MCing – Early Roots

• Poetry – form of expression, tell a story• Civil Rights – Gil Scott Heron, The Last Poets• James Brown – small rhymes, raps• Richard Pryor – comedian: spoke of life

Early MC’s

• Kool Herc parties - Coke La Rock – shout out friends

• The MC would shout out the DJ too• Creative rhymes – Engage the audience• Busy Bee, Lovebug Starski, Eddie Cheba

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

• Melle Mel, Cowboy – worked the mic at Flash’s parties

• Kept audience dancing/engaged• Formed performing group – headlined parties

Cold Crush Brothers

• Strong group of MCs• Well structured show• Grandmaster Caz• Battle rap – outdo opponent

Rapper’s Delight

• Big Bank Hank – pizza delivery worker• Took rhymes from Grandmaster Caz• Rapper’s Delight sold 2 million copies in 1979• More groups started signing record contracts

The Message

• Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five• First rap song to address issues on the street• Not about rocking parties, or bragging

Afrika Bambaataa

• Soul Sonic Force• Planet Rock • Electro sounds

Writing Rhymes

• Standard: 16 lines to a verse

• Simple:“Will it ever stop? I don’t knowTurn off the lights and I’ll glow”- Vanilla Ice

• Complex:“Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we knowThat we riddled some middlemen who didn’t do diddly”- Big Pun

Writing Rhymes

• Similie – comparing two things using “like” or “as”Ex. “You’re as cold as ice”

• Metaphor – using an image to describe something elseEx. “Her voice was an arrow that pierced my heart”

Writing Rhymes

• Alliteration – repetition of sounds in the first syllables of a series of words or phrasesEx. “falling fast, forgetting the future”

• Assonance – using vowels to create internal rhymesEx. “Do you like the blue shoe goo?”

Writing Rhymes• Form

“I’m mad as hell ‘cause it’s bound to sellAnd you be biting what I’m writing and people can’t tellYou change it around, disguise the soundWith no prior desire to write, that’s why I frown”

- Grandmaster Caz

Run DMC• Mid to late 80s• Carried the torch – took Hip Hop to new

heights• Breakthrough to mainstream audience• Collaboration with Aerosmith “Walk this Way”

Other 80s MC’s

• LL Cool J• Fresh Prince• Doug E Fresh• Fat Boys

Public Enemy

• Militant style - Politically charged lyrics• Criticized American media• Frustrations in African American life

Gangster Rap – Ice T

• Aggressive lyrics “I don’t give a fu@$!”• Drugs, sex, violence, crime – story• Controversy – “Cop Killer”• Talk about the time? Keeping it real?

NWA

• Eazy E, Dr Dre, Ice Cube,• 1986-1991 – Controversy – music banned• Much more extreme than Ice-T• Censorship

Snoop Dogg & Dr Dre

• Dr Dre – Death Row Records “The Chronic” • Produced Snoop’s first album (Eminem & 50

Cent too)• Snoop – ex-Crip – 11 albums to date

2Pac (Tupac Shakur)• Lyricist, poet & actor• Mother: Afeni Shakur – Black Panther• One of the greatest MCs – unique flow• Dual personality – controversial & wise• Carried “West Coast” sound – Death Row records

Notorious B.I.G.• Brooklyn, NYC• Central “East Coast” MC – Bad Boy Records• Loose, easy flow – dark storytelling• Crime & controversy – East vs West

Death Row vs Bad Boy (West Coast vs East Coast)

• Mid-late 90s – fued between record labels• Sean “Puffy” Combs & Suge Knight• Disses on songs, at awards shows – strong media

attention• Gang involvements

RIP 2Pac & Biggie

• Tupac - September 7, 1996 – drive-by in Vegas• Biggie - March 9, 1997 – drive-by in LA• Unsolved murders - Lasting legacy as MCs• End of the gangster rap era – scene changes

Post Biggie & 2Pac

• Opens the door for new MCs• Nas, Jay-Z, Lil Kim, Puff Daddy, Timberland,

Missy, Pharcyde, Fugees, Wu-Tang, etc• “Bling” era & underground scene

Other Scenes

• Detroit• Chicago• Atlanta• Toronto

• LA• New Orleans• Texas• NYC

• Montreal• Philadelphia• South America• Europe, UK, Asia

Women in Hip Hop

• Queen Latifah• Lauryn Hill• MC Lyte• Foxy Brown • Eve• Missy Elliot• Miche Mee

Hip Hop Today

• Hip Pop?• Many flavours – a whole spectrum• What will be next?

New Jack Swing

• Hybrid of Hip Hop and R&B (Mid 80s-mid 90s)• Teddy Riley – producer• Initially produced for Doug E Fresh “The Show”• Formed his own group: Guy

New Jack Swing

• Teddy produced for many popular artists• Bobby Brown • Michael Jackson – Dangerous (1995)• Wreckx’n’Effect, Heavy D, Blackstreet

Arsenio Hall

• Comedian and TV Show host• “Arsenio Hall Show” late night TV• Featured many New Jack Swing artists • Helped spread the NJS sound

New Jack Swing

• Kid & Play – House Party• Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – Janet Jackson• Babyface – Bobby Brown, TLC

New Jack Swing

• Dancers featured on videos/performances• Scoob & Scrap (Big Daddy Kane)• Buddha Stretch & Elite Force - choreographers• Party dances