Hip-Hop

Rap Music

Rap music first developed in the mid-1970s in the South Bronx section of New York City. Its lyrics are spoken rhythmically, and it employs rhyming along with a hard-driving beat. Rap lyrics are most often associated with political or social protest, and in this respect, rap borrows greatly from reggae, a popular music of Jamaican origin that combined African traditions with a strong sense of Black Nationalism.

Just as there are many types of rock ‘n’ roll, there are also many kinds of rap. One especially influential type is “gangsta” rap, which has been criticized for glorifying the street gang culture of violence, crime, and drugs. In fact, numerous rap artists have been killed as a result of gang violence. Rap has also been criticized for its use of foul language and its degrading references toward women. On the other hand, some rap lyrics are uplifting. In fact, many churches are now incorporating rap music into their musical programs as a way of reaching young people.

Disc Jockeys

Rappers are accompanied by DJs (disc jockeys), who use the record turntable as an instrument. Disc jockeys Kool Herc and DJ Hollywood are each credited with introducing to the South Bronx the Jamaican style of cutting and mixing music. Herc is believed to have been the first DJ to mix two identical records back and forth on two turntables to achieve a “break.” As he spun the tables, he would simultaneously shout short improvised phrases over a microphone at the dancers, such as “Work it! Work it!” Guests recorded his popular parties on cassettes, which made their way throughout the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.

Before long, other DJ acts began appearing. One such DJ, Africa Bambaataa, became the first important Black Muslim in rap. Bambaataa and Herc regularly engaged in sound system battles at city parks and local clubs. In these competitions, Bambaataa sometimes mixed rock music or dialogue from television programs into Herc's disco or funk music to produce new sounds.

In 1976, another DJ, Grandmaster Flash, introduced the technique of “quick mixing,” which employed sound bites as short as one to two seconds. Soon afterward, Flash's partner, Grandmaster MelleMel, is said to have composed the first nonimprovised extended rhymed rap. Within two years, another DJ, Grand Wizard Theodore, introduced the technique of “scratching” a record to produce rhythmic sounds, a technique that became most identified with rap.

...