There has been conversation regarding hip hop and its effects on the African American population. Hip Hop was born in the inner cities of New York. Hip Hop started off as just beats and breaks before MC’s decided to start rhyming over them. Hip Hop served as a vehicle for social commentary. It was the voice for African Americans who had a story to tell. With rap music specifically, artists saw it as a way to express the social, economic, and political realities of their lives. Rappers voiced their experiences as an oppressed minority in the urban ghettos of America. With African Americans, certain things become more than just a hobby. Hence, Hip Hop was more like a lifestyle as it embodied the culture of blacks. But the issue with our rap music today is that the lyrics has moved to be more vulgar, explicit and degrading. It is often argued that today’s music is corrupting the youth that spends their time listening to it.
Main Figures
Clive Campbell, known as Kool Herc, was born in 1955 in Kingston, Jamaica. He then moved to the Bronx in 1967,where he became the Father of Hip Hop. His first event was deejaying his sister’s birthday party. After the party, his name started to spread like a wildfire.As his fame grew, so did his competition. Popular DJs like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash started to become well known also. The three often deejayed at the same events. The competition became so intense that Herc wouldn’t have that much time to talk to the crowd so he needed someone to help him out. The person that helped him out was Coke La Roc, who was the first MC ever. While the DJ’s rocked the parties with the music, MC’s keep the party engaged. Talking over beats then became a normal thing which led to rhyming over beats. This was the start of hip hop that we know today.
