The History of Hip Hop is a Colorful Cultural Mix
Hip hop music history is filled with fascinating mixing of styles and culture. Hip hop originated from the inner city, blending the cultures of Latino, Hispanic and African-American into one hard driving, pulse pounding beat, flavored with record scratching, rapping, graffiti and break dancing.
Rapping is derived from the 1960s slang which meant to have conversation for the sake of enlightenment. Enlightenment can be considered a central thread all through out hip hop music history, as early hip hop music adresses real life situations on some of the most dangerous cities in the US.
The art of being a DJ brought the scratching and thumping beat of new rhythms to the spoken rap cultural poetry. Along with these styles fused with a more primal background, the final version of hip hop music would form.
African American and West African music were the start of hip hop music history. Jalai Mansur Nurriddin and Gil Scott-Heron were two poet-artists who were big influences to the music in the 1960s.
From the Bronx came a blend of hip hop and soul combined with funkadelic beats that led to the creation of some of the best street music ever heard. And finally, add a rise in Jamaican immigrants, and we get the perfect blend to start what is to be known as the American hip hop culture.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the disc jockey influence began to make its mark felt throughout the industry. From the clubs to the studios, a new and defining twist evolved in hip hop music history.
By combining spoken lyrics with pulsing back beat a new sub culture was let to emerge, which was consequently known as break dancing. Dancers started appearing in street corners of every major city in the US, energetic, filled with creativity and the ability to express themselves in the most vibrant ways.
Backed with rap and hip hop music from their boom boxes, break dancers amazes the crowds with their dazzling seemingly impossible moves, bringing the music to the spotlight.
Rap and hip hop began to diverge from each other in the 1990s, forming a new chapter in hip hop music history. Rap started to sing about and advocate violence, among peers, against law enforcement, and practically everyone else who stands in the way.
The music became a guilty pleasure for those looking to express their dissatisfaction with their lives. Hip hop stayed with the driving beats, becoming more poetic in its lyrics, and staging freestyle competitions across the cities everywhere.
The inner city is making some noise, and listeners like what their hearing, although their parents usually don’t.
At the end of 2000, hardcore rappers have gone different ways, trying other crafts like acting. Now, new artists advance their own specialties using finer more romantic lyrics, using their notoriety to influence their fans to be productive rather than destructive.
Where hip hop music history goes from here is unknown, but the new generation of artists will be interesting to watch.
