James M Fisher
COM302
Horrowitz
General Purpose:
To Inform
Specific Purpose:
To Inform my audience of rap music in African American culture.
Central Idea:
Although rap music in African American culture originated over a
millennium ago, it wasn’t until just 30 years ago it started to be
understood and appreciated.
I.
Introduction
When you think of rap music in African American culture you typically think of the term
“hip hop” although I too fell victim of this, it is indeed wrong. Rap is one of a few
subcultures of hip hop. I will discuss each subculture of hip hop, explain the origin of
rap, and display multiple examples of classic as well as modern day rappers.
II.
Orienting Material
I would like to talk to you today about how rap music in African American culture came
to be and provide multiple examples of what is currently and what is used to be. I
would like to look at the specific reasons as of how exactly rap was originated and
what it ultimately means.
Credibility
I am credible to talk about this topic because I have personally been a fan of rap music
since I was just a little boy around 8 to 9 years old. It is my favorite music genre, style
and way of life. The only stations I listen to on the radio are ones that play hip hop
music.
Transition: Let me begin with some general information regarding the differences between the
terms “hip hop” and “rap”.
Body
I.
Hip hop vs. Rap in African American culture.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Rap we do, hip-hop we live.
Rap is a subculture of hip hop.
Rap is a mix of poetry or poetic lyric, beats, and their rhyming.
Hip hop is soulful singing.
Hip hop has multiple lifestyles and subcultures, the main one are:
o Graffiti Art
o Break Dancing
o Djing (Disk Jockey)
o Beat boxing
o Rap
a. Graffiti for self-promotion, marking territorial boundaries and
intimidation.
b. Break dancing was a style of dancing that grew up around rap music
during raps early stages of development in the United States.
c. Hip hop disc jockeys select and play music using multiple turntables,
often to back up one or more MCs, and they may also do turntable
scratching to create percussive sounds.
d. Beat boxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of
producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's
mouth, lips, tongue, and voice
e. Poetic & rhythmic vocal expression of feelings.
Transition: How Rap music in African American culture originated was very historic.
A.
West African singers/storytellers known as Griots (Academic Journal:
The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States)
B.
Most recently, rap music came from the Caribbean Islands.
C.
Establish in Bronx, New York.
a. Expressway through the Bronx
b. Apartment complex 15,400 units
c. Gangs, “Savage Seven”
D.
Compton use was huge, led to extreme gang activity.
Transition: Hip hop unveiled rap to be more socially accepted at first, then as 10-15 years went
by it begin to show its “true colors” commercially.
A. Originally, bands like the Sugar Hill Gang and Grandmaster Flash were shunned by
the “real hip hop” & rap community; they felt their rap music was so died down and
meaningless just to please the white audiences. Their music wasn’t “real enough”.
(Songs like: Rapper’s Delight and The Message) (Newspaper Article: Rap Industry
Newspaper)
B. Buttered up rap that pleased the white community. DJs nation-wide were
threatened at gun point to stop playing these songs by these particular individuals
who felt so strongly about the matter.
C. It wasn’t until the mid-90s when rap started to be more about what it originated as…
the “street life” holding nothing back within the lyrics.
Transition: Due to the Griots back a thousand years ago African Americans were able to
establish the main focus/concept of rapping, the true origin of rap. (Book: Can’t Stop,
Won’t Stop Generation)
I.
Griots
F.
G.
H.
I.
Griots are masters of words and music
Been around for a millennium
Female griots are known as griottes
Preserving history through a vast repertoire of richly detailed chronicles set to
music.
J. The griot was a story-teller, poet, historian, philosopher, genealogist, and the
archive of his or her people's traditions.
II.
Purpose of Rap.
A.
B.
C.
Tell a story poetically and rhythmically
The basic purpose was to serve as dance music from Jamaica, toasting (yelling
out “move it! Shake it! During song).
(Internet Article: History of Rap Music)
Transition: Let’s move on to what classic African American has evolved into. Modern rap.
III.
Same concept, different goals.
A.
Rap music among the African American culture still heavily revolves around the
“ghetto life” or living in the streets or “hood”.
Having gone to prison is a selling point for a modern day rapper. Shows that you
are in fact “hard” and it helps make the things they rap about more credible.
Different pieces of equipment and the advancement of technology has allowed
us to make rap have a whole new sound.
a. More computer animated sounds
b. Heavier bass
c. Better sound quality
B.
C.
Transition: What is this rap culture? Why is it so important?
IV.
When rap initiated back in the late 70s early 80s rap was considered just a phase that
was going to pass quickly. During the 90s the same mentality was apparent; it wasn’t until the
2000s until we as a majority here in America felt rap music was here to stay. (Magazine Article:
XXL Mag – Rap Nation)
A.
A.
Growing popularity world-wide
Way of life, in most cases rap songs are about something that an African
American had to struggle through.
a.
Gang life
a.
Loss of a family member
b.
Racism
c.
Drugs and alcohol
Conclusion
I.
Summary Statement: In summary, the origin of rap dates back much further
than most anticipate, there is so much that is involved with rap. The difference
between hip hop and rap is vital simply because rap is merely a part of what hip
hop is entirely. The African American culture fought for their music to hit the
market. Through years of being shut down, they finally got a chance to make to
vocalize their thoughts into a type of music that is specific to them, close to
home.
II.
Reinforce central idea statement: as we can all see, the popularity of rap music
in America is rising substantially over the past couple decades. The once poorly
thought of music is now one of the largest booming sensations nation-wide.
III.
Clincher: African Americans have always been in touch with their roots, to bring
a type of music that originated with their ancestors over a thousand years ago is
absolutely amazing. Rappers around the world turned a “fad, that will soon
pass” into the best selling kind of music today.
Bibliography:
From the Blocks to the Bedroom. (2011, April 05). Rap Industries. Retrieved from
http://www.rapindustry.com/ (Newspaper)
Chang, J. (2005). Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hisotry of the Hip Hop Generation. Picador; Reprint
edition (December 27, 2005. (Book)
Rap Music: Black History. (2011, September 18). XXL: Hip Hop on a Higher Level, Retrieved from
http://www.xxlmag.com/ (Magazine)
Rhodes, H. A. (2004). The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States. Yale-New Haven
Teachers Institute, 93(04), Retrieved from http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units
(Academic Journal)
Gupta, S. (2011, October 02). History of rap music. Retrieved from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-of-rap-music.html (Internet Article)