By: ILLogicalScripts
Hip-hop has came a long way from spray painting the walls in Philadelphia and subways in New York City and street cyphers on the corner of the neighborhoods to being a worldwide hobby and profession. After decades of existance, has the art form progressed or degressed? Is the spoken form of the art gone? This article will express views from multiple standpoints and provide in depth analysis of it's current state, and provide you with a brief history of each element to give you a better understanding of why it may be how it is.
Hip-hop.
From the birth on the street corners to the present day mainstream movement, hip hop has come a long way, from people believing that it was a temporary fad that would fade away in time to becoming known across the globe. After decades of its existence, people have one common debate. Has this art form progressed or has it degressed?. Both sides deliver good arguments on what they believe the current state is, but none have come to a definate conclusion. But to better understand how it is moving we need to take a look at what it used to be and where it is now.
Although there is some controversy onto where abouts hip hop was founded, the one true place that we can say that the hip hop that we know was birthed in New York City in the 1970s. In a time when racial boundarys was a very relevant and noticeable problem, people in urban areas searched for an escape, something that moved them and kept them out of trouble. They needed something that there soul could relate to, and that is entertaining and challenging at the same time. This birthed the creation of breakdancing.
In the early 70's people started using a deep drum that originated in Africa and played a common rythm that would make people move. This drum played a beat that echoed in there souls and sparked something in them that they have not felt before. With the anger that they had built up from the reality of the times and the need for a positive hobby in there life, they started to move there bodys to the beat. They would use fighting moves without actualy contact and the other person who evade there punches by dropping to the floor, or incorporated another sort of move that would work in rythm to the music. As multiple styles of dance would come into the cyphers it evolved from a rythmic fight to one person in the middle displaying his talent, others would jump in and do the same.
As people watched kung fu movies, they started to take a great interest in acrobatics and shortly after, you would see aerial movements as well as floor work in the cyphers. As visitors came into New York and Philadelphia, they noticed these breakdancers and brought it with them to there homes and it grew from there. Decades later, this element of hip hop is seen on worldwide competitions, on T.V. , in schools and on some street corners. It has become very flashy and there are a few people who still incorporate the original movements into there styles. That can be from the art evolving or just trying to fit in with mainstream public standards and what can catch there eyes.
The element of hip-hop that we see on a daily basis these days, would be rapping. Emcees originated during a turbulent time in Americas history. Drugs were sweeping the inner-city neighborhoods and gangs have made a very real impact on the way people were living. As an escape from the turmoil, people started to express themself in a poetic way. They took the beats that were being used by breakdancers, and wrote to them. They used life experiences, their feelings, views on what is going on in the world, the struggle to guide there words. The Nation Of Islam also greatly affected hip-hop. People like Kool G Rap, Rakim, Saul Williams and Brand Nubian brought great knowledge to the music and paved a new path for the culture of hip-hop. They took a great influence from the blues and based there delivery off of that and there emotional state at the time.
If they were mad they would yell it, if they were happy they would express it with a tone symbolic of joy. The people felt what they were saying and could relate to this type of music and it quickly attached itself to there hearts. Soon after the birth of rap, it was being used at block partys and in clubs. It would be a way to keep everyone focused on self and there mind would be tuned in to a rythmic up-beat song. Emcees would use melodic chants to pump up the crowd and start there verse while the audience was already dancing. Knowing this, makes you realize that rap started off as a form of expression and then soon carried over to pumping up the crowd and dancing. Anything to keep the positive vibes flowing continuosly throughout the entire song. The language of rebellion also started with what we now call "Mainstream Club" or "Ringtone Rap". Though back then they did not have the resources we now have and there influence was from life.
The next element will be graffiti, arguably one of the most untouched art forms of hip hop. Graffiti can trace its roots to the ancient mayans and egyptians when they would scribe the way they were living on the walls and also whos reign it was. It has also been a way to leave behind a trail and story of a certain being or group of people. In hip-hop, it started with this chalk that would etch itself onto walls when it was being drawn and would sketch what the artist was trying to get out. It was new to the city and people had very undecided views upon it. It did not start from gangs trying to mark there territorys, that came later on in the evolution of graffiti. The first "bombs" or simple bubble letters that an artist could get to the public view fairly quickly was also created in New York by youth in the inner-city. They would sketch their names on walls, trains, billboards to get there names up and leave there "story" behind.
They soon went on to aerosol cans of paint. It was a much quicker process to get their tags up then their previous method and it would stay on the surface for a greater duration of time. Over the years, letters have turned into storys on a wall. People would paint murals behind there tags and it would appeal to the public in a much greater view. It has came from simple bubble letters to greatly colored interwoven pieces that we can see today, in virtually every city in the U.S. and most of the world. The negative aspect arisen, as in any big movement. It gained followers, everyone that saw it wanted to get up. They started to paint anything that they would see and it got associated with gang activity which did not appeal to the mass public. It still is seen as a great form of expression by the artist who have a great deal of knowledge on the art. But has been driven into mainstream society and broken down into various categorys in which graffiti can not be distinctly associated into a positive form of art in.
This element, is the element that has affected hip-hop the most. From the clubs, to the block partys to basements across the globe. DJ'ng has become the pushing force of hip-hop. In any producers arsenal of equiptment, you will see turntables. Turntables were used to spin the vinyl records that emcees had there beats on. With the turntables they could scratch, freeze, put in in slow motion, speed it up or change the tempo of the music. That was a very powerful weapon in hip hop. It requires a great ear for music and could very well affect the outcome of the crowds reaction. It has gone virtually un-noticed by the average listeners, but without Turntable Technicians, hip hop today would not be what it is and could arguably not have succeeded. The present day DJ still keeps in roots with the golden age and has changed very little. The equiptment has changed but that only affected this element in a positive way. This could be the link that holds hip hop together and could be what keeps it striving. It is used in battles, at graffiti events you will see DJ's spinning underground music, at school dances. DJ's are everywhere!
In conclusion. Hip Hop has always been for the people. Back in the golden era age, they did not have a very strong influence in other rappers, they had life. That's why we will say that it has changed in a negative aspect. They had very little equipment to use, so they did not have the resources we currently have, as in Condenser Microphones, Autotune, Sampling. They just took what they had and made the best out of it. Hip hop was born a struggling poor peasent and has grown into a wealthy businessman. In the golden era, people would still use chants to get the crowd pumped up, but would incorporate a fair share of wisdom and originality in their lyrics. These days, people have so much resources that they can say very little and have it work. It's all due to the publics view. They were once struggling and they can now provide for their familys. It was all about escape and that is exactly what is currently going on. They have made it. Although I'm not a fan of the "dumbed down" lyrics. They have done what rappers before them have tried to do and have succeeded in doing so. Hip-Hop has made it.
From this article I hope that you can gain perspective on hip hop as a whole and can paint a picture of how it was in the beginning. Create a timeline and think about what was going through their minds when they were created this beautiful artform. Then think, has hip-hop progressed or has it died down?
-ILLogicalScripts
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