KOREAN HIP HOP HISTORY BOOK FULL

He spoke of murder, poverty, death and self-harm as the norm of his life. Gone were the quips of delight and self-confidence. Though not the first, the most famous rap stickup kid, one Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., has always been the face of rap's turn to a darker, more aggressive nature. The success of this type of hip-hop would suggest a standard or stasis, but no - the music has always been about evolution, and the stickup kids of Brooklyn and Queens were ready to tell their own story.

These folks would speak of our progress and also of how much road we had left to go. It was then we began to see the music that had lent itself to this genre repurposed for the younger generation, born into a world where Black people could vote and Jim Crow had not been experienced firsthand.

The famous record breaks of Herc's day had become cutting, sampling and looping to create a bigger sound for the lyrics to inhabit. Soon the scholars were followed by the whiz kids (think A Tribe Called Quest), devoted not just to smooth and snappy lyrics but also great beats. Hip-hop is a snake-like creature that gets into all the cracks and crevices and a city that touted five separate boroughs of distinct cultures could never just stop at one level. Pioneer break dancer Ana 'Rokafella' Garcia reflects on a life in hip-hop.Artist Alexa Marie 'Lotus' Alerte shares how hip-hop transformed her into an 'outlandish, walking art-esque blend of a person'.'I wanted to be the female version of what I was seeing on the street': Street artist Maria 'Toofly' Castillo shares her journey.The message was delivered in many ways, from aggressive to almost cartoonish. (the tracksuit-wearing funnymen) and Public Enemy's Chuck D (a philosopher in his own right). But even the scholars had company: KRS-One (the militant intellectual) and Run-D.M.C. And just like that, we became the sound of the streets. With metaphors and philosophies, these men stood tall and long, reaching their arms out to talk about life in the city and the values that kept them 10 toes down. His first album with Eric B., Paid in Full, was named after an infamous posse in the city. Rakim's lyricism enforced the idea that we were responsible for really telling a story and giving a glimpse into Black life. Through them, we began to see the potential for more. & Rakim, the godfather of lyricism, expanded the idea of rap itself - it wouldn't just accompany dancers and parties it would be its own form of song. But soon the scholars would enter the picture. There was no need for the lyrics to make sense when they were accoutrement. Like the matrons of the vogue balls of the time, they were the emcees, keeping the dancers energized and giving the people something else to cheer about. With no idea of how far it could go, these groups performed for pure enjoyment. What started with the b-boys and b-girls simply dancing to beat breaks soon became rapping with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, alongside The Sugarhill Gang. Black people are a constant swath of personalities, values and tastes and the city has always had enough people and perspective to show them all off with braggadocio and aplomb. From its birth the legacy and lineage of American Blackness has always been its backbone, but if the music has done one thing overall it is show the world that Blackness has never been and never will be a monolith. Hip-hop is the story of Blackness in an anti-Black world, quite literally beat breaks using the funk music of the civil rights movement. A city of millions growing ever upward, NYC is the place to stand up and stand out lest you be trampled underfoot by sheer population size.

KOREAN HIP HOP HISTORY BOOK FULL

And while it has picked up all the lovely nuances of each region along the way, there is no overstating its influence: The city gave rap its personality and attitude.įrom then until now, New York has always been full of characters.

It has become the story of the streets, the voice of the marginalized and the mainstream sound for entertainment. Decades later, hip-hop has gone from Sedgwick Avenue to di world, breaking borders and language barriers in a never-ending storm of cultural exchange. Even if you haven't seen the famous DJ Kool Herc party flyer from 1973, rarely is the genre spoken about without giving the city its due. If you've been around for any of the past 50 years of hip-hop, you're already well aware of New York's place in the pantheon.

Korean hip hop history book