Black Music the Deejay

8/14/2019 Black Music the Deejay

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Liner Notes

Liner Notes

Before there was Hip-Hop . . .

This module examines themany predecessors to Hip-Hop. A true appreciationfor rap music requires adecent grounding in itsmusical roots.


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Liner Notes

Liner Notes2

Introduction

This module is intended to be a primer on theevolution of Black music leading up to Hip-Hop.

Many people discount the influence of othergenres on early Hip-Hop. This module is

intended to shed light onto the long musicaltradition which Hip-Hop has joined.

Please spend time to listen to the variouslinks . . . Rap music has used sampling toreinvent the music of yesteryear.

There is a brief evaluation at the end (similarto the deejay module)

This section will be used to highlight interesting tidbits about themusic.

Various soundfiles will beplaced here. Click the imageto play sound.Double clickmovie files. Billie Holiday God Blessthe Child


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Liner Notes

Liner Notes3


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Liner Notes

Liner Notes4

Introduction

This module isintended to be aprimer on theevolution of Blackmusic leading up toHip-Hop.

Many people discountthe influence of othergenres on early Hip-Hop. Thispresentation isintended to shedlight onto the longmusical tradition

which Hip-Hop hasjoined.

This section will be used to highlight interesting tidbits about themusic.

Various soundfiles will beplaced here. Click the imageto play sound.Double clickmovie files. Billie Holiday God Blessthe Child


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Liner Notes

Liner Notes5

practicing what you preach

For a five year period, the bestHigh school parties in the city took

Place at Fordham Prep Your Professor was the presidentOf Kawaida, the African-American

Club as well as one of 5 peopleOn the executive board of student

Government [meaning he had some

Pull and used it at every opportunity] In addition to DJ Clue, S&S, andA spot appearance by Kid Capri,Ron G blessed us twice with his skills

This flyer was given to Prof Ryan by a

former student who actually ATTENDED

parties at Fordham Prep.


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Liner Notes

Liner Notes6

Characteristic of Black Music Rapping has been traced back to the griots [keepers of the history of

African tribes human repositories of fact, wit, and wisdom] of Africa. The storytelling of emcees, often informs the audience of the

current state of affairs within Hip-Hop (and sometimes theworld).

Jay-Z released a freestyle the same evening of 9/11. The Message -- Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five Mos Def released the Katrina Klap,which uses the beatfrom Juvenilles (who is from New Orleans) Nolia Clap

Underground emcees, those who have not gained commercial(I.e. mainstream) acclaim/success, have greater leeway to talkabout controversial subjects

While Kanye West spoke out on national Television, emceeImmortal Technique was joined by Mos Def for a track BinLaden

Typically, the years 1986-1994, where Public Enemy, X-Clan,Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, and a Tribe Called Quest were amajor part of this movement.

` Katrina

Klap by

Mos Def


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Liner NotesLiner Notes 7

Common themes

Two themes in Black music, struggleagainst inequity and progress towardsfreedom

Beginning with slave songs and spirituals andcontinuing through gospel, jazz, Motown and rap, thelyrical content of Black music has typically mirrored the

trial and tribulation which many Black Americans wereencountering.

With slavery ending in 1865, the Jim Crow Era, TheCivil Rights Movement, the urban renewal of the1970s and 1980s and even the economic boom of the1990s . . . The music has often followed the plight ofthe people.

The mainstream success of rap music has toned downsome of the messages, emcees such as Nas, TalibKweli, Paris, Common, Jean Grae, the Coup andScarface still mix message and entertainment.

KRS-Ones 1991 album Edutainment,coined the term.

The albums self-titled single proclaimed:


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Predecessors to rap

Early (1977-1984) Rap music was heavily influencedby the sounds and styles of the music of the 60sand 70s.

Disco, R&B, and reggae/dub (migration from the Caribbeanallowed deejays to bring their personal knowledge directly intothe culture).

As knowledge of production methods and studiomanagement matured, distinct sounds began toemerge:

jazz-fusion (east coast) funk (west coast) drum and bass (south)

Today, rap music is fused by many genres, from rockand roll (popularized by Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock)

to reggaeton (I.e. Daady Yankee).

This module will cover the musical influences which impactedHip-Hop until 1970. Disco and later will be coveredseparately.

Bootsy Collinsand George Clinton(below) were two of thebiggest stars in the funkmovement of the 1970s.The early dress in Hip-Hop closely mirrors thisperiod.


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Predecessors to rap

The political scene of the late 1960 and early 1970salso played a role in shaping the ideologies of earlyemcees.

Poets such as Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, NikkiGiovanni, and Gil Scott Heron (best known fort hispoem stating The Revolution will Not be

Televised) brought activism and awareness to theiraudience. The Last Poets are typically given the most credit for

transferring the image of poetry By using poetry as a platform of self-expression, they convinced

an urban audience to be more accepting of poetry (which hadlong been considered an upper-class thing)

The Last Poets first performed in Marcus Garvey Park on theanniversary of Malcolm Xs birthday (May 19, 1968)

Playing the dozens and the fast paced whit involvedcan be seen in early rap battles and has beenpopularized by televised freestyle battles on MTV

The African-American tradition of playing the dozens is when twoacquaintances go head to head in a contest of often good-natured, "trash-talk". They take turns insulting one another, their adversary's mother, orother family member until one of them has no comeback.


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Importance of the last poets

Darius James, in his book "That's Blaxploitation!" (St.Martin's Griffin, 1995) talks of the impact of the LastPoets:

Most importantly, they made you think and kept you"correct" on a revolutionary level. We all connected. 'Cause

it was a Black communal thing. Like the good vibes and

paper plate of red-peppered potato salad at a neighborhood

barbecue.

The words and the rhythms were relevant. We joined

together around the peace pipe and the drum. And when it

came to the rhythms of the drums, the drums said, "Checkyour tired-ass ideology at the door."

This clip from the movie Freestyle

introduces the Last Poets. The clipbegins with a brief sound-bite fromMohammad Ali. Ali used wordseffectively to taunt his opponents.

Video Link:

http://www.sharehiphop.com/

nclc375/video1.mp4

Gil Scott Heron and Last Poets use poetry to promote the idea ofchange as serious revolution . Rap music took its cue fromthese early emcees.


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Call and Response a statement given by a song leaderthat is immediately followed by a response from a chorus

Preachers in the Black church often use this technique toengage the congregation - - Can I get an Amen?

Below are a few examples from rap music Can I kick It . . . YES YOU CAN!

A Tribe Called Quest Whos House . . . RUNS HOUSE!

RUN DMC You down wit OPP . . . YEAH YOU KNOW ME!

Naughty by Nature A-Yo . . . A-IGHT

KRS-ONE

Somewhat distinct to black music

The deejay was the first crowd master, they spoke to the crowd throughtheir musical selections and would sometimes use call and responsemethods. Cowboy of the Furious Five is often called the first hype-manspeaking to the crowd through chants.

Listen to Naughty byNature, OPP


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Somewhat distinct to black music Call to action a statement given by a song leader which calls

for a physical response from the audience This practice began in early rap as the party was the main scene

for Hip-Hop The deejay was the main vocal leader before Grand Master Flash

began to use emcees to speak to the crowd Early examples of: Throw Your hands in the Air or Pump Your

Fist gave way to video-induced, more explicit calls from many of

todays emcees. Below are a few examples from rap music

Jump Around (House of Pain) Throw Ya guns in the air (Onyx) Jump . . . (Kriss Kross) Slam . . . (Onyx) Put Ya Hands where my Eyes can See (Busta Rhymes) Lean Back (Fat Joe) Shake it Fast (Mystikal) -- an example of stadium or

anthem music Take Your Shirt Off (Petey Pablo)

Today, these songs in Hip-Hop are sometimes called anthem rapsongs. These songs gain recognition when they are played in largestadium events where the crowd typically reacts to the call to action.

This clip from the movie Freestyleshows crowd response from various

Hip-Hop acts: Black Eyed Peas (pre-Fergie), De La Soul, early Eminem,

KRS-One, and the Ruler -- SlickRick


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Music of the early 1900s

Ragtime Text mirrored the arduous and oftenunfair conditions under which African-Americans livedand labored

Differed from spirituals as they lacked religiosityAs the name suggests, these were the songs they

sang as they worked (typically in the fields)

Popular in the late 1890s thru the early 1920sScott Joplin is considered a pioneer of ragtime

Classical JazzEarliest body of work to express the feelings ofAfrican -Americans

Popular musicians: Jelly Roll Morton Though not as popular as in the earlier part of the

century, Wynton Marsalis, among others has keptclassical jazz alive to a new generation.

Between 1909 and 1915, Morton appeared at Tom Anderson's Annexin New Orleans, as well as many other places in and out of the city.California became his base of operations from 1915 to 1923, Chicago

from 1923 to 1928, and New York from 1928 to 1935.

Jelly Roll Mortonsnippethttp://www.southernmusic.net/jellybio.htm

Scott Joplinsnippet,Reflection Rag


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Work Songs and Spirituals

Works songs Text mirrored the arduous and oftenunfair conditions under which African-Americans lived andlabored

Differed from spirituals as they lacked religiosity As the name suggests, these were the songs they sang as

they worked (in the fields, in chain gangs or on the railroads)

SpiritualsEarliest body of work to express the feelings of African -

Americans

Connected song and dance to produce an ecstatic state inparticipants . . . ceremony involved the whole group

The expressive part of this music became the backbone ofthe Black church, setting it a part from the moretraditional ceremonies of the South.

Both work songs and spirituals were popular fromthe 1870s to the early 1900s (< 1910)

In rural meetings, thousands slaves were gathered and listened toitinerant preachers, and sang spirituals, for hours. In the late1700s, they sang the precursors of spirituals, which were calledcorn ditties. www.negrospirituals.com

Listen to spirituals(click to listen . . .

Sorry could not findthese files)

This collection contains some of theearliest spirituals. Spiritualsevolved into early gospel.


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Coon Songs (1880-1920)

Minstrel Shows Popular in the early half of the 1800s typically had all

white casts in blackface

Actors would mock Negro culture to the delight of mainlywhite audiences

Coon Songs Ushered in with the advent of ragtime and benefited from

ragtimes acceptance into mainstream popular culture

Blended street culture, language and idiom into theperformance

Performed (sung) and written largely by African-Americansand provided the first insight into African-American culture

The most popular acts became the highest paid African-Americans, though royalties mainly went to whites

Coon songs were primarily written by Blacks.

White writers began to pen such songs when thefinancial gain became apparent.


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Popular Coon Songs

All Coons Look Alike to Me by Ernest Hogan(1896)

Spurred many copycats . . . All Chinks/Spaniards Look Alike . . . A Trip to Coontown by Cole and Johnson (1897) All I want is My Black Baby Back by Bessie

Gilliam (1898)

Im Tired of Dodging the Installment Man byCarrie Hall (1902) When a Coon Sits in the Presidential Chair by

Sally Cotrell (1899) Dats De Way to Spell CHICKEN (1902) by Sidney

Perrin Mammys Little Pumpkin Colored Coons (1902) by

Sidney Perrin

The colored man writes the Coon song, the colored singer sings the coon

song, the colored race is compelled to stand for the belittling and ignomy ofthe coon song, but the money for the coon song flows with ceaseless

activity into the white mans pockets. Indianapolis Freeman, August 1901


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Gospel Music

Began early 1920s and 30s Distinct characteristics

Hand clapping and foot stompingUnrestrained African vocalityAfrican-derived rhythms, textures, and performanceMusical accompaniment by piano (or organ) , guitar,tambourine, triangle and drums

Survival instinct was necessary in the 1920s a decade ofextremes that saw the resurgence of the KKK.

Gospel music remains a staple of the BlackChurch over time, it has evolved

Advances in musical accompaniment, individual style (I.e. thesoloist adds their persona to the song) and emerging trends

in music (Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin) have allowed gospel toremain relevant to a new generation.

Early Gospel (pre-1930 consisted of two kinds of groups: the allmale quartet who sung a capella and the all female group who sungwith a piano accompaniment.

The Bethel Lutheran Gospel Choir,

called the most spiritual Lutheran

choir on earth,

MahaliaJackson

Fisk JubileeSingers The Gospel

Wonders


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The Blues -- Coon Shouters

Began early 1920s and 30s Distinct Characteristics

Covers a wide range of musical expression, from classiccountry blues to blues-tinged jazz performances

Urban Blues were prominent until late1930s BessieSmith, Ma Rainey generates emotion, drama andmodality

Memphiswas a hotbed for the Blues. This tradition wouldcontinue with Stax records in the Motown era

The Great DepressionThe impact of the Great Depression should be kept inmind when considering the Blues

Unemployment hit African-Americans harder than anyother group . . . More than half were out of work

The New Deal helped create programs which helpedAfrican-Americans (and other groups)

Ma Rainey Clip Tough Luck Blues

BB King is a staple of Blues music

MuddyWaters


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Swing and Bebop

Swing music was popular from 1935-1945Popular musicians of that time include:Count Basie

(Kansas City), Duke Ellington (of Washington DC),Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Domino

Swing music also ushered in the era of big bandwhere audiences would gather to hear large bands

playing popular tunes. Bebop was popular from 1939-1950

Bebop grew out of improvisational sessions in NYC clubs.These sessions are sometimes compared to ciphers (whereemcees get together and freestyle) in Hip-Hop

Popular musicians: Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, DizzyGillespie, and Thelionious Monk

Much like Hip-Hop, many musicians transitionedfrom swing to bebop and beyond.

The free expression of swing even scared Hitler. The movie SwingKids details his obsession against swing music as German youthembraced what was considered immoral black jungle music

Photo copyright of Down Beat

magazine. www.swingmusic.net

Fats Domino Dizzy

Gillespie


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Bebop (cont.)

Bebop was popular from 1939-1950 Billie Holiday Strange Fruit (1939)

This song openly challenged lynchings (the strangefruit) . . . Protest in song was not accepted at that time

Billie Holiday did not write Strange Fruit . . . This does notdiminish her courage to perform it in countless venues

Bebop musicians, with Charlie Parker given the mostacclaim, used improvisation to enrich traditional scores. The typical bebop combo consisted of bass, drums, andpiano, with two horns.Name Bebop:

Dizzy Gillespie on the name bebop: We played a lot of original tunes that didnt have titles. We

just wrote an introduction and a first chorus and Id say, Dee-da-pa-da-bnde-bop. and wed go into it. People, when theyd

wanna ask for a song and didnt know the name, theyd ask forbebop. The press picked up on it and started calling it bebop

Doo-wop is a derivation of bebop. Popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Actslike Chubby Checker included performance as part of their show. Many ofthe sidewalk quartets popular at that time, were considered doo-wop.The term doo-wop was not coined until the 1970s and is still widelyargued (in terms of its accuracy and definition.)

TheloniousMonk Chubby

Checker


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Rock and roll Swing music was popular from 1935-1945

Chuck Berry, Bo Didley, Fats Domino, and Little Richard sharedthe Billboard chart with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly. White copies of Black songs would often outsell the original.

Mos Defs Rock and Roll is a reminder to rap fanson the importance of rock and roll:

I said, Elvis Presley ain't got no soul (huh)Chuck Berry is rock and roll (damn right)

You may dig on the Rolling Stones

But they ain't come up with that style on they own (uh-uh)

Elvis Presley ain't got no SOULLLL (hell naw)

Little Richard is rock and roll (damn right)

You may dig on the Rolling Stones

But they ain't come up with that sh!t on they own

Jimi Hendrix was one of the most influential artists of his time. While he had many Black listeners, he once asked to play at the famed Apollo

Theater but was denied because his audience differed from theirdemographic.

Little Richard Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry inspired countless Detroitrockers. Backed by the Woolies, Chuckrocks a Motor City audience in 1971 atOakland Community College's UnionLake Campus.

www.appleson.com/Grit01.htm


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Name that sample

Much of rap music is based on sampling. Where aproducer (who is typically a deejay himself), usespart of a beat or melody from a previouslyrecorded song.

There is an excellent website: www.the-breaks.comwhich lists rap songs and the songs which itsampled. It even breaks the samples down bygenre (I.e. rock and roll, funk, country).

If you are into music, this is definitely a cool site.

Suggested Sites: www.the-breaks.com/ www.oldschoolhiphop.com/

www.zulunation.com/ www.daveyd.com

While the Source and XXL are

considered the two main Hip-Hop

magazines, with Wax Poetics a distant

third, Scratch Magazine is the only

magazine dedicated to producers and

deejays.


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Evaluation

Please respond to the following questions in a MicrosoftWord document and turn in your response by FridayJune 15 on the Digital Dropbox on Blackboard. .

1. What did you like most about this lesson?2. What did you like least?

3. What can be done to facilitate learning via this onlineenvironment? What would you change?4. What is the connection between rap music and African-

American music? What other influences (outside theones mentioned in this module) have you heard in rapmusic?

Full citations of all music and images forthcoming. The authortakes no responsibility or ownership, -- all sounds/images used foreducational purposes only.


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Liner NotesLiner Notes

Before there was Hip-Hop . . .This Powerpoint module examines the many predecessors

to Hip-Hop. A true appreciation for rap music requires adecent grounding in its musical roots.

There are audio and video links throughout thispresentation. Please be patient while the moduleloads . . . The server may not be able to push the video

out fast enough.

If you need assistance, the staff at any of the UDCcomputer labs can assist you.

Also, try Learning Resource Center [in the library]

Documents

Black Music the Deejay