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.
The four elements
During the 1980s, the nascent culture of hip-hop was seen 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 Western 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 now 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.
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]
