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Hip Hop Influence Through the Years
The originators of hip hop
Hip-hop and rap has sustained its place in music culture, but relative to other genres, it is still an infant. Hip-hop began in the South Bronx in New York City in the 1970s. Creation of the term hip hop is often credited to Keith Cowboy, rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
The roots of hip hop are found in African-American music and ultimately African music. The griots of West Africa are a group of traveling singers and poets who are part of an oral tradition dating back hundreds of years. Their vocal style is similar to that of rappers.
Within New York City, griot-like performances of spoken-word poetry and music by artists such as The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron and Jalal Mansur Nuriddin had a significant impact on the post-civil rights era culture of the 1960s and 1970s.
Hip hop arose during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular in New York City, particularly in the Bronx, where African-American and Puerto Rican influences combined. Block parties incorporated DJs who played popular genres of music, especially funk and soul music.
Hip hop music was an outlet and a “voice” for the disenfranchised youth of low-economic areas as the culture reflected the social, economic and political realities of their lives.
Hip hop music was both influenced by disco and a backlash against it. Hip hop had largely emerged as “a direct response to the watered down, Europeanised, disco music that permeated the airwaves”, and the earliest hip hop was mainly based on hard funk loops. However, by 1979, disco instrumental loops/tracks had become the basis of much hip hop music. This genre got the name of “disco rap”. Ironically, hip hop music was also a proponent in the eventual decline in disco popularity.
808 drum machine
The 1980s marked the diversification of hip hop as the genre developed more complex styles. Early on, sampled tracks and the fusion of hip hop music with electro emerged. The mid 1980s marked the influence of rock music. The 1980s also marked the period of heavy uses of drum machines that characterized many of the 1980 songs. Even to this day, the 808 kickdrum is traditionally used by hip hop producers.
The lyrical content of hip hop evolved as well. The early styles presented in the 1970s soon were replaced with metaphorical lyrics over more complex, multi-layered instrumentals. Artists such as Melle Mel, Rakim, Chuck D, and KRS-One revolutionized hip hop by transforming it into a more mature art form. The influential single “The Message” (1982) by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five is widely considered to be the pioneering force for conscious rap.
With the infusion of sampling, drum machines, new musical influences, and the evolution of lyrics, many rappers were able to become mainstream pop performers.
B-boying
Prior to the 1980s, hip hop music was largely confined within the context of the United States. However, during the 1980s, it began to spread in dozens of countries. B-boying became the first aspect of hip hop culture to reach Germany, Japan, Australia and South Africa.
LL Cool J
The new school of hip hop was the second wave of hip hop music, beginning in 1983-84 with the early records of Run-DMC and LL Cool J. This too, predominately came from New York City. This new era was initially characterized by drum machine-led minimalism, with influences from rock music. The lyrical content was notable for bravado, taunts, and boasts about rapping and socio-political commentary, with it being delivered in an aggressive, self-assertive ways. This projected a tough, cool, street b-boy attitude. These elements contrasted sharply with the funk and disco era prior to 1984, thus rendering them as old-school. The new school artists made shorter songs so that they could gain more radio play, and more cohesive LPs, thus leading the hip hop music becoming more commercially successful.
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Weekend RoundUp – Music Apps for Creators
What’s the first thing I see on my phone in the music news section this morning? A report that an audit conducted on Universal Music Group showed that the label owes rapper Eminem’s production company approximately $3.8 million. That’s not a small number, even for Eminem. First of all, how dare UMG disrespect Eminem like that! But secondly, why do things like this happen so often in our industry?
These types of stories get repetitive, and are all but discouraging for artists trying to make it out there. I’d rather turn on my phone or open my laptop and see something else, for a change. Now that I think about it…..I can do that. It’s a free country, and some of the best apps on my phone are the ones that integrate music/entertainment into my daily life. If you’re as tired as I am, and want to do something else on your phone besides read depressing industry news, here’s a few apps that may solve the problem.
AudioTool – Online Music Production
Can you imagine having a complete music production studio….online….for free? I couldn’t either, until AudioTool. The App provides the basics to layer and arrange complex beats. More importantly, this app is free. Do I really need to say more?
OneSheet – Marketing and Promotions
The onesheet is essential to any music marketing strategy. The great thing about this web app is that it creates a digital interactive onesheet which integrates pre-written content and social media to engage distributors and fans alike. Linking to sites like YouTube, Twitter, FourSquare allows for custom one sheets to stay up to date, keeping the fans informed. With onesheet.com, artists don’t have to wait around for labels to get around to filling in the blanks on their standard one sheet but can step their game up on their own.
TonePedia – A Guitar Tool for Musicians
Have you ever wondered what different guitars and gear combinations sound like? Well so did the folks at TonePedia, until they did something about it. TonePedia is the Guitar-man’s nirvana. They maintain an audio database of different guitars and their sounds as well as linking to some of the best blogs on the Internet for Guitar lovers. They’re on top of their stuff, and are waiting for you to join as we speak.
I’ll let you guys be the judge of this one. But I will say, I downloaded it, and I wasn’t disappointed. Here’s what some other people had to say about the app:
“It’s completely awesome. And kind of surreal.” – MacStories
“Critics are describing it as an iPhone app, within an iPhone app, within an iPhone app.” – Ryan Schwartz, TWITTER
“I’m completely blown away.” – NolanFans.com, Alex Haas
“It’s like legal drugs with no side effects.” – Pharrell Williams
“We just don’t know if there are any side effects yet.” – Michael Breidenbrücker
AirCasette
Sometimes you just feel a little nostalgia for technologies passed. Fortunately for you, there’s an app for that.
Creative Uses for Vinyl Records Other than Music
Love music? Have a garage or basement full of old vinyl records, but have already pretty much converted them digitally? Well, don’t just throw them out. Make sure you can put your old collection to good use, while still holding on to the beautiful art sleeves they came in. Here are five creative ways to recycle old vinyl records. Just make sure you don’t ruin a rare LP…
- Bowls
From cereal bowls to fruit bowls, melting down a vinyl can offer ample opportunity for holding whatever your heart desires. It’s quite simple and can be a boost as a decorative piece to any room. To learn how to do this, check out this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-KVx5U5NRA I would so eat my cheerio’s out of this thing, seriously. Honey nut of course.
2. Clock
very psychedelic...whoa man. time is like, literally moving in front of me....
Tell time fashionably in your own home by using the record as the face. You can leave it as is, paint a new design on it, or cut it out into a whole thing. Be as creative as you want. Don’t let time be a factor in your decisions…ignore that terrible line please.
3. Table Top
finally, my favorite artists will support things i like. Such as burritos
Whether it be next your bed or next to your favorite recliner, everyone needs a place to put their drink or phone down. Why not use some old vinyl’s and be able to see some of your favorite artists support some of your favorite things?
4. Wall Art
butterflies attack!
Like with the other options, the vinyls can be cut, molded, and…folded? well not really because they would snap, but the other two are very true. With the ability to be manipulated in so many ways, why not create something that can hang on your wall that both shows off your creative ability and fantastic music tastes?
5. Cardholder
party, party, party...why am i so popular?
What to do with all those business cards, letters, and bills? Well, you throw the bills out because if it’s important, they’ll send another. But the others you gotta know where they are. Why not make your old record into a cool cardholder? It’s simple and provides a nice piece that livens up a room by itself.
These are only a couple of ideas of how to get the most out of your older investments. Just make sure the records you choose are not rare or something you can sacrifice for a new creative item. If you want to see what else you can make, click here, here, here, aaaaannnnndddddd here
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Feel the Riddim, Feel the Rhyme. Get On Up It’s Blog Post Time!
Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! COOL RUNNINGS!
While feeling the rhythm and feeling the rhyme may have been a unique thing to bobsledding, in Jamaica the riddim is pretty common everywhere. “Riddim” is the Jamaican Patoi pronunciation of the English word “rhythm,” but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the “voicing” (vocal part) sung by the deejay. This creates a very unique song structure. A given riddim, if popular, may be used in dozens – or even hundreds – of songs, not only in recordings, but also in live performances. The most prolific Jamaican rhythm section would be the production team of Sly and Robbie. Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare are estimated to have played on or produced 200,000 recordings.
Beginning in the 1980′s, riddims started to be originally composed by producers/beatmakers, who give the riddims original names and, typically, contract artists to “voice” over them. Riddims are the primary musical building blocks of Jamaican popular songs and are the instrumental backgrounds of reggae, lovers rock, dub, ragga, dancehall, soca, bouyon, grime compositions, and in some rare cases, reggaeton.
Robbie Shakespeare
However, riddim is not restricted to Jamaican music culture. Some urban contemporary songs have become riddims, as well. The instrumental of Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent” has become a popular riddim for many dancehall artists, as well as George Michael’s song, “Faith”.
This idea of riddim can be applied to all music really. If you need help trying to find the pattern between songs, start with Bob Marley and the Wailers, then Sublime, then Third Eye Blind, and you can find the basic instrumental within their songs that are overlapped with a few more instrumentals and voicing.
Not saying that songs are not unique, each one is, but it is interesting to hear how music has very direct roots and are related to each other with a rhythmic DNA.
In an entertaining fashion, here is a video of many popular songs that share common chords and “riddim”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I
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Weekend Roundup: Combating Digital Piracy in 2012
2005 version of the "piracy kills music" logo
“Widespread piracy is the biggest factor undermining the growth of
the digital music business.” - IFPI Digital Music Report 2012
Things may finally be looking up for the music industry. IFPI, or the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, has recently released its 2012 Digital Music Report. This year’s report, making the ninth so far, has an optimistic outlook for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most significant update is the development and implementation of new measures to stamp out digital piracy. Frances Moore, the chief executive of the IFPI, writes in the report:
“We are undoubtedly making important progress in changing this environment, dealing with both peer-to-peer (P2P) and other forms of digital piracy. In the US, music and film companies have agreed with ISPs a new copyright alert system. In France, the Hadopi law has been successfully implemented and research shows it is accepted and having an impact on consumer behaviour. . .
. . .South Korea, a pioneer of anti-piracy legislation which has required an effective role from ISPs in stopping infringement, is seeing continued market health. New Zealand implemented a new graduated responselaw in 2011 and surveys show it is already affecting consumer behaviour positively. In Europe, a series of successful court actionsrequired ISPs to block access to The Pirate Bay, prompting substantial reductions in users of that service.In 2011, we made significant progress with these intermediaries. A ground-breaking three-way collaboration betweenpayment providers, IFPI and the City of London Police has helped cut funding to 62 illegal websites. That is a positive model that can be extended to new forms of piracy in the future.”
Moore also highlighted the need for cooperation from search engines such as Google:
How Music Affects the Brain
This guy obviously is smart from having music on the brain. Just look at him, he's got glasses.
I am not a doctor, as much as the white lab coat I wear at all times might suggest, but I do understand how important the brain is and how much it can be affected by musical stimulation. Recently, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords used music therapy to help her learn to talk again. The still unproven theory revolves around the idea that music is represented in multiple parts of the brain and therefore accesses deeper pathways between neurons. Music then helps patients connect the stored knowledge of words through songs and helps create the new connections needed for speech. This same application has been used to treat stroke victims in the past and has been referred to as The Kenny Rogers Effect. However, music can still improve your day-to-day life even when you don’t have brain damage.
Increase Memory and Language Skills
Regularly playing a musical instrument changes the anatomy and function of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills. But for music listeners, it helps for memory recall and cognitive function. It works for Alzheimer patients as well as for everyone else. If you’re having trouble remembering something, you might have better luck if you play the same music you were listening to when you first had the thought.
Boost Your Immune System
While everyone feels generally better while listening to music, science is there to back it up, too. Soothing music is known to decrease stress, and when it does that, it decreases the level of the stress hormone cortisol. Listening to upbeat music can be just as rewarding. Scientists found that after listening to just 50 minutes of uplifting dance music, the levels of antibodies in volunteers’ bodies increased. They also found that stress hormone levels, which can weaken the immune system, decreased after being exposed to the music. It’s good to keep these things in mind as winter is (supposedly) coming/ is here which means colds soon follow, so you need every little advantage you can get to avoid being sick.
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Record Store Day: 65 days 11 hours and counting
The holidays come on the third Saturday of April every year for musicians and independent retailers, internationally and across the United States. Introducing Record Store Day, celebrated by fans, artists, and over 950 independently owned record stores. The purpose of this holiday is to set aside one day each year that features independently owned record stores and musicians as they come together with fans to celebrate the art of music.
The original idea was conceived by an independent record store employee, Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Erik Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner. Various rare and exclusive promotional products are distributed specifically for the day, including special vinyl and CD releases, in addition to hundreds of artists from the United States and across the globe debuting special appearances and performances. There are lots of festivities such as cook outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and so on. Levin, one of Record Store Day’s key architects, declared the event “more important” than Christmas or Christmas week, in terms of boosting sales at independent outlets.
Find a participating record store near you. (Photo credit: Nicoze)
Record store day continues to grow exponentially every year and have a positive impact on the industry and local retailers. It was in April 19, 2008 that Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco with approximately ten special releases offered at the time. According to Billboard Magazine, the 182,000 bump in unit sales for the week of Record Store Day 2011, was directly attributed to the success of Record Store Day itself. For its fifth anniversary this year, Record Store Day has announced Iggy Pop, the innovator of punk rock, as the official ambassador for 2012.
Iggy Pop can also be found on a very special Record Store Day release: It’s the David Lynch Foundation’s contribution this year called, “Music That Changes The World,” a Special Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set compilation featuring 34 world-renowned artists that will be (you hope!) available at a record store near you! Only 2,500 will be going out… so make sure to get in line for your copy!
We here at Altavoz look forward to this year’s Record Store Day. Get out there and support your local music retailer and make a difference. As we like to say: “Buy Indie — Support Local.” That’s what we’ll be doing.
Weekend RoundUp – The Grammys: Highs and Lows
Much of the excitement for the Grammys was dimmed by the abrupt passing of the legendary Whitney Houston the night before. As soon as the world was hit with the news, every trending topic was related to her. As it started to sink in, we all started wondering who in the Grammy camp would be up all night planning some form of Whitney tribute worthy of the singer. Thank Ken Ehrlich for working fast and recruiting Jennifer Hudson for a stirring rendition of “I Will Always Love You.” Aside from the overhanging somber tone, the Grammys was still a great, and well deserved night for Adele. The singer walked away with 6 Grammys including the coveted album of the year. With this week’s weekend update, we’re going to revist the highs (and lows…..because there were lows) of the 54th Grammy Awards.
Image courtest of MTV.com
High: Bruno Mars Performance
The moment I knew Bruno Mars was about to perform “Runaway” from Doo-Wops and Hooligans, my brain instantly dismissed him as irrelevant and checked out. I never disliked him, but I do recall a number of times changing the station when “Grenade” came on. Imagine my surprise, when Bruno came out of nowhere in his stylish Gold on Black suit & James Brown moves, blowing me away. All I could do was sit down, shut up, and enjoy. Granted, I believe he stole the James Brown swag from Janelle Monae who he toured with last year, Bruno Mars hater, I am no longer.
High: Adele reassuring the world that she can still saaang
Before the news of Whitney Houston’s death, all the talk surrounding the Grammys was about if Adele would still be the same powerhouse she was before her throat surgery. Of course, Adele didn’t disappoint. As if we ever doubted her. Not only does she still got it, but after watching her on 60 minutes before the Grammys with Anderson Cooper, I’ve decided we should be best friends.
Groundbreaking Grammys
The 54th Annual Grammy awards are this Sunday and I can’t wait. This year, Skrillex, one of my favorite EDM artists is nominated not once, but five times. Not surprisingly, he’s nominated in the Best Dance Recording category, but more impressive is he’s going up against Nicki Minaj, the Band Perry, Bon Iver, and J. Cole for the Best 
New Artist category.
As someone who listens to EDM almost constantly, this is an awesome thing to hear and will be even better if he wins. Although this kind of music has been around a long time, it has recently been brought into the spotlight and become more widely accepted. Skrillex being nominated five times is a huge demonstration of the growing popularity and public love of dance music.
To see all the nominees and learn more visit http://www.grammy.com/
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Push Who You Are, Not Just What You Have
Old Man Bubblegum Chewing Tate knows who he is...most of the time
Building a fan base takes more than good music. People can easily connect to a song and disregard the artist entirely. Music listeners like to connect to an idea, an experience, a personality. Using Twitter and Facebook is not necessary, but if you’re going to use them, use them to magnify your ideas. Look back to your posting history…are you just posting links to your music? Then you’re wasting your time. You should provide some useful information or an engaging, entertaining conversation to draw your audience in and keep them there. Don’t underestimate the ability of human connection. People have strings that can be pulled and becoming emotionally connected is one of them.
Every year, people with the charisma of a closet door can convince thousands of people that the world is going to end. And the ones who didn’t believe are still talking about it. Shock and awe, and controversy can only take you so far. Once the initial substance is gone, people become disinterested in the stale state of your information. Make sure you take full advantage of the one thing in the world that nobody else has…Your Individuality.
