Difference between revisions of "Hip hop"
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| − | + | Some hip hop music have been criticized due to the explicit nature of the lyrical content. From a contextual analysis, these lyrics can be seen as an expression of the poor living conditions and the negative culture that rises from such conditions. These raps have Christian groups widely decry the sub-genre of [[gangsta rap]], because this emotional expression often demeans women and strongly promotes violence as well as an overly materialistic sense of life as a result. 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. | |
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==Genres== | ==Genres== | ||
Revision as of 05:04, December 24, 2009
Hip-hop, or rap, is a music style that originated in the early to mid-1970s in the United States, particularly in Bronx, New York. 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, however it incorporates various vocal techniques and rhymes. Traditional singing is often only entailed during the chorus. Musically, hip-hop evolved from hard funk and soul, electro 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.
The four elements
During the 1980s, the nascent culture of hip-hop was seen as encompassing more than just music. Originally, there were said to be four elements of hip-hop:
- rapping
- DJing, ie playing the records that provided the musical background for rapping
- breakdancing
- graffiti, in the disctinctive style that has now spread all over the world.
However, hip-hop graffiti and dancing are now niche interests whose popularity is dwarfed by the global ubiquity of hip-hop music. Even DJing is now largely marginalised, as modern hip-hop music is mainly performed by solo rappers over pre-produced beats, rather than the crews of rappers and DJs who were popular in the early days of the genre.
Themes
Lyrical themes often vary to a large extent, covering socio-political issues as well as lighter topics.
Criticism
Some hip hop music have been criticized due to the explicit nature of the lyrical content. From a contextual analysis, these lyrics can be seen as an expression of the poor living conditions and the negative culture that rises from such conditions. These raps have Christian groups widely decry the sub-genre of gangsta rap, because this emotional expression often demeans women and strongly promotes violence as well as an overly materialistic sense of life as a result. 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
- Gangsta Rap
- Crunk
- G-Funk
- Christian Rap - a genre of rap music with more positive lyrics than conventional rap[1]
