RapHip Hop- Cultural artistic development- Late 1970s, early 1980s- Large urban centers- Visual: graffiti- Dance: breakdancing- Music: rapEarly Sources- Same roots as blues- African American words games (“the dozens”)- Talking blues (Leadbelly, Guthrie, Dylan, etc.)- Beat poetry recitation (1940s, 1950s)“Percussionization of Popular Music”- Voice is percussion instrument- Rhythm is most prominent- Pitch indefiniteStyle Characteristics:- Spoken, chanted vocal delivery- Vocal delivery is rhythmic- Poetic narrative, poetic devices:o Rhyme schemeo Figurative language- Often based on vamps, recurring riffs- Bass, snare drums, and bass guitar heavily accented- Bass guitar plays syncopated riffs- End rhymes predominant- Internal rhymes often used- Line/stanza length varies- Poetic rhythms varyTopics- Humorous stories- Social and political conditions- Sports- Food- SexGil Scott-Heron (b. 1949)- Rap predecessor- B Move (1981)o Social/political aspectso All instruments “live” (someone is playing them)Rap in the 1970s:- Began initially in the Bronx- Descended from disco 12” singles- DJs became MCs (“Master of Ceremonies” or “Mic Controller”)o Turntable manipulationo Back spinningo Scratchingo Sampling: taking a recognizable part of one song and putting it in another- Sugarhill Gango Credited as being the first rap groupo “live” groupo Rappers Delight (1979); based on bass riff from “Good Times”Mid-1980s Rap:- Texts more rhythmically syncopated- Greater use of internal rhymes- Internal rhymes often divide the text asymmetrically- Rhythmic flow has disjointed feeling- Public Enemyo One Million Bottle Bags (1991)o “Forced the world to take Hip Hop seriously”o “Introduced intellectual rigor, controlled chaos, and outright chaos to Hip
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