Hip Hop News is a genre of music that has been controversial since its early days. It has retained a connection to poor Black neighbourhoods in the US and other nations worldwide.
Hip Hop has become the voice of the people in ghettos. It is used to express their frustrations with the ill treatment they receive.
Rap/Hip-Hop
The term “hip-hop” is often conflated with rap music. While the iTunes store mashes the two terms into one convenient label for urban listening, there is a difference between the two. Hip-hop culture is a broader concept than rapping and, as such, it encompasses much more. It includes DJing, breakdancing, fashion, slang, and graffiti culture. It also contains a social theme that usually touches on controversial subjects.
It is believed that Hip Hop originated in the Bronx borough of New York City during the early 1970s. It was born as an artistic response to the economic and social conditions that affected minorities, mainly African Americans and Latinos.
While the precise origin of the word is not known, the movement evolved from a dance party scene into a larger socio-cultural phenomenon. It soon attracted other arts and artists like painters, writers, and poets who shared the cultural values of its participants. The work-with-what-you-have ethos of the hip-hop generation was at the heart of this new form of art, which quickly became a lifestyle.
As hip-hop became more popular, it moved beyond the club scene and into the mainstream and influenced many other genres of music such as rock, pop, and R&B. It also created a hugely successful entertainment industry. It has become a worldwide movement and is recognizable in music, dance, fashion, art, slang, and graffiti.
Rappers, or MCs, are the voice of the hip-hop culture. They create personas that may be super-smooth or gangland tough. They create the beats for a song and often talk about their past experiences or current events. They can be critical of the establishment and political leaders, but they must maintain a certain code of conduct that includes respect for other MCs and their audience.
MCs are also responsible for the promotion of their songs and they will often make appearances at clubs or other venues where they can meet with fans and fellow performers. They will sometimes host their own shows or concerts, where they perform their music. They will also perform with other artists in a live performance and will often participate in community activities.
History
The young Bambaataa listened closely to the tactics and strategies of legendary historical leaders, from Napoleon to South African chieftain Shaka Zulu. He realized that knowledge was a way to clear barriers that divided people, whatever their backgrounds. He and his crew developed the Universal Zulu Nation, a group committed to Hip Hop values of community, peace, wisdom, freedom, love, unity, and fun. They also wrote Infinity Lessons, principles and codes of conduct for living a Hip Hop life.
Rap and hip-hop developed in the 1970s when DJs in New York began mixing rhythm and blues and other genres of music with drum machines, synthesizers and samples from old funk and disco records. Today, hip-hop is one of the most popular and important musical genres in the world.
Subgenres
Hip hop is one of the most popular and influential genres of music in modern times. It combines four main pillars: DJing, rapping (also known as MCing), breakdancing, and graffiti. The genre has spawned many subgenres throughout its long history, each with its own unique sound and message.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that hip hop went mainstream. By this time, acts like Run-D.M.C and the Def Jam roster were a household name, and the genre was becoming more diverse. This included the incorporation of new drum kits such as the 808 drum machine; more complex sampling techniques; metaphorical rap lyrics; and broad collaboration with other genres like electro music.
This era also spawned conscious hip hop, which began in tandem with boom-bap and was driven by events like the 1992 LA riots. Groups like A Tribe Called Quest saw the injustice of police brutality toward their fellow citizens and spoke out against it through their music. This started a tradition of speaking truth to power in hip hop that continues today.
Alternative hip hop grew out of the ’90s, with artists such as Outkast, Mos Def, and Kanye West incorporating heavier influences from genres like punk and jazz into their work. This gave hip hop a more experimental sound that would be embraced by the youth of the time.
The 2000s also saw the rise of trap music, which combines elements from other genres like pop and R&B with a heavy hip hop production style. The result is an intense and hard-hitting sound that’s both catchy and infectious.
More recently, emo rap has become a major player in the scene. This subgenre draws inspiration from the tortured lyricism of Kurt Cobain, wistful melodies of midwest emo and screamo, and the auto-laden production styles of neo-R&B artists such as T-Pain. Emo rap is also marked by its flamboyant style, with artists wearing grungy clothing and performing in dark clubs. Finally, grime is a hip-hop subgenre that’s emerging in the UK. It fuses hip-hop production with electronic influences from the country’s healthy dance music scene, including bubbly synths and freaky pads.
Artists
Hip hop has become the most popular music genre in America, and many new artists are emerging. Some are challenging the stereotypes of the male-dominated genre, while others are building on its legacy and expanding hip hop into new areas.
One example is Blanco, a queer artist who uses her voice to speak about sexuality and racism. She says that she has had to fight prejudice throughout her career, including backstage incidents where other rappers have thrown homophobic insults at her.
Another emerging artist is CEO Trayle, who fuses multiple influences to create a unique sound. He has spent time in the Bronx, Alabama, and Chicago and shows a range of emotions on his moody productions. He is part of a group of boundary-pushing artists, such as Lil Nas X and Cakes Da Killa (main image), who are pushing hip hop into new territory. These artists reflect hip hop’s post-regionalism, and they are influenced by the sounds of different cultures.