Mar 3, 2013

West Coast Hip Hop & Gangsta Rap

Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop that reflects the violent lifestyles of inner-city American black youths.

The genre was pioneered in the mid-1980s by rappers such as Schoolly D and Ice-T, and was popularized in the later part of the 1980s by groups like N.W.A. Ice-T released "6 in the Mornin'", which is often regarded as the first gangsta rap song, in 1986.


N.W.A is the group most frequently associated with the founding of gangsta rap. Their lyrics were more violent, openly confrontational, and shocking than those of established rap acts, featuring incessant profanity and, controversially, use of the word "nigger".
NWA - Fuck The Police

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M8vei3L0L8


1990's HIP HOP/Rap


In 1990, Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet was a significant success with music critics and consumers. 

Public Enemy - Fight The Power (Feat. Ice Cube) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwhJxRWKSnQ



MC Hammer hit mainstream success with the multi platinum album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The record reached #1 and the first single, "U Can't Touch This" charted on the top ten of the billboard hot 100. 

MC Hammer - You Can't Touch This http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo

 In 1992, Dr. Dre released The Chronic. As well as helping to establish West Coast gangsta rap as more commercially viable than East Coast hip hop,this album founded a style called G Funk, which soon came to dominate West Coast hip hop. The style was further developed and popularized by Snoop Dogg's 1993 album Doggystyle

Snoop Dog & Dr. Dre - Nothing But A G Thing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qkP8SvHvaU
Hip hop became a best selling music genre in the mid-1990s and the top selling music genre by 1999 with 81 million CDs sold.

 By the late 1990s hip hop was artistically dominated by the Wu-Tang Clan. The Beastie Boys continued their success throughout the decade crossing color lines and gaining respect from many different artists.

East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry


The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry...
 was a feud in the 1990s between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States. Focal points of the feud were East Coast-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (and his label,Bad Boy Records), and West Coast-based rapper 2Pac (and his label, Death Row Records), both of whom were murdered.

Biggie vs. 2Pac

"C'mere c'mere...open your fucking mouth...Didn't I tell you not to fuck with me?...Can't talk with a gun in your mouth huh?...Bitch-ass nigga, what?"       -Biggie "Who Shot Ya"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJC2ax18oQM
“Who shot me? But ya punks didn't finish now you 'bout to feel the wrath of a menace nigga, I hit ‘em up!"
—2Pac, “Hit 'Em Up
On September 13, 1996, Tupac Shakur died after being shot multiple times on September 7, 1996 by an unknown assailant in Las Vegas, Nevada. Six months later, on March 9, 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. was also shot to death by an unknown assailant in Los Angeles, California. To this day, both murders remain unsolved. 

The 2000s (Hip Hop)

The popularity of hip hop music continued through the 2000s. Dr. Dre remained an important figure, and in the year 2000 produced, The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem. Dre also produced 50 Cent's, 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin' which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts.



Hip hop influences also found their way increasingly into mainstream pop during this period mainly the mid-2000s, as the Los Angeles style of the 1990s lost power. Nelly's debut LP, Country Grammar, sold over nine million copies.



In the 2000s, crunk music, a derivative of Southern hip hop, gained considerable popularity via the likes of Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins.



 Jay-Z represented the cultural triumph of hip hop. As his career progressed, he went from performing artist to label president, head of a clothing line, club owner, and market consultant—along the way breaking Elvis Presley’s record for most number one albums on the Billboard magazine charts by a solo artist.



In addition to the mainstream success, the United States also saw the success of alternative hip hop in the form of performers such as The Roots, Dilated Peoples, Talib Kweli and Mos Def, who achieved significant recognition.
 

Then.......
Crunk and Snap Era

Crunk originated in Tennessee in the 1990s. The style was pioneered and commercialized by artists from Memphis, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia.

Looped, stripped-down drum machine rhythms are usually used. The Roland TR-808 and 909 are among the most popular. The drum machines are usually accompanied by simple, repeated synthesizer melodies and heavy bass stabs. The tempo of the music is somewhat slower than hip-hop, around the speed of reggaeton.

The focal point of crunk is more often the beats and music than the lyrics therein. Crunk rappers, however, often shout and scream their lyrics, creating an aggressive, almost heavy, style of hip-hop. While other subgenres of hip-hop address sociopolitical or personal concerns, crunk is almost exclusively party music, favoring call and response hip-hop slogans in lieu of more substantive approaches.

Snap music is a subgenre of crunk that emerged from Atlanta, Georgia, in the late 1990s. The genre soon gained mainstream popularity and in mid-2005 artists from other southern states such as Tennessee began to emerge with this style. Tracks commonly consist of an 808 bassdrum, hi-hat, bass, snapping, a main groove and a vocal track. Hit snap songs include "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" by "Dem Franchize Boyz", "Laffy Taffy" by D4L, "It's Goin' Down" by Yung Joc and "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy Tell 'Em.






Here's The Difference....This Music was Released in the 2000's....But There Is A "High" & "Low" Going On....

Example

The Low

The Roots & Jill Scott - You Got Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b5lNKnqp_o

"You cannot put me in a box because my soul doesn't fit in one. It's not a matter in what I put on...It's just a matter of my soul!"  -Jill Scott

Talib Kweli - Get By http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVtpXvzzXiA 

"This morning I woke up feeling brand new, I jumped up, feeling my highs and my lows and my soul and my goal. Just to stop smoking and stop drinking...I been thinking...I got my reasons. Just to get by"  -Talib Kweli

The High

Soulja Boy - Crank That http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We1AQetsAx4

"Soulja boy up in this hoe. Watch me lean & watch me rock. Superman that hoe. Then watch me crank that robocop" - Soulja Boy




 

Feb 18, 2013

Erykah Badu feat. Common - Love Of My Life



"I met him when I was a little girl. He gave me poetry, He was first. But in my heart, I knew I wasn't the only one because when the tables turned...we had to break up"  -Erykah Badu

LAURYN HILL - SUPERSTAR



"Come on baby, light my fire. Everything you drop is so tired. Hip Hop is suppose to insprire. How come we ain't getting no higher?" -Lauryn Hill

Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead ft. will.i.am

Remembering Hip Hop....








(The High) The Degrading of the Woman

Degrade (verb)
  • To reduce in grade, rank, or status; demote
  • To lower in dignity; dishonor or disgrace
  • To lower in moral or intellectual character; debase
  • To reduce in worth or value
Woman  (Noun)
  • An adult human female
  • A female person
  • Lady

In Hip Hop, when did it start??

Misogyny in Hip Hop culture refers to lyrics, videos and other aspects that support, glorify, justify, or normalize the objectifaction, exploitation, or victimization of women. It perpetuates negative sterotypes about women.

Many rappers see demeaning women as a way to assert their masculinity.

Misogynistic Themes
  • Derogatory naming & shaming of women
  • Sexual objectification of women
  • Legitimation of violence against women
  • Distrust of women
  • Celebrating of prostitution and pimping

Sad Thing....
Salt-N-Pepa was one of the first all female rap acts to provide the double standard with their degarding images of women in hip hop.

Slick Rick was the first one to say "Bitch" on a record. He said it in the 1985 song La-Di-Da-Di

Then...
Queen Latifah challenged male rapers who used the terms "bitch" and "ho" to refer to women in her Grammy Award-winning song U.N.I.T.Y.

Hip Hop songs that played a part in the history of the degrading of WOMEN...

 Some rapers even took it a step furter to even break down the meaning of "bitch" in their songs...To explain the difference between a "bitch" & a "sister."
Also, there are some popular 'Female" artist who have adapted the whole "bitch" term and labeled it upon theirselves....


Some Recent Songs In The Last Past Year That Are Still Topping The Charts...Using The Word "Bitch"!!!

*A$AP Rocky - Fucking Problems http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9-bEeLFPCQ
*2 Chainz & Nicki Minaj - I Luv Dem Strippers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atHekn9KE18
*Kanye West, Pusha T, 2 Chainz - Mercy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dqgr0wNyPo
*Wale & Meek Mill - Actin' Up - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYs4pA27Ajw
*French Montana - Pop That http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X98HX5nbsCI
*Kendrick Lamar - Poetic Justice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwqSuEEn4vI 

"The problem is that this music is what's popular, selling, and on high demand. This is the HIGH of Hip Hop. It's degrading music but it's what almost everyone wants to hear and sell"    -Coco





**************BITCH BAD****************

"Bitch Bad" is a song performed by artist Lupe Fiasco.  "Bitch Bad" tackles misogyny in hip hop culture and the use of the word "bitch" in rap music, the effects of these things on society and children, and the psychological concept
Lupe Fiasco - Bitch Bad - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3m3t_PxiUI

Kanye West tweeted, "I usually never tweet questions but I struggle with this so here goes... Is the word BITCH acceptable, Is it acceptable for a man to call a woman a bitch even if it's endearing?"

Well...What Do You All Think???
"How ya'll gone stand by and let our music turn into pop techno cornball ass music. We don't own our music no more. Come to think of it, did we EVER own it?

 When I say own our music, I'm not talking bout artist...I'm talkin bout the people...let me be quiet."

Feb 13, 2013

(The High) Current State of Hip Hop

When It Hurts So Bad...Why Does It Feel So Good???????????

The Mainstream breakthrough

After the 1980's, Hip Hop Culture began to decrease tremendlously. However, Hip Hop music has now reached it's "High" because more people from the ages of 11 to about 50 are listening to it in their cars, at the clubs, at school, at the party, on their ipod, on youtube and itunes.

Also, a lot of this new Hip Hop music can be heard on movie soundtracks and are in a constant rotation on the radio. Everyone knows the lyrics to these songs and are the songs that we can not get out of our head.

Also, this music is also selling out in the stores, on Amazon, and iTunes. Due to it's high demand, the new Hip Hop music is the "High" because it is what's selling and it's getting the most attention.

However, there is a correction....
This music is not really Hip Hop. It's really Rap and Pop music but the artist, the journalist, the media, and the radio labels it as Hip Hop. For example, Lil Wayne made a huge statement in 2008 saying, "I am Hip Hop, don't worry, I got it," letting the industry know that his music was Hip Hop. That's personally when I realized that the state of Hip Hop was in trouble.

The TOP 20 Hip Hop & Paid Artist of Today ...According to Hip Hop Forbes

1. Dr. Dre: $110 million
2. Diddy: $45 million
3. Jay-Z: $38 million
4. Kanye West: $35 milliom
5. Lil Wayne: $27 million
6 Drake: $20.5 milliom
7. Birdman: $20 million
8. Nicki Mianj: $15.5 million
9. Eminem: $15 million
10. Ludacris: $12 million
11. Pitbull: $9.5 million
12. Rick Ross: $9 million (tie)
13. Wiz Khalifa: $9 million (tie)
14. Snoop Dogg: $8 million
15. 50 Cent: $7.5 million
16. Swizz Beatz: $7 million (tie)
17. Pharrell: $7 million (tie)
18. Young Jeezy: $7 million (tie)
19. Mac Miller: $6.5 million (tie)
20. Akon: $6 million

http://hiphop-n-more.com/2012/09/hip-hop-forbes-top-20-list-of-2012/

Here's What Music Sounds Like Today Compared to the Original Hip Hop...Also, pay attention to the actual music video itself. Notice there are a lot of naked women, cash money, alcohol, maybe drugs, cars, and other materialistic value.

 Oh Don't Stop Here....The List Goes On!

However, those are the songs that are blowing up the charts and are being played mostly everywhere. So question...do we accept it or stop supporting it??

On A Postive Note...

Not all is lost. There are still some cautious Hip Hop artist and rapper out today who are innovating and remembering Hip Hop. Artist like Lupe Fiasco, Yasiin Bey, J. Cole, B.o.B, Common, Nas, Jay Electronica, Talib Kweli, and etc.....

However...
They are not topping the charts and the their music is not as popular as it should be.

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