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Cultural Importance of Rap in the 70s
Rap was a very important part of New York culture during the time it was created. In the 70s the Bronx was full of crime, but rap became a way to escape this. It was an art that brought many together. Rap offered opportunities for those in the Bronx to make it big and be known by many. It helped youth escape crime-riddled streets and gave them different aspirations. DJ's like Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa were strict about non-violence and peace within the community. Rap was a positive change. -
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Overall Cultural Importance of Rap
Rap has greatly influenced youth culture over the years, but many fail to see how much good it has done for youth. It helped with keeping youth off the streets. It gave them dreams and aspirations of becoming a star and creating a better life for themselves. Rap offered a community setting for so many kids. It created a sense of belonging and brought so many people together. Rap has allowed for representation of black stars in the media, giving black youth, important people to look up to. -
The Birth of Hip-Hop
On August 11th, 1973, Hip-Hop was born. DJ Kool Herc (known to have founded the Hip-Hop genre) threw many parties in his apartments rec room with his sister, but on this specific night, he decided to try something new. He called this method the merry-go-round, He gathered two turntables and began to loop the beat of a song, over and over again. This created a technique many artists use today called "looping." -
The Rhyme to The Rythm
As DJ Kool Herc continued to host these parties, he realized he needed something to keep his crowd entertained. This is when he came up with the idea to have words go along with the beat of the music. He asked his friend Coke La Rock to be the first MC at his events. Coke La Rock began to rhyme with the beat of the song, and this is how rap music came to be. -
DJ's of New York
Many more DJ's began to pop up on the scene shortly after DJ Kool Herc. Some of New Yorks most famous DJs at the time included Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa. These underground/secretive parties became very popular to the youth in New York, specifically the Bronx. -
Rap Goes Mainstream
In 1979, rap music went mainstream for the first time. A song called "Rappers Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang was released and it was a total of 14 minutes long. This song was able to reach the top 40 billboard spot in 1980. It became a very popular song and is now recognized by many. -
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Cultural Importance of Rap in the 80s
Rap artists were very popular in the 1980s. They were seen all over the media and heard all over the radio. For black youth, it was a great change being able to have black stars to look up to. Not only did rap stars offer representation in the media, but they also shined a light on some very important topics. The group N.W.A created a popular song called "F**k Tha Police". Though the title can be misleading, the song actually speaks on the important issue of police brutality. -
Beggining of The Golden Era
In the early 1980s, rap began to evolve. Lyrics became more clever, the rapping became faster, and the sound was better. A lot of this can be credited to changing technology as it definitely changed the game for rappers in the music industry. It became easier to sample songs and create new beats. Some huge rappers began their career during the golden era like Run-DMC, A Tribe Called Quest, and Public Enemy. A large population of youth during the 1980s looked up to these rappers. -
West Coast Rap
In the late 80s, rap began to spread to the west coast (Los Angeles). Many of these famous rappers came from nothing. They worked their way to the top using their talent and hard work. Many of these rappers would base their art off of personal experiences, or struggles. This brought attention to issues within certain communities. Some famous west coast rappers include Too Short, Ice-T, and N.W.A. -
Rivalries
In the early 90s, coastal rivalries began to arise. The west VS east coast rivalry was huge. One of the more famous rivalries was Tupac Vs Bigge smalls. These serious rivalries lead to the unsolved death of both beloved stars. These stars remain to be large inspirations to many artists today including popular artists like Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z. -
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Cultural Importance of Rap in the 90s
Unfortunately, rap became violent in the 90s. The industry lost two amazing artists on the same day due to gang violence. This event lead to reconciliation in a sense. Artists like Snoop and Jay-Z helped rap evlove, no matter what coast you were from, it was ok to enjoy whatever rap you wanted, violence in rap was being eliminated. The 90s was also an important era for women in rap. Women began to become more present and active in the rap genre. This was an important and crucial step in rap. -
Women in Rap
During the mid to late 90s, we began to see women popping up in the rap music business. This was a shock to many since the rap industry was, and still is, very male-dominated. This was a great change for women and this allowed for more diversity in this music genre. Important women in the rap game include Salt-N-Peppa, Mc Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Yo Yo. -
Fusion of Rap and Pop
In the mid to late 90s, the pop and rap genre began to collide. Many popular rap artists began to make music with pop artists. The mixture of singing and rapping reached a wider audience and allowed many more to be introduced to (and grow to love) rap music. These collabs also offered more women in pop music to be involved in the rap genre. Today, collabs like these are much more popular to see, so much so that it's hard to think of a song on the radio that doesn't have a rap verse in it. -
2000s Rap
In the early 2000s, rap just continued to evolve and grow bigger and better. Not much changed during this time period, as this rap was very similar to 90s rap. Artists like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and Kanye West were very popular at the time. -
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Cultural Importance of Rap in the 2000s to Today
In our current generation, we see rap being taken much more seriously then it has been in previous years. Rap has become a great outlet for many artists to express their feelings and thoughts. Artists like Childish Gambino and XXX Tentacion are able to use their popularity to bring important topics to this generation of youths attention. Rap music is such an important part of today's current society, and the positive messages being put into rap music today shows how far the genre has come. -
The Get Down
In 2016, the story of rap got an accurate representation in the media. A television show called "The Get Down" was created. A popular DJ, Grandmaster Flash, helped in producing this show and ensuring it was an accurate representation of what the rap world was like in the 1970s. This really took the viewer through some of the struggles of the youth in the Bronx at the time of the upbringing of rap. But more importantly, the show shows how rap music has changed young lives for the better. -
Messages Within Rap
A rap artist named XXX Tentacion created a very important song in 2017. He had recently lost a friend to suicide and dedicated a song to her. With this song, he expressed how serious mental illness is. The rapper often spoke about mental illness and strongly believed in helping others in need. The song was named Jocyln Flores, after the friend he had lost. The lyrics in the song express how the rapper feels after his loss. He discusses his own struggle with mental illness after her death. -
Messages Within Rap Continued
From 2010 and onward, we began to see very important messages being portrayed in rap music. Rap became an outlet for many artists to express their feeling on things such as politics. An example of this could be the rapper Childish Gambino song titled "This Is America". Not only is the song catchy, but it has a very important message. It speaks on the struggle of a black man in america, every lyric of this song is very thought out and moving, even the music video is worth a watch.
