Hip Hop Music: History and Culture [1 ed.] 1793543445, 9781793543448

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Hip Hop Music History and Culture First Edition

Written by Terence Elliott Diablo Valley College

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Contents Preface ................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: Defining I lip Hop ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2: Cultural Origins of Hip Hop ..................................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 3: The Foundation of the Hip Ilop Movement: Art & Dance ................................................................. 33 Chapter 4: Party Rap-Old

School DJs & MCs ........................................................................................................ 45

Chapter 5: Conscious Rap & The Fifth Element-Knowledge!

............................................................................. 57

Chapter 6: Commercialism in the Golden Era ........................................................................................................... 69 Chapter 7: West Coast/Cali and Gangsta Rap ........................................................................................................... 79 Chapter 8: New Southern Rap Styles: From the Dirty South .................................................................................. 91 Chapter 9: Alternative and Underground Hip Hop Styles .................................................................................... 101 I

Chapter 10: Where Do We Go from Here? The Social and Cultural Awakening of Hip Hop ......................109 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 121 References ..................................................................................................................................................................... 123

Preface Hip Hop Music: History and Culture

Any history of a music culture is decidedly limited by the moments an author has on this earth. The author can tell this story with both acumen and a well-intentioned purpose, but it is still limited by their lifetime of insights and craft. Professor Elliott pushes at these limits by offering up the notion that we are continually being informed by our ancestors. This very dynamic music we call hip hop is no less informed and touched by the many "angels" that'came before its arrival and first commercial presentations. Elliott chronicles the artifacts as not just the material things, geographical spaces and technological modalities used by hip hop artists in the music's evolution; he also asserts that the key artifacts are indeed the people themselves. Originally this music culture was expressed by poor Black and Brown youth striving "to be seen and heard." They were not bereft of agency like a musical object but filled with subjectivity and personhood. They literally embodied the music. He speaks of how the music could literally "save your life and give you a chance to explore areas outside of your hood"; geographical spaces and conditions that were designed to keep them "invisible." Elliott pays homage to many voices unheard or underappreciated, folks like Louis Jordan and Rudy Ray Moore, who themselves were also descendants of Djeli and the deep traditions of West African griots. While continuing in the tradition of Eileen Southern, Portia Maultsby and Samuel Floyd (pioneers of Black music history) Elliott aims to describe many of the peljormance practices of hip hop artists and integrates music fundamentals and terminology, mindful of the pedagogical goals of the textbook - to teach undergraduates and laypersons who are often not formally trained as musicians. He explains in a direct, yet accessible way, how ciphers or the circle formation is linked to African traditions, reminiscent of the aforementioned historians' treatment of the ring shout. Within this history we are reminded of the voice of "Scratch" Perry, inventor of the "upsetting" rhythms, the inventive use of samples and production techniques in the recording studio, beat boxing, stop time, and how some artists "ignored bar lines" - not unlike Charlie Parker and other great jazz improvisers. Elliott also reminds us of the importance of movement in African-derived musics as illustrated from dancing juba in the Congo, Haiti and Charleston to "top rockin" in Brooklyn, Oakland and Compton. He is forever mindful of being the educator, recognizing the impact of writing, as each chapter includes a section entitled The Write Frame of Mind, that helps underscore the historical and social contexts of the music while building vocabulary. The wellness of the anatomy of the human ear enables hearing. Elliott reminds us that hearing is not listening. The latter requires an "aesthetic mindset," a recognition of the varying levels of 'call and response' that are found in hip hop. It is a comprehensive music culture, that "must be recognized and studied as a musical form not just as a popular commercial cultural trend." In addition to providing a plethora of examples of hip hop's four core elements (graffiti, breakin', DJing, and MCing) he discusses at length, the culminating fifth element Preface

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"knowledge of self:' Once again, he pays homage to predecessors and innovators, such as Afrika Bambaataa, The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron, Queen Latifah and KRSOne - noting their transcendent discourse about hip hop, poetry and Nommo - the Degon philosophical idea that describes and projects the power of the spoken word. This textbook recognizes the development of hip hop as a commercial genre and its many sub-genres, including the stark dichotomies presented by "conscious rap" and "gangsta rap." These polarities might make one think these musics are fundamentally different. But they actually underscore Elliott's aim to present hip hop as an epistemology, or a way of knowing worthy of insertion into the general education curriculum of any liberal arts college. He discusses Grandmaster Flash's clock theory for example, as an interpretive tool of analysis. He draws clear connections between innovators, musical lineages, and regional influences within the U.S. and the African Diaspora. Most importantly, the pedagogy features group work that fosters a collective approach to learning, and a community of scholarship; not unlike the music itself, which is derived from a communal African aesthetic. The bridge between the aesthetic and the spiritual significanceor meaning of the music can be expressed in the author's st~tement, "If you are not able to add your own style to it or freestyle, then you are not doing hip hop." Similar to jazz and other African Diaspora musics, spiritual consciousness is cultivated as one shares one's gifts, however small, with the group, as "it creates a center of love and focus." It is within [a] community that hip hop has flourished. It is along this path that Professor Elliott has traversed in writing this book, guided by the ancestors (the angels), promoting the belief that "each one, teach one." It is this tradition of "the changing same" that permeates this writing, and hopefully this course of study. It is this idea that allows us to go beyond the limitation of moments. Mtafiti Imara, PhD. Professor of Music California State University San Marcos

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Introduction Hip hop is a music genre and more, becoming a robust global economy and a movement. It is the voice of the people and follows the line of African tradition in its performance techniques and social commentary. It is the third significant Black movement in the USA,to focus on art as the medium of expression to share and release the social and cultural injustices plagued on people of African descent for the last century, along with the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement. The four elements of hip hop that are most discussed are Graffiti, Breakin', DJing,and MCing, but the fifth and maybe most important is Knowledge! Graffiti has African origins, but out of all the elements in hip hop, it is the one that may not have always had a direct connection to rap or hip hop music as graffiti was also a part of the rock, punk, and heavy metal scenes. Although visual art and artists had played a significant role in the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement, most of the critical graffiti artists were non-Black males. However, there is evidence of graffiti during ancient Egyptian civilizations. Hieroglyphics, or symbol writing, was their formal writing style. The term graffiti derived from a Greek word "graphein" which translates in English as "scratching." Egyptians were known to honor their ancestors through these wall engravings or scratchings as forms of respect and remembrance. The term "graffiti" refers to short, anonymous, unauthorized drawing or writing on a blank surface, that can be seen by the public or in public spaces. B-boying or breakin' is the dance element (B represents break-dancers or "break boys") that would accompany or show up to all the DJ's parties, and dance on the instrumental or percussion breaks of the song. Where there is music, there is dance! In most public settings in Africa, music forms a physical response, as in a dance-moving your body in either coordinated or uncoordinated actions, through the feeling of the music. A common aspect of traditional African dance is centered and honors the earth. So many of the dance styles focused on the core: the pelvic and butt areas. Knees are bent, and there are many gestures to the ground. Some forms lie on the ground and spin around. The most important beats and tones are the lowest because the sound vibrates the room and puts emphasis on the "core'.' Africans also employed a form of tactical combat dancing called capoeira. Capoeira has been compared to breakdancing and b-boying because of its similarities in style, movement, and purpose. In many enslaved societies in America, the drum was outlawed. It was replaced with doing beats with hands, feet, and body, such as Hambone, a popular form of expression: children clapping and rhyming in song. An example is Miss Mary Mack. Tap dancing was also a key form during the 1920s-1950s, as it showcases Black tappers, who were able to speak with their feet, supply the rhythms or even replace the drummer with the feet beats. Most of these tap dancers were good trap drummers as well. Another note of interest is the connection of basketball to hip hop. The basketball bouncing off a gymnasium floor has a great acoustic low bass sound. In basketball, the ball handler uses the bounce of the ball in a syncopated rhythm to throw off his defender. Some say this is a dance of diversion between the offensive player with the ball and the defender trying to stop the opponent from scoring (or embarrassing him in front of others). Breakdancing also shows a strong relationship to capoeira. Eventually, b-boying was replaced with the video diva, which is usually a beautiful young lady with a "banging body" in a seductive dress (usually a bikini) to accentuate all her body assets. However, still one of the essential elements of hip hop music is how you dance or move to it. The beginnings of hip-hop were to get and keep the party going, which means getting everybody to have a good time on the dance floor. There was no

Introduction

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fighting, gangbanging, drug and alcohol use, or violence allowed in these early party scenes, led by the original of rap DJs-Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash. DJing (disc jockeying) is supplying the rhythm or beat aspects. The term relates to early radio personalities of Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll of the 1940s and 50s, who provided the discs, set the vinyl records on the turntable, and introduced the song to the listening audience. Their style was fresh and provocative, and most listeners were confused about whether the disc jockey was White or Black. A DJ was the most critical element in old school rap. He brought the music, which consisted of crates of albums, a PAsystem with massive size speakers, two turntables to keep the music constant, and a microphone to keep the crowd "lit;' hyped or engaged. In my travels to Africa, the gatekeeper of every village is usually a traditional drummer. He welcomes you through ancient rhythms that speak or correlate with the traditional languages of his village and is usually an elder that knows the customs and traditions. The proper response when you hear the drummer calling is to dance! The MC, master of ceremonies, was once an added flair to the hip hop party scene, while it was the DJ who was the essential element. However, the MC was soon crowned as the king of the hip hop world. The MC does share direct characteristics of the jeli and griot from West Africa, but they also follow other storytelling genres, such as the folklore traditions of the trickster, who was considered a clever person or animal able to manipulate others to get what he wants. This character has a long tradition in the Black storytelling community. Whether the link to the MC is chronicling history, toasting or honoring others, boasting (as in praising self), or signifying, the setting is most often in a public space (or cipher). A cipher, also spelled as cypher, is the shared space in hip hop in which people create and engage with each other. A cipher is a literal and most likely a circular area that participants create when they are dancing, rapping, or performing other engaging exchanges through hip hop. Understanding hip hop culture is a critical discourse of engaging and teaching in higher education. Many of today's college students, especially Black and Latinos, are active participants, who listen to rap music and are invested in its genealogies, study its relevancies, deconstruct its themes, and hold it as an acceptable source of knowledge parallel to college course curriculum. Knowledge, culture, and overstanding (human beings natural state of mind undisturbed by the ego), is the fifth element of hip hop. Afrika Bambaataa, one of hip hop's innovators, explained that the 5th element really is the core of what hip hop is all about-to unite and learn about your culture.

Hip Hop Movement It seems the commonality in each of the significant Arts Movements by African Americans-Harlem Renaissance, Black Arts, and Hip Hop Movement-is use of the three categories of art: visual, performing, and literary. However, the writers and poets have led all three movements. The poet, speaker, commendatory, preacher, comedian, actor, professor, and singer have always held high status in the Black community. This is probably due to the platform these personalities have to express their thoughts and feelings toward social justice and equality. There are many similarities between these Black art movements; however, there are some significant differences as well. Maybe they are best expressed by this analogy: During the Negro Movement (Harlem Renaissance), we as people of color knocked on the door asking can we come, although we still went naturally to the back door. During the next movement, we demanded a seat at the table, with our Afros and political 4

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---agendas. Finally, now we come tearing down the door, burning the place up and replacing it with something new. I interpret that the Harlem Renaissance was an attempt to impress White people with Black artistic and scholarly abilities, to show that they were just as good, as a form of assimilation (especially since lighter complexions were more acceptable over darker hues). During the BlackArts period, we understood more of our art direction and identity, but still had no true economic equality. The Hip Hop Movement is finally providing an economic mobility, a cultural identity, and a social platform to voice our critique and assessment of our reality. Unfortunately, everything has a price, especially when you make a deal with the devil.

Social and Cultural Justice The call to react to social injustices and institutionalized racism through the hip hop party scene might have not been universally accepted or practiced but were heard and understood. Hip hop's forty-year history has not just been a form of entertainment or having fun but also a movement of activism. America's major cities have large urban areas comprised mostly of African and Latino youth, which is largely the same demographics as hip hop. The current hip hop,generation has the means to combat these perennial American problems through lyrical expression, music production, art, dance, and education, but the bigger issue needs to be addressed by the rest of the population. More than half of all prisoners in the USA are Black and Latinos, despite the fact that they only make up about one-quarter of the population. Among inmates between the ages of 18 and 20, Black males were imprisoned more than nine times the rate of White males. And there is sadness, frustration, anger, and fear in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, whose deaths bring to mind the numerous other African Americans who have been unnecessarily killed at the hands of police officers, and the untold number of unjust deaths resulting from bigotry and racism. On top of this is the ongoing COVID-19pandemic experienced now in 2020. I truly believe music, and hip hop, in particular, is a source of healing, and a means for changing the world! It is important in these most challenging times, that our diverse communities cherish the values that distinguish us and celebrate the diversity of our cultural traditions. Music is indeed an integral part of one's culture, community, and of simply being human. Music can teach us so many things about ourselves, about others, and about life itself. Music has a deeply rooted social purpose. It is not for you alone but is meant to be shared with others. Whatever you have to say, music says it louder. Music, throughout history, has been a mouthpiece of society, an advocate for social change. Music forms community; it is used daily to bring people together. Music builds personal well-being and the well-being of our community. We must not lose this essential aspect of the human experience. Be a part of the experience, engage people with music, be engaged by music, share, understand, heal, and change the world! Studying hip-hop culture, whether in a classroom or online and reading an introductory text like this one or an academic culture critique, might encourage more hip-hop scholars. But my intentions are to increase those hip-hop fans into areas of policymaking, social action, city and state leadership and governance, education, and advocacy in order to come up with solutions for the inequality that continues to plague the American society and to bring new hope to a social and just system for all!

Introduction

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Chapter r: Defining Hip Hop

Opening Timeline 1960 - 1970 1963: Civil Rights March on Washington, DC; Pres John Kennedy is assassinated 1964 - 1973:Vietnam War 1965: The assassination of Malcolm X; Watts Riots, in Los Angeles, CA 1966: The Black Panther Party for Self Defense began in Oakland, CA 1968: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy assassinated 1970s - 1980s: Bronx was burning; NYCs verge of financial bankruptcy 1970: Synthesizer and the electric bass become prominent instruments in pop music 1970 - 1973: Soul music becomes dominant in pop music 1977:The electrical blackout (power outage) in NYC for two days

Chapter Introduction In this first chapter, you will observe and examine the development of hip hop as a music and cultural movement. There will also be content on key figures, places of origin, and social settings through link readings, videos, and song listening examples. You will observe how hip- hop music is not only a source of entertainment, but also a medium that analyzes and provides commentary on political and social empowerment, and the knowledge of cultural identity, all from unenfranchised urban youth.

LearningObjectives After completing this chapter, students should be able to: • Explain hip hop (music, origin, people, location, and reasons why it began). • Discuss how hip-hop culture infuses personal experiences of social culture. Chapter 1: Defining Hip Hop

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• Identify the five elements employed within hip hop. • Discuss the social, economic, and political conditions that gave birth to culture of hip hop.

Bllilding)our Vocab11la1y ~lusic \'ocabular\' Take time to become familiar with the following music terms that will be used in this and other chapters. • Genre - a category of artistic or musical composition characterized by style, form, or content (i.e., Hip Hop

as a music genre has developedmany styles and themes) • Rhythm - the beat, tempo, meter of the music

• Melody - the rap lead: now, style, delivery of the song • Harmony - the accompaniment; instrumentation; vocal chorus/hook • Tone/Timbre - vocal tone quality; unique instrumental sound • Form - organization/breakdown

of the song; length; verse, chorus, verse, hook

Hip Hop \'ocabular\' Take time to become familiar with the following terms from hip hop that will be used in this and other chapters • Graffiti - A drawing or inscription usually made on a public surface such as a wall, building, or subway car. Tagging or bombing your name or design • Breaking (breakin',b-boying or b-girling) - Hip-hop dancing on the break beat, solidified by hip-hop DJs • DJ - disc jockey; a turntablist; manipulating sounds with a turntable and mixer

• MC - emcee, rapper; the percussive lyricist of hip hop

• Turntablism - a musical art form developed by DJs; using the following tools as a musical instrument: turntable, stylus, mixer, cross-fader, vinyl records, and other equipment

Thr Write Fra111eof Mi11d

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Choose one of the questions below, and write 5-10 sentences in your class journal in response to it. Be prepared to share some of these thoughts in group discussions. How does hip hop influence your values on the way you perceive the world? •

What was one of the first songs that made you a fan of hip hop?

Search YouTube for "1977South Bronx, 'The Fire Next Door'.

The What: Defining the Music and Culture of Hip Hop Hip hop is a musical genre and a cultural art movement, focusing on the beats, speech, dance, and street art of inner-city youth to express their existence in turbulent times. Hip hop's most popular component is rap music, rhythm and poetry or spoken rhymes over rhythmic beats, initially to "rock the party." The growing popularity of community parties (house, parks, rec rooms) that recruited local DJs, who had their own sound equipment and collection of vinyl records, entices community youth to come hang out, dance, and have fun. Hip hop must be recognized and studied as a musical form not just as a popular commercial cultural trend. It should be included as a part of schools and colleges' music programs and departments, along with classical, jazz, and folk styles. The art element of hip hop may have been one of the earliest to embrace a hip hop philosophy. Graffiti or writing was the art style that helped organized youth from different sections of the neighborhoods to "brand" their name on subway cars and buildings to give them a sense of belonging and hope. The dance element, breakin' or b-boying (b-girling), gave these same youth a place to release their anger and frustrations without killing each other. The dancing style mocked fight dance kept their tough street-like image intact. Using music to socialize and romanticize has been a long tradition of indigenous people throughout the world and particularly for youth to engage in popular forms of culture. And where there is music there is dance. Dance seems to be the main response of the music that was played by the DJ. The evolution of hip hop music has developed from a long musical journey from Africa to America. Some key music forms and innovators to trace and understand the relation and connection are: blues, Robert Johnson, "At the Crossroads" (1920-30s); rhythm and blues, Louis Jordan, "Saturday Night Fish Fry" (1940-S0s); rock and roll, Richard Penniman (better known as Little Richard), "Tutti Frutti" (1950-60s); rock, Jimi Hendrix, "Purple Haze"; soul, James Brown, "I Don't Want Chapter I: Defining Hip Hop I 9

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Nobody to Give Me Nothing" and Aretha Franklin, "Respect" (1960-70s); funk, George Clinton, "P Funk"; and reggae, Bob Marley (1970-80s) "War." The last of the four elements of hip hop, rapping or MC, has become the most significant and essential to the success of the movement. To better understand hip hop, it is crucial to pay attention to the historical, political, and economic circumstances in which African American leaders have used their speaking skills and abilities to serve as a voice for those subjugated by systematic and racial oppression. In West Africa, stories are told of how people would settle their differences in the village by using the power of words to ridicule each other as everyone from the area circles the two opponents, and judges through their responses cheers and laughter who is the winner. To help appreciate and understand how to analyze the music, use appropriate terms and concepts (from list above) that are involved in most popular music forms such as: rhythm, melody, harmony, tone/timbre, and form. Rhythm is the most essential feature to most popular music styles. In hip hop, rhythm is used more than any other musical term. When discussing music, it is good to know how to use terms like rhythm and the elements it comprises. Rhythm has its early origin meaning "to flow."In rap music the MC is measured on how well their rap-lyrical flow moves the crowd. In this case, meaning how well their rhyme works with the beat and the context of the lyrics. The flow is basically the rhythms and rhymes of a hip-hop song. In music, rhythm is generally defined as the arrangement of time in space. Being that live music is a sound that is abstract and free, with nothing to hold on to, you have to feel the rhythm. The four main elements of rhythm are: beat (the pulse of the rhythm), tempo (the speed of the beat), meter (how the beats are organized or grouped), and measure (how music is notated in consistent groupings). The beat/rhythm of the popular music has been the key driving feature and key to identifying the music style. When analyzing a rap song, discuss the beat of the song and how it moves the listener, crowd, and/or especially the dancers. How strong or intense the beat is. Speak on how fast or slow the tempo of the beat. You can even track the beats per minute (BPM)of a song, to know the exact speed at which the tempo was recorded. The two main meters are duple and triple time. Either the beat is in two or three. A common triple meter rhythm is used in waltz. The count is 1 2 3, and the emphasis is on the first beat or on the one. The meter of most popular music is in quadruple time or 4/4 time, that stems from the duple meter. In clapping the beat in popular song formats, the emphasis is placed on the 2 and 4. 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, which is referred to as the backbeat. The backbeat is a common practice with African cultural roots and the use of the work-song. Africans use songs to chant and sing while accompanying the patterns of the work they are engaged in. This provides the ability to work together as a dance, completing the tasks at hand, but mainly focusing on the singing and the engagement with others in song and rhythm. The measure or bars is how the music is organized into music patterns. Most rappers write their tracks in sixteen bar phrases, with each bar having four beats. You count how fast the tempo is going to find the beat pattern. Melody, or the tune of the song, is usually the part you are able to hum back from your memory. Another key ingredient of popular music, the melody is m a succession of musical notes or pitches that express a musical though or idea. An interesting melody can be the key factor for a song's popularity. However, even melody has rhythm as a part of its basic structure. For melodies are not just pitches, they have notes that set the time in the musical thought. A song's hook is the catchy part of the melody, rhythm, or lyric, usually found in the chorus. In the case of hip-hop songs, the hook is the sing-a-long part between the rap verses. Lyrics can be another component of the melody. These are the words or vocal gestures that rappers or singers layer with the melody and beat of the song. In most instances, for a melody to be effective, it needs to be in-tune with the music pitches of the accompanying instruments, and in-rhythm with the beat of the song. Some music historians believe when rappers drop a sampled song's verses the melody is dropped. However, rappers are vocalists who

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perform like most singers, to be in sync with music pitches and beats. The term rhythm also relates to the cycles of life. When my rhythm or equilibrium is off, it can affect my balance and my speech. Harmony is a common term used throughout popular music forms, especially when addressing the song's chorus or chordal instrument accompaniment. Harmony has two main functions in popular music. The first definition of harmony is two or more sounds/notes played or sung at the same time, as if two people sang the same melody using different pitches at the same time. A song that has a single unaccompanied melody is described as monophonic, and homophonic describes a melody that has harmonic accompaniment. A polyphonic song has a harmonic structure with different melodies and rhythms together. The second common usage of harmony is the chord structure of a song. A chord can be played on a guitar or piano with three or more notes sounding at the same time. This term is also used in understanding how people working together are in accord, as the team is beginning to be in harmony and unified on our mission. For in hip hop, the harmony of the song can be measured or addressed in how the music samples or musical accompaniment blends. Tone is the sonority of a music composition. The four components of tone are: pitch, timbre, duration and dynamics. Pitch is how a sound is measured from high to low as the vibrations per second or frequency. Timbre is the unique quality of the tone of the vocalist or specific instrument. Sometimes referred to as the tone color. Duration is how long the tone sound lasts. And dynamics addresses the dimension of volume changes within a melody or section of song. ' Form is how the song structure is organized. Most popular song forms follow a common pattern or organization. Most employ the verse chorus verse format. The verse is the lyrical statement that tells the story's meaning or context. The chorus is used to make a connected melodic statement. This is why most composers have harmonic singing in the chorus sections with soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts blending together to create a unifying or harmonious sound. Most rap verses are based from four to sixteen measures and chorus are usually eight bars or measures long. Some song structures have a change or bridge in the music that serves as a music or lyrical release, a transitional passage that returns back to the original melody and rhythm of the song. The instrumental accompaniment to most popular music forms is a standard music rhythm section that consists of the drum set, bass, piano, and/or guitar. The drum set (or what some refer to as the trap set) consists of four separated parts traditionally used in marching band percussion section: the bass drum, tom tom, snare drum, and cymbals. Using a foot pedal connected to a mallet for the bass drum and the development of a hi-hat cymbal stand, enabled a drummer to play all four percussion instruments at once. The drum or trap set provides a steady, consistent beat throughout a song. {How to Identify Parts of a Drum Set} The role of the bass is to supply the bottom tones or the roots of the chord progressions, to work along with the drummer's bass drum using notes to build a rhythmic swing or groove sound. The acoustic bass used in jazz and blues provides a walking feeling as it is played on the quarter notes, which is generally on each beat in the measure. {Old School Percussive Funk Bass} The piano player's role as a part of the rhythm section provided harmonic and rhythmic support for popular music bands. The piano can be used as a single instrument that can play rhythm, melody, and harmonic lead and accompaniment. The piano is both a percussion and a melodic instrument. It is played by the fingers pushing down on keys that are connected to the hammer, which then strikes the string or harp board to produce a vibration and frequency for the pitches to be heard. The piano was the principle instrument used to supply the chords and harmonic voicings in early forms of popular music styles such as ragtime and blues .. From the 1960s through1980s, the piano was transformed into portable electric pianos and synthesizers using electronic sampling technologies that could replicate any instrument or natural sound. {Electric Piano Sounds} Chapter 1: Defining Hip Hop

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The most popular instrument in the history of popular music is the guitar. At the beginning of the 1900s the guitar played a minimal role in popular music in America, but with the invention of the electric guitar in the 1930s the guitar became the dominant sound in the solos or improvisations in popular music and for harmonic accompaniment. The guitar has its origins in West Africa, and enslaved immigrants from West Africa were familiar with its use and sound. Some say it was closer to the banjo or banjar instrument, which was duplicated on the slave plantations to entertain the slave master's family. The guitar has the ability to bend the strings, which is great in imitating the voice moaning and groaning-good for bluesy and soulful sounds. The key hip-hop instrument or device for sound and music is the turntable. Tumtablism is a style of making music developed by hip-hop DJs. The DJ transforms the turntable, stylus, mixer, cross-fader, vinyl records, and other tools into a musical instrument. The art of DJing has roots in Jamaica dubbing, where having large systems to play outside was popular. The club DJs truly laid the ground for hip-hop DJs and MCs success. These DJs included Grandmaster Flowers, the first grandmaster, from Brooklyn; King Charles from Queens, originally from Jamaica, who had a commanding sound system; and Pete Jones, from the Bronx, who was called a true professional. Pete Jones taught a lot of the up-and-coming hip-hop DJs like Herc and Flash how to use two turntables with the same record to keep the music longer for the dancers. (Appell & Hemphill 2005).

Please refer to your interactive e-book in Cognella Active Learning for video content.

Please refer to your interactive e-book in Cognella Active Learning for video content.

When: The Evolution of Hip Hop Hip hop began in the 1970s, but the evolution of hip hop can be traced back to early African cultural practices brought to the Americas by proud immigrant enslaved people from former West African kingdoms. Read Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali, told by the griot, Djeli Mamadou Kouyate (understanding the role of a griot, who was a storyteller, historian, and musician) about the great Mali Empire of the 13th Century. Read the first poem written by an African in America, Lucy Terry's, "Bar Fight", about an Indian raid she witnessed at the age of 22 years and wrote about in a similar rap cadence of rhyming poetic bars. August 'twas the twenty-fifth, Seventeen hundred forty-six; The Indians did in ambush lay, Some very valiant men to slay, 12

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The names of whom J'!lnot leave out. Samuel Allen like a hero fout, And though he was so brave and bold, His face no more shalt we behold Eteazer Hawks was killed outright, Before he had time to fight, Before he did the Indians see, Was shot and !titled immediately. Oliver Amsden he was slain, Which caused his friends much grief and pain. Simeon Amsden they found dead, Not many rods distant from his head. Adonijah Gillett we do hear Did lose his life which was so dear. John Sadler fled across the water, And thus escaped the dreadful slaughter. Eunice Allen see the Indians coming, And hopes to save herself by running, And had not her petticoats stopped her, The awful creatures had not catched her, Nor tommy hawked her on the head, And left her on the ground for dead. Young Samuel Allen, Oh lack-a-day! Was talten and carried to Canada. 1

Another great historical account and story about the African migration to the Americas is Alex Hailey's book, Roots, which gives details of how he traced his African lineage with the help of a griot/jail from the Gambia. Since the hip-hop history has its base in music and poetry/literature, it is also important to trace the connections of the Black comedians of the 1950-70s, like Pigment Markham-"Here Comes the Judge;' and Dolemite-"The Signifying Monkey," who used live bands/rhythm sections to accompany them in their live shows, with swing and funky grooves. Other influences include Black Arts Movement musicians and poets such as the Last Poets, "New York, New York" (1970),and Gil Scott Heron's, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (1971),who combined drums/music and poetry to create their song portfolios. Although all of these are important and significant historic aspects toward the evolution of hip hop, two stand out as the most important dates of hip-hop history. One is August 11, 1973, the night that Clive Campbell, a.k.a. DJ Kool Herc, gave his first reported appearance as a DJ for his sister Cindy's back-to-school-party held at the community center on 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. The other most significant and historic date in the history of hip hop is the release of Sugar Hill Records, "Rapper's Delight;• by the Sugarhill Gang, on September 16, 1979. More discussion will follow in the next chapters about Black comedians, Black Arts Movement musicians/poets, and the old-schooled DJs and MCs, such as Kool DJ Herc and the Sugarhill Gang.

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Where: Hip Hop's Point of Departure

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The evolution of hip hop is a long story and journey through time and space. However, the place of origin, agreed by most scholars and historians, is the South Bronx. But if you survey New Yorkers that were born in the mid-1950s, they will probably "rep", or give honor and respect, to their hood. Allfive Burroughs of New York City, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan (Harlem), Queens and Staten Island have strong cases to give credit that they were a part of the development of rap/hip hop. There are few exceptions, if any, to the idea that hip hop did begin in New York City, even though the first commercial recording of rap for the radio was done in New Jersey. New York City is the most populous city in the United States and in 2019 was reported to have 8.4 million people. It sits at the core of the world's major commercial, financial, and cultural centers. New York is one of the leading gateways for most immigrants to America. There are as many as 800 languages spoken in the city of New York, and about 36% of the population is foreign-born, which is one of the highest percentages in the country. Then why do most say hip hop began in the South Bronx? Unlike the rest of New York in the mid to late 1970s, the South Bronx was at a crux of destruction and chaos. And like Tupac Shakur claimed, a rose grows from the concrete of the streets that are exposed to the plight of pain and rejection with no hope of a brighter day. Before World War II (the 1940s) the Bronx was inhabited by Jews, Italians, Germans, and Irish. Jobs were plentiful, and the South Bronx was a very safe, comfortable, working-class neighborhood, and all White. After the war, there was restructuring with political policies and an outgrowth of work. The NYCauthorities decided to displace poor Manhattan families, mostly Puerto Ricans from the Upper West Side known as Spanish Harlem, to the South to the Bronx. In 1955, the city planner, Robert Moses supported the plan to open the Cross Bronx Expressway, which was completed in 1963. This cut through the core of the Bronx, and displaced residents who had lived there for generations. Those who could not afford to leave were primarily poor African Americans, West Indians, and Latinos, who remained in the southern neighborhoods of the Bronx. These changes caused landlords to sell their property or hire arsonists to burn buildings down. By 1970, the South Bronx was on fire and New York City was on the verge of bankruptcy and could not provide financial support to these suffering areas. During this time a loss of drums and housing inspired many to the life of gangs.

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Please refer to your interactive e-book in Cognella Active Learning for video content.

Who: The People in Hip Hop The DJs from the South Bronx focused their DJing skills on the break beat. Three formable giants are DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash-all from the South Bronx and all from families that immigrated from the West Indies/Caribbean. The key demographic for the starters of hip hop are poor inner-city youth that were considered Black in America. Most of the Black people from the Americas are from the western

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regions of Africa. Common among most Africans from the western regions are playing drums, singing, and dancing when gathering, celebrating, and honoring their dead or ancestors. Also common to West Africans is using music to accompany story tales, remember history, and honor leaders and events through time. Most participants of hip-hop culture were from the spread of African and Latino people from their homelands to the Americas. Social scientists defined this migration as the diaspora movement- relocating, breaking up, or scattering of a people afar from their original ancestral homelands. Caribbean migration to New York City was prevalent from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The largest numbers were of English-speaking Black people arriving from the West Indies islands of Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. There were also large numbers of Spanish speakers from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. French dialects also arrived from Haiti. The history of Americans of African descent is a very troubling and painful history of kidnapping, rape, bondage, and torment. New York City from the 1950s-70s was an escape target for people looking for a better way, but if you were of African or Latin ethnicity, you most likely lived in the poorest sections of New York that were plagued with crime, violence, and corruption. Gangs and gangbangers were common to these times. Gangs can be defined as loosely organized groups of people who collaborate for various social reasons having to do with survival. Gang membership in NYC provided these poor Black and Latino youth protection and status of respect and pride in their hood/barrios. In the Bronx, gangs were the majority of the youth who lived there. Gang culture was violent and dangerous, but it also empowered youth to develop means for progress and change. Some of the known gangs were the Ghetto Brothers, Savage Skulls, and the Black Spades, who were large in numbers and feared by most. Gang culture focused primarily on street respect and survival for most of the youth in the Bronx. Three of philosophical gang cultural traits are: reputation, respect, and retaliation. Reputation is crucial to the individual and the gang as a whole. Your reputation or "rep,"is a component of hiphop culture, especially in battle rap. 1

Respect here refers to respect for your gang and for who you represent as a member of that gang. Showing disrespect or to "dis" someone is to show disrespect for your rival gang members or known enemies. Retaliation is when you take revenge on others who have disrespected you, the gang, or any of its members. Fortunately, the development of the leadership for many of the gangs provided them with skills to stop destroying and begin building their communities. A key leader of one of the largest gangs, the Black Spades, was Afrika Bambaataa, who participated in the Gang Truce of 1971,as a representative of the Black Spades. He saw the need to make a change and develop a group similar to the ones he witnessed as a young teen in the neighborhoods while listening to the rhetoric of the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam. In 1974, he transformed the Black Spades gang into a social club and named it the Universal Zulu Nation, bringing together graffiti writers, break dancers, mobile DJs, and MCs or who they were later referred to as rappers became known as Hip Hop! Afrika Bambaataa is also credited with the fifth element of hip hop, knowledge of self. He realized early in his upbringing, watching the Black Panthers and FOi move around in his community, that he too wanted to form a club/organization that could serve the community for betterment. He believed transforming gang members into conscious revolutionaries, might be done at first without them knowing what was happening. He was also inspired after watching a movie in the theatre on Shaka Zulu that it was his destiny to lead his community. "Knowledge of Self' refers to the African-diasporic mix of spiritual, cultural, and political consciousness designed to empower oppressive groups. Compounding these five elements-graffiti, breakin', DJing, MCing, and knowledge of self-became the start of the hip-hop movement.

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Please refer to your interactive e-book in Cognella Active Learning for video content.

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WhyHip-Hop Music and Culture The importance and significance of the hip-hop movement includes rap music manifesting as one of the most prolific art forms in popular culture. The timing was a natural occurrence for poor Black and Brown youth to be seen and heard by showing style and swag. These youth wanted to make a change in how their communities were being destroyed and affected by drugs and gang abuse. This new culture, now called hip hop, provided these youth an opportunity to focus the energies on developing themselves for careers in the entertainment business, and to transform their marginal existence into meaningful, positive social and cultural experiences. Hip hop is a popular music genre that follows a long line of tradition for the African and African American communities. Hip hop elements of graffiti writers, break dancers, DJs, and MCs gave voice to all. It is known in the Black and/or African circles that when there is a party everyone dances and sings. Too many of the th educational institutions were limiting the playing of instruments in school, especially K through 12 grade, to the brighter and more disciplined students. In unique and rare conditions, poor Black and Brown students were afforded the opportunity to learn how to play instruments, which meant they either had to purchase their own instrument or put down collateral for the price of the instrument. Rapping, breaking, and graffiti writing gave the respect of being cool and a part of hip, new culture. If you had the physical abilities, then you were able to engage in one of these elements for your "tag and rep;' which in many instances could save your life and give you the chance to explore areas outside of your hood, being respected and accepted for your hip-hop skills. Rap and the Hip-Hop Movement is similar to Jazz and the Black Arts Movement, giving people, particularly the youth, their own space to create, see the world, and express back in their own way, whether it be for fun, protest, love, or peace. As the Zimbabwean proverb goes, "If you can talk, you can sing, if you can walk, you can dance:• Please continue to practice art in your life regularly-"bust a rhyme, or spit a verse," get on the floor and break and spin, work in the community to design a mural. Join a drum circle or community choir or take a Zumba dance class. Have fun, learn more about culture, and socialize in your community.

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LisreningGuide Focus on the percussive rhythms/beats, song format, and spoken rhyming lyrics.

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Song Selections: Please refer to your interactive e-book in Cognella Active Learning for audio content.

Video Selections: Please refer to your interactive e-book in Cognella Active Learning for video content.

Biographical, Sketch on Hip Hop Innovators Grandmaster Flowers Grandmaster Flowers (Jonathan Cameron Flowers) is considered to be the first Grandmaster DJ. He is from Brooklyn, New York. The "grandmaster" label was inspired by Black youth watching Bruce Lee and other martial art films played in most urban areas of the country. The "grandmaster" was the top and most respected title. Flowers was one of the earliest known DJs to mix records together in a sequence. He was one of the earliest DJ pioneers who influenced other DJ legends, such as Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. One of Grandmaster Flowers' most notable accomplishments was in 1969 when he opened up for James Brown in Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, by the late 1970s, Flowers was not able to keep in pace with the younger upand-coming DJs.. His life was plagued with hardships and drug addictions, and he died in 1992, homeless. Learn more about Grade Master flowers here.

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DJ Hollywood DJ Hollywood (Anthony Holloway) is probably one of the most underrated DJ legends to pioneer hip hop. He was considered more of a disco deejay, who worked in most of the major clubs and was a regular at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Holloway was one of the first people to rhyme over the microphone while he deejayed. Born in 1954, he was just a little older than Herc, Barn,and Flash. The main difference with DJ Hollywood was that as a disco deejay he drew the "dressed-up" club-going crowd while DJ Herc drew the Fig. 1.1

"dressed-down" b-boying crowd.

Rap it Up - The Chapter Summary: Hip hop music and culture today are inclusive of diverse ethnic and economic groups. However, it is important to know and understand the function rap served originally. In clarifying and defining the rap styles, themes, and music forms, it is also essential to learn about the people, their struggles, and the cultural identity of the history of African Americans from West Africa- their enslavement, struggles against a racist south after emancipation, the continual battles of economic depression, and the fight to reclaim their cultural identity. The next chapter will trace the origins of hip hop from West Africa, to the music styles of the blues, rhythm and blues, rock, soul, and funk, to the early hip- hop elements-graffiti and breakin'.

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