The Evolution Of Rap Music

European Rap Music

Rap music quickly spread to Western Europe after its early commercialization in the American in the 1970s

The first European radio stations came onto the air in France in 1982

Today, rappers are present in every major country and language group in Europe, although due to language barriers many are only known within their country of origin

European Rap Music

M.I.A., a female hip-hop artists from Britain, is one of the most famous examples of European rap artists.Other artists include Ghetto, MC Solaar and L.O.C.

Canadian Rap Music - Drake

Canadian Rap Music

Aubrey Graham was born in Toronto to a Jewish mother and Black-Canadian father, and grew up in Forest Hill

Due to its cultural similarities with the United States, rap music has been popular in Canada since the 1980's, yet Canadian rappers didn't appear in the mainstream until the early 2000's

After several years acting on the TV drama Degrassi, Graham, going by the name Drake, launched an incredibly successful rap career, becoming one of the most successful rappers in the world

Maestro, a Toronto-based rapper whose career started in 1987, is refered to as the "godfather of Canadian hip-hop". He was the first Canadian rapper to have his song reach the top 40 chart, with his 1989 song "Let Your Backbone Slide"

He has brought a significant amount of international attention to the Toronto music scene

Example of an early French rap song by MC Solaar. "Bouge De La" was released in 1990

In the first decade of the 21st century, Canadian rappers such as Kardinal Offishall and Drake have become very popular in Canada and internationally

Rap Music Around the World

History of Motown

Influence of Motown

Although at first Rap was a solely African American genre, it has expanded throughout the world

Biggie and Tupac; East vs. West

Influence of Motown

The 1990's are also known for the rivalry that was present between rappers on the East and West Coasts of the United States

Influence of Motown

Motown arrived at the height of the civil rights movement and was

a black-owned, black-centered business white America loved

Motown is considered to have been a force of social and cultural

change

Effectively bringing together a segregated country, its sound

reached everyone, regardless of race, gender or age

The number of hits means that its influence was widespread, and

it is specifically noticeable in the rap genre

Motown eventually articulated the voice of the racial conflict,

which is evident if Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”

The Soul and Pop music of Motown spread across the country and

the number of hits produced was unprecedented

You've Really Got a Hold On Me," "Heat Wave," "Dancing in the

Street," "Tracks of My Tears," "Where Did Our Love Go," "My

Guy," "My Girl," "Baby Love," "Reach Out, I'll Be There," "I Can't

Help Myself," "Get Ready," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "The Way

You Do the Things You Do,"

Martha and the Vandellas,

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles,

The Temptations, The Four Tops,

Diana Ross and the Supremes,

Gladys Knight and the Pips, The

Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and

Motown Records Corporation was founded by Berry Gordy with

only $800 in 1959, the name as a tribute to motor city, Detroit

Located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, the studio was called

“Hitsville USA”

Berry Gordy proved to be an extremely talented leader, teacher

and producer, and played a vital role in the Motown’s success

Berry partly attributed Motown success to his previous job on the

assembly line, he took someone in off the street, put them through

a process and produced a star

Berry implemented what he called

quality control, meetings where producers

and artists would debate what to release,

to insure almost all releases were hits

Today, Rap music is loved all over the world for its ability to deliver poetic lyrics, make political statements and entertain millions

New York's Christopher Wallace, known as Notorious B.I.G., was the most prolific East Coast rapper, whereas Tupac Shakur of Los Angeles led the West Coast rappers

Many distinct aspects of rap are sampled from Motown’s sound

One of the main influences was the strong backbeat Motown was

known for, and its keeps it simple attitude which is crucial to any

rap song

Another was the use of orchestral arrangements to compliment

the song, more effective than just a guitar or bass in achieving

atmosphere

The combination of the musical innovations and the utilization of

popular music as a platform for change set the stage for modern

rap

Motown served as a way for black people to express themselves

and their struggle, a role that modern rap later served

Both Notorious B.I.G.(also known as Biggie Smalls) and Tupac are considered amongst the greatest rappers of all time by almost all music historians

Both were murdered by unknown assailants; Shakur in 1996 and Wallace in 1997

The 1990's: The "Glory Years of Rap"

Rapper's Delight

The years of 1988-1997 are often considered the Golden Age of rap due to the vast number of artists who emerged, and the quality and quantity of music produced during these years

Modern Rap Music

The Sugarhill Gang

Following the violence prevalent in rap music of the 80's and 90's, today's rap music is often more alternative and upbeat.

The Sugarhill Gang was a New Jersey-based rap group formed in 1973 with members Michael "Wonder Mike" Wright, Guy "Master Gee" O'Brien and Henry "Big Bank Hank" Jackson.

These years saw the emergence of artists such as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z and Eminem, many of whom are still active artists

The group OutKast is famous for starting the era of alternative rap music, with the release of their Stankonia album in 2000

Artists such as Kanye West, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar popularized modern and alternative rapping

They are known for popularizing the rap genre with their 1979 song "Rapper's Delight", the first commercially successful rap song

Rapper's Delight was the first true rap song, and is widely considered one of the greatest rap songs

Albums such as Kanye West's Graduation have far outsold albums by traditional gangsta rap artists such as 50 Cent

Kanye West

Kanye West brought a new arrogance to the rap game, changing it forever.

Most of the music produced by The Sugarhill Gang was upbeat in its nature, unlike the more violent "Gangsta Rap" which would succeed it throughout the 80's and 90's

He is a genius in the field of writing lyrics and his songs are filled with egocentric lines that ooze self-confidence

"Wake up Mr. West, Mr. West, Mr. West, Mr. By-himself-he-so-impressed"

Kanye, once a profound 'partier' (like Eitan B-N) recently married Kim Kardashian and conceived a child, North West.

"Come on, homie what happened? You n****s ain't breathing, you gaspin"

Grandmaster Flash and "The Message"

Early Rap Music

"The Message" was a 1982 song written by Grandmaster Flash describing the struggles of the black community in New York City

Many different types of African-American music came together in the New York City block parties of the 1970s

Blues

Jazz

Jazz

The song paved the way for other rap songs that dealt with the harsh reality of the time

Poets and Songwriters performed their works over the music of DJs

Many 'blusicians' were motivated by tragic and unfortunate circumstances in their lives. These events influence the contents of their songs.

A famous old-school rap duo was formed by poet Coke La Rock and DJ Kool Herc, who would perform at block parties in the Bronx starting in 1973

Although modern rap songs predominantly pertain to happy things (e.g women, money, fame etc.), a sizable amount of rap relates to tragic events as well.

As jazz spread around the world, it drew on different national, regional, and local musical cultures, giving rise to many distinctive styles.

New Orleans jazz began in the early 1910s, combining earlier brass band marches, ragtime and blues

In the 1930s, heavily arranged dance-oriented swing big bands, Kansas City jazz, a hard-swinging, bluesy, improvisational style and Gypsy jazz were the prominent styles.

Bebop emerged in the 1940s, shifting jazz from danceable popular music towards a more challenging "musician's music" which was played at faster tempos and used more chord-based improvisation.

Finally, Cool jazz developed in the end of the 1940s (Calm, cool, smooth)

Until the emergence of the Sugarhill Gang in 1979, rapping was mainly an informal art form used as a way of expressing poetry

This is a rap performance from 1978 including rap innovators such as DJ Kool Herc, Coke La Rock, and Grand Wizard Theodore

Blues

Many rappers grew up fatherless in the depths of a ghetto, so understandably they dealt with a lot growing up. Notwithstanding the significant fortune many of them have amassed, they rap about their past experiences as a means to remember their heritage.

Gangsta Rap and the Crack Epidemic

Rap as a Cultural Outlet

Jazz rap is a sub-genre of hip hop music that incorporates jazz influences

In the 1980s, crack-cocaine swept through the United States and devastated many impoverished African American communities

Ever since the emergence of the earliest rap songs, rap music has been created in the context of historical and cultural events

In many American cities, especially Los Angeles, New York Miami and Philadelphia, crime rates surged between the early 1980's and 1994. African Americans communities were often the hardest hit

Rap music has been used to express everything from incredible sports teams (Macklemore's "My Oh My") to the election of Barack Obama (Young Jeezy's "My President is Black")

Jazz

Jazz

Slavery-Era Work Songs

One historical period which was strongly expressed through rap music was the period of the "Crack Epidemic"

During this time, the content of rap songs changed to reflect the struggle of African American communities coping with drug issues, crime, police brutality and prostitution.

When East-Africans were brought to the United States as slaves, they brought their musical traditions with them

Blues

Jazz is a genre of music that originated in the late 19th century

African American communities

Emerged in many parts of the United States in the form of independent popular musical styles

Jazz spans a period of over 100 years and encompasses a range of music from ragtime to the present day (began as dance music in the red-light districts of African American communities in St. Louis and New Orleans, then became piano sheet music)

Most difficult to define.

Early 1980s, a commercial form of jazz fusion called smooth jazz became successful, garnering significant radio airplay. Other jazz styles include Afro-Cuban jazz, West Coast jazz, Indo jazz, soul jazz, chamber jazz, Latin jazz, jazz funk, loft jazz, punk jazz, acid jazz, ethno jazz, jazz rap, M-Base, spiritual jazz and nu jazz.

Blues music, rooted in the work songs and spirituals of slavery and influenced greatly by West African musical traditions, was first played by blacks, and later by some whites, in the Mississippi Delta region of the United States around the time of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Jazz, which developed from the blues and other African-American and European musical traditions and originated around the beginning of the 20th century, has also influenced hip hop and has been cited as a precursor of hip hop.

Israeli Rap Music

Some songs were created by African slaves to remind them of their African roots, while some were initiated by slaveowners to keep morale high

Similar to slave-era work songs, the origins of Blues music are deeply rooted in the Southern United States.

Work songs were most popular between the 17th century and the end of slavery in 1865, yet some lived on as folk songs well into the 20th Century

Blues music often incorporates a trance-like rhythm. To this end, rap songs are completely reliant on a stellar beat to keep the song flowing.

The first published collection of African American songs was published in 1871

A blues legend, Robert Johnson, sang many songs in spoken word (as opposed to a traditional melody). This provided the foundation for rap music to take off and evolve into fast speaking on top of a beat.

Rap music has also become incredibly popular as both a musical genre and form of political expression in Israel

Slavery-Era Work Songs

African traditions were merged with English-language work songs, and reflected the slaves' hopes for freedom

Many work songs used a call-and-response format, which can still sometimes be found in rap songs

Songs were heavily influenced by religion, often quoting the Bible, as well as by farm work such as picking cotton and corn

Artists such as Hadah Nahash, Subliminal and Easy are popular in Israel for their exciting music and strong political messages in their songs

Slavery-Era Work Songs

African Traditions

In the 14th century Malian Empire, Griots used rhyming poems and songs to convey oral histories - similar to European Troubadours

African Traditions

Griots also used songs for satire and to comment on political issues.

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Early Influences

Rap was not created independently; it evolved through a gradual process

Rap includes elements of traditional African music, slaves' work songs, jazz, rock, funk, and gospel music, as well as religious and political influences

The History and Evolution of Rap

By Lucas Magen, Benson-Tamlnd,

Eitan B-N, Matty C and EF Swag