The word 'rap' was first heard in the latter part of the 1960s, meaning
variously "casual group talk", and was not associated with music. As
Jamaican immigrants moved to the U.S.A., they brought with them island
traditions, including that of reciting improvised rhymes, usually over a
background of musical records, in particular reggae. DJ Kool Herc was
among those immigrants to move to the eastern USA in the late 1960s. He
used a pair of turntables and mixed the sounds, cutting between the two,
to create a new sound. The traditional "toasting" with rhymes to dance
music, with an odd parallel to the chant-talking of square dancing, was
impromptu and inventive. This MC chanting, later "rapping" became
specialized, with the DJ concentrating on his work, and the mike being
handled by a rhyming expert. DJ Kool's compatriots performed the first
open-air rap. They were Clark Kent and Coke La Rock, and altogether
they called themselves Kool Herc and the Herculoids. DJ record
scratching began with the Grand Wizard Theodore. As legend goes, it was
an accident that occurred when he held back the record, but it began to
move back and forth, creating the unusual sound, a sound that to
audiophiles was akin to chalk on a blackboard or to car drivers as
grinding gears. The sound was not bad, but indicative of damage being
done to the precious needles and platters. Grand Wizard Theodore was
ultimately given an award for his discovery by the International
Turntable Foundation. If he hadn't discovered it, turntables would have
gone the way of gramophones, with the onset of technological advancement
toward CDs and MP3s. Some have noticed that the analog sound
that emerges from vinyl is richer than digital CD vibrations.
The earliest pioneers, who had borrowed from doo wop, reggae, and
gospel, included Afrika Bambaataa,
Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc and DJ
Hollywood. It was the latter two who are recognized as starting the
cutting and mixing in the Jamaican style. It was Kool Herc who used two
turntables like musical instruments to recreate the new sound. When the
background music was overlaid by the rhymed boasting or "toasting"
vocals, the buzz went out, the style gained momentum, and anybody with
equivalent equipment and effort could become an MC at a friend's party
or wedding reception. Underground bootleg taping sessions spread like
wildfire, inspiring new recruits in the same way that the doo wop
harmonizing of the late forties and throughout the fifties became a
neighborhood obsession that spawned otherwise unrecognized talent. Local
artists with the knack to sample and rhyme were destined for bigger
things.
There were competitions, friendly battles, among the likes of Kool Herc
and Afrika Bambaataa, held at public locations like parks and clubs.
At first, there were numerous non-commercial recordings. Soon after,
the first commercial rap records appeared in 1979, including Fatback
Band's "King Tim II," and "Rappers Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang. The
latter made its way around the globe, selling more than 2 million
copies. At home, it became a national hit, making its way onto the
Billboard pop chart. The background music consisted of a replica of the
1979 disco hit song, "Good Times" by Chic. Using beats from a wide
variety and style of recordings, including jazz, soul, disco, and many
more, musicians were inspired to remix or create "samples", and to
create the basic music. This was the beginning of "hip hop." Other
popular bands mainstream experimented, liked what they heard, and
incorporated the results.
Three years later, Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" (1982) was the first
rap record to employ synthesizers. Inspired by a German Band
(Kraftwork), he borrowed their electronic sound for his rap, and the
record sold more than a million copies around the world. Rap musicians
could now create their own background tracks rather than borrow from
existing works. Quick mixing soon followed, initiated by Afrika
Bambaataa, in which a few small samples were collected and combined.
Soon after Grandmaster Flash exhibited his quick mixing technique, his
collaborator, Grandmaster Melle Mel composing the first rhymed story.
This is one of the most significant advances to the genre. Before that
time, the vocals consisted of unrelated phrases. In 1982, the Furious
Five, consisting of Grandmaster Melle Mel, Rahiem, Mr. Ness, Cowboy, and
Kid Creole were offered a demo by Grandmaster Flash. They reluctantly
recorded it and in one month, "The Message" surprised everyone including
the artists by selling more than a million units. It was the first rap
record to abandon ordinary bragging phrases and describe the troubles of
the Afro-American ghetto life. A year later, the anti-drug single,
"White Lines," by Grad Master Flash and Melle Mel, became an
international hit.
Early on there was an issue with copyright, since musical samples were
taken from the works of other artists. It wasn't until the 1990s that a
system of compensation for the use of intellectual art, even if just
samples, went into effect. Some artists released CDs containing sound
bites that could be used to assist with sampling. Oddly, the technique
of sampling caused older recordings to be rediscovered by newer
generations, and ultimately repopularized.
As rap moved out of the ghettoes, it was embraced by mainstream society
and splintered into a variety of forms. Underground social
consciousness rap competed with more mainstream dance music that had
inherited the field after the demise of disco. Boy bands flourished,
and at times it was hard to distinguish the musical styles, either pure
rhyming political and gangsta rap, crude and tough, or the lighter, more
romantic hip-hop. The latter in the themes and style of doo wop, was
more family friendly, including well-rehearsed harmonics and
choreography. Often the blend depended on the artist and the success
depended on the individual skills. It was Michael Jackson who became
the supreme dancer and video inventor who inspired many imitators, that
pushed many of the groups right out of the genre, while others held fast
to the rhyming tradition of pure rap.
Since the mid-1980s rap music greatly influenced all cultures around the
world. A casual search will generate rap strongholds not only among
traditional black and white communities, but in native american, Greek,
Muslim, in fact every community has a portion that has found rap to be
an effective outlet for social expression. Much of the slang of hip-hop
culture, including such terms as dis, def, and chill have become
standard parts of the vocabulary of a significant number of young people
of various ethnic origins. Many rap enthusiasts assert that rap
functions as a voice for a community without access to the mainstream
media. According to advocates, rap serves to engender self-pride,
self-help, and self-improvement, communicating a positive and fulfilling
sense of history that is largely absent from other American
institutions. Gangsta rap has been criticized for lyrics that many
people interpret as glorifying the most violent imagery in the history
of popular music. Defenders of gangsta rap argue that no matter who is
listening to the music, the raps are justified because they accurately
portray life in inner-city America. That portrayal ultimately inspires
individuals to exert their freedom, and institutions to evolve.
In 1984, Run-DMC emerged with a new style of
rap. They exhibited the street style of running shoes and gold chains,
even creating a song dedicated to their footwear, "My Adidas." The
company, Adidas, appreciated the promotional value and paid the band to
wear their clothes, making them the first band sponsored by a clothing
company. Many other styles and forms began to appear from the obscene to
the angry to the sexy. LL Cool J, discovered by the Beastie Boys when
he was 15 years old, emerged to create a rap ballad that became a top
ten hit across the ocean in Europe. Where other rappers tended to burn
out after a few years, LL Cool J has survived the decades and continues
to produce innovative works.
These are the early days, but as with other styles, there is a period of
burnt-out and transformation, rap and hip-hop ultimately representing
the springboards of a new art form. The next art form is just waiting
for an innovator to embrace, enhance, and display his talents. Anyone
can make the effort and become the pioneer of the form that could
ultimately emerge from the roots of rap.
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