![]() However, the lyrical content of these early songs in the genre had not yet begun discussing any political subject matter. Much of the technique used by early DJ’s like Herc’s used popular music of the time to keep the party going, and with the use of MC’s to provide lyrics to the beat gave new narrative power to the genre – for achieving billboard success, telling a story, or both of these things. “King Tim III” – The Fatback Band Rapper’s Delight – The Sugar Hill Gang So You Wanna Be A Star – Mtume Behind The Groove – Tenna Marie More Bounce To The Ounce – Zapp & Roger Some of the commercially successful songs of this early era in Rap and Hip Hop are provided below. After the success of this song, in clubs and on the billboards, rap and hip-hop began to create a place for itself among America’s most successful genres, and paved the way for a posterity of music listeners. Young rap and hip-hop, having not yet received mainstream attention, remained as a growing genre of party music until 1979, when “King Tim III (Personality Jock)” by The Fatback Band was commercially released and became a top 30 hit in the genre’s charts. This genre became DJ’s primary choice in selecting music for their parties, where it gained mass popularity, but did not break into mainstream charts until nearly seven years after its technique was inspired by DJ Herc. And it is from this point we see these genres begin to develop and branch into new sub-genres to cover a range of issues, express different themes, and diversify in style.Īs mentioned, the early stage of rap and hip-hop did not yet cover any political subject matter – instead always maintaining an upbeat rhythm and light subject matter to keep the party going. This is the first time we see what is most similar to today’s style and concept of rap and hip-hop. However, Herc thought that sometimes music alone just wasn’t enough so, he recruited the help of his friend Coke La Rock to give lyrics over the music. With turntables DJ’s were also able to add sound effects,change playback speed, pair songs to play together, and later – with the power of digital music – sample from popular songs to create new beats and rhythms for partygoers. This technique, termed “merry go round”, became widely popular and a milestone in rap and hip-hop’s developing style. ![]() The music he used for the parties was played on turntables, which he used to develop a technique for looping: using two turntables, Herc could repeat sections of songs for as long as he wanted. It is also worth noting that the Bronx is where DJ Kool Herc began hosting parties, painting graffiti, and developing the founding technique for what would later become known as hip-hop and rap, a large city and one of the many affected cities by the factors mentioned.ĭJ Kool Herc began hosting parties in 1973. Lyrical content in the genre, after this assimilation of the music into the gang culture soon found the same success of its prior sub-genre with “gangster rap”. Gangs of the time chose and selected their own culture, but that didn’t stop similarities between gangs from happening – one of these common elements was rap and hip-hop. But finally, the last link in the chain of events before the emergence of rap and hip-hop was the presence of gangs. These properties contributed to the growing concentrated areas of crime, drug addiction, and unemployment in these developing urban areas. ![]() From this, properties became unkempt, vacant, and/or turned into squatter houses. And to replace these landlords in the cities were the less-concerned “slumlords”. Simultaneously, reputable landlords began selling their holdings in urban areas – such as the Bronx, which will reappear later – to move to suburban areas. These new apartments became home to new families of poor African American and Hispanic. And as these neighborhoods disappeared, apartment complexes were built in their place. Unfortunately, this expressway would replace many neighborhoods, home to immigrant communities – German, Irish, and Jewish neighborhoods to name a few, which then migrated to new surburban communities. ![]() First, in 1959, Rober Moses, the parks commissioner for the Bronx in New York, began building an expressway through the city. Steven Hager in his book “Hip Hop the Illustrated History of Break Dancing, Rap Music and Graffiti,” cites three events prior to the emergence of rap and hip-hop that helped guide the genre to fame. A major contributor to the style and themes of rap and hip-hop came from the changing economic and infrastructural conditions of large cities taking place from the late 1970’s through the 1990’s. ![]()
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