When compared to the other rap hits of the time, Run DMC's sound was very unique in the sound of the beats and the skillful, push it to the limit vocals. By the mid 80's, Simmons had founded the hip hop record label Def Jam, and Run DMC became the most powerful group in hip hop. Run DMC then started to experiment mixing their sound with samples of heavy metal guitars, basically combining the sound of each genre to create a gritty, street savvy sound. Run DMC's success showed the rest of the hip hop world that success could be achieved by delivering constant new material that challenged the status-quo with unique sounds and challenging lyrics. Their 1986 album Raising Hell was preceded by the top ten hit “My Adidas”, and then the release of a cover of Aerosmith's “Walk This Way”, off the same album, became the groups biggest commercial hit.
Hip hop was originally a combination of rap, DJing, breakdancing and "tagging", which was the hip hop name for producing graffiti. Therefore, "rap" is the most famous part of hip hop culture, but "hip hop" comprises more than just rapping and rappers. These days, though, people often use the term "hip hop" when discussing music which combines rapping and Dj, and the term "hip hop" can be considered a proper definition of rap. “Rap had antecedents in African-American culture going all the way back to the spoken-word artists of pre-slavery West Africa, the griots. Some of today's rappers, academics and media commentators are on record calling today's rap artists "modern-day
Hip-hop, while opposed to rap, generally defines the whole culture. Rap formed during the 1970s with the rise in popularity of block parties in New York, particularly among African American youth residing in the Bronx. Rapping developed as a vocal style in which the artist speaks along with an instrumental or synthesized beat. The roots of rapping are found in African-American music and ultimate African music, with roots originating from the griots of west African culture. The African American traditions of signifyin' (an early form of wordplay), the dozens (game of spoken words between two communities) and jazz poetry all had an influence on rap music.
As I researched on what Hip Hop is, I found out that it isn’t just a music genre, but a massive culture that originated within the Bronx during the 1970s. Hip Hop was established to stop gang violence on the foundations of expression, peace, love, unity, and having fun with the addition of having four elements: Graffiti art, DJ-ing, breakdancing, and rapping. These four elements, together, acted as positive pastimes to keep kids from becoming involved with gangs by organizing artistic “battles” on who’s the better person. These Hip Hop battles take place in organized events, promoting a positive and peaceful way to resolve conflict, while also providing a safe, friendly community for urban youth. This surprises me because I never would’ve thought that Hip Hop is a culture, especially the fact that it started out as a peaceful youth community.
The hip hop culture started back more than a few decades ago, in the late 1960’s. It was used to express a rapper’s life through poetic lyrics. It was most popular in African American and Latino communities. It was a way for them to get away from their life problems and just enjoy life. “Rap music is very influential and can have positive or negative effects, according to some experts.” (Killion) ““To say there is no influence and no effect is naïve,” said Murray Forman, professor of media studies at Northeastern University in Boston.” (Killion) ““It is a known fact that hip-hop has taken over, in a sense, the mainstream youth culture,” said Emmett Price, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston, who teaches hip-hop culture.
Will Smith was a rapper by the name of The Fresh Prince alongside, childhood friend, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Ready Rock C. However, the Will Smith that is seen today is not the one of 1988. In the year 1988, The Fresh Prince was tackling the rap world. Will Smith was so talented that he was awarded the first Grammy in the rap category. That award catapulted him into the limelight starting him on the path to superstardom. Another reason that Will Smith is the best entertainer is because of his long acting career.
Instilled with a real hustler’s ambition, Pyrex Jones has been making buzz locally with mixed tapes such as Microwave Music 1, Mafia Muzik, and various videos and performances. Even though Hip Hop has secured its place in the mainstream pop since the late 90s; recently it has seen an era of decline. Pyrex Jones is hopeful to revive Hip Hop music through his own novelty and variety; securing fame enjoyed by 50 Cent or Akon, in the foreseeable future. He is expanding his buzz by currently working on “Block Boy Shyt: the Mix tape” featuring Lil Roc. He also has a leading role in the upcoming “Son of the Mob”.
This forced Kool DJ Herc to find another appealing sound in order to please his audiences, which he did. Kool DJ Herc adapted a new style, which involved him by chanting over the instrumental or percussion sections of the popular music of the day. He learned that by taking two identical records using an audio mixer, that he could play any segment over and over, there fore extending one segment for entire song (Light, 1999). In the early 1970’s and with the emergence of disc jockeys such as Kool DJ Herc, hip-hop began to spread through urban areas of New York like “wild fire.” Kool DJ Herc, who actually coined the term “hip hop,” began to realize that this was the beginning of a new genre (Light, 1999). As this phenomena evolved the party shouts became more elaborate, d jays began to incorporate little rhymes such as “throw your hands in the air and raise ‘em like you just don’t care.” With regards to Kool DJ Herc, as he progressed eventually turned his attention to the complexities of d-jaying and let two friends Coke La Rock and Clark Kent handle the microphone duties.
What is Hip-Hop? Hip-hop is a cultural movement best known for its impact on music in the form of the musical genre of the same name. It has its origins in the Bronx, in New York City, during the 1970s, mostly among African Americans but with some influence from the Latin American population of the area as well. The culture has gone from being a relatively underground style to being a major style throughout the world, and it has been commercialized and popularized, especially in the United States. The four traditional pillars of hip-hop are DJing, rapping, breakdancing, and graffiti art.
Clive Campbell, known as DJ Kool Herc, is the credited as being the pioneer of hip hop in the United States. “Kool Herc was inspired by the Jamaican tradition of impromptu poetry during toast, and thus decided to accompany it with rhythmic beats generated by sampling. “ (Chan) Hip hop offered the youth a way to express themselves and bought forth new ideas. Hip hop was a way youths in black inner city neighborhoods to express what they were feeling, seeing, and living and to many it became a form of entertainment. Back in the days as some people may call it hip hop was a way that a certain person felt and the things that they would say was things that happens in real life everyday situations.