Sunday, November 21, 2010

ORIGIN OF HIPHOP :

Creation of the term hip hop is often credited to Keith Cowboy, rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.[3] However, Lovebug Starski, Keith Cowboy, and DJ Hollywood used the term when the music was still known as disco rap. It is believed that Cowboy created the term while teasing a friend who had just joined the U.S. Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers.[3] Cowboy later worked the "hip hop" cadence into a part of his stage performance, which was quickly used by other artists such as The Sugarhill Gang in "Rapper's Delight".[3]
Universal Zulu Nation founder Afrika Bambaataa is credited with first using the term to describe the subculture in which the music belonged; although it is also suggested that it was a derogatory term to describe the type of music.[4] The first use of the term in print was in The Village Voice,[5] by Steven Hager, later author of a 1984 history of hip hop.[6]

[edit] 1970s

Origins
DJ Kool Herc - generally recognized as the father of hip hop
The roots of hip hop are found in African-American music and ultimately African music. The griots of West Africa are a group of traveling singers and poets who are part of an oral tradition dating back hundreds of years. Their vocal style is similar to that of rappers.[7] The African-American traditions of signifyin', the dozens, and jazz poetry are all descended from the griots. In addition, musical 'comedy' acts such as Rudy Ray Moore and Blowfly are considered by some to be the forefathers of rap.
Within New York City, griot-like performances of spoken-word poetry and music by artists such as The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron[8] and Jalal Mansur Nuriddin had a significant impact on the post-civil rights era culture of the 1960s and 1970s.
Hip hop arose during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular in New York City, particularly in the Bronx, where African American and Puerto Rican influences combined.[9][10] Block parties incorporated DJs who played popular genres of music, especially funk and soul music. Due to the positive reception, DJs began isolating the percussion breaks of popular songs. This technique was then common in Jamaican dub music[11][12] and had spread to New York City via the substantial Jamaican immigrant community. A major proponent of the technique was the Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc, who emigrated to the United States in 1967. Dub music had become popular in Jamaica due to the influence of American sailors and rhythm & blues. Large sound systems were set up to accommodate poor Jamaicans who couldn't afford to buy records and dub developed at the sound systems. Because the New York audience did not particularly like dub or reggae, Herc switched to using funk, soul and disco records. As the percussive breaks were generally short, Herc and other DJs began extending them using an audio mixer and two records.
Turntablist techniques, such as scratching (seemingly invented by Grand Wizzard Theodore[13][14]), beat mixing/matching, and beat juggling eventually developed along with the breaks, creating a base that could be rapped over. These same techniques contributed to the popularization of remixes as the looping, sampling and remixing of another's music, often without the original artist's knowledge or consent, can be seen as an evolution of Jamaican dub music,[11][12] and would become a hallmark of the hip hop style.
1520 Sedgwick Avenue, the Bronx, a venue used by Kool Herc that is often considered the birthplace of hip hop
Jamaican immigrants also provided an influence on the vocal style of rapping by delivering simple raps at their parties, inspired by the Jamaican tradition of toasting.[11][15] DJs and MCs would often add call and response chants, often comprising of a basic chorus, to allow the performer to gather his thoughts (e.g. "one, two, three, y'all, to the beat").
Later, the MCs grew more varied in their vocal and rhythmic delivery, incorporating brief rhymes, often with a sexual or scatological theme, in an effort to differentiate themselves and to entertain the audience. These early raps incorporated the dozens, a product of African American culture. Kool Herc & the Herculoids were the first hip hop group to gain recognition in New York[citation needed], but the number of MC teams increased over time.
Grand Wizzard Theodore (on the right)
Often these were collaborations between former gangs, such as Afrikaa Bambaataa's Universal Zulu Nation - now an international organization. Melle Mel, a rapper with The Furious Five is often credited with being the first rap lyricist to call himself an "MC."[16] During the early 1970s B-boying arose during block parties, as b-boys and b-girls got in front of the audience to dance in a distinctive and frenetic style. The style was documented for release to a world wide audience for the first time in documentaries and movies such as Style Wars, Wild Style, and Beat Street. The term "B-boy" was coined by DJ Kool Herc to describe the people who would wait for the break section of the song, getting in front of the audience to dance in a distinctive, frenetic style.[17]
Although there were many early MCs that recorded solo projects of note, such as DJ Hollywood, Kurtis Blow and Spoonie Gee, the frequency of solo artists didn't increase until later with the rise of soloists with stage presence and drama, such as LL Cool J. Most early hip hop was dominated by groups where collaboration between the members was integral to the show.[18] An example would be the early hip hop group Funky Four Plus One, who performed in such a manner on Saturday Night Live in 1981.[19]
Hip hop music was an outlet and a "voice" for the disenfranchised youth of low-economic areas[20] as the culture reflected the social, economic and political realities of their lives.[21].....

ROOHI AAMIR NOOR KHAN :)

What Does MC Stand for in the Rapping Industry? Why Are Rappers Called MC's
















EMCEEIN
The study and application of Rap, poetry, and divine speech

Commonly referred to as rappin or Rap. Its practitioners are known as Emcees or Rappers. The Emcee is a Hiphop poet who directs and moves the crowd by rhythmically rhyming in spoken word.

The word Emcee comes from the abbreviated form of Master of Ceremonies (M.C.). In its traditional sense, (M.C.) refers to the hosting of an event ? the master of a ceremony or event. Early Hiphoppas transformed the traditional character of the M.C. to include crowd participation routines and poetry.

Today, the Emcee seeks to be a master of the spoken word, not just the best Rapper. Emcees also deliver lectures and other forms of public instruction. Most Emcees rate themselves on their ability to rock the party, speak clearly, and tell a good story.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

God Of Rap : Tupac Shakur

Rapper, actor. Born on June 16, 1971, in
New York, New York. Shakur has become a
legend in hip-hop and rap circles for his
talent, his violent behavior, and his brutal
death. The son of a Black Panther activist,
Shakur moved around a lot as a child. In his
youth, he explored acting by becoming a
member of the 127th Street Ensemble, a
Harlem-based theater company.
As a teenager, Shakur attended the
Baltimore School for the Arts, where he took
acting and dance classes, including ballet.
While living in Baltimore, he discovered rap
and began performing as MC New York. In
the late 1980s, Shakur and his family moved
to the West Coast. He joined the Oakland,
California-based hip-hop group Digital
Underground, which earlier had scored a hit
with the song "The Humpty Dance."
In 1991, Shakur emerged as a solo artist —
using the name 2Pac — with his debut
album 2Pacalypse Now. The track "Brenda's
Got a Baby" reached as high as number
three on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart.
His second album Strictly 4 My N. I. G. G. A. Z.
crossed over to the pop charts, with singles
"I Get Around" and "Keep Ya Head Up." The
album went platinum, selling more than a
million copies. Around this time, Shakur also
appeared in several films, including Poetic
Justice (1993) opposite Janet Jackson.
2Pac became quite a sensation, earning
praise for his musical and acting talent as
well as condemnation for his explicit,
violent lyrics. Many of his songs told of
fights, gangs, and sex. He appeared to be
living up to his aggressive gangster rap
persona with several arrests for violent
offenses in the 1990s. In 1994, he spent
several days in jail for assaulting director
Allen Hughes and was later convicted of
sexual assault in another case. Shakur
himself fell victim to violence, getting shot
five times in the lobby of a recording studio
during a mugging.
The next year, after recovering from his
injuries, Shakur was sentenced to four and
a half years in prison in the sexual assault
case. His third solo album, Me Against the
World (1995), started out in the number one
spot on the album charts. Many critics
praised the work, noting that tracks like
"Dear Mama" showed a more genuine,
reflective side to the rapper. The possibility
of an early death runs through several
songs on this recordings — something that
many have seen as a chilling moment of
foretelling.
After serving eight months in prison, Shakur
returned to music with the album All Eyez
on Me (1996). He was reportedly released
after Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge"
Knight paid a bond of more than $1 million
as part of Shakur's parole. In his latest
project, Shakur as the defiant street thug
was back in full force on this recording. The
song "California Love" featured a guest
appearance by famed rapper-producer Dr.
Dre and made a strong showing on the pop
charts. "How Do You Want It" also was
another smash success for Shakur. It
appeared to be a golden time for Shakur.
Besides his hit album, he tackled several film
roles.
During his career, Shakur had become
embroiled in a feud between East Coast and
West Coast rappers. He was known to insult
his enemies on his tracks. On a trip to Las
Vegas to attend a boxing match, Shakur was
shot while riding in a car driven by Knight
on September 7, 1996. He died six days later
on September 13 from his injuries. His killer
has never been caught. Since his death,
numerous albums of his work have been
released, selling millions of copies.