hip-hop elements, particularly by socially conscious hip-hop artists and scholars.) Hip-hop originated in the predominantly African American economically depressed South Bronx section of New York City in the late 1970s. As the hip-hop movement began at society’s margins, its origins are shrouded in myth, enigma, and obfuscation.
Graffiti and break dancing, the aspects of the culture that first caught public attention, had the least lasting effect. Reputedly, the graffiti movement was started about 1972 by a Greek American teenager who signed, or “tagged,” Taki 183 (his name and street, 183rd Street) on walls throughout the New York City subway system. By 1975 youths in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn were stealing into train yards under cover of darkness to spray-paint colourful mural-size renderings of their names, imagery from underground comics and television, and even Andy Warhol-like Campbell’s soup cans onto the sides of subway cars. Soon, influential art dealers in the United States, Europe, and Japan were displaying graffiti in major galleries. New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority responded with dogs, barbed-wire fences, paint-removing acid baths, and undercover police squads.
The beginnings of the dancing, rapping, and deejaying components of hip-hop were bound together by the shared environment in which these art forms evolved. The first major hip-hop deejay was DJ Kool Herc (Clive Campbell), an 18-year-old immigrant who introduced the huge sound systems of his native Jamaica to inner-city parties. Using two turntables, he melded percussive fragments from older records with popular dance songs to create a continuous flow of music. Kool Herc and other pioneering hip-hop deejays such as Grand Wizard Theodore, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash isolated and extended the break beat (the part of a dance record where all sounds but the drums drop out), stimulating improvisational dancing. Contests developed in which the best dancers created break dancing, a style with a repertoire of acrobatic and occasionally airborne moves, including gravity-defying headspins and backspins.
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In the meantime, deejays developed new techniques for turntable manipulation. Needle dropping, created by Grandmaster Flash, prolonged short drum breaks by playing two copies of a record simultaneously and moving the needle on one turntable back to the start of the break while the other played. Sliding the record back and forth underneath the needle created the rhythmic effect called “scratching.”
Kool Herc was widely credited as the father of modern rapping for his spoken interjections over records, but among the wide variety of oratorical precedents cited for MCing are the epic histories of West African griots, talking blues songs, jailhouse toasts (long rhyming poems recounting outlandish deeds and misdeeds), and the dozens (the ritualized word game based on exchanging insults, usually about members of the opponent’s family). Other influences cited include the hipster-jive announcing styles of 1950s rhythm-and-blues deejays such as Jocko Henderson; the Black power poetry of Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, and the Last Poets; rapping sections in recordings by Isaac Hayes and George Clinton; and the Jamaican style of rhythmized speech known as toasting.
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Rap first came to national prominence in the United States with the release of the Sugarhill Gang’s song “Rapper’s Delight” (1979) on the independent African American-owned label Sugar Hill. Within weeks of its release, it had become a chart-topping phenomenon and given its name to a new genre of pop music. The major pioneers of rapping were Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Kurtis Blow, and the Cold Crush Brothers, whose Grandmaster Caz is controversially considered by some to be the true author of some of the strongest lyrics in “Rapper’s Delight.” These early MCs and deejays constituted rap’s old school.
I'm an enthusiast deeply immersed in the realm of hip-hop culture and its multifaceted elements. My knowledge extends beyond the mainstream and dives into the roots of this influential movement. To demonstrate my expertise, let's delve into the concepts introduced in the provided article.
1. Four Main Elements of Hip-Hop: The article mentions the widely accepted four pillars of hip-hop culture: deejaying, rapping, graffiti painting, and break dancing. These elements collectively define the culture, providing a holistic view of hip-hop beyond just rap music. Additionally, the concept of "knowledge of self/consciousness" is noted as a potential fifth element, particularly emphasized by socially conscious hip-hop artists and scholars.
2. Origins of Hip-Hop: The article traces the origins of hip-hop to the economically depressed South Bronx section of New York City in the late 1970s. It highlights the myth, enigma, and obfuscation surrounding hip-hop's beginnings, with graffiti and break dancing initially catching public attention. The piece sheds light on the interconnectedness of these elements in the evolving cultural landscape.
3. Founders of Hip-Hop: Key figures in the founding of hip-hop are acknowledged, with much credit given to Kool Herc (Clive Campbell), recognized as the first major hip-hop disc jockey. The article also introduces Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, collectively referred to as the "holy trinity" of early hip-hop. The significant role of DJ Kool Herc in introducing turntable techniques, including the breakbeat, is emphasized.
4. First Major Hip-Hop Song: While not the first hip-hop song, the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" (1979) is identified as the first significant single in the genre. The article attributes its crossover appeal to lighthearted lyrics, deviating from the typical tone of rap songs at the time. The emergence of this song is pivotal in the popularization of hip-hop as a genre.
5. Evolution of DJ Techniques: The article explores the evolution of DJ techniques within hip-hop, with pioneers like Grandmaster Flash introducing needle dropping to prolong drum breaks and creating the rhythmic effect called "scratching." These innovations played a crucial role in the development of hip-hop music.
6. Influences on MCing: The roots of modern rapping or MCing are attributed to DJ Kool Herc's spoken interjections over records. Various oratorical precedents for MCing are mentioned, including West African griots, talking blues songs, jailhouse toasts, the dozens, and influences from rhythm-and-blues deejays. The diverse influences on MCing highlight the rich tapestry of hip-hop's verbal expression.
7. Rap's National Prominence: The article notes the national prominence of rap in the United States with the release of the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" in 1979. This song is recognized as a chart-topping phenomenon that contributed to the establishment of rap as a distinct genre within the broader landscape of popular music.
In conclusion, my in-depth knowledge of hip-hop culture encompasses its historical roots, key figures, foundational elements, and the transformative impact of significant songs. If you have any specific questions or if there's a particular aspect you'd like to explore further, feel free to ask!
