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Overview

As both a musical genre and a mass culture movement, hip-hop was developed in the United States by inner-city African American and Latino American youth in the Bronx borough of New York City during the 1970s. Since then, the genre has developed more complex styles and spread around the world.

Be ready to:

Describe the four elements of hip-hop and explain their significance to hip-hop.

Identify members of the holy trinity of hip-hop and understand nonviolent ethos.

Name two individuals responsible for establishing the DJ as an authority figure.

Define gangsta rap, including notable artists and their songs.

Articulate how and why new jack swing and other hybrids emerged during the late 1980s.

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Rap: 1980s (Continued)

In the wake of the answer-back rap trend, a legion of solo female MCs emerged, including:

Antoinette

The Real Roxanne

Roxanne Shanté

MC Lyte

Queen Mother Rage

Queen Latifah

Sparky Dee

These female MCs-MC Lyte and Queen Latifah among them-sustained long careers in the world of hip-hop. Female MCs of the 1980s proved the viability and respectability of female hip-hop artists and later contributed to more diversified images of women in hip-hop music. Most notable in this regard were:

Bahamadia

Boss

Bytches With Problems (BWP)

Da Brat

Foxy Brown

Harmony

Lauryn Hill

Lady of Rage

Left Eye of TLC

Lil' Kim

Lil' Mama

Mia X

Missy Elliott

Monie Love

Nefertiti

Queen Pen

Rah Digga

Remy Ma

Sista Souljah

T-Love

Trina

Yo-Yo (Keyes 2002, 186-209)

Queen Latifah performing at the 2nd Annual BET Honors.

Also, during the 1980s, the human beatbox-the vocal, rhythmic simulation of drum and bass sounds-leading some to argue that beatboxing is hip-hop's fifth element, was in any case popularized by the Fat Boys, a trio from Brooklyn.

The Fat Boys performing "Human Beat Box" on New York Hot Tracks (1984)

But since the Fat Boys and other groups, and indeed the forerunner of the human beatbox, rapper Doug E. G Fresh, are MCs, beat-boxing is more usually considered a subcategory of MCing since it is a vocal technique commonly exploited by MCs. Other MCs to gain recognition during this period include Kurtis Blow (with his signature song " The Breaks♫ ," 1980), the first rap act on a major label (Mercury Records), and the first female MCs, Lady B, the trio Sequence, and Sha Rock of the collective, Funky 4 Plus 1, all signed to the Sugarhill label. Below is an analysis of various activities in "The Breaks" (1980) by Kurtis Blow.

Between 1980 and 1985, other rap music acts surfaced across New York City. Noted acts after 1985 include Big Daddy Kane (" Raw-Edit♫ ," 1987), Biz Markie (best known for his 1989 song " Just a Friend♫ "), Boogie Down Productions featuring KRS-One and Scott La Rock, Dana Dane, De La Soul, Doug E. Fresh & MC Ricky D (also known as Slick Rick), Eric B. & Rakim, Clarence "Blowfly" Reid (a forerunner of risqué style rap), Kool Moe Dee, Jungle Brothers, Stetsasonic, The Juice Crew featuring MC Shan and Roxanne Shanté, The Real Roxanne, Ultramagnetic MCs, UTFO, and Whodini. Acts from neighboring cities, such as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Schoolly D, from Philadelphia, also came to prominence.

The Fat Boys

Russell Simmons

The thing about hip-hop is that it's from the underground, ideas from the underbelly, from people who have mostly been locked out, who have not been recognized.

Rakim

The golden age was when people were starting to understand what hip-hop was and how to use it. I was lucky to come up then. Everybody wanted to be original and have substance; it was somewhat conscious...There was an integrity that people respected.