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LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT BEAT
Hip Hop
South Bronx of New York in the early 1970`s
DJ-ing, MC-ing break dancing, graffiti and rap
Alternative expression to gang violence
Local sub-culture of the coloured communities
Context
1955-1968 : the Black Civil Rights Movement
Decline in population, livable housing, and the quality of life in the late 1960s and the 1970s
1970s reflected America's urban crisis of unemployment and poverty
Concentration of Black and Latin American communities
Gang violence peaked in 1973 however declined with the popularity of hip hop
DocumentaryThe Perfect Beat DJ Kool Herc Kraftwerk
The Beat Episode 10
Leading figures in Hip Hop:DJ Kool Herc
Grand Master Flash
Afrika Bambaataa
Universal Zulu Nation
Sub- Culture graffiti and break dancing
DJ Kool Herc
Also known as Clive Campbell
Born in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to the South Bronx with his family
Clive hoseted parties with his sister Cindy began hosting parties where he DJ’d with a two-turntable system to the music of James Brown, the Temptations, Aretha Franklin, and others
Developped the “Merry-go-round” for dancers he called B-Boys and B-Girls
He also began to "emcee" between the transitions, talking and hyping up the crowd, which eventually became rapping.
DJ Kool Herc Explaining the "Merry-Go-Round“
Rappers Delight
Grand Master Flash Grand Master Flash Born in Bridgetown, Barbados however grew up
in the Bronx A large influence in his life was his father who
listened to Caribbean and Black American records
He developed and mastered 3 innovations:1. Backspin Technique2. Punch Phrasing 3. Scratching
Grandmaster Flash The Message
Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa Born as Kevin Donovan Joined the Savage Seven gang ( Black Spades) Bambaataa had deep interest in music and politics Officially changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa
Aasim, adopting the name of the Zulu chief Bhambatha
Bambaataa formed a social group called the Zulus Soulsonic Force – “Renegades of Funk”
Afrika Bambaataa
Bambaataa declared:
“When we made Hip Hop, we made it hoping it would be about peace, love, unity and having fun so that people could get away from the negativity that was plaguing our streets (gang violence, drug abuse, self hate, violence among those of African and Latino descent).”
Looking for the Perfect Beat Music Video
Universal Zulu Nation Afrika Bambaataa &
Zulu Nation Documentary Founded by Afrika Bambaataa and is the
world`s largest & oldest Hip Hop organization
Originally made up of reformed gangsters. Sophisticated version of the Black Spades
Believed in helping any peaceful nation or race
Politically and socially aware, providing positive outlets
Bambaataa: “It's about survival, economics, and keeping our people moving on”
Graffiti
Originated in Philadelphia 1965 and moved to New York 1968
Self promotion of artists among peers
Early graffiti was not political Popularity of graffiti was followed
with strict anti-graffiti laws Graffiti Video 1973-1975
Michael Stewart
1982 Bronx NY "If this had been a white boy who had been
beaten by eleven Black officers, you would have had murder indictments within two days... What we have witnessed has been a farce, and all the players happened to be white. The six defendants, the six defense lawyers, the two prosecutors, the twelve jurors, the judge, and even every court officer in the well of the courtroom was white. the only Black person there was the victim, and he was unable to testify."
Discussion Question
We've discussed the issue of similar incidents of institutionalized racism in previous classes. But graffiti, as part of Hip Hop culture, is supposed to be an alternative mode of expression rather than participating in gang activity.
Is graffiti equally harmful to society as gang activity? Do you feel this is another example of a dominant culture suppressing the voice of visual minorities?
Break Dancing Started when dancers at clubs started dancing
to a particular part of the song. The break - dancers became known as
"breakers," or "b-boys" and "b-girls" DJ's like Kool Herc noticed this trend, and they
began to loop and mix the break for the dancers
1983 Roxy Competition Video
End of Old School 1984 - 1986 there was
apparent commercialization of Hip Hop
The movie Beat Street, featuring DJ Kool Herc, spread Hip Hop to a different audience
Run DMC was a new rap trio that came out of Queens, managed by Russell Simmons
“It’sTricky” Video Run DMC Tricky Video
Discussion Question
Thinking about racial authenticity, how are subcultures more or less authentic than commercially produced media?
Does racial authenticity need to be compromised to gain representation in main stream media?
Discussion Question
How is location significant? Could hip-hop have developed anywhere else?
How is race a factor in the development of Hip Hop?
Why couldn't it be a bunch of white kids in a suburban area?
Discussion Question
So far in the seminar we have discussed issues surrounding representation in television and film, but how is representation different or similar to rap music?
What are the issues of representation in music? Consider the time period up to 1986.
