I Miss 90s Hip-Hop Vol.0
From the Birth of Hip Hop to the End of the 1980s
This month, C.r.e.a.m. Team Records, a label specializing in 90s hip-hop, is launching a new serial feature on its website titled "I Miss 90s Hip-Hop." As an prologue, Vol. 0, we'll trace the flow of the hip-hop scene from its birth up to the end of the 80s.
As of 2022, hip-hop culture continues to exert a tremendous influence across various fields, not only in music but also in fashion and art, around the world. It is now commonplace for hip-hop artists to dominate the upper ranks of the US Billboard charts, and here in Japan, freestyle rap has permeated the general public, while the inclusion of breaking (breakdancing) as an official sport in the Paris Olympics in 2024 has drawn attention to it. Hip-hop, once a subculture, has now become completely mainstream.
Hip-hop culture was born 49 years ago. It is said to have originated on August 11, 1973, at a party called the "BACK TO SCHOOL JAM" held by Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc, then 18 years old, in the recreation room of a housing project in New York's South Bronx.
https://rockthebells.com/articles/dj-kool-herc-rec-room-party/
The DJ was the most respected.
Through block parties that brought together DJs, MCs (rappers), and the youths who danced breakin'—B-boys—who were both spectators and the main focus of the party, hip hop spread throughout New York, centered in the Bronx. Alongside Kool Herc, three great DJs—Afrika Bambaataa, who led the crew Zulu Nation, and Grandmaster Flash, who was a cut above in terms of DJing techniques—laid the foundation for the scene.
As is often said, the DJs were the most respected in the hip-hop scene of this era, and rappers were merely their supporting acts. The first rapper in hip-hop history is said to be Coke La Rock, a member of Kool Herc's crew, the Herculoids. He would grab the mic and hype up the audience to the songs Kool Herc played, and phrases he created, such as "You Rock and You Don't Stop," have since been quoted by various rappers in their songs.
Set in the dawn of hip-hop, the original Netflix drama "The Get Down," released in 2016, portrays this era. The series begins in the South Bronx in 1977, featuring teenagers as its protagonists. While a musical drama, it brilliantly depicts the backdrop against which hip-hop was born in New York City, conveying the excitement and dynamism of its initial impulse.
Another film, "Wild Style," produced in 1982 (released in 1983), is also an extremely important work for understanding the early days of New York's hip-hop scene. It depicts the four major elements of hip-hop – MCing, DJing, graffiti, and breakdancing – in a balanced way, and its use of real artists who were at the forefront of the scene at the time makes it a semi-documentary film.
What the recording of rap music brought
From the 1970s to the early 1980s, block parties, as depicted in "The Get Down" and "Wild Style," were at the center of the hip-hop scene. However, the situation changed dramatically with the single release of Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" in 1979 by the indie label Sugar Hill Records, which originated in New Jersey. This song, considered the first rap record, was actually performed by a hastily assembled trio of amateurs rapping lyrics written by a real rapper named Grandmaster Caz, making it essentially a fake for the scene.
Originally, the block party scene was simply rappers freestyling over DJ's records, with no thought of recording it as an audio source. It was only meant to be enjoyed at the party venue or on cassette tapes recorded from those parties. Sylvia Robinson, the head of Sugar Hill and a singer known for the hit song "Pillow Talk," was an outsider, which is precisely why she came up with the idea of recording rap. "Rapper's Delight" reached number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year after its release, and was also a hit in Canada and various European countries. As a result, the success of "Rapper's Delight" became the initial catalyst for rap, which had previously been confined to New York, to spread throughout the United States and the world.
Sugarhill Gang
The hit "Rapper's Delight" proved that rap records could be a business, and works by various artists were released one after another from emerging labels like Sugar Hill and Enjoy, as well as smaller independent labels. Furthermore, Kurtis Blow, the first major label contract artist as a rapper, achieved historical firsts by winning a gold record for his 1980 single "The Breaks," making his name known throughout the United States.
Kurtis Blow
Incidentally, rap singles from this era were produced in a style where rap was laid over existing disco hit songs, such as “Rapper's Delight” which used Chic's "Good Times" as a foundation, or by re-recording and arranging disco hits with live instruments, a style now known as "disco rap." In essence, this was merely a pseudo-sonic representation of what was happening at block parties. However, as rap's presence permeated society, copyright issues began to arise, leading to the introduction of original tracks using drum machines and synthesizers instead of live instruments, and hip-hop evolved at a tremendous speed in terms of sound as well.
The origin of the word "HIPHOP"
As a side note, it was around this time that the term “Hip-Hop,” which is now used so commonly, came to signify this culture. Although “Hip Hop” already appeared in the lyrics of “Rapper's Delight,” it is said to have originally been coined by the rapper Lovebug Starski simply as a catchy phrase frequently used in rap. This word, which originally had no meaning, began to be used as a general term for the culture when an interview with Afrika Bambaataa titled "Afrika Bambaataa's Hip Hop" was published in the *Village Voice* in September 1982. Incidentally, it was not Afrika Bambaataa himself who designated "Hip Hop" as the name of the culture in this article, but the journalist who wrote it. Having an official name certainly had a positive impact on the culture's spread to the outside world.
Def Jam expanded the possibilities of hip-hop expression.
Entering 1983, one of hip hop's greatest groups, Run-D.M.C., emerged. The rap style, characterized by the interplay between the two MCs, Run and D.M.C., possessed a groove overwhelmingly different from previous generations. Furthermore, their bold incorporation of electric guitar into their sound deeply appealed to audiences who had previously overlooked hip hop. Among their works, the cover of Aerosmith's song of the same name, "Walk This Way," was incredibly impactful. The producer of "Walk This Way" was Run's older brother, Russell Simmons, along with Rick Rubin. The label they founded, Def Jam Recordings, is also an indispensable entity when discussing the 80s hip hop scene. L.L. Cool J., who projected a macho and strong style while also garnering immense popularity among female fans due to his idol-like appeal. Beastie Boys, a trio of white musicians with punk roots, released the massive hit "Fight for Your Right." And Public Enemy, who captivated audiences with their stage productions reminiscent of a military unit, while also weaving social messages into their lyrics. Def Jam's immense contribution in launching these three stars, each representing a distinctly different type, from the mid-80s onwards, vastly expanded the expressive possibilities of hip hop.
Run-DMC
LL Cool J
Beastie Boys
Public Enemy
From drum machine to sampler
Another epoch-making event of this period was the shift in hip-hop tracks from drum machines to sampler-based sounds. This also marked the beginning of an era where producers became the main players in the hip-hop scene, with Marley Marl from Queens being a prime example. Sampling has now become synonymous with hip-hop sound, and Marley Marl's method of deconstructing breakbeats using samplers to construct beats became a technique that was passed down through generations of hip-hop producers. Furthermore, Marley Marl, who led his own crew called the Juice Crew, produced great talents such as MC Shan, Roxanne Shante, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, and Kool G Rap & DJ Polo through his own label, Cold Chillin'. The Juice Crew became a major force in the hip-hop scene from the mid-80s onwards, establishing their presence.
MC Shan
Roxanne Shanté
Biz Markie
Big Daddy Kane
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
Juice Crew
Representative artists of the late 80s scene
Other artists who appeared in the late 80s included Eric B. & Rakim (with Marley Marl also participating in recordings behind the scenes), KRS-One's Boogie Down Productions, who had "bridge battles" with Juice Crew, Ultramagnetic MC's, featuring Ced Gee, who contributed as a producer to Boogie Down Productions' early works, and Kool Keith, who gained cult popularity as an MC, Stetsasonic, known as the originator of hip-hop bands, the rap duo EPMD who wielded heavy funk sounds as their weapon, Jungle Brothers, who carried on the NY hip-hop tradition while also hitting it big with the hip house track "I'll House You," and Queen Latifah, who later blossomed as an actress.
Eric B. & Rakim
Boogie Down Productions
Ultramagnetic MCs
Stetsasonic
EPMD
Jungle Brothers
Queen Latifah
Hip-hop spreads across the United States
Furthermore, hip-hop spread from New York to various parts of the country. In Los Angeles, a gangsta rap movement kicked off centered around N.W.A and Ice-T, while in the Bay Area, Too $hort and Digital Underground each forged their own unique styles. In Miami, 2 Live Crew stirred up controversy with their explicit lyrics. In addition, much like Def Jam and Cold Chillin', independent labels specializing in hip-hop emerged in various regions. In 1988, Tone Lōc's "Wild Thing," released by Los Angeles-based Delicious Vinyl, became hip-hop's first-ever double-platinum (selling over 2 million copies) mega-hit.
N.W.A
Ice-T
Too $short
Digital Underground
2 Live Crew
Tone Lōc
The emergence of hip-hop specialized media
The year 1988 was significant, leading to the rise of the hip-hop scene in the 1990s and beyond, with the premiere of the hip-hop specialized program "Yo! MTV Raps" on MTV in August of that year. The program broadcasted various artists' music videos nationwide, conveying hip-hop's appeal not only through sound but also visually. This greatly helped hip-hop spread to a wider audience. Additionally, the hip-hop specialized magazine "The Source" began as a newspaper around the same time, and it would go on to have immense influence within the 90s hip-hop scene.https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/100908847877662936/
Moreover, the following year, the Grammy Awards introduced a new category, "Best Rap Performance," which was awarded to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (now Will Smith). While the award recipients don't necessarily align with the support of the hip-hop fan base, this can also be seen as a sign of hip-hop's increasing penetration into the mainstream.
Yo! MTV Raps
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Hip-Hop's Next Era
In the late 1980s, new artists with fresh talent like De La Soul and Gang Starr debuted, who would go on to dominate the 90s hip-hop scene and create the next era of hip-hop...
(The following chapter will cover the 90s hip-hop scene, year by year, starting from 1990, from Vol. 1.)
De La Soul
Gang Starr
＜本文終わり＞
Music writer. Began writing in 1996, contributing to publications such as the hip-hop magazine "blast." Moved to Los Angeles in 2003, where they covered the underground hip-hop scene, including artists like Stones Throw, while also writing about fashion, art, and other fields. Returned to Japan in 2015 and continues to work as a writer for various magazines and web media, focusing primarily on hip-hop.
