Hip hop

Hip-hop, or rap, is a music style that developed in the mid-1970s in the United States, particularly in New York and Los Angeles. Hip hop performances generally consist of two main roles, DJing (producing live beats and sounds, or more commonly, sampling from existing records and breaks) and MCing or rapping (vocals). Hip hop is one of two genres of music invented in the United States (the other being jazz).

More so than any other music genre, hip hop vocals are similar to regular speech, with the exception that it is sped up. Traditional singing is often only entailed during the chorus. Musically, hip-hop evolved from hard funk and soul, and frequently samples such records.

Successful hip-hop artists inculde DJ Shadow, Eminem, Dr. Dre, The Sugarhill Gang, NWA, Kanye West and Notorious B.I.G.

Criticism

Many groups, including Christian groups, widely decry the sub-genre of gangsta rap, because it often demeans women and strongly promotes violence as well as an overly materialistic sense of life. Songs such as "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z promote prostitution while songs like "**** Wit Dre Day" describe the performers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performing sexual acts. Songs like "Where the Hood At?" have become anthems for young gangs and some conservatives believe the songs incite listeners into behaving violently.

Genres of Rap

• Gangsta Rap
• Crunk
• G-Funk
• Christian Rap - a genre of rap music with more positive lyrics than conventional rap[1]

See Also

• Turntablism
• Sampling
• American Music