MÁRIA IŠTVÁNOVÁ
BANSKÁ BYSTRICA 2008

2.1 Rap
2.1.1 Rhyme style
2.1.2 Flow
2.1.3 Freestyle and battle rap
2.2 Dj-ing
2.2.1 Equipment
2.3 Breakdance
2.3.1 Styles
2.3.2 Battle and crew
2.4 Graffiti art
2.4.1 Styles
2.5 Beatbox
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Hip hop culture started to develop many years ago and I would like to introduce you the formation of it. The reason why I decided to make this project about hip hop culture is simple – I consider this culture as one of the most interesting and nowadays the most popular over the world.
Many people think hip hop has not long history but it is not true. People, who really like listening to hip hop music for more years know the development of music and whole community. I think hardly anybody can say I listen to hip hop music and think it seriously. The reason is that many teenagers listen to hip hop music because of commercial expandation . They just know mainstream artists and do not care for example about old school music or some other interprets.
The next reason is I would like to change opinion on hip hop. Many people think rap music is just about swearing and boasting how much money they earn. This style of rap is just one side of hip hop music. Common people can listen in radio or television mainstream music and than they regard all artist as the drug sellers or hooligans. If you would like to listen smart and intelligent lyrics there are many artists. We can also consider listening to foreign interprets as the advantage. It is easy way how to improve knowledges of foreign language. Parents often forbid their children this kind of music. I must admit it is right for younger kids. Many lyrics are inconvenient for children. On the other hand teenagers have already their own opinion on life and personalities and the influence on them would not be big.
I perceive next problem with graffiti art. Opinions on this element of hip hop are not very positive. Human society regard graffiti to criminal offence. It is true that some of them have damaged private property. But if you are interested in graffiti art and you want to show your pieces there is no other facility. There are not available legal walls, where sprayers could draw their own pieces.
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Hip hop (also spelled hip-hop or hiphop ) is both a cultural movement and a genre of music developed in New York City in the 1970s primarily by African Americans and
Latinos.Since first emerging in The Bronx and Harlem, the lifestyle of hip hop culture has today spread around the world.The four historic "elements" of hip hop are: MCing
(rapping), DJing, urban inspired art/tagging (graffiti), and b-boying (or breakdancing).
The most known "extended" element is beatboxing. When hip hop music developed in the 1970s, it was originally based around DJs who created rhythmic beats by
"scratching" a record on one turntable while looping the break (an upbeat drum and rhythm phrase of a song often found in soul and funk music) of various records on another, which was later joined by the "rapping" (a rhythmic style of chanting) of
MCs.Hip hop as a culture was further defined in 1983, when Afrika Bambaataa and the
Soulsonic Force released a track called "Planet Rock." Instead of simply rapping over disco beats, Bambaataa created an innovative electronic sound, taking advantage of the rapidly improving drum machine and synthesizer technology. The appearance of music videos changed entertainment: they often glorified urban neighborhoods, commonly called ghettos.The music video for Planet Rock showcased the subculture of hip hop musicians, graffiti artists and breakdancers. Many hip hop-related films were released between 1983 and 1985, among them Wild Style , Beat Street , Krush Groove , Breakin , and the documentary Style Wars .These films expanded the appeal of hip hop beyond the boundaries of New York. By 1985, youth worldwide were laying down scrap linoleum or cardboard, setting down portable "boombox" stereos and spinning on their backs in
Adidas tracksuits and sneakers to music by Run DMC, LL Cool J, the Fat Boys. During the 1980s, hip hop also embraced the creation of rhythm by using the human body, via the vocal percussion technique of beatboxing. Early pioneers such as Doug E. Fresh,
Biz Markie, and Buffy from the Fat Boys made beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using their mouth, lips, tongue, voice, and other body parts. "Human Beatbox" artists would also sing or imitate turntablism scratching or other instrument sounds.
2.1 Rap
Rapping (also known as Mcing , spitting ,) is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes and wordplay, one of the elements of hip hop music and culture. The use of the word to describe quick speech or repartee long predates the musical form, meaning originally
"to hit".The word had been used in British English since the 16th century, and specifically meaning "to say" since the 18th. It was part of the African American dialect
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of English in the 1960s meaning "to converse", and very soon after that in its present usage as a term denoting the musical style.Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a gray area among speech, prose, poetry, and song. Rap is derived from the griots (folk poets) of West Africa, and
Jamaican-style toasting. It also has precedents in traditional Celtic music. Modern rap battles, for instance, bear a striking resemblance to the Limerick Game, a traditional
Gaelic drinking game in which people compete for notoriety by making up insulting limericks about each other, the loser having to buy the next round of drinks. Likewise, puirt a beul, a form of Scottish mouth music was incorporated into Appalachian music and is an early ancestor of modern mouth percussion, or beatboxing . The influence of
Scottish and Irish music on hip hop is not direct, since virtually all of the originators of hip hop culture were African American, but were transferred indirectly by way of
American roots music. Roots music was created out of the fusion of African and Celtic music in the American South and is typified by the combination of African rhythms,
Gaelic melodies, and occasionally vocal improvisation. It forms the basis of virtually all
American musical styles from bluegrass to the blues, jazz, rock, funk, and country. Hip hop grew out of this same tradition; stripping down the melody, emphasizing the rhythm, and incorporating mouth music, battling, and vocal improvisation.Rapping developed both inside and outside of hip hop culture, and began with the street parties thrown in the Bronx neighborhood of New York in the 70s by Jamaican expatriate Kool
Herc and others. The parties introduced dancehall and the practice of having a "Master of Ceremonies," or MC, get up on stage with the DJ and shout encouragements to the crowd in a practice known as 'toasting'. Over time, those shouts of encouragement became more longer and more complex and cross-pollinated with the spoken-word poetry scene to evolve into rap. From the beginning hip hop culture has been syncretic, incorporating sounds and elements from radically divergent sources. The first recorded
"Rap" song that had the characteristics of rap music as we know it today (rhyming lyrics to a funk beat) was recorded before the Hip Hop movement began or rap became a regular term. Nevertheless the song is unmistakably a rap song. The song is called
"Here Come the Judge" recorded by comedian Pigmeat Markham in 1968. It charted at number 19 in both Billboard and in the UK in that year.
2.1.1 Rhyme style
Aside from "flow" (the voice and tone of a particular MC), and rhythmic delivery, the only other central element of rapping is rhyme. In classical poetry, rhymes that span many syllables are often considered whimsical, but in hip hop the ability to construct raps with large sets of rhyming syllables is valued. Rap can contain any and all forms of rhyme found in classical poetry such as consonance, assonance, half rhyme, or internal
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rhyme. Rappers are known for their style of rhyming. Juelz Santana often avoids full rhymes in favor of assonance, consonance, half rhymes, and internal rhymes. Eminem, on the other hand, often focuses on complex and lengthy multisyllabic rhyme schemes, while "flowas" like Rakim use metaphorical, emotional, rhyming, and story telling to communicate a message.
2.1.2 Flow
Rap delivery, or "flow", is defined by prosody, cadence, and speed. Cadence deals with the dynamics and patterns of the rhythm. In addition to rubato (changes in tempo for the purpose of expression), cadence can also serve to reinforce song structure through ritardando (the gradual slowing down of tempo). Old school rappers generally maintained a simple cadence, without much deviation,while golden age rappers such as
Rakim experimented extensively with cadence. Present day popular rappers like Method
Man, Snoop Dogg, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Busta Rhymes, Big Pun, and André 3000 are considered to have a versatile cadence because of their ability to rap over disparate beats equally well.A common way MCs judge how to flow in a verse is by writing a rhyme such that the most stressed words coincide with the beat in a way that makes the rhyming sound more musical (as opposed to spoken word) and that better combines the
MC's voice with the musical backdrop. The ability to rap quickly and clearly is sometimes regarded as an important sign of skill. In certain hip hop subgenres such as chopped and screwed, slow-paced rapping is often considered optimal. The current record for fastest rapper is held by Chicago native Rebel XD, who rapped 852 syllables in 42 seconds (20.3 syllables per second) on July 27, 2007. Kenyan rapper MC Delicate is also one of the African rappers capitalizing on speed rap, due to his ability to roll over several syllables in a couple of seconds.To successfully deliver a nicely flowing rap, a rapper must also develop vocal presence, enunciation, and breath control. Vocal presence is the distinctiveness of a rapper's voice on record. Enunciation is essential to a flowing rap; some rappers choose also to exaggerate it for comic and artistic effect.
Breath control, taking in air without interrupting one's delivery, is an important skill for a rapper to master, and a must for any MC. An MC with poor breath control cannot deliver difficult verses without making unintentional pauses.
2.1.3 Freestyle and battle rap
There are two kinds of freestyle rapping: one is scripted (recitation), but having no particular overriding subject matter, the second typically referred to as "freestyling" or
"spitting", is the improvisation of rapped lyrics. When freestyling, some rappers inadvertently reuse old lines, or even "cheat" by preparing segments or entire verses in advance. Therefore, freestyles with proven spontaneity are valued above generic,
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always usable lines. Rappers will often reference places or objects in their immediate setting, or specific (usually demeaning) characteristics of opponents, to prove their authenticity and originality. Battle rapping, which can be freestyled, is the competition between two or more rappers in front of an audience. The tradition of insulting one's friends or acquaintances in rhyme goes back to the dozens, and was portrayed famously by Muhammad Ali in his boxing matches. The winner of a battle is decided by the crowd and/or preselected judges. According to Kool Moe Dee, a successful battle rap focuses on an opponent's weaknesses, rather than one's own strengths. Battle rapping gained widespread public recognition outside of the African-American community with rapper Eminem's movie, 8 Mile.
The strongest battle rappers will generally perform their rap fully freestyled. This is the most effective form in a battle as the rapper can comment on the other person, whether it be what they look like, or how they talk, or what they wear. It also allows the rapper to reverse a line used to "diss" him or her if they are the second rapper to battle.
2.2 Dj-ing
A DJ or deejay is a person who selects and plays prerecorded music for an audience.There are several types of DJs. Radio DJs introduce and play music that is broadcast on AM, FM, shortwave or digital radio stations. Club DJs select and play music in a bar, club, disco, a rave, or even a stadium. Hip hop DJs select, play and create music with multiple turntables, often to back up one or more MCs. In reggae, the deejay is a vocalist who raps, toasts or chats over pre-recorded rhythm tracks while the individual choosing and playing them is referred to as a selector. Mobile DJs travel with portable sound systems and play at a variety of events.
2.2.1 Equipment
DJ equipment consists of: sound recordings in a DJs preferred medium (eg. vinyl records, compact discs, computer media files).A combination of two devices, or sometimes one if playback is digital, to play sound recordings, for alternating back and forth to create a continuous playback of music (e.g. record players, compact disc players, computer media players such as an MP3 player).A sound system for amplification or broadcasting of the recordings (e.g. portable audio system, PA system) or a radio broadcasting system.A DJ mixer, an electronic, usually two-four channel, mixer with a crossfader used to smoothly go from one song to another (using two or more playback devices) .Headphones, used to listen to one recording while the other recording is being played to the audience.Optionally, a microphone, so that the DJ can introduce songs and speak to the audience.Other equipment could or can be added to the
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basic DJ set-up (above) providing unique sound manipulations. Such devices include, but are not limited to: Electronic effects units (delay, reverb, octave, equalizer, chorus, etc). Some club DJs use a suboctave effect which creates a very low bass sound and adds it to the mix.
2.3 Breakdance
Breakdance , b-boying or b-girling is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement among African American and Puerto Rican youths in the South Bronx of
New York City during the early 1970s. It is normally danced to pop, funk or hip hop music, often remixed to prolong the breaks, and is a well-known hip hop dance style.Since its inception, breakdancing has provided a youth culture constructive alternative to violent urban street gangs. Today, breakdancing culture is a remarkable discipline somewhere in-between those of dancers and athletes. Since acceptance and involvement centers on dance skills, breakdancing culture is usually free of the common race, gender and age boundaries of a subculture and has been accepted worldwide .
2.3.1 Styles
There are four basic elements that form the foundation of Breakdancing. These are
Toprock , Downrock (Also known as Footwork), Freezes and Power Moves .
Toprock is a major element of b-boying. It generally refers to any string of steps performed from a standing position, relying upon a mixture of coordination, flexibility, rhythm, and most importantly, style. It is usually the first and foremost opening display of style, and it serves as a warm-up for transitions into the more acrobatic maneuvers of downrock. Breakers may devote considerable time to developing their toprock, and the style they display is a point of pride.It is a style of dance in and of itself, but it is very open to modification for individual style. For the same reason, it has come to incorporate elements that range widely from Liquid dancing to the Robot. In particular, uprock is a competitively-oriented type of toprock consisting of foot shuffles, spins, turns, and creative movements that may mimic combat. It was developed from the
"Ginga", a footwork pattern used in capoeira, which was taught to youth in African-
American community centers as a method of developing self-esteem and character. In fact Toprock was stolen from Uprock with Toprock the bboy's version of Uprock.
Downrock is an element of breakdance that includes all footwork performed on the floor. Downrock is normally performed with the hands and feet on the floor, as opposed to toprock. In downrock, the breakdancer displays his or her proficiency with foot speed and control by performing footwork combinations. The foundational move of downrock
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is the 6-step, and combinations often transition from it into more athletic moves known as power moves.
A freeze / enclosure nr.1, nr.2/ is a breakdance technique that involves halting all body motion, often in an interesting or balance-intensive position. It is implied that the position is hit and held from motion as if freezing in motion, or into ice. Freezes often incorporate various twists and distortions of the body into stylish and often difficult positions.
Deadly Moves (Sega Genesis's version name), or Power Moves (known as Power
Athlete in Japan) is a fighting game created by Kaneko.
2.3.2 Battle and crew
Battles are an integral part of the b-boying culture. They can take the form of a cypher battle and an organized battle. Both types of battles are head to head confrontations between individuals or groups of dancers who try to out-dance each other.The cypher
(or the circle) is the name given to a circle of b-boys or b-girls who take turns dancing in the center. There are no judges (other than the participants of the cypher itself), concrete rules or restrictions in the cypher, only unsaid traditions. Although people aren't always battling each other in the cypher, there are many times when battles do take place. B-boying began in the cypher and only later did organized competition develop. This type of battle is how b-boying was originally and it is often more confrontational and more personal. The battle goes on until it ends for one of many possible reasons, such as one dancer admitting defeat. Cypher culture is more present in communities with a stronger emphasis and understanding of original, true hip hop culture. Battling in the cypher is also a common way for dancers to settle issues between each other whether it be individuals or crews.Organized battles, however, set a format for the battle, such as a time limit, or specify a limit for the number of dancers that can represent each side. Organized battles also have judges, who are usually chosen based on years of experience, level of deeper cultural knowledge, contribution to the scene and general ability to judge in an unbiased manner.
A crew is a group of two or more b-boys or b-girls who choose to dance together for whatever purpose, either simultaneously or separately. Crew vs Crew battles are common in breakdancing. Many B-boys and B-Girls are part of a crew, which makes many feel more dedicated to breakdancing. A few of the most well known crews are
Last For One, the New York City Breakers. B-girling crews are usually women who are self-proclaimed dancers. Although break-dancing is widely recognized as a hip-hop inspired type of dance, b-boying falls short of the commercial fame that Ballet( and other) have received. Generally, break-dancing is viewed as a masculine driven dance
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but the moves are asexual. For many female b-girl dance crews, often find themselves competing or trying to prove their legitimacy and passion for this specific type of dancing.
2.4 Graffiti art
Graffiti (singular: graffito ; the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is often regarded as unsightly damage or unwanted vandalism.Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples going back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.
Graffiti can be anything from simple scratch marks to elaborate wall paintings. In modern times, spray paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials. In most countries, defacing property with graffiti without the property owner's consent is considered vandalism, which is punishable by law. Sometimes graffiti is employed to communicate social and political messages. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions, to others it is merely vandalism.
There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly evolving artform whose value is highly contested, being reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction. The relationship between graffiti and hip hop culture arises both from early graffiti artists practicing other aspects of hip hop, and its being practiced in areas where other elements of hip hop were evolving as art forms. Graffiti is recognized as a visual expression of rap music, as breakdancing is the physical expression. By the mid-eighties, the form would move from the street to the art world. Jean-Michel Basquiat would abandon his SAMO tag for art galleries, and even street art's connections to hip hop would loosen. In America around the late 1960s, graffiti was used as a form of expression by political activists, and also by gangs such as the Savage Skulls, La Familia, and Savage Nomads to mark territory.
2.4.1 Styles
Some of the most common styles of graffiti have their own names. A "tag" /enclosure nr.3/ is the most basic writing of an artist's name in either spray paint or marker. A graffiti writer's tag is his or her personalized signature. "Tagging" is often the example given when opponents of graffiti refer to vandalism, as they use it to label all acts of graffiti writing (it is by far the most common form of graffiti). Tags can contain subtle and sometimes cryptic messages, and might incorporate the artist's initials or other letters. As well as the graffiti name, some artists include the year that they completed that tag next to the name, so that Tox , an artist from London, becomes Tox03, Tox04, etc. Another form is the "throw-up," also known as a "fill-in," which is normally painted
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very quickly with two or three colors, sacrificing aesthetics for speed. Throw-ups can also be outlined on a surface with one color. A "piece" is a more elaborate representation of the artist's name, incorporating more stylized "block" or "bubble" letters, using three or more colors. This of course is done at the expense of timeliness and increases the likelihood of the artist getting caught. A "blockbuster" is a large piece done simply to cover a large area solidly with two contrasting colours, sometimes with the whole purpose of blocking other "writers" from painting on the same wall.A more complex style is "wildstyle", a form of graffiti involving interlocking letters, arrows, and connecting points. These pieces are often harder to read by non-graffiti artists as the letters merge into one another in an often undecipherable manner. A "roller" is a "fillin" that intentionally takes up an entire wall, sometimes with the whole purpose of blocking other "writers" from painting on the same wall. Some artists also use stickers as a quick way to "get-up". While critics from within graffiti culture consider this lazy and a form of cheating, stickers can be quite detailed in their own right, and are often used in conjunction with other materials.
2.5 Beatbox
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion connected with hip hop culture (it has been called the fifth element of hip hop) although it is not limited to hip hop music. It primarily involves the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, voice, and more. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments.
Therefore it could be said to be a genre of a cappella music although it can be employed alongside other instruments. It may have some historical connections with other vocal traditions such as scat singing and puirt a beul. Vocal imitation of percussion sounds has existed for a very long time. One tradition is thought to have originated in India several thousand years ago: the tradition of bol, and the Chinese developed Kouji, a type of vocal performing arts. These had little relation with hip hop, however, and have no direct connection to modern Eastern Hip Hop. Some African traditions use performers' bodies (clapping, stomping) to make musical sounds to maintain a steady musical pace.
They made sounds using their mouths by loudly breathing in and out, which is done in beatboxing today .
1
1 Wikipedia free encyclopaedia ... In: Hip hop subculture
[ online]. [cit. 2008-05-20]
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Based on the investigation ,which was sent to 20 respondents I wanted to find out how many young people between 15-18 listen to hip hop.
Questionnaire contains these questions:
1. Which kind of music do you listen? /Hip hop , other /
2. Do you like more underground or mainstream production?
3. Do you prefer foreign or slovak artists ?
4. Which one artist is your favourite ? / A.M.O , Kontrafakt , H16 , Turbo Boost Riders/
Results: Hip hop listeners 55%
Other 45%
Underground production 35%
Mainstream production 65%
Foreign artists 40%
Slovak artists 60%
A.M.O. 30%
Kontrafakt 34%
H16 28%
Turbo Boost Riders 16%
Results of this questionnaire proved that hip hop music ist still very popular between young people but they prefer more mainstream production. More people listen to slovak hip hop music and votes for the most favourite group were very similar, but just a few people have voted for Turbo Boost Riders. They have very specific type of rap and in our area they do not have many fans.
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Based on the investigation I could say main part of young people , who are listening to hip hop music do not really care about the roots and history of hip hop. For this group of people is hip hop just temporary solution. Maybe their friends have showed them this culture and they decided to merge with crowd. They want to belong to some community and nowadays hip hop is so popular it is easy to add here. Hip hop fashion is very popular and represented by famous people. This sort of people are interested in hip hop music for example for two or three years and then they grow up and started to listen other music genre. I think the reason , why the unstable fans exist, is their interest in music is just developing and it is going to improve when they will become older and stay by one genre of music. Then music become an inseparable part of life.
Fortunately, I must mention there are some exceptions and these people grew up with hip hop music and they are interested in evolution of hip hop culture, its elements and old school artists. These people are contributing to let hip hop never die.
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How we can see hip hop culture has extensive past and is connected with afroamerican culture. Music was some way of relaxation for them. They can forget on problems and hard situations , in which they are situated. It is an example of long development while hip hop become so popular. People , who listened to hip hop music at the beginnig , were regarded to the edge of society. Nowadays the situation changed. We could consider hip hop music as one of the most popular music ganres. Rappers are presented in every type of media and hip hop is well-known also by common people. I have mentioned just basic information about this culture but there is much more important facts about the formation.
I was trying to come up with brief and understandible information about this culture.
Maybe then you will change your opinion on hip hop community and music. How you can see it is not just a group of dangerous gangsters.
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http://www.aerosolart.sk/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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Breakdance freeze
Nr.1
Nr.2
Graffiti
Nr.3 Tag
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