The rap game as we know it is a powerful influence on the urban
community. Its outreach extends to all who listen to it and understand its
message. Rap is rhythm and poetry and it is not singing, it is the evolution of the
black mentality of fearing the police and living in poverty to the drug problems
facing their communities. Rap is also a platform for the black community to speak
out about the goings on in their respective communities. Rap has also pushed
forth the social problems between minorities and the police, and incited a
rebellion in terms of promoting gang banging and the notoriety of the Bloods and
the CRIPS two rival gangs from South Central Los Angeles. The Bloods stand for all
in the family and are for one another till the end, and the CRIPS stand for
Community resistance in progress, talking about how the community will not
stand for police brutality. One of the most outspoken advocates against police
brutality in the rap game was NWA otherwise known as Niggaz Wit Attitudes. The
culture of rap has evolved from civil disobedience to a war with those who
oppose what rap and the culture it is derived from stand for.
The gang mentality has fueled the lyrics and poetry in the creation of many
songs under the rap genre. An example of a classic gang motivated rap song is Hit
em’ up by Tupac Shakur, this song is about the rivalry between the West coast
and the East coast rappers including the rivalry between Death row records and
Bad boy records. By the end of the song Tupac “disses” all of Bad boy records and
their crew, and he threatens to murder the rival rappers children. Rap has evolved
from social protest, to a war at home over rival rappers and their crews, to raps
subversive influence on the urban drug culture and the romantasism of an
assortment of other crimes. Rap is not all drugs and gang banging, it’s a form of
poetry that enlists the uses of personal experience and creativity, when put to
rhythm it has the potential to become art.
The Wu-Tang Clan (pronounced /ˈwuːtæŋ/) is a highly influential hip-hop
collective from Staten Island, New York that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man,
Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol'
Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna,
a quasi-member of the group. They were formed in (and are associated with) the
New York City borough of Staten Island (U-God, Method Man, RZA, Ghostface
Killah and Raekwon) (referred to by members as "Shaolin"), though some of their
members are from Brooklyn (Ol Dirty Bastard, GZA and Masta Killa) and one is
from The Bronx (Inspectah Deck).
They have introduced and launched the careers of affiliated artists and
groups, often collectively known as the Wu-Tang Killa Bees,[1] and in 2008,
About.com ranked them the No. 1 greatest hip hop group of all time, and stated
"No weapon in hip-hop history can rival the chaotic cohesion of the Wu-Tang
Clan. The Clan had so many characters, each with his own eccentricities. They
were fearless in their approach. There's a good reason no group has been able to
successfully recreate their sound. The crew spawned countless loosely associated
acts. Their classic albums spawned classic albums."[2] Kris Ex of Rolling Stone
called Wu-Tang Clan "the best rap group ever."[3] In 2004, NME hailed them as
one of the most influential groups of the last ten years.[4]
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the
stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper and singer. He released his debut
album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His
eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on
the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008.[1] Khalifa parted with
Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009.
He released the mixtape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010;
he then signed with Atlantic Records.[2] He is also well known for his debut single
for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot
100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29,
2011.
Background
Rap and hip-hop music as we know it today actually began thousands of
years ago in Africa with the “griots”, who were village story tellers who played a
simple handmade instrument while they told stories of family and village events.
The griot was, and still is, a major form of communication in parts of Africa. This
“talking” while music is playing is rap music in its most rudimentary form.
In addition to the griot tradition, rap is rooted in the pain of Black-American
experience which began with slavery. While slaves were working in the fields,
they would often sing. Part of the songs they sang were "call and answer"
selections. One leader would call out part of the song and the rest of the slaves
would answer with the next line.
When the slaves would attend religious services, this call and response
trend continued and prevailed in churches even after slavery ended. Often, the
minister would make the "call" and the congregation was responsible for the
"response." This call and answer trend can be found in early rap music all the way
up to current rap music. The DJ would call out "Can I get a Woo Woo?" and the
response would of course come back as "Woo Woo" from the people listening.
Then in 1978, a year in which the American musical did not seem to be
evolving in any direction, in New York City, two deejays, DJ Hollywood and DJ Kool
Herc, had had enough with the aging disco scene. They began pulling records
from their parents house and started spinning short sections of them on
turntables at local parties. Soon, they began using two turntables at the same
time. Historians have come to coin them as the “founding fathers of rap.” In the
summer of 1979, rap broke out with “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang.
This was a fourteen minute rapping frenzy with “Good Times” sampled in the
background. It marked the beginning of the rap music trend.
Another huge force in the early rap movement was Afrika Bambaataa and
his Zulu Nation. Afrika was a deejay who would spin records at parks and parties.
He incorporated an element of cultural awareness in his spinning that was new to
the scene. Afrika was a former gang member who saw music as a way to bring
ghetto youth together.
In 1982, Grandmaster Flash recorded “The Message,” which was the first
rap song to paint a realistic, dismal and graphic picture of life in the slums of
America. Up until now, most rap music contained upbeat, perky and fun
messages. This was a landmark recording which paved the way for social and
political commentary in rap music which still continues on today.
Rap music received another major boost in 1986 with the music video
“Walk this Way” which brought Run DMC and the rock band Aerosmith together
in a major musical crossover event. MTV was in it’s heyday and rap music was just
getting started with more artists tapping into the video market. Rock music fans
saw this video and started opening themselves up to rap music which tapped into
a whole new market. MTV continued to help rap music’s recognition in 1988 with
the new MTV show “Yo! MTV Raps!” This show received the highest ratings in the
history of MTV and started it’s own spin off weekly show with Dr. Dre and Ed
Lover. As rap music received more and more exposure through music videos, it’s
popularity continued to skyrocket.
Through the years, the faces and messages of rap music continued to
evolve. Gangsta rap was born out of the east coast, west coast rivalry, which also
led to tragedy. Sampling was a trend used by many rappers in the nineties which
also spurred some copyright controversy. Since it’s inception, rap music remains a
highly influential, popular and sometimes controversial form of music
entertainment.
When rap music first surfaced, a new art form known as "grafitti art"
surfaced along with it. The New York subway trains were covered in this new
spray can art form. New DJ's would paint their names or a symbol in order to get
recognized. In the early eighties, an independent museum in New York actually
had a grafitti art exhibit to honor this new trend. Rap music also played a part in
what is now known as "Slamming." A poetry slam is the reading of original poetry
that is read aloud with drums or a bass line playing in the background. The poetry
often contains a political or sociological message and the style in which it is read
actually closely resembles the style of the African griots. Rap music also uses it's
own terminology to describe and refer to things. A perfect example of this is the
current trend started by Snoop Dogg to add an "izzle" to the end of words. This
trend has caught on in popular culture to the point where radio stations and
media personality are trying to incorporate it into their language! Lastly, who can
forget the fervor the Run DMC Adidas sneakers started? In the eighties after their
videos hit the big time, it seemed as though everyone had to had Adidas sneakers
with no laces. This was just the begining of the influences rap music has had on
the fashion world. Many rap artists such as Puff Daddy, Russell Simmons and the
Wu Tang Clan have actually started their own successful clothing lines. The more
popular a rap artist is, the more likely their sense of style will be emulated by
many.
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Timeline
1974 – 1980 Jamaican Reggae starts “talking” while music is playing trend
1978 Rap music hits the Bronx with two DJ’s spinning turntables at parties
1979 First rap recordings released: “Rappers Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang and
“Superrappin” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
1980 First known photos of breakdancing come from a group arrest at
Washington heights Subway
1982 Flash records releases “The Message” which was one of the first statement
driven raps
1983 Herbie Hancock and Grandmaster J release video for “Rockit” which became
the first rap video to experience success on MTV. Run DMC release “Sucka MC’s”
which marked the unofficial end of old school rap – but the beginning of rap and
rock crossover
1984 “Freshfest” starring Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, Whodini, Newcleus and the
Fatboys becomes the first rap money making concert tour.
1985 Salt N Pepa make their first major appearance to become the original female
rap stars
1986 Sampling is born – the art of taking previously recorded material and
“sampling” it in new music “Walk this Way” becomes huge pop chart hit, marks
new era for MTV videos and the way mass media views rap music
1988 NWA releases “Straight Outta Compton” which marked the beginning of the
gangsta rap era. The FBI sends letters to police nationwide about the song “F the
Police” for anti law agitation
1989 Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” gives the sound track for Spike Lee’s
movie “Do the Right Thing”. Both the song and the film skyrocket the popularity
of both artists. A daily version of “Yo MTV Raps!” is aired due to its increased
popularity.
1990 Controversy raised over the lyrics to 2 Live Crew’s “Nasty as they Wanna
Be”. Jamaican dance hall music infuses hip hop and Caribbean
1991 Rodney King beatings stir awareness of racism. Many rappers take up the
cause – Chuck D, Ice T, Ice Cube. Soundscan – monitors point of sale numbers –
state that rap artists are now out selling rock
1992 Controversy rises again with Ice T’s “Cop Killer” and the song ends up being
withdrawn from the album
1993 Dr. Dre releases “The Chronic” which becomes a multi platinum gangsta rap
hit
1996 Tupac Shakur murdered in Las Vegas
1997 Notorious B.I.G. murdered in Los Angeles – much speculation abounds
about the West Coast/East Coast rivalry
1998 Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs hits it big with his lighter, sample driven style of
rap music
1999 Eminem releases “The Slim Shady” musical experience and shakes up the
world of rap music as one of the first prominent white rappers from Dr. Dre’s
schooling
2000-Present The faces and styles of rap music continue to evolve with no
concrete style taking the forefront as in the gangsta rap era. New talents are
coming from all over the country as opposed to just the West and East coast.