East Coast hip hop

Hip hop is a subcultural movement that originated in the early 1970’s by groups of young African-American, Latino, and Caribbean teenagers living in South Bronx, New York City. Though it made its way towards the western coast of the United States of America, Hip hop did not gain popularity until the 1980’s. It can be divided into four sub-groups. Each of these groups represent hip hop in a unique way. In terms of orality, hip hop heavily relies on rap music, which involves speech, writing, and…

Gangsta rap, originating from the west coast wouldn’t be received with open arms by the American public. This new genre of rap was much more adult oriented and featured a plethora of expletives. Though the product was more edgier, the focus remained the same. Gangsta rap featured problems that…

There has been controversy surrounding rap music has been in the forefront of the American media. From the hype of the East Coast-West Coast rivalry that shadowed the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. to the demonization of modem music in the wake of your modern day crime it seems that political and media groups have been quick to place blame on rap for a seeming trend in this so called “youth violence”. however, though critics are quick to point out the violent lyrics of…

Many regard hip hop as offensive noise but many of the music’s elements have roots deep in American history and helped shape the country as we know it today. It’s earliest roots date back to the rhythmic music of tribal Africa. Much of the music consisted of drum beats and rhythmic chanting accompanied by melodic vocals and other minor instruments, such as, shakers, string instruments, and flutes. Today’s rap music is also centralized around heavy beats and the same rhythmic chanting, which we…

Within recent years, people have been quick to blame hip-hop music for a trend in youth violence and the bad habits they have inherited over the years. As a massive hip-hop head myself, that is nothing but ignorance to me. It’s never been about the music and the music has never been the problem… if anything, hip-hop has been the most important outlet for our youth. From the ever too common East Coast – West Coast rivalry, to the death of Tupac & Biggie, to even the notion of past rappers who…

Stereotypes have been outcasted in most forms of popular culture, but a few are left that utilize these ideas. Music genres like rap or hip-hop stereotype women and colored people, but when it is used by a television personality, people become outraged. One incident in particular, a famous cook, Paula Deen, used degrading terms to describe an African-American, but those and similar terms are used in popular music today (Dowd). All minorities alike will become outraged when derogatory terms are…

Hip Hop in society is anything but a word. It is a living thing that grows, changes, and expresses itself as it goes through this. No matter how it may change though, it has always had one single meaning for its existence: peace; and with this meaning for existence, there must always be nine elements that are presence in order for Hip Hop to fulfill its purpose. The first element of Hip Hop, is dancing. Usually those who dance in Hip Hop are considered either the B-boy or the B-girl, and they…

The roots of hip hop and rap go farther back than one might expect. For centuries, Africans have instilled a keen sense of rhythm and soul into their music no matter what form it took - schoolyard double dutch rhymes, testifying, and beat poetry were all influences on rap. In the 1970’s, the airwaves were overrun with disco. The only escape for people who wanted to dance but not like idiots while doing it was the early funk movement (ex. Ohio Players with their album Honey, and Parliament with…

persisting and striving for accuracy, He created many albums, obtained numerous awards, and overcame hate and discrimination and illuminated the world by showcasing his talent to the world. Nasir Jones, or Nas for short, was an american rapper and hip-hop artist. He established numerous songs and albums in which some broke records, such as; Released debut album Illmatic,…

Is Lyricism In Hip Hop A Lost Art Form? It is no surprise that hip hop ten years ago sounds much more different than it does now. Even a person who is unfamiliar with hip hop can distinguish a rap song from the 90’s and one in 2015. Lyrics, production, and subject matter strays away from its “gangster” persona, and now associates with a personal story modern rappers are trying to tell. Ask a person who has grown up in the 90’s hip hop era about their thoughts on todays hip hop, and expect a…