Click here to check out Images of Early Day Hip-Hop

Hip-hop’s rise from an underground party scene dominated by Bronx youth to a billion-dollar-generating worldwide phenomenon that has transcended genre and geography and defined an entire generation has spanned nearly four decades. Find out more about the key movers, music and moments in the history of hip-hop—so far. Choose a decade below to start exploring.

Dj Kool Herc created hip-hop in his backyard at a family party when he mixed, old funk, R&B, and soul music together. He did something amazing at that party in the South Bronx when he manipulated the beats and rapped over them. Hip-hop/RAP spread like wild fire through the Bronx and the other boroughs and “rap battles” were born. However, “disco” still held the mainstream radio, TV, and producers’ interests.

The music picked up speed when the first rap/hip-hop album was recorded in 1979 by the Sugar Hill Gang. Artists like Run-DMC, KRS-One, and Grandmaster D were the rage in colleges and quickly became popular across races and states. This lead the way to hip-hop/rap’s rise to commercialism and become a leading genre in today’s musical industry.

The early 90s birthed “gangster rap” and the themes of rap/hip-hop changed. Lyrics, performances, and videos become more and more controversial. Some records were banned from the radio. In 1992, police officers attacked Rodney King in Los Angeles and riots ensued. Major hip-hop/rap artists called to their musical genre to become the spokesperson for African Americans. The industry changed again when the East coast and West coast rivalries began, which is believed to have been started with the release of the song “6 in the Morning” by Ice T. Ice T, Dr. Dre, Easy-E, Tupac, and many others were leaders in the industry on the west coast. Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie; Christopher Wallace), Puff Daddy (P. Diddy; Diddy; Sean Combs), Nas, The Wu-Tang Clan, and other artists were part of the east coast. The two record labels at the head of the rivalry were Bad Boy Records (East) and Death Row. However, the competition was not in the forefront until Tupac was shot in 1994 and accused Sean Combs and Biggie of shooting him. From then on, the two record companies, and artists went at each other. The rivalry continued until Tupac was shot and killed in 1996 and one year later Biggie was also shot in killed.

These two deaths were a big hit to the industry and the east coast-west coast rivalry faded. However, some critics argue that rappers like Jay-Z and Snoop maintain the coastal lines in their lyrics even though the competition is not nearly as violent as it once was. Rap/Hip-hop’s golden age during the 1980s and 90s ended with the deaths of these two artists. Critics believe that lyrics and design have been less than innovative since 1996.

Click here to check out hip-hop musical playlists 

Task: Use your knowledge of our school databases and the resources on our classroom site to research the controversy surrounding hip-hop. Complete the PMI chart and be prepared to participate in our classroom four-corner debate.

This house believes that hip-hop is a positive influence on conquering stereotypes.

Resources:
Opposing Views Debate Site
Hip -hop Debate.org
Global post on Hip-Hop
SOMS Databases
Hip-hop Easy Bib Research Tool