General Summary
Old-school hip hop, which is sometimes relatively spelled old skool is the earliest recorded hip hop music and original style of the genre. This style of hip hop dates back to music created between 1979 to 1983. A major known difference between school hip hop and later hip hop music is that old school hip hop is known for its more simple rapping techniques compared to the style of later hip hop music. Old Skool hip hop is characterized by the simpler rapping techniques used during that time and the general focus on party related subject matter.Artists such as Melle Mel would use relatively few syllables per bar of music, with relatively simple rhythms.When rap first came to the US in 1979 it had become a chart-topping phenomenon and given its name to a new genre of pop music. Battle rap was also a part of old school hip-hop. Freestyle rap during hip-hop’s old school had a different from the definition it has today. Old school hip hop typically dates from the origination of the movement in the early 1970s up until the mid-1980s. Some famous artists that are well known for the role they played in Old School Hip Hop are The Sugarhill Gang, Eric B. & Rakim, Kurtis Blow & Run-D.M.C.
Notable Artists in Old School Hip Hop
The Sugarhill Gang is an American Hip Hop Trio. The group is best known for its 1979 hit single, “Rapper’s Delight,” which was also the first hip hop single to rank in the top 40 hits and to become part of a multi-platinum selling album. Rapper’s Delight is also credited with popularizing hip hop as a new musical genre.
Eric B. & Rakim are an American hip hop duo formed on Long Island, New York, in 1986, composed of DJ Eric B. and MC Rakim. Eric B. & Rakim were almost universally recognized as the premier DJ/MC team in all of hip-hop.
Kurtis Walker, professionally known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record/film producer, b-boy, DJ, public speaker and minister. He is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major record label
Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s
